DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Wood Brothers will not compete in the Daytona 500 for the first time since 1962 after Bill Elliott failed to advance through his qualifying race Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.

"I don't think there are words that can describe it, but that's life,'' Elliott said. "There will be days like this."

Sunday's 50th Daytona 500 will be only the third time the Wood Brothers have not been a part of this race.

Co-owner Eddie Wood said he'll remain for the race but admits he'll likely have a hollow feeling.

"I don't know what that'll feel like [not to be in the 500]. I'm sure it's going to be bad,'' he said.

"Our race team is better than it was last year, by far. We don't have the results. Our practice times and everything we did this week were better than what we've had in the past. It's hard being a single-car team like we are."

Elliott's woes began when Kurt Busch failed to finish in the first qualifying race and took the champion's provisional.

That is given to the most recent champion not yet in the field.

Busch and Dale Jarrett ranked ahead of Elliott for that.

Jarrett made the field through his qualifying race. Had Busch and Jarrett both raced their way into the 500, Elliott could have gotten the provisional. Instead, the team will not be in the 500.

One last time

Teammates Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann helped Jarrett make the 500 through his qualifying race. Both teammates ran with and behind Jarrett, helping push him up the pack.

"It made my job easier knowing that I had someone there at my back,'' said Jarrett, who is retiring this season. "My car was good enough to drive up there and do what I needed to do"

Engine fix

Jeff Andrews, head engine builder for Hendrick Motorsports, said that the team sent all its race engines back to the team's race shop Wednesday night after finding problems with the lifters.

Andrews said the engines were being rebuilt and would return to the track Friday night.

"Because of the wear we were seeing ... you end up with this debris in the engine,'' Andrews said.

"You have to take [the engine] apart. Not only are you changing those parts, but you're taking apart and cleaning, washing everything and going back through it and fitting everything up again."

Andrews said he saw no problems with the Hendrick engines after Thursday's first qualifying race.

Pit stops

Open-wheel drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier failed to make the Daytona 500. ... John Andretti, Kenny Wallace and Brian Vickers raced their way into the 500 through their qualifying race along with Jarrett. Andretti moved into a transfer spot on the last lap. Said Andretti: "I wish I would have put money on me in Vegas on making this race." ... The rookies who are in the 500 are Sam Hornish, Jr., Regan Smith and Dario Franchitti.