This Week in Auto Racing February 4 - February 10
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - All the vacations are over and for Sprint Cup drivers and teams it's time to return to racing. From now until the third week in November, NASCAR's top series will challenge its drivers and teams in a marathon to determine a true champion.
NASCAR
Sprint Cup
Budweiser Shootout - Daytona International Speedway - Daytona Beach, FL
After 82 days of silence (ignoring the fact that testing was going on back at the shop and at various tracks around the country), NASCAR roars back to life this Saturday night with a "non-binding referendum" on who will be the best in 2008. It's called the Budweiser Shootout and all pole winners from 2007 gather in Daytona for an "exhibition"
The season will "officially" begin on February, 17th in Daytona Beach, FL for the 50th running of the "Great American Race" - The Daytona 500, but the teams will get back on track for the first time this Saturday night in the Budweiser Shootout.
Teams have already tested at the Daytona International Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the California Speedway, but Saturday will be the first time anyone sees the cars in full throttle and in their new "colors."
This is a driver's race, so even if a driver left his old team he has the right to race in the event. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be racing with his new team, the No.88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He will not be alone in opening the season with a new team on Saturday night. Mark Martin will be in "Junior" old No.8, although with new sponsorship. Others with new "colors" include: Casey Mears in the No.5 Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne in the No.9 with the coveted Budweiser sponsorship and Ken Schrader in the Diamond Driven No.49 Dodge.
The "Shootout" is a non-points event, but does include more than one million dollars in prize money. Tony Stewart, driving a Chevrolet, won last year's event and the top prize of $215,000. He will attempt to defend his crown under a different moniker. Toyota power will be under the hood of Stewart's No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing Home Depot machine along with those of Denny Hamlin and new teammate Kyle Busch. It will be the first big test for Toyota's new "super team."
Though Stewart did not go on to win the Daytona 500, five times a driver has won both the "Shootout" and the "500" (Dale Jarrett - 2000 and 1996, Jeff Gordon - 1997, Bill Elliott - 1987 and Bobby Allison - 1982). Ten times a driver has won the "Shootout" and the Sprint Cup Series championship in the same season.
The Budweiser Shootout, run since 1979, is a 70-lap event for winners of a 2007 Bud Pole Award (renamed the Coors Light Pole Award in 2008) and for previous Budweiser Shootout winners.
There will be nine previous winners in the field including multiple winners: Jeff Gordon (twice), Stewart (three times) and Dale Jarrett (three times). Other winners are Earnhardt Jr., Bill Elliott, two-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, Martin, Hamlin and Schrader.
"Since it's a non-points event, we can race hard without the pressure and laugh about it when it's over," said Earnhardt Jr.
And that's what this race is about...racing your friends as hard as possible and not worrying about sponsors, points or the "Chase." It's also why the stands will be filled, but the seats will be empty because no one will be sitting. It's just plain fun.
Daytona 500 qualifying - Daytona International Speedway - Daytona Beach, FL
After the fun of Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout, teams will return to the track on Sunday to try and win the pole for the 50th annual "Great American Race." Only the front row will be set after Sunday, however qualifying is important for everyone, as those who do not do well in the two Thursday qualifying races will be forced to fall back on their qualifying times to win one of the final four positions in the field.
Despite the many lead changes that usually take place in a restrictor-plate race at Daytona (32 lead changes among 18 drivers in 2006), qualifying well absolutely leads to a good finish. Thirty-seven of 49 (75.5%) Daytona 500 winners have started from a top-10 position, nine from the pole.
No driver has every won all four Speedweek events - Budweiser Shootout, Daytona 500 pole, Thursday qualifying race and Daytona 500. Three drivers have won three of four - Cale Yarborough (1984), Schrader (1989) and Jarrett (2000).
Last year's winners were: Stewart (Shootout), David Gilliland (pole), Stewart (qualifying race 1), Gordon (qualifying race 2) and Kevin Harvick (Daytona 500).