Budweiser Shootout Race Review

Daytona International Speedway -- 02/09/08

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Monday Feb 11 2008 3:03am

Too Early to Tell … but Bud Shoot-Out Offers Glimmer of Hope for Season to Come

2007 was an unsettling year for NASCAR fans in many respects. The long-anticipated Car of Tomorrow debuted and ran in 16 races to less-than-stellar reviews. Jimmie Johnson won his second straight Cup title, combining with the other three Hendrick Motorsports drivers to win half the year's races, leaving fans of other teams disheartened. Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned the sport on its ear with his decision to not only leave DEI, his father's company and the only one he'd ever raced for in the Cup series, but to join what many considered the enemy camp of HMS. Similarly, Joe Gibbs Racing jumped ship from long-time manufacturer General Motors for the unknown waters of relative Cup newcomer Toyota.

TV ratings were down, frustration levels were up, and questions abounded throughout the off-season regarding the overall health and direction of the sport.

Many questions hung over Saturday's Bud Shootout, the first competitive race of the season, though it paid no points and featured a field of just 23 instead of the full 43 cars: How would the COT perform once it became the full-time Cup series car? Would the Hendrick dominance continue? How would the Gibbs drivers fare in their new Toyotas? And what of Dale Junior's move to HMS?

Even more questions were sparked by NASCAR CEO Brian France's recent State of the Sport address, in which he promised to pay more attention to the sport's traditional fan base, slow down the pace of change, and let the drivers exhibit more personality and passion.

Were these just platitudes, or would France stay true to his word?

Saturday night's Bud Shootout was just one race - a short 70-lapper at that, but the race itself and the practice that preceded it offered a glimpse into what fans might hope to expect for the rest of the season.

If any trends can be extrapolated from the weekend's events and applied to those lingering questions, they might include the following: Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch haven't changed, NASCAR may indeed be loosening the leash on drivers, Dale Jr. can in fact win races in his new ride, HMS will continue its dominance this season, and Joe Gibbs Racing - as well as the other Toyota teams - will be very competitive.

Of course, it's all a bit much to read into one short exhibition race, but there was clearly an electricity in the air at Daytona this weekend that hasn't been felt by fans for quite a while.

Things started to get interesting in Friday's final practice session for the Bud Shootout with two separate multi-car wrecks. In the first, Clint Bowyer got into the back of Ryan Newman, whose car slipped below the yellow line, then snapped back up across the track right in front of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and several other cars. Crew chiefs and teams were left scrambling to effect repairs or find back-up cars.

Later in the practice session, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart made contact as they battled for the same turf. Busch's car hit the wall, but as Stewart pulled onto pit road, Busch caught up with him and intentionally body slammed the side of Stewart's Home Depot Toyota several times.

Both Busch and Stewart were immediately summoned to the NASCAR hauler, though no penalties were announced over the weekend. Rumors swirled that Stewart leveled a punch at the Penske driver during the meeting.

Saturday's Shoot-out started with 7 of the 23 drivers moving to the back of the starting grid -- Newman, Busch, Johnson, Gordon, and Bill Elliott for going to backup cars, Dale Jarrett for an engine change, and Casey Mears who missed the qualifying draw on Thursday due to illness. Busch had drawn the pole position on Thursday preceding Friday's run-in with Stewart, but his move to the rear left Michael Waltrip to bring the field to the green.

Earnhardt Jr. led the race a total of 7 times for 47 laps. He was in the lead at the end of the first 20-lap segment, which finished under caution due to a cut tire by Bill Elliott that sent his car into the wall. The second segment was just getting heated up when Jamie McMurray got loose and made contact with Denny Hamlin on lap 25, bringing out another caution.

Tony Stewart, who led twice for a total of 9 laps, muscled past Earnhardt Jr. on lap 61 to take the lead. With just 9 laps to go, it appeared that Stewart might cruise to victory, but Junior was on the receiving end of a slam draft from new teammate Jimmie Johnson as the race wore down, giving him the momentum to retake the lead with 1.5 laps to go and hold on for the checkers.

The top 10 consisted of a combination of Hendrick drivers and Toyota drivers for most of the race, with all four Hendrick cars finishing in the top 6 - Earnhardt (1), Johnson (3), Gordon (4), and Mears (6). Stewart finished second, while fellow Toyota drivers Dave Blaney, who led twice for seven laps, and Denny Hamlin also finished in the top 10.

Reed Sorenson and Kasey Kahne were the only Dodge drivers in the top 10, finishing 5th and 10th respectively. Mark Martin came in 8th for DEI, Michael Waltrip finished 11th, and Carl Edwards was the highest finishing Ford driver at 12th for Roush Racing.

"I hope the fans enjoyed that," beamed Earnhardt Jr. after the race. "Wow! Man, that was fun! I am so happy - my new team, victory lane. It doesn't get any better."

Most of the drivers praised the COT, which was competing at Daytona for the first time competitively. Though at times the car seemed to bounce around like a rock being skipped on the surface of Lake Lloyd, it won praise for its horsepower and ability to recover from near-spins. Handling will continue to be at a premium, particularly during the daytime portion of the Daytona 500 when the sun will keep the track slick.

With Jimmie Johnson and Michael Waltrip on the pole for the 500, it appears that the Hendrick and Toyota storylines will carry over to next weekend. All eyes will also be on Earnhardt Jr., along with Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch, who ironically collided in last year's Daytona 500 as well. Should tempers flare - and chances are they will - NASCAR's new "boys will be boys" policy will again be put to the test.