Budweiser Shootout at Daytona
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 2006 Budweiser Shootout will be drawn at random.
A $1,119,920 purse is offered for the 2006 Budweiser Shootout. The winner will receive at least $212,000.
Budweiser Shootout – 2005 Eligibility
A total of 23 drivers are eligible for the 2006 Budweiser Shootout – one more than the 2002 record (22) for
the largest filed in the history of the event. Seventeen gained eligibility based on winning a Bud Pole Award
in 2005 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 2005 and finished in the top-50 in final NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
Series point standings. Though eligible, all 23 drivers may not participate. Actual entries will not be set until
February 2006.
Four drivers will be participating in their first Budweiser Shootout: Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny
Hamlin and Scott Riggs.
Eligible drivers based on 2005 Bud Pole Award(s):
1. Ryan Newman - eight
2. Elliott Sadler - four
3. Tony Stewart - three
4. Jeff Gordon - two
5. Kevin Harvick - two
6. Kasey Kahne - two
7. Matt Kenseth - two
8. Carl Edwards - two
9. Kyle Busch - one
10. Denny Hamlin - one
11. Dale Jarrett - one
12. Jimmie Johnson - one
13. Jamie McMurray - one
14. Joe Nemechek - one
15. Scott Riggs - one
16. Brian Vickers - one
17. Michael Waltrip - one
Eligible drivers eligible based on being past winners of the Busch Clash/Bud Shootout:
18. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (winner - 2003)
19. Mark Martin - (winner - 1999)
20. Rusty Wallace (winner - 1998) *
21. Ken Schrader (winner - 1989, 1990)
22. Bill Elliott (winner - 1987)
23. Terry Labonte (winner - 1985) *
* Eligible but not expected to compete
Predictor?
Only five times in the 27 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).
Busch 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).
Eighty-three drivers have participated in the Busch Clash/Budweiser Shootout races. Forty-four of those
drivers have participated in three or more; 29 have competed in only one.
Mark Martin has appeared in the most consecutive Busch Clash/Bud Shootout races, competing in 17
straight events since 1989. Bill Elliott competed in 12 consecutive events from 1985-1996. Jeff Gorodn has
also competed in 12 (1993-2005).
The drivers that have participated in the Busch Clash/Bud Shootout the most times:
Bill Elliott (20)
Rusty Wallace (19)
Mark Martin (17)
Ricky Rudd (16)
Geoffrey Bodine (16)
Four drivers won the Busch Clash/Bud Shootout in their first appearance: Buddy Baker (1979), Dale
Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994 and Dale Jarrett (1996).
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 (2.75) holds the best average finish of all drivers in the Busch Clash/Bud Shootout. Neil
Bonnett (3.00) and Davey Allison (3.40) also had average finishes better than fourth over multiple Busch
Clash/Bud Shootouts.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3.60) has the best average finish among active drivers with more than one start in the
Busch Clash/Bud Shootout. Matt Kenseth finished third in his only Bud Shootout to date.
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 ever competed in
the 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 64 drivers with more than one start 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 20 of the 27 Busch Clash/Bud Shootout races since the event?s inception in 1979
(Chevrolet - 14, 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 a
Busch Clash/Budweiser Shootout races. Dale Earnhardt Jr., has 3.60 average finish in his five appearances, the
best of active drivers with more than one start 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. Dodge got its best Bud Shootout finish in 2004 when Ryan Newman finished second.
Budweiser Shootout – Starting Position Recap
Fourteen of the 27 Budweiser Shootouts have been won from a top-10 starting position – only three from
the pole position. Only four of the past 13 Budweiser Shootouts have been won from a top-10 starting position.
The 13th-position has accounted for four race winners, more than any other position, including three consecutive
(1997-1999). Dale Earnhardt Jr., won the 2003 Budweiser Shootout from the 19th-starting position – the deepest
in the field that a race winner has started in the 27-year history of the event. The last three have been won from
15th or further back in the field.
