Budweiser Shootout News and Notes

Auto Racing Glance

Site: Daytona Beach. Fla.

Schedule: Friday, practice (Speed, 5-6 p.m., 6:30-7:30 p.m.), draw party (Speed, 8:30-10 p.m.); Saturday, race, 8 p.m. (FOX, 8-10 p.m.)

Track: Daytona International Speedway (tri-oval, 2.5 miles).

Race distance: 187.5 miles, 75 laps (25- and 50-lap segments, with 10-minute pit stop).

Last year: Kevin Harvick won for the second straight year, passing Greg Biffle with two laps left in the race that ended under caution.

Fast facts: Five-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson and the other 11 Chase qualifiers top the field. ... The track was repaved for the first time since 1979, a five-month, $20 million job. A pothole marred the Daytona 500 last year. ... Daytona 500 front-row qualifying is Sunday.

Next race: Daytona 500, Feb. 20.

Driver Notes & Quotes For 2011 Budweiser Shootout
By Micah Roberts

Denny Hamlin is ready to kick off a new year beginning with the Shootout DENNY HAMLIN'S THOUGHTS HEADING INTO THE BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT: “The Shootout is a fun event and it’s a race that we all want to win. It’s unique because you aren’t worrying about points, about how it’s going to affect your season. You’ll probably see guys try things in the Shootout that you won’t see in the 500 but it’s a short race and the format means that there is nothing to lose at the end. I think that’s what the fans like about this race. We just go out there and race.”

HAMLIN'S OUTLOOK FOR THE 2011 SEASON: “I’m ready to go. I feel as confident as we’ve ever been. Every year we’ve steadily made a progression towards the top and obviously had a career year last year. We know we can do it and we can win at all different kinds of race tracks. For me, I think we have everything in place. I’m keeping all of my key personnel from what we had last year. No changes there. Pit crew is the same. The driver will be a little bit better. Everything is in place to hopefully pull out a first one.”

HAMLIN ON WHETHER HE'S THE DRIVER TO UNSEAT JOHNSON: “I hope so. This is almost a free year for me. A lot of people are going to expect us to have a bad year coming off such a good year, because the expectations were so high last year. We came through and succeeded in winning a bunch of races like we said we were. We were championship contenders — almost won the championship. And this year, a lot of people expect a letdown year because it’s happened to guys before. For me, I know my passion for racing, and it’s impossible for me to fail in that aspect. Unless something crazy happens, we’re going to be right back in the same position this year as what we were last year.”

HAMLIN ON THE NEW POINTS SYSTEM: “I think (NASCAR) hit it right on the head. I really don’t think they could’ve made it any simpler for the new race fan coming into the sport or the driver that knows he’s 10 points behind. He’s got to pass 10 cars. It makes things so much simpler and for me it’s well understood. I think it’s going to reward those guys that go out and win during the regular season. It’s going to give you three bonus points. That’s three spots — that’s like 15 points going into the Chase versus last year’s 10. It’s going to pay to win races nowadays.”

HAMLIN REGARDING HIS STRATEGY FOR SEASON WITH NEW POINTS SYSTEM: “I think you’re going to have to run it the exact same way. The only difference is that wins are obviously going to pay more points. I like it. Of course, we won a lot of races last year. If we don’t win any going into the Chase this year, I’m not going to like it that much, but it should pay the guy that wins. You should see a battle — a guy that’s giving it all he’s got running second trying to win the race. I think NASCAR set that up for us, teed it up for us, and now it’s up to us to go out there and put on the show.”

Greg Biffle excited as ever to start the season GREG BIFFLE ON THE BUD SHOOTOUT: This is about the most excited I can remember being about the start of a season. We had a good test at Daytona last month and we’re looking forward to seeing what we’ve got in the draft. The Shootout is a big deal if for no other reason than it is the first race of the season. It’s not a points race, so we can go out there and just have fun with it. It’s always good to get the extra laps and be able to experiment with a few things during practice and even the during the Shootout. I think we’re all just looking forward to getting back to racing.”

BIFFLE'S CREW CHIEF GREG ERWIN ON THE SHOOTOUT: "It's obviously very advantageous to be in the Shootout to get the extra track time for the Daytona 500. If you can go down there and run well in the Shootout, that can be a big morale booster for next week. It just really gives everyone on the team including the driver a chance to kind of work the bugs out before we get into a points race. We didn’t get to do a lot of drafting at the test, so the Shootout will give us a better indication of how our cars will perform in traffic. We believe the new nose we have for this season will be beneficial but it will be great to test that in race conditions before the 500.”

MATT KENSETH ON RACING IN THE BUD SHOOTOUT: “We had the chance to get on track at Daytona twice during the off-season with a tire test as well as NASCAR’s test in January and we have a lot more grip with the new track surface. In the past, handling was one of the main points we’d focus on for Daytona, but now with the new surface, I really think it’s going to make for extremely exciting racing. I think we definitely have what it takes to be contenders this season and I’m just looking forward to getting back onto the track to start this season with our Crown Royal team. The Shootout should be a lot of fun Saturday night for both drivers and the fans.”

KENSETH CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-719 (Brand new chassis)

Carl Edwards is ready to pick up where he left off in 2010 CARL EDWARDS ON RACING IN THE BUD SHOOTOUT: “With the new surface the Shootout is going to be a really important race to be able to go no holds barred and find out the most you can about the race track and the way the cars are going to race for the 500. It’s a fun race and I’m going to go win it if I can, and I’m excited to kick off the season with a fun race like that.”

EDWARDS' CREW CHIEF BOB OSBORNE ON THE SHOOTOUT: “The Shootout is a good test to help us prepare for the Duels and the 500. Generally the set-up is very close to what we run in both races, and it gives us a chance to see what the new surface is like in race conditions. It’s also a good warm-up for the pit crew. We’ve got one new guy (front tire carrier) going over the wall this year and a new fueling system, so it gives everyone a chance to work together for the first time under race conditions. I’m hoping to pick up where we left off last season.”

EDWARDS CHASSIS CHOICE: RK-677, Finished 9th in the 2010 Daytona 500

JAMIE McMURRAY BUD SHOOTOUT CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis #808. The No. 1 Bass Pro Shops® / Tracker Boats team will bring chassis #808 to the Bud Shootout. This is the same chassis McMurray drove to a third-place finish in last year’s Shootout.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA BUD SHOOTOUT CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis #809. Bryan Pattie and the No. 42 Target team are bringing chassis #901 to the Bud Shootout. This is the chassis that the Montoya qualified on the pole and drove to a third-place finish at Talladega in the fall of 2010.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA BUD SHOOTOUT CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis #809. Bryan Pattie and the No. 42 Target team are bringing chassis #901 to the Bud Shootout. This is the chassis that the Montoya qualified on the pole and drove to a third-place finish at Talladega in the fall of 2010.

I played Montoya in that race at a big price and should have won the race, while this isn't Talladega I think this car should run well again at a nice price. 😉

Childress Driver's Notes & Quotes for the Budweiser Shootout
By Micah Roberts

Looking for third straight Shootout win KEVIN HARVICK ON 2011 GOALS AFTER GREAT 2010 SEASON: “I think when you look at everything and where we are, racing for the championship is really what it’s all about. We want to win a championship trophy. Coming so close last year, I think we learned a lot, from the mind set, to the expectation level that you need to set for yourself, to the preparation that goes into everything for those last 10 weeks. It’s very important to be able to maintain that level of competitiveness throughout those last 10 weeks. We know what that feels like now, and we’ve done that better than we ever have before. We just have to keep doing the things that we’re doing. We have to make our pit crew better. That’ll help us a lot. If we do the same things we did last year and we improve on pit road, we’ll win more races.”

HARVICK ON HAVING BUDWEISER AS A SPONSOR: “It’s been fun to be a part of all the Budweiser stuff and see the car on the race track. The photo shoots have been pretty cool, because Budweiser is such an iconic brand not only in our sport, but around the world. It makes it a lot easier to promote a product that you actually like, so it’s been fun to be normal and just hangout.”

HARVICK ON THE ADDITION OF PAUL MENARD TO RCR: “Obviously, with Paul coming here, he’s a good guy first off and easy to get a long with. Bringing a fourth team in that’s funded correctly and when you go out and hire the right people and do the right things, you really shouldn’t miss a beat. It should help everything progress forward, with more R & D dollars and more opinions at the race track as far as what needs to get better or things you need to do differently. When the No. 07 team went away, all that stuff went to the truck team, so it really has been a complete addition of everything brand new.”

SHOOTOUT HISTORY: Harvick makes his seventh appearance in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season-opener during Speedweeks. In six Budweiser Shootout starts at the 2.5-mile tri-oval, Harvick has claimed two victories, four top-five and five top-10 finishes. Additionally, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has earned a 16.8 starting average and a 6.8 finishing average.

Harvick has enjoyed quite a bit of success in previous years at Daytona’s big-dollar shootout, and this year he will contend for his third consecutive Budweiser Shootout title. Harvick won his first title in 2009, competing against the largest field ever recorded. A win in the 2010 event added another notch in Harvick’s belt, making him the defending champ two years in a row.

NEW CREW: Harvick debuts a new pit crew for the Budweiser Shootout. The No. 29 team’s 2011 pit crew includes two veterans from the 2010 crew, along with new front- and rear-tire changers and carriers and a new jackman.

HARVICK CHASSIS SELECTION: Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 334 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s Budweiser Shootout. This No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet was built in-house by the Gil Martin-led No. 29 team over the winter months and will make its first competitive laps around the speedway this weekend.

Bowyer will be running his winning Talladega chassis in the Shootout CLINT BOWYER ON HIS OFF-SEASON: “The off-season was really great and too short. I had a lot of fun. I actually went hunting right after the banquet for two or three weeks. I enjoyed some hunting back home around Kansas and then went on to Tennessee to a buddy’s house and enjoyed some more outdoors there. I just relaxed and took it easy. I worked on my dirt program quite a bit. I’m really excited about that. We’re hoping to start a new team, making us a two-car organization running on dirt next year. I’ve been working a lot in the shop on the dirt cars and, hopefully, making their program bigger and better this year than it’s ever been.”

BOWYER'S GOAL FOR 2011 AFTER A STRONG 2010 RUN: “Same thing, just add one to the end of it, that’s all you can do. You set out the year to win races, make the Chase and win a championship. Those are your three goals, in that order. Hopefully, we can win more races, do better in the Chase and compete for the championship. That’s the ultimate goal for everybody.. It’s going to happen at RCR, and I want to be the one that makes it happen.”

BOWYER ON MENARD JOINING RCR:“I’m really excited. I thought Paul really came on last year big time. He was really starting to run well and was consistently up front. He was a guy you were being passed by when you were running well. I’m excited to have him as a teammate. He brings a lot to the table for us on and off the race track. To be able to work with him on the race track will add another element to our already solid program. I think we’ll be even better. I think we’re ready this time. That’s the biggest thing. We had four teams and it didn’t work. This time, we have our ducks in a row. We’re organized, we’re structured and we have a lot more depth in our management and engineering. Across the board, we’re ready for it this time.”

BOWYER'S CHASSIS SELECTION: Bowyer will pilot chassis No. 294 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the annual Budweiser Shootout event. This chassis was driven in two restrictor plate races during the 2010 NSCS season at Daytona and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Bowyer drove the No. 33 Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Talladega last Halloween and to a top-five finish in the prestigious DAYTONA 500. In both races, he qualified inside the top 10 and led for a total 56 laps.

Burton looking forward to first competitive racing in the Shootout JEFF BURTON ON THE LARGE FIELD FOR THIS YEARS BUD SHOOTOUT: “It’s almost a whole field. There are a lot of cars in it, and I guess that’s good because we’re in it. It’s going to be an exciting race. I really think that the race, with the new surface, is going to be crazy. This race offers an opportunity to learn something. The drivers and teams racing in the Bud Shootout will go into the Duel 150′s with a race under their belt that others won’t have, and I think that’s an advantage. Anytime you can be on the race track and other people can’t, gives you an edge. It’s going to be hard to imagine that half the cars that come out of it won’t need another car to replace that one.”

BURTON'S STRATEGY FOR THE GATORADE DUELS: “I think it depends on what you have going on. I think that’s going to be the mind-set for most people. If you look at testing this year, there was never a large pack of cars. You would walk through the garage area and ask ‘are you guys going to draft?’ People say ‘no, we’re afraid we’re going to tear something up.’ There’s a general consensus that there’s going to be a fair amount of wrecks going on at Daytona. You certainly want to be able to put your best piece into the Daytona 500 and, certainly, the car that you qualify is the car that you believe is the best one. There’s a fine line between learning and being aggressive. I think the 150′s are going to be a great place to learn but, at the same time, it’s a race and people are going to try and win.”

BURTON ON COMING CLOSE BUT NOT WINNING THE DAYTONA 500: “In the last four years, we’ve been 15 laps from the end of the race and in the midst of a battle with a real opportunity to win the 500.Every year, there’s been a circumstance where we didn’t make the right move or something happened and it just didn’t work out for us. Our restrictor-plate Chevys have been great and I feel like we’ve been in position to win at both Daytona and Talladega. We’ve always been a little better at Daytona than at Talladega, but I think you’re going to have to shift your mentality a little bit. I have to make sure that my weaknesses at Talladega don’t come out at Daytona because I feel like it’s going to be more like a Talladega race. I’ve spent a lot of time watching the last three races at Talladega to see how Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer have won them as well as other drivers who got it done. I feel like I’ve learned a lot. I’ve talked to Clint a lot. The Daytona 500 is a race that means a great deal to me. I’ve never won one and it’s certainly on my list.”

BURTON ON WHETHER THE SHOOTOUT HELPS KNOCK OFF SOME RUST: “Competition brings something out of you that you can’t replicate by practice or testing, especially in our sport. With football, basketball and baseball, you can practice and scrimmage at a level against people. When we go test, we’re testing against the race track, which you ultimately have to beat. But, you have a lot of people you have to go through to beat the race track. So, in our sport, you don’t get the chance to do that unless you’re at the race track with other people. The Shootout is our first chance in three months to go out and try to beat our competitors. I think it’s great to get started the week before the Daytona 500.”

BURTON CHASSIS SELECTION: For the second consecutive year, Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 238 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the annual Budweiser Shootout event. Built new in 2008, this No. 29-turned-31 Chevrolet Impala was driven in a number of races that year, including those at Auto Club Speedway at California in February, Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, as well as the June race at Michigan International Speedway and the fall race at Bristol Motor Speedway. In those five races, Harvick qualified in the top 10 four times and posted three top-10 finishes, his best result being a fourth-place run at Bristol in August. At the completion of the 2008 season, the RCR entry was converted from its original downforce configuration into a superspeedway car.

In 2009, Harvick was scheduled to drive this car in the Daytona 500, but a crash during practice forced the team to use a back-up car instead. A couple months later, Harvick and the No. 29 Chevrolet were involved in a multi-car incident just seven laps into the 188-lap event at Talladega Superspeedway and were credited with a 38th-place finish. Serving as a back-up entry for the remaining restrictor-plate events, this racer wouldn’t return to competition until the 2010 Budweiser Shootout when Burton drove it to a 12th-place finish.

I have said it a million times here, Kurt Busch was until tonight the best plate driver to never win a plate race. =)