Gordon, Busch Win Duels – Daytona 500 Field Set

Gatorade Duel No. 1

Jeff Gordon returned to victory lane for the first time in more than a year, winning Thursday’s first Gatorade Duel qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway.

 Jeff Gordon Celebrates In Victory Lane After His Gatorade Duel Victory

Driving the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Gordon held off Tony Stewart and rookie Joey Logano in the closing laps. Because of Thursday’s victory, Gordon will start Sunday’s Daytona 500 on the inside of the second row as he tries to break his 41-race losing streak.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to visit victory lane quite a few times, but not many times as a father,” said Gordon, who was greeted by his daughter Ella after the race, which does not count in the Sprint Cup standings. “There’s nothing more special than that.

“This team has been unbelievable. We all know what we went through last year by not winning. There’s a lot of expectations on this team, but they never wavered. The guys just kept working hard, building great race cars. I hope there’s a lot of this in store for us in 2009.”

Stewart finished second in his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet and earned the first transfer spot into the 500. The second spot went to Scott Riggs’ new Tommy Baldwin Racing team, as Riggs moved from 11th to eighth in the final five laps.
Since Stewart raced his way into the Daytona 500, Regan Smith moved up the qualifying order and is guaranteed a starting spot Sunday. Smith is entered in Thursday’s second Gatorade Duel.
Logano surged into the top five late in the race and ended up third in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Hendrick’s Jimmie Johnson was fourth, with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s Aric Almirola fifth.

Sixth through 10th were Penske Racing’s Kurt Busch, Richard Petty Motorsports’ Kasey Kahne, Riggs, Yates Racing’s Paul Menard and Roush Fenway Racing’s Jamie McMurray.
Bill Elliott ran well early in the race, but under the second caution, the transmission on Elliott’s Wood Brothers Racing Ford locked up, sending Elliott into the wall.
Elliott still transfers into Sunday’s Daytona 500 via his qualifying speed, as he was the fastest of the drivers not locked into the race.

Daytona 500 polesitter Martin Truex Jr. brought out the third caution when he spun on lap 49. Truex’s No. 1 Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet slid up the track in Turn 2 and then was clipped by David Ragan’s Ford.

Kyle Roland,  a crewman for Mayfield Motorsports, was struck on pit road while he helped service Kirk Shelmerdine’s No. 27 Toyota. Roland was serving as jackman for Shelmerdine when he was hit by Shelmerdine’s car on a pit stop. Roland was taken to a local hospital for possible treatment, a NASCAR spokesman said.

Gatorade Duel No. 1 Results

Finish	Start	Car #	Driver	Car Make
1	5	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet
2	6	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet
3	3	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet
4	10	20	Joey Logano	Toyota
5	4	8	Aric Almirola	Chevrolet
6	22	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge
7	19	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge
8	15	36	Scott Riggs	Toyota
9	7	98	Paul Menard	Ford
10	12	26	Jamie McMurray	Ford
11	9	187	Joe Nemechek	Toyota
12	18	09	Brad Keselowski	Chevrolet
13	14	47	Marcos Ambrose	Toyota
14	21	07	Casey Mears	Chevrolet
15	16	55	Michael Waltrip	Toyota
16	23	77	Sam Hornish Jr	Dodge
17	28	146	Carl Long	Dodge
18	25	37	Tony Raines	Dodge
19	26	66	Terry Labonte	Toyota
20	24	127	Kirk Shelmerdine	Toyota
21	1	1	Martin Truex Jr	Chevrolet
22	20	7	Robby Gordon	Toyota
23	13	6	David Ragan	Ford
24	8	16	Greg Biffle	Ford
25	17	34	John Andretti	Chevrolet
26	11	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford
27	2	21	Bill Elliott	Ford
28	27	123	Mike Skinner	Chevrolet

 

Gatorade Duel No. 2

Kyle Busch seemed to shake off his 2008 Chase For The Sprint Cup blues by holding off Mark Martin and Brian Vickers to win the second Gatorade Duel qualifying race Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.

Kyle Busch Celebrates After Winning The Second Gatorade Duel

Mayfield Motorsports’ Jeremy Mayfield and Richard Petty Motorsports’ AJ Allmendinger finished ninth and 10th, respectively, to earn starting spots in Sunday’s Daytona 500.
“An emotional day,” Mayfield said. “It’s probably better than any win I’ve ever had. I’ve had so much support from everybody. It’s just unbelievable.”

While Mayfield used a late two-tire pit stop to gain track position, Allmendinger raced his No. 44 Dodge into the final transfer spot with help from teammates Elliott Sadler and Reed Sorenson.
“Everybody’s known over the last two months what’s happened,” Allmendinger said. “I’ve got to thank the 44 guys. They worked way long hours to get these cars ready. And I’ve especially got to thank my teammates, Elliott and Reed. They kind of had to ruin their races to come back and save me.”

The final three drivers to make the 500 reached it through qualifying speed: Bill Elliott (Wood Brothers Racing), Travis Kvapil (Yates Racing) and Regan Smith (Furniture Row Racing).
Busch won eight of the first 26 races last year but struggled in the 10-race Chase, finishing 10th in the final Cup standings.
Busch surged to the front late in the race, getting drafting help from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin to get around Hendrick Motorsports' Martin for the lead with three laps to go.
“I knew the first opportunity that we had to make the move that we ought to just take it and go for it and try to hold them off from there,” Busch said. “It turned out to be all right; it was the winning move.”

On the last lap, Martin and Vickers (Red Bull Racing) slipped under Hamlin and moved in on Busch. Vickers gave Martin a hard bump-draft into Turn 3, sending Martin to the outside of Busch.
Busch moved up the track to block Martin, and then Vickers darted under Martin as the two raced for second to the checkered flag.

Martin slipped around Vickers for second, with Vickers holding on for third. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s Juan Pablo Montoya finished fourth, with Hamlin finishing fifth

.
Sixth through 10th were Hall of Fame Racing’s Bobby Labonte, Hendrick’s Dale Earnhardt Jr., Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards, Mayfield and Allmendinger.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Newman didn’t have as good a race as his teammate/owner Tony Stewart did in the first Duel. Newman was forced to pit with a flat tire on lap 13, but a caution came out soon after, and Newman was able to stay on the lead lap.

Newman moved back in the top five late in the race but was hit from behind by Michael Waltrip Racing's David Reutimann on the backstretch and slammed the wall. After crawling out of his No. 39 Chevrolet, Newman walked on the track and lifted his arms in frustration at Reutimann.

Gatorade Duel No. 2 Results

Finish	Start	Car #	Driver	Make
1	8	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota
2	1	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet
3	18	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota
4	3	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet
5	13	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota
6	5	96	Bobby Labonte	Ford
7	6	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Chevrolet
8	14	99	Carl Edwards	Ford
9	21	41	Jeremy Mayfield	Toyota
10	19	44	A.J. Allmendinger	Dodge
11	12	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet
12	20	12	David Stremme	Dodge
13	22	171	Mike Wallace	Chevrolet
14	17	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet
15	10	00	David Reutimann	Toyota
16	7	78	Regan Smith	Chevrolet
17	16	19	Elliott Sadler	Dodge
18	24	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet
19	4	28	Travis Kvapil	Ford
20	26	51	Kelly Bires	Dodge
21	15	43	Reed Sorenson	Dodge
22	25	175	Derrike Cope	Dodge
23	28	157	Norm Benning	Chevrolet
24	2	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet
25	9	82	Scott Speed	Toyota
26	23	73	Mike Garvey	Dodge
27	27	64	Geoffrey Bodine	Toyota
28	11	08	Boris Said	Ford

2009 Daytona 500 Starting Lineup

Starting lineup for Sunday's Daytona 500 race for NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway after Thursday's qualifying races, with car number in parentheses, driver, car and qualifying speed in mph:

1. (1) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 188.001.

2. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 187.817.

3. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 187.402.

4. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 186.896.

5. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 187.336.

6. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 185.858.

7. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 187.727.

8. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 187.743.

9. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota, 186.753.

10. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 186.451.

11. (8) Aric Almirola, Chevrolet, 187.649.

12. (96) Bobby Labonte, Ford, 187.211.

13. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 185.38.

14. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 187.079.

15. (9) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 185.517.

16. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 186.389.

17. (36) Scott Riggs, Toyota, 185.893.

18. (41) Jeremy Mayfield, Toyota, 185.082.

19. (98) Paul Menard, Ford, 187.044.

20. (44) A.J. Allmendinger, Dodge, 185.77.

21. (26) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 186.509.

22. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 186.726.

23. (47) Marcos Ambrose, Toyota, 186.012.

24. (12) David Stremme, Dodge, 185.391.

25. (07) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 185.426.

26. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 185.958.

27. (55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 185.805.

28. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 186.827.

29. (77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 185.079.

30. (19) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 186.066.

31. (7) Robby Gordon, Toyota, 185.51.

32. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 183.602.

33. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 186.374.

34. (43) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 186.07.

35. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 186.889.

36. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 187.778.

37. (34) John Andretti, Chevrolet, 185.59.

38. (82) Scott Speed, Toyota, 186.842.

39. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 186.614.

40. (21) Bill Elliott, Ford, 187.739.

41. (28) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 187.574.

42. (78) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 186.924.

43. (66) Terry Labonte, Toyota, Past Champion.

Failed to qualify

44. (87) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 186.807.

45. (08) Boris Said, Ford, 186.78.

46. (09) Brad Keselowski, Chevrolet, 185.571.

47. (127) Kirk Shelmerdine, Toyota, 184.854.

48. (171) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 184.847.

49. (37) Tony Raines, Dodge, 184.106.

50. (73) Mike Garvey, Dodge, 184.004.

51. (75) Derrike Cope, Dodge, 182.02.

52. (23) Mike Skinner, Chevrolet, 181.928.

53. (51) Kelly Bires, Dodge, 181.701.

54. (46) Carl Long, Dodge, 181.032.

55. (64) Geoff Bodine, Toyota, 180.81.

56. (57) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 177.396.

The Big Bud Shootout Shindig

It is just about upon us - The Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. This event is the signal that a new NASCAR Sprint Cup season is right around the corner. The Budweiser Shootout is a small taste of what is to come for ten months of action-packed racing. This is the moment we have been waiting for since the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2008.

After months of rumors, speculation, driver changes, team mergers and even a change in U.S. Presidents - the time is finally upon us!

I want to welcome you to The Big Bud Shootout Shindig. This post will be all about the Bud Shootout, everything from its history to the present day format to my prediction of who will take the final checkered flag. So in the words of Larry McReynolds, tighten those belts one more time!

Catch The Budweiser Shootout at Daytona Feb. 7th on Fox @ 8:00 PM (EST) 

The Budweiser Shootout at Daytona

The Budweiser Shootout at Daytona (Bud Shootout) is an annual exhibition race held the weekend before the Daytona 500 and is a part of the Daytona Speedweek. The Bud Shootout is a non-points race that consists of all pole winners from the previous year and former winners of the event.

If you would like to view the entry list of the 28 cars in this year’s Budweiser Shootout, see this post.

The participants of this event do not qualify like a typical race. The drivers are entered into a drawing for the starting position. The Budweiser Shootout Draw Party will be Thursday, February 5th. SPEED Channel will air the Bud Shootout Selection Show at 8:00 PM (EST) the same evening.

History

This event was started in 1979 and was called the Busch Clash. The race consisted of a 20 lap (50 miles) all-out sprint to the finish with no pit stops required. The Busch Clash remained with that format until 1990.

In 1991, The Busch Clash was broken into two ten-lap segments. The finishing order from the first ten-lap segment was inverted for the second ten-lap segment. That format remained until 1997.

The Busch Clash was renamed the Bud Shootout in 1998. It consisted of two 25-lap segments, the first being the Bud Shootout Qualifier, the second being the Bud Shootout itself. The winner of the Qualifier segment advanced to the Bud Shootout. A two-tire pit stop was required after each segment. This format was in place until 2000.

In 2001, the event was renamed the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona and was lengthened to 70 laps (175 miles). Caution laps counted, just as in a regular season race, but the race had to end under green flag conditions. Teams were required to make a minimum of one two-tire, green flag pit stop. This format only lasted one more season.

From 2003 to 2008, The Budweiser Shootout at Daytona was split into a 20-lap segment, a ten minute intermission, then a 50-lap dash to the finish. A pit stop was not required, but the smaller fuel cell sizes made stopping for fuel necessary.

The first segment of the race has been lengthened to 25 laps for the 2009 event.

Previous Winners

Busch Clash

Date	Driver	Car Make	Winnings	Team
2/11/1979	Buddy Baker	Oldsmobile	$50,000	Harry Ranier
2/10/1980	Dale Earnhardt	Oldsmobile	$50,000	Rod Osterlund
2/8/1981	Darrell Waltrip	Buick	$61,500	Junior Johnson
2/7/1982	Bobby Allison	Buick	$50,000	DiGard Motorsports
2/14/1983	Neil Bonnett	Chevrolet	$50,500	RahMoc Enterprises
2/12/1984	Neil Bonnett	Chevrolet	$50,000	Junior Johnson
2/10/1985	Terry Labonte	Chevrolet	$65,000	Billy Hagan
2/8/1986	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	$75,000	Richard Childress Racing
2/8/1987	Bill Elliott	Ford	$75,000	Melling Racing
2/7/1988	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	$75,000	Richard Childress Racing
2/12/1989	Ken Schrader	Chevrolet	$75,000	Hendrick Motorsports
2/11/1990	Ken Schrader	Chevrolet	$95,000	Hendrick Motorsports
2/10/1991	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	$60,000	Richard Childress Racing
2/8/1992	Geoff Bodine	Ford	$39,000	Bud Moore Engineering
2/7/1993	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	$60,000	Richard Childress Racing
2/13/1994	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	$54,000	Hendrick Motorsports
2/12/1995	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	$57,000	Richard Childress Racing
2/11/1996	Dale Jarrett	Ford	$62,000	Robert Yates Racing
2/9/1997	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	$54,000	Hendrick Motorsports

 

Bud Shootout

2/8/1998	Rusty Wallace	Ford	$100,882	Penske Racing
2/7/1999	Mark Martin	Ford	$108,000	Roush Racing
2/13/2000	Dale Jarrett	Ford	$115,000	Robert Yates Racing

Six time Bud Shootout winner Dale Earnhardt

Budweiser Shootout at Daytona

2/11/2001	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	$202,722	Joe Gibbs Racing
2/10/2002	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	$200,955	Joe Gibbs Racing
2/8/2003	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	$205,000	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
2/7/2004	Dale Jarrett	Ford	$213,000	Robert Yates Racing
2/7/2005	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	$219,945	Hendrick Motorsports
2/11/2006	Denny Hamlin	Chevrolet	$213,380	Joe Gibbs Racing
2/10/2007	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	$215,000	Joe Gibbs Racing
2/9/2008	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	$215,000	Hendrick Motorsports

Tidbits

• Five times the winner of the Budweiser Shootout has gone on to win the Daytona 500 the following weekend: Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott (1987), Dale Jarrett (1996, 2000) and Jeff Gordon (1997).
• No driver has ever won the Budweiser Shootout, the Gatorade Duel, and the Daytona 500 during the same Daytona Speedweeks.
• From 1979 until 2008, the drivers themselves qualified as eligible for the Budweiser Shootout, not the teams. If an eligible driver for the upcoming Shootout switches teams in the off-season, the driver, not the team is eligible for the race. That driver competes in the race with his new team.
• Drivers who win the pole award at a race must have had an Anheuser-Busch decal (the Busch brand from 1979-2000 and the Budweiser brand since 2001), or the corporate logo affixed to their car (for drivers under 21 years of age) at the time in order to earn the berth for the Budweiser Shootout. If the car does not carry the sticker, the Budweiser Pole Award goes to the next car eligible, but the driver which wins the Budweiser Pole Award does not earn a Shootout spot.
• Drivers must carry a special decal without the Budweiser brand if they are under 21 years of age, but can race in the Budweiser Shootout. By Anheuser-Busch rule, drivers must be 21 or older to wear Budweiser decals, and those under 21 must wear an Anheuser-Busch corporate logo Pole Award sticker, without any brand indication. Special stickers are made to cover up Budweiser stickers for such drivers, which has happened four times recently.
• Dale Jarrett (2000) and Tony Stewart (2002, 2006, 2007) are the only drivers to win the Budweiser Shootout without having won a pole position the previous year. Jarrett advanced to the Shootout' by winning the Bud Shootout Qualifier, and Stewart was eligible for the Shootout via the 2001 rule change adding a lifetime exemption for former winners.
• 2006 Shootout winner Denny Hamlin was the first rookie to win the event. He had won the pole at Phoenix in a seven-race tryout for Joe Gibbs Racing to find a driver for the FedEx #11 car late in the 2005 NASCAR Season. A driver can make up to seven starts per season without giving up their eligibility to be a rookie in NASCAR.
• The 1987 race, won by Bill Elliott was completed at an average speed of 197.802 mph. It stands as the fastest sanctioned race in the history of NASCAR (though it was not an official points-paying event).
• Dale Earnhardt,Sr. has the most Shootout wins at six (1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995).

My Winning Prediction

My pick to win the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona is *drum roll*  ……. Kyle Busch. That’s right, the driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries/M&Ms Toyota Camry will pick up the victory Saturday night.

Kyle was on fire last year, from the start to about a month before the Chase. Expect “Wild Thing” to do it again this year.

You just might see Kyle Busch doing this again after the Bud Shootout

 

I hope everyone enjoys reading this post. I had a blast doing it. Remember to catch my Rookie of the Year Prediction coming on Friday, February 6th!