Race 2 Win: Budweiser Shootout

Nextel Cup Series

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Budweiser Shootout - Race Notes

Budweiser Shootout

Budweiser has sponsored the annual pre-season, non-points race at Daytona since 1979. Called the Busch Clash until 1998, the name was then changed to the Bud Shootout. Renamed the Budweiser Shootout for the 2001 edition, the event underwent the most significant changes in the format and eligibility since the inception of the event in 1979.

The field for the 2001 Budweiser Shootout consisted of drivers who won Bud Pole Award(s) in 2000. In addition past winners of the Busch Clash/Bud Shootout plus one random driver selected from the 2000 second-round fastest qualifiers not otherwise eligible were added to the field. These changes in format were carried over to 2002 with the exception of the second-round fastest qualifiers.

Beginning with the 2003 Budweiser Shootout the race was formatted into two segments. The first segment is 20 laps after which a 10 minute intermission is held. During the intermission teams may change tires or perform any other action that would be part of a normal pit stop. The second segment is 50 laps that must end in a green-white-checkered finish. Caution laps will count toward the total in both segments so the second segment may extend beyond the scheduled 70-lap total.

In the event of a red flag, crews will be permitted to work on the cars; however, all work must be performed on pit road or Garage Area only. When the race is resumed, all cars must immediately be ready to return to competition.

All re-starts will be double-file re-starts. All lapped cars will re-start at the rear of the field.

The starting positions for the 2005 Budweiser Shootout will be drawn at random.

A $1,087,300 purse is offered for the 2005 Budweiser Shootout. The winner will receive at least $211,500.

Budweiser Shootout – 2005 Eligibility

A total of 21 drivers are eligible for the 2005 Budweiser Shootout – one less than the 2002 record (22) for the largest filed in the history of the event. Twelve gained eligibility based on winning a Bud Pole Award in 2004 while the others are eligible because they are past champions of the Busch Clash/Budweiser Shootout that did not win a Bud Pole Award in 2004 and finished in the top-60 in final NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings.

Four drivers will be participating in their first Budweiser Shootout: Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Casey Mears aand Brian Vickers.

Eligible drivers based on 2004 Bud Pole Award(s):
1. Ryan Newman - eight (Rockingham, Bristol, Loudon, Richmond, Charlotte, Martinsville, Atlanta, Phoenix)
2. Jeff Gordon - six (Martinsville, Michigan, Sonoma, Daytona, Chicago, Bristol)
3. Kasey Kahne - four (Las Vegas, Darlington, California, Pocono)
4. Jeremy Mayfield - two (Dover, Dover)
5. Casey Mears - two (Pocono, Indianapolis)
6. Joe Nemechek - two (Talladega, Kansas)
7. Brian Vickers - two (Richmond, California)
8. Greg Biffle - one (Daytona)
9. Jimmie Johnson - one (Charlotte)
10. Ricky Rudd - one (Talladega)
11. Bobby Labonte - one (Texas)
12. Kurt Busch - one (Homestead)
Eligible drivers eligible based on being past champions of the Busch Clash/Bud Shootout:
13. Dale Jarrett (winner - 1996, 2000, 2004)
14. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (winner - 2003)
15. Tony Stewart (winner - 2001, 2002)
16. Mark Martin - (winner - 1999)
17. Rusty Wallace (winner - 1998)
18. Ken Schrader (winner - 1989, 1990)
19. Bill Elliott (winner - 1987)
20. Terry Labonte (winner - 1985)
21. Geoffrey Bodine (winner - 1992)

Predictor?
Only five times in the 26 year-history of the Busch Clash/Bud Shootout has the winner of the pre-season event gone on to victory in the Daytona 500: Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott (1987) Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000) and Jeff Gordon (1997).

Clash/Budweiser Shootout Tidbits

The Busch Clash format was changed from a 20-lap race to two 10-lap segments in 1991. The establishment of the Bud Shootout as a 25-lap event in 1998 - marked the third format change of this prestigious event. The format was again changed in 2001, this time to a 70-lap event. Beginning in 2003, the Budweiser Shootout again became a two-segment event (20 laps and 50 laps).

Seventy-nine drivers have participated in the Busch Clash/Budweiser Shootout races. Thirty-seven of those drivers have participated in two or less; 25 in only one.

Mark Martin has appeared in the most consecutive Busch Clash/Bud Shootout races, competing in 16 straight events since 1989. Bill Elliott competed in 12 consecutive events from 1985-1996.

The drivers that have participated in the Busch Clash/Bud Shootout the most times:
Bill Elliott (19)
Rusty Wallace (18)
Mark Martin (17)
Geoffrey Bodine (15)
Ricky Rudd (15)

There have been six multiple winners in the Busch Clash/Budweiser Shootout. * Dale Earnhardt was clearly the dominant driver in the history of the event, winning six of the 23 races between 1979 and 2001 (26 percent). His six victories came in 12 Busch Clash/Bud Shootout appearances.
* Dale Jarrett won in 1996, 2000 and 2004 while Jeff Gordon won in 1994 and 1997.
* The only other multiple winners: Neil Bonnett (1983 and 1984), Ken Schrader, (1989 and 1990) and Tony Stewart (2001 and 2002) are also the only drivers to win back-to-back races.

Dale Earnhardt finished in the top four in 11 out of the 12 times that he appeared in the event. His only finish lower than fourth was 12th in 1983, when he experienced engine problems.

Dale Earnhardt had a 2.75 finishing average in 12 races, the best of all drivers who have competed in more than five Busch Clash/Budweiser Shootout races.

Buddy Baker (1979), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994) and Dale Jarrett (1996) all won the first Busch Clash in which they competed.

The number of participants in this race has ranged from a low of seven in 1981 to a high of 22 in 2002.

Only five of the 79 drivers with more than one start who have participated in a Busch Clash/Bud Shootout have a finishing average of fifth or better.

Kenny Wallace finished second to his brother Rusty in the 1998 Bud Shootout. It was Rusty's only victory and Kenny's first appearance in the event.

General Motors has won 19 of the 26 Busch Clash/Bud Shootout races since the event's inception in 1979 (Chevrolet - 13, Buick - 2, Oldsmobile - 2 and Pontiac - 2).

Bud Shootout Would You Believe?
Dale Earnhardt had a 2.75 finishing average in 12 races, the best of all drivers who have competed in more than five Busch Clash/Budweiser Shootout races. Dale Earnhardt Jr., has an identical 2.75 average finish in his four appearances in the pre-season classic.

Bud Shootout Manufacturer
A Chevrolet driver won seven of the eight Busch Clash/Bud Shootout races between 1988 and 1995. A Ford won five of the next nine races. Tony Stewart posted back-to-back Budweiser Shootout victories (2001-02) in a Pontiac while Dale Earnhardt Jr., won the 2003 event in a Chevrolet. Dale Jarrett returned Ford to victory lane when he won the pre-season event in 2004.

Budweiser Shootout Purse
With $1,087,300 in cash on the line Saturday night, the winner of the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona will take home at least a record purse of $211,500.

Here are the tentative dollar amounts for the remaining positions:
2nd $111,000
3rd $61,000
4th $51,000
5th $49,000
6th $47,000
7th $45,000
8th $44,000
9th $43,000
10th $42,000
11th $40,000
12th $39,000
13th $38,000
14th $37,000
15th $36,000
16th $35,000
17th $34,000
18th $33,000
19th $32,000
20th $29,900
21st $28,900

*In the event any of these awards is not paid, the undistributed awards will be disbursed evenly among the field of competing eligible drivers for these awards. (i.e. - with only 20 drivers entered, the 21st place money should be distributed evenly among those 20 participants...meaning the winner's purse should rise to $212,945...and all other amounts jump by $1,445)

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