02.11.06
Race day: Feb. 11 marks the 28th running of the season-opening Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.

0.3
Close: Since electronic timing and scoring was introduced in 1993, the largest margin of victory in a Budweiser Shootout is 0.3 seconds, when Jeff Gordon beat Brett Bodine to the finish line in 1994. Jimmie Johnson won last year’s race by a margin of .199 seconds.

1
First Start: Four drivers will make their first start in a Budweiser Shootout: Kyle Busch, Scott Riggs, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin. Each driver won his first career Bud Pole Award during the 2005 season.

2
Two-by-two: All restarts during the Shootout will be double-file. Any lapped cars must start at the back of the field, and yellow-flag laps will count toward the total distance.

2
A.M.: Following a free concert from multi-platinum artists, Staind, the live music will continue in the Daytona FanZone until 2 a.m.

3
Three Wins: Dale Jarrett is the only active three-time winner of the Budweiser Shootout. He is second to the late Dale Earnhardt in career Shootout victories.

3
Three Drivers: A trio of drivers has won the Shootout in back-to-back years: Neil Bonnett (1983 and 1984), Ken Schrader (1989 and 1990) and most recently, Tony Stewart (2001 and 2002).

3.6
Best Average: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s average finish is 3.6, best among all drivers with more than one start in the event. He has never finished worse than seventh in five starts. Junior won the race in 2003 and finished second in 2002 and 2004.

4
Four Number Ones: Staind will perform before and after the Budweiser Shootout. Their song “Right Now” is the fourth #1 radio hit for the band, and their newest album, “Chapter V.” is the band’s third disc to reach number one on the Billboard charts.

4
Four Drivers: Four drivers have won in their first Shootout start: Buddy Baker (1979 – the first year of the event), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994) and Dale Jarrett (1996).

5
Five Times: The winner of the Budweiser Shootout went on to win the Daytona 500 the following week five times: Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000), Jeff Gordon (1997), Bill Elliott (1987), and Bobby Allison (1982).

5.93
Best Beginnings: Ken Schrader has the best average starting position (5.93) among active drivers with more than one Shootout start. Since the starting field is determined by a random draw, this may be due to good karma owing to Schrader’s long-time relationship with Anheuser-Busch. This theory does not apply to Budweiser’s current driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has by far the worst average starting position (15.2) of any active driver.

6
Six Wins: Dale Earnhardt won the Shootout six times in his career, double the amount of any other driver. Earnhardt visited victory lane in 1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995.

7
No Shootout: Since 1979, seven drivers have won the Daytona 500 after not competing in the Budweiser Shootout the week before: Michael Waltrip (2001, 2003), Ward Burton (2002), Dale Earnhardt (1998), Sterling Marlin (1994), Dale Jarrett (1993), Derrike Cope (1990) and Richard Petty (1979).

7
Seven Cars: There were only seven cars in the starting line-up in 1981 as Darrell Waltrip won from the pole in the Mountain Dew Buick.

7
Champions: The winner of the Budweiser Shootout has gone on to win the Cup championship seven times in the same season. Four of Dale Earnhardt’s record six Shootout victories preceded a championship season (1980, 1986, 1991, and 1993). Three other drivers have matched that feat: Tony Stewart (2002), Jeff Gordon (1997) and Darrell Waltrip (1981).

8
Former Winners: Eight former Shootout winners are scheduled to take the green flag on Feb. 11. The eight have won a combined 13 of the 27 previous events. (Rusty Wallace and Terry Labonte were eligible for the race as past race winners, but have opted not to enter.)

14
Building Wins: Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 14 Shootout victories, followed by Ford with seven wins. Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile each have two victories.

15
Lead Changes: The 2004 Shootout featured an event-record 15 lead changes.

15:10
15 minutes, 10 seconds: Prior to the arrival of restrictor plates, Bill Elliott completed the race in record time in 1987. Elliott won the 25-lap dash at average speed of 197.082 mph, This is even more impressive considering the race included one yellow flag period.

18
Straight: Mark Martin will extend his record of consecutive starts in the Budweiser Shootout to 18. Martin won the race in 1999, and began his current streak of starts in 1989.

19
At the Back: The worst starting position for a race winner is 19th by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2003. There have been three winners from the pole position, but none since 1989: Darrell Waltrip (1981), Bill Elliott (1987) and Ken Schrader (1989).

21
Most Starts: Bill Elliott will make a record 21st start in the 2006 Shootout. Elliott won the 1987 event.

22
Most Entries: The 2002 Shootout included a record 22 cars in the starting line-up. This year, 23 drivers were eligible to compete, but the field is expected to be 21 entries (without Terry Labonte and Rusty Wallace).

28
28th: The 2006 Budweiser Shootout will be the 28th running of the season-opening event. It began in 1979 as the Busch Clash, a 25-lap dash lasting slightly longer than 15 minutes and won by Buddy Baker. The event name became the Bud Shootout in 1998 and then the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona in 2001.

48
#48: Jimmie Johnson is the defending champion of the Budweiser Shootout in the #48 Hendrick Chevrolet.

70
Laps: The race is a total of 70 laps, broken into two segments. The first segment will be 20 laps, followed by a 10-minute pit stop. The teams are able to make changes to their car during the break prior to the final 50-lap segment.

175
Miles: The total distance of the Budweiser Shootout.

1876
The King of Beers: Budweiser was introduced in 1876, and remains the flagship brand for Anheuser-Busch, the world’s largest brewer.

$15,998
High-Dollar Mileage: The total purse breaks down to an average of nearly $16,000 per lap paid to the entrants.

$212,000
Winner’s Take: The winner of the 2006 Budweiser Shootout will earn at least $212,000. (The amount may increase pending the number of cars starting the race.)

223,984
That's A LOTTA Beer: The total purse paid for this year’s 70-lap dash could buy an estimated 223,984 six-packs of Budweiser in Daytona Beach. That’s 1,343,904 beers.

$617,614
Career Earnings: Dale Jarrett leads all drivers with career winnings of $617,614 in the Budweiser Shootout. However, six other drivers in the starting field have won more than $475,000 in event history and could potentially exceed Jarrett’s total with a victory.

$1,119,920
Record Purse: A record purse of $1,119,920 will be paid for the 2006 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.

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