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February 18, 2000 / 2:15 PM EST / AP

The Fords are off and running, and their rivals claim they have an unfair aerodynamic advantage.

Dale Jarrett led a Taurus sweep of the top five spots in the season-opening Daytona 500 on Sunday, the first time in 37 years Ford has done that.

When the engine noise died down at Daytona International Speedway, voices were raised.

General Motors teams want NASCAR to step in and make changes to even up the racing for its Pontiac Grand Prixs and the redesigned Chevrolet Monte Carlos.

The sanctioning body responded by impounding three cars Jarrett's winning Ford, the Pontiac of eighth-place finisher Ward Burton and the Monte Carlo of Mike Skinner, who was 16th.

Those cars, as well as three others, underwent engine testing immediately after the race. NASCAR also hopes to take the three cars to the Lockheed wind tunnel in Marietta, Ga., later this week for aerodynamic testing.

"Availability (of the wind tunnel) is the key," Kevin Triplett, NASCAR's director of operations, said today.

Asked if the wind-tunnel tests could lead to a rule change, he said, "I think it's certainly a possibility. Daytona's a different animal than anything else we do, other than Talladega. You take into consideration that Rockingham, Las Vegas and Atlanta are all different than Daytona, but you also want to have good races."

The winning car was put on display today at Daytona USA, an entertainment area just outside the tunnel entrance to the track. But Triplett said it will be among the cars tested. It will then be returned to the display, where it will stand until the day of next year's Daytona 500.

Todd Parrott, Jarrett's crew chief, said some of the problem the GM cars had might be the lack of cooperation.

"From what I saw, the Chevys need to work together," he said. "The Fords more or less team up with each other."

Jarrett agreed, saying, "Nobody's going to give it to you. You've got to go to work."

The outcome Sunday with Jarrett followed by Jeff Burton, Bill Elliott, Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin was almost a complete reversal from last year, when Jeff Gordon won and Chevys took four of the first five spots.

In fact, Chevys won the previous three Daytona 500s and nine of the last 12.

"I don't know why they're mad," Jarrett said. "They built it, they brought it."

Parrott, looking ahead to next Sunday's race, said it will be a different story in Rockingham, N.C.

"We were at a disadvantage two years ago and we had to work," he said. "Nobody is going to give it to you, so quit crying, let's race."

Chevy drivers contend their new Monte Carlos did not react as well as the partially redesigned Tauruses to new rules that stiffened shock absorbers.

The outcome of the race Sunday didn't surprise Richard Childress, who owns the Monte Carlos driven by Mike Skinner and Dale Earnhardt, who fnished 16th and 21st.

"If NASCAR can't see it, it's up to them," Childress said. "If they don't do something, Rockingham is going to be another terrible show."

Fords had not dominated the race since Davey Allison led a top-four sweep in 1992. It was only the third sweep of the top five spots since the first Daytona 500 in 1959. Oldsmobiles swept in 1979.

Earnhardt, an outspoken critic of NASCAR all week, continued that theme.

"They took the competition out of it," he said. "We were definitely at a disadvantage."

Gordon's Monte Carlo was taken out of the competition early, falling far behind because of an oil leak. He wound up 34th, five laps down.

"I couldn't run with those Fords," he said.

Johnny Benson, whose Pontiac faded to 12th after being passed by Jarrett for the lead four laps from the end, agreed that the GM cars were overmatched.

"The Fords have been dominant here all weekend," he said.

Benson was trying to pull off one of the greatest upsets in stock car racing history. He led for 39 laps before Jarrett's decisive pass. But he knew he was in trouble.

"The Fords were going to gang up," he said. "I knew what they were going to do and I did everything I could to prevent it. There is nothing you can do."

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