NASCAR rail: Budweiser Shootout at a glance
WHERE: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.
WHEN: 8 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: FOX, live on Sirius satellite radio, channel 128
THE LOWDOWN: The field for the Budweiser Shootout keeps getting bigger, and this year 23 drivers will start the race Saturday night. Five of them - including Tony Stewart - had to rely on their status as a past winner. That makes this an important race, not only for the quarter mill on the line, but because it is the first test of the new body style in race conditions in a field comparable to what the drivers will face in the qualifiers.
PREVIOUS 5 WINNERS
2007: Tony Stewart
2006: Denny Hamlin
2005: Jimmie Johnson
2004: Dale Jarrett
2003: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
LAST YEAR'S WINNER: TONY STEWART
Is Stewart becoming the next Dale Earnhardt Sr.? It certainly seems so at Daytona. So far, he's won 10 times at the track, with three Budweiser Shootouts, two Cup wins in the summer race and a couple of Gatorade qualification victories. The only thing lacking is a Daytona 500 trophy - but his fans remember that it took the legendary Earnhardt 20 tries to get that one.
1. Kurt Busch
Three-year average finish in Budweiser Shootout: 4.5 in 2 starts
Busch took 2006 off from the Shootout but returned with a vengeance last year. As Stewart's wingman, he settled for a third-place finish and will be looking for the greater honor in 2008.
2. Jimmie Johnson
Three-year average finish in Budweiser Shootout: 3.3 in 3 starts
Along with Stewart, Johnson is the only driver in the field to have swept the top five in the last three Shootouts. This year, all four Hendrick cars are in the field, so he should have plenty of drafting help.
3. Ryan Newman
Three-year average finish in Budweiser Shootout: 13.0 in 3 starts
Newman came close to etching his name in the record books in 2005 with a second, but as long as he wins five poles a season like he did in 2007, he won't need the past winner's provisional anytime soon.
4. Jeff Gordon
Three-year average finish in Budweiser Shootout: 14.3 in 3 starts
Gordon had an electrical problem in 2007 to finish last, but that was his only stumble of the season. He crashed and damaged an oil cooler in 2006, and he's looking for his first Shootout win since 1997.
5. Mark Martin
Three-year average finish in Budweiser Shootout: 7.0 in 3 starts
Martin's last three Shootouts have ended in progressively better results - from eighth in 2005, to seventh in 2006 and sixth in 2007. That means a fifth is right around the corner.
6. Tony Stewart
Three-year average finish in Budweiser Shootout: 2.6 in 3 starts
Stewart may just be the hottest driver in this specialty event, and his third Shootout win last year tied him for second on the all-time list behind Dale Earnhardt Sr.
7. David Gilliland
Three-year average finish in Budweiser Shootout: 2.0 in 1 start
Gilliland is making only his second appearance in this festival of speed. Last year, he was quite a pleasant surprise in second, but he's not going to catch anyone napping in 2008.
8. Carl Edwards
Three-year average finish in Budweiser Shootout: 16.0 in 1 start
Edwards is crash-prone in long races, but this sprint to the checkers should play in his favor. After averaging a 30th in his first five Cup events, he finally found the top-five in last year's Pepsi 400.
9. Jamie McMurray
Three-year average finish in Budweiser Shootout: 8.0 in 1 start
In the last three Daytona 500s, McMurray has finished 32nd, 37th and 31st, but when they turn out the lights he shines. In the last three summer races, swept the top-10 and won last July.
10. Clint Bowyer
Three-year average finish in Budweiser Shootout: first appearance
This will be the first test to determine if Bowyer can keep his 2007 momentum alive. Mostly, however, he hopes to finish this race on all four wheels - unlike last year's Daytona 500.
11. Greg Biffle
Three-year average finish in Budweiser Shootout: 9.0 in 2 starts
Biffle won a Cup race at Daytona under the lights in 2003. Unfortunately, that victory came as the result of a fuel mileage gamble and in this sprint race, gasoline won't be a factor.
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Three-year average finish in Budweiser Shootout: 7.6 in 3 starts
Junior won the 2003 Shootout, but it's going to take a long time before he threatens to match his father's record of six. He almost added another in 2006 - finishing second to the rookie Denny Hamlin.
Stats
The Curse of the Shootout
Last 10 Shootout winners, and how they finished in the Daytona 500
Season Shootout winner 500 finish
2007 Tony Stewart 43rd
2006 Denny Hamlin 30th
2005 Jimmie Johnson 5th
2004 Dale Jarrett 10th
2003 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 36th
2002 Tony Stewart 43rd
2001 Tony Stewart 36th
2000 Dale Jarrett 1st
1999 Mark Martin 31st
1998 Rusty Wallace 5th
Budweiser Shootout, average finish last five years
Driver Avg. Fin Starts
Matt Kenseth 4.50 2
Jimmie Johnson 5.20 5
Dale Earnhardt Jr 5.20 5
Tony Stewart 6.00 5
Kurt Busch 6.67 3
Scott Riggs 7.00 2
Mark Martin 8.40 5
Denny Hamlin 9.00 2
Greg Biffle 9.00 2
Kevin Harvick 9.25 4
Jeff Gordon 10.00 5
Joe Nemechek 10.00 2
Ricky Rudd 10.00 2
Bobby Labonte 10.50 2
Rusty Wallace 10.67 3
Boris Said 11.00 2
Kyle Busch 11.00 2
Terry Labonte 11.00 2
Ryan Newman 11.80 5
Ken Schrader 12.00 5
Dale Jarrett 12.40 5
Jamie McMurray 12.50 2
Elliott Sadler 13.67 3
Kasey Kahne 14.00 3
Bill Elliott 15.60 5
Brian Vickers 16.00 3
Jeremy Mayfield 18.00 2
Geoff Bodine 19.50 2
Only one start:
David Gilliland 2.00 1
Ward Burton 5.00 1
Jeff Burton 9.00 1
Ricky Craven 10.00 1
Michael Waltrip 11.00 1
Casey Mears 13.00 1
Todd Bodine 13.00 1
Mike Skinner 15.00 1
Carl Edwards 16.00 1
Dave Blaney 19.00 1