2012 Budweiser Shootout Odds & Ends

Budweiser Shootout Facts

Kurt Busch won last years Bud Shootout by the closest margin ever (Getty)

* The number of participants has ranged from a low of seven in 1981 to a high of 28 in 2009 (25 are entered for this year’s event).

* The drivers with the most Shootout appearances:
o Bill Elliott (23)
o Mark Martin (23)
o Rusty Wallace (19)
o Ken Schrader (19)
o Jeff Gordon (18)

* Mark Martin had appeared in the most consecutive Shootout races, competing in 20 consecutive events from 1989-2008. The active leader in consecutive appearances is Jeff Gordon, with 18. This year marks his 19th.

* There have been eight multiple winners in the Shootout:
o Tony Stewart has won three of the last 10 (2001, 2002 and 2007).
o Dale Earnhardt won six events, most all-time (1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995).
o Dale Jarrett won in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
o Other multiple winners: Neil Bonnett (1983-1984), Ken Schrader, (1989-1990), Jeff Gordon (1994 and 1997), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003 and 2008) and Kevin Harvick (2009-2010).
o Bonnett, Schrader, Stewart and Harvick are the only drivers to win back-to-back races. No driver has ever won three consecutive Shootouts.

* Buddy Baker (1979), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994), Dale Jarrett (1996) and Denny Hamlin (2006) all won the first Shootout in which they competed.

* Only five times in the 32-year history of the race has the winner gone on to win the Daytona 500:
Bobby Allison (1982)
Bill Elliott (1987)
Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000)
Jeff Gordon (1997)

* There have been three winners from the pole: Darrell Waltrip (1981), Bill Elliott (1987) and Ken Schrader (1989).

* Two drivers have swept the Shootout, Daytona 500 pole and Daytona 500 from 1979-2010: Dale Jarrett (2000) and Bill Elliott (1987).

* One driver has swept the Shootout, Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400 from 1979-2011: Bobby Allison (1982).

* Seven drivers have won the Shootout (1979-2011) and the same season’s championship. Dale Earnhardt is the only one to have accomplished it multiple times – four times:
Tony Stewart (2002)
Jeff Gordon (1997)
Dale Earnhardt (1993)
Dale Earnhardt (1991)
Dale Earnhardt (1986)
Darrell Waltrip (1981)
Dale Earnhardt (1980)

* Four drivers have won consecutive Shootouts (1979-2010). None went on to win that year’s Daytona 500:
Kevin Harvick (2009-10)
Tony Stewart (2000-01)
Ken Schrader (1990-91)
Neil Bonnett (1983-84)

By the Numbers: Shootout at Daytona
.058 –Margin of victory in seconds by Kurt Busch over Jamie McMurray in 2011, the closest margin in Shootout history
1 – Laps led by Rusty Wallace (1998), Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Dale Jarrett (2000 and 2004) and Kevin Harvick (2009) in the Shootouts they won
2.75 – Average finish by Dale Earnhardt, best by any driver with multiple starts
5 – Drivers who have won the event in their first appearance (Buddy Baker, 1979; Dale Earnhardt, 1980; Jeff Gordon, 1994; Dale Jarrett, 1996; Denny Hamlin, 2006)
6 – Number of Shootout wins by Dale Earnhardt, the series leader
7 – Number of fewest starters in the field for the Shootout (1981)
11 – Number of starts before winning, most since race began in 1979 (Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin)
14 – Number of different leaders in the 2009 event, most since race began in 1979
19 – Number of wins by Chevrolet in the Shootout, leads all manufacturers
27 – Kevin Harvick’s starting position in 2009, the lowest by a race winner in the event’s history
28 – Number of lead changes in the 2011 event, highest number since race began in 1979
44 – Laps led by Greg Biffle in 2005, the most by a driver who did not win the event
47 – Laps led by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008, the most in a single Shootout
98 – Number of all-time laps led in the Shootout (1979-2011) held by Dale Earnhardt

- compiled by Ray M. Smith, NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications

Budweiser Shootout Preview: Kurt Busch Worth at Shot at 25-to-1

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Kurt Busch looks good at 25-to-1 (Getty)

You can almost smell the sweet scent of burnt Goodyear rubber and Sunoco ethanol fuel mix and faintly hear the rumble of 800 horses under the hood. For almost two months, NASCAR fans have been anticipating the start of the season so they’re able to make those senses become a reality again.

Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway will be the first competitive racing of the season for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers. Although this is a non-points race that runs only 75 laps, it gives both the fans and drivers somewhat of a preview to what we’ll see next week in the Daytona 500.

But this isn’t just a mere exhibition event like we see in baseball’s spring training or pro football’s pre-season where veterans go through the motions and rookies try to impress. In this event, the winner grabs over $200,000 in winnings.

What makes it exciting, beyond being our first taste of racing in 2012, is that it’s a short race with two segments making it kind of like a mad dash Saturday night special at our local short tracks. There is an urgency for the drivers to make something happen early, unlike the 500 mile restrictor-plate races where several drivers just fall back to stay out of trouble until the final 10 laps.

And since there’s no points involved, we also get to see drivers be a little more aggressive than they might be while protecting their place in the standings. If a driver wrecks because of a move he made, so what, all it cost him was a little berating from his garage guys who have to fix the car.

Not every driver is eligible to participate, but almost every driver we want to see will be in the race. To be eligible, a driver must have finished in the top-25 in 2011 driver points, or been a past Bud Shootout winner or past Daytona points race winner. That pretty much covers everyone we want to see and keeps the hobos out of their way.

Following the 2011 season, NASCAR implemented several changes to the Sprint Cup car with most of the changes geared at stopping the two-car tandem racing we saw in all four plate races last season. During Daytona pre-season testing last month, our first glance at how the changes would run in race conditions, it looked like the changes didn’t work out as much as NASCAR hoped. The fastest way around the track was still going bumper-to-bumper with another driver. The gap in speeds between driving alone and in tandem was almost the same as last season.

In those sessions, there were several star performers beginning with new teammates Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne. Kahne takes over the No. 5 Hendrick Chevy for Mark Martin and will be paired with Kahne as his dancing partner for this week and the Daytona 500.

Clint Bowyer joined Michael Waltrip Racing and will team Martin Truex Jr for the plate races this season. In one individual session they had the fastest times paired together.

Perhaps the most improbable of drivers who fared well in the testing was Kurt Busch who was fired from Penske following the 2011 season. In the six pre-season test sessions, Busch had the fastest single lap as he was pushed by his reliable friend from last season’s plate races, Regan Smith. Busch is driving the No. 51 James Finch Chevy which has a lot of support from the Hendrick garage.

Busch is easily the best plate racer to never a points paying plate race, but he did win the Bud Shootout last season and followed that up by winning one of the Gatorade Duels. Between the equipment Busch has for this race and being given a big dose of reality that this may be his final chance at redemption as a driver after burning bridges with Penske and Roush, I think he has a great shot at winning Saturday night.

It also doesn’t hurt that he has juicy 25-to-1 odds posted on him at the LVH Super Book to make him even more enticing.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #51 Kurt Busch (25/1)
2) #24 Jeff Gordon (12/1)
3) #31 Jeff Burton (20/1)
4) #15 Clint Bowyer (25/1)
5) #5 Kasey Kahne (12/1)

LVH Super Book Odds to Win 2012 Budweiser Shootout

Dale Eanhardt Jr is 10-to-1 to win the Bud Shootout this year (Getty)

BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT
DAYTONA INT'L SPEEDWAY
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

** RACE CONSISTS OF 75 LAPS **

JIMMIE JOHNSON 12
CARL EDWARDS 12
KYLE BUSCH 10
MATT KENSETH 18
JEFF GORDON 10
KASEY KAHNE 12
TONY STEWART 12
KEVIN HARVICK 8
DENNY HAMLIN 18
GREG BIFFLE 20
BRAD KESELOWSKI 15
KURT BUSCH 25
CLINT BOWYER 25
DALE EARNHARDT JR 10
RYAN NEWMAN 25
MARTIN TRUEX JR 25
MARK MARTIN 25
JEFF BURTON 20
JOEY LOGANO 25
JUAN MONTOYA 25
JAMIE McMURRAY 18
AJ ALLMENDINGER 25
PAUL MENARD 30
FIELD 30

BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT RACE MATCHUPS

JIMMIE JOHNSON EVEN
DALE EARNHARDT JR -120

JEFF GORDON -120
KASEY KAHNE EVEN

CARL EDWARDS +105
TONY STEWART -125

BRAD KESELOWSKI -110
JEFF BURTON -110

MATT KENSETH -110
DENNY HAMLIN -110

CLINT BOWYER +105
JAMIE McMURRAY -125

JOEY LOGANO -120
MARTIN TRUEX JR EVEN

MARK MARTIN EVEN
AJ ALLMENDINGER -120

KURT BUSCH -120
JUAN MONTOYA EVEN

KYLE BUSCH +105
KEVIN HARVICK -125

New Teammates, Gordon and Kahne, Fastest in Saturday's Pre-Season Testing

From Jayski.com

Gordon and new teammate Kasey Kahne pushed each to top times Saturday

Saturday afternoon test session:
#24-Gordon 200.562
#2-Keselowski 200.548
#22-Allmendinger 200.548
#5-Kahne 200.481
#11-Hamlin 199.973
Some Notes:
Most drivers tested in a large pack to begin the session.
#10-Patrick, #14-Stewart, #51-Busch, & #6-Stenhouse, Jr. have left and are not particiapting in this session. Stewart and Stenhouse are on their way to the Chili Bowl in Tulsa. Trevor Bayne ran a few laps in the Roush Fenway #6.
NASCAR has moved the pressure relief valve back to 25 psi (up from 20psi in the morning session).
#31-Burton & #88-Earnhardt, Jr. spun while running in the pack. Montoya appears to get into the rear of Earnhardt, sending him into Burton. Earnhardt drove to the garage. Burton's car was towed to the garage to see if it could be repaired, but the team decided to not get back on track.
#88-Earnhardt, Jr. ran a few laps in the #48 Chevy after sustaining damage to his car in the accident with Burton.

Saturday morning test session:
#5-Kahne 201.545
#24-Gordon 201.545
#51-KuBusch 199.464
#55-Martin 199.459
#88-Earnhardt, Jr 199.406
Some Notes:
Drivers are working on single and double car runs.
The teams of #13-Mears and #39-Newman left after yesterday's tests ended.
Drivers are expected to test in a large pack at the beginning of the afternoon session.

Saturday's Test Times

Kyle Busch & Logano Team for Fastest Speeds in First Day of Testing

From Jayski.com

Kyle Busch fastest in Thursday's test session at Daytona

Thursday afternoon test session (Drafting):
#18-Busch 202.402
#20-Logano 202.388
#2-Keselowski 202.224
#22-Allmendinger 202.220
#88-Earnhardt, Jr. 200.920
Some Notes:
NASCAR permitted cars to draft together during the session, but only a handful of drivers did so.
#55-Martin got into the back of #15-Bowyer while drafting and spun Bowyer out. Bowyer was able to save the car and did not hit anything, but did suffer some sheet metal damage when the car went down on the track apron.

Thursday morning test session (Single car):
#24-Gordon 192.773
#27-Menard 192.369
#51-Kurt Busch 192.361
#6-Stenhouse, Jr. 191.959
#42-Montoya 191.853
Some Notes:
#14-Stewart arrived at the track around 10:30am/et. He was returning from the Chili Bowl in Tulsa.
#39-Newman also arrived late. He has been battling the flu.
Chad Knaus is on vacation and not at the track. Steve Letarte is helping oversee the #48 team's test session.

Thursday's Testing Speeds


Testing Schedule

Friday, January 13th
7:30 AM Garage Opens
9:00 AM 12:00 PM NSCS Practice - Drafting
1:00 PM 5:00 PM NSCS Practice - Drafting
6:00 PM Garage Closes

Saturday, January 14th
7:30 AM Garage Opens
9:00 AM 12:00 PM Practice - Drafting
1:00 PM 5:00 PM Practice - Drafting
6:00 PM Garage Closes

Coke Zero 400 at Daytona Odds & Ends

At Daytona International Speedway:

History

·         Groundbreaking for Daytona International Speedway was Nov. 25, 1957. The soil underneath the banked corners was dug from the infield of the track and the hole filled with water. It is now known as Lake Lloyd.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona was a 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20, 1959.

·         Richard Petty won his 200th career race on July 4, 1984 at Daytona.

·         Lights were installed in the spring of 1998. However, the race was delayed until October that year due to thick smoke from wildfires. The second Daytona race has been held under lights ever since.

·         For only the second time in its history, Daytona International Speedway was repaved in 2010. The project began on Monday, July 5, 2010.

Notebook

·         There have been 128 NASCAR Sprint Cup races since the track hosted its first race in 1959: 53 have been 500 miles, 48 were 400 miles and four 250 miles. There were also 23 qualifying races that were points races.

·         Fireball Roberts won the inaugural pole at Daytona.

·         Bob Welborn won the first race at Daytona, the 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500.

·         Lee Petty won the first Daytona 500 on Feb. 22, 1959.

·         Fireball Roberts won the first 400-mile race at Daytona, the 1963 Firecracker 400.

·         53 drivers have posted poles; 20 have more than one.

·         Cale Yarborough leads all drivers with 12 poles.

·         Bill Elliott leads all active drivers with five poles; followed by Jeff Gordon and Ken Schrader, with three.

·         55 drivers have won a race; 26 have won more than once.

·         Richard Petty leads all drivers in victories, with 10.

·         Jeff Gordon has six victories, more than any other active driver.

·         The Wood Brothers have won 15 races at Daytona, more than any other car owner.

·         17 full-length races at Daytona have been won from the pole, including last year’s Coke Zero 400, won by polesitter Kevin Harvick.  

·         A driver has swept both races at Daytona only four times, most recently by Bobby Allison, in 1982.

·         The last 11 Daytona races that finished under green have had a margin of victory under a half second.

NASCAR in Florida

·         There have been 166 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Florida.

·         161 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Florida.

·         There have been nine race winners from Florida in NASCAR’s three national series:

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCTS
Fireball Roberts	33	0	0
LeeRoy Yarbrough	14	0	0
Marshall Teague	7	0	0
Joe Nemechek	4	16	0
Bobby Johns	2	0	0
David Reutimann	2	1	1
Shorty Rollins	1	0	0
Rick Wilson	0	2	0
Aric Almirola	0	1	2

Daytona International Speedway Data

Race #: 17 of 36 (7-2-11)

Track Size: 2.5 miles

Race Length: 400 miles (160 laps)

Banking/Corners: 31 degrees

Banking/Straights: 3 degrees

Banking/Tri-Oval: 18 degrees

 

Driver Rating at Daytona

Trevor Bayne**          108.2

Tony Stewart            100.6

Kyle Busch               98.3

Kurt Busch               96.4

Jeff Gordon               89.6

Clint Bowyer             89.1

Matt Kenseth            87.9

Jimmie Johnson        87.9

Dale Earnhardt Jr.     87.3

Carl Edwards            85.7

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Daytona.

** Indicates the driver has only competed in one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

  

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: None (inclement weather)

2010 race winner: Kevin Harvick (135.719 mph, 7-3-10)

Qualifying record: Bill Elliott (210.364 mph, 42.783 seconds, 2-9-87)

Race record: Bobby Allison (173.473 mph, 7-4-80)

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