Budweiser Shootout TNT Sat 2/7/04
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- When you boil it all down, the Budweiser Shootout is nothing but a glorified practice among 19 drivers to see who has the best Daytona 500 backup car.
So why is it always so intense?
Why do 22 drivers -- pole winner from 2003 and previous Shootout winners -- go after it so hard?
Well, it's simple. It's a race. There's money on the line. Did we mention it was a race?
"It's like a bar fight, but the car takes the beating," defending Budweiser Shootout winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.
"It's a balls-to-the-wall race," Rusty Wallace said. "It's get it on, get it done and get the money. It's all about money."
More than $1 million is at stake Saturday night when Nextel Cup cars take to Daytona International Speedway for the 70-lap race. The event is the first official competition of 2004, but no points are awarded, and there's not much strategy, other than going to the front.
"I don't know what to expect," first-timer Elliott Sadler said. "I'm just going to have a good time and try to win that thing. I'm not even really sure about all the rules. I haven't read up on the rules yet, but I'll do that before we race Saturday night."
"I had a ball watching it last year under the lights," Sadler said. "There's not but 20 cars, so you can have a good time, move around, take some chances, and it won't kill you but so bad. I'm looking forward to it. I've always wanted to be in the Bud Shootout."
The rules are pretty simple. The race is split into two segments, the first a 20-lapper, followed by a 10-minute intermission where teams can make pit stops if they want.
The second segment is 50 laps, and the race must end with a green-white-checker finish. Caution laps count.
Besides Earnhardt Jr., Wallace and Sadler, some other drivers in the race are Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte, Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Jeremy Mayfield, Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson, Ken Schrader and Dale Jarrett.
Several drivers are making one-off runs in the Shootout: Boris Said in the No. 01 normally driven by Joe Nemechek, Mike Skinner in the No. 10 normally driven by Scott Riggs, Dave Blaney in Bill Davis Racing's No. 23, and Bill Elliott in Evernham Motorsports' No. 91.
None of those drivers have full-time rides in 2004.
But the strategy is the same: get out front and try to stay there
"The Home Depot team is heading (into the Shootout) with a go-for-broke attitude," Stewart said. "There aren't any points involved. It's just money, a trophy and a lot of prestige. This is a lot shorter race. You're not going for 500 miles.
"It's just a long sprint, really. You've got a short amount of time to get your work done. So you kind of throw caution to the wind. If you think you can go, well then, you better go."
And if you can't go, well, at least it isn't one of the 125-mile qualifying races.
"It gives me an extra opportunity to get ready for the 125s," Wallace said. "Let's face it, the 125s, that's what positions you for the Daytona 500. If you start the 125, and you're not handling, you could miss the damn race.
"But if you run the Bud Shootout, and you've got a severe handling problem, you know you've got another shot to get it right for the 125."
Most teams won't be using their Daytona 500 car, but lessons can still be learned in the Shootout.
"All of our speedway cars are really close," McMurray said. "The car that I'm going to run the Shootout is one of Sterling's cars from last year. The car that we brought for the 500 was the next car we built after that.
"They're built extremely similar. We're think we can use the Shootout as almost like a test for the 125s."
http://www.nascar.com
[This message was edited by The General on February 07, 2004 at 06:47 PM.]
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- When you boil it all down, the Budweiser Shootout is nothing but a glorified practice among 19 drivers to see who has the best Daytona 500 backup car.
So why is it always so intense?
Why do 22 drivers -- pole winner from 2003 and previous Shootout winners -- go after it so hard?
Well, it's simple. It's a race. There's money on the line. Did we mention it was a race?
"It's like a bar fight, but the car takes the beating," defending Budweiser Shootout winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.
"It's a balls-to-the-wall race," Rusty Wallace said. "It's get it on, get it done and get the money. It's all about money."
More than $1 million is at stake Saturday night when Nextel Cup cars take to Daytona International Speedway for the 70-lap race. The event is the first official competition of 2004, but no points are awarded, and there's not much strategy, other than going to the front.
"I don't know what to expect," first-timer Elliott Sadler said. "I'm just going to have a good time and try to win that thing. I'm not even really sure about all the rules. I haven't read up on the rules yet, but I'll do that before we race Saturday night."
"I had a ball watching it last year under the lights," Sadler said. "There's not but 20 cars, so you can have a good time, move around, take some chances, and it won't kill you but so bad. I'm looking forward to it. I've always wanted to be in the Bud Shootout."
The rules are pretty simple. The race is split into two segments, the first a 20-lapper, followed by a 10-minute intermission where teams can make pit stops if they want.
The second segment is 50 laps, and the race must end with a green-white-checker finish. Caution laps count.
Besides Earnhardt Jr., Wallace and Sadler, some other drivers in the race are Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte, Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Jeremy Mayfield, Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson, Ken Schrader and Dale Jarrett.
Several drivers are making one-off runs in the Shootout: Boris Said in the No. 01 normally driven by Joe Nemechek, Mike Skinner in the No. 10 normally driven by Scott Riggs, Dave Blaney in Bill Davis Racing's No. 23, and Bill Elliott in Evernham Motorsports' No. 91.
None of those drivers have full-time rides in 2004.
But the strategy is the same: get out front and try to stay there
"The Home Depot team is heading (into the Shootout) with a go-for-broke attitude," Stewart said. "There aren't any points involved. It's just money, a trophy and a lot of prestige. This is a lot shorter race. You're not going for 500 miles.
"It's just a long sprint, really. You've got a short amount of time to get your work done. So you kind of throw caution to the wind. If you think you can go, well then, you better go."
And if you can't go, well, at least it isn't one of the 125-mile qualifying races.
"It gives me an extra opportunity to get ready for the 125s," Wallace said. "Let's face it, the 125s, that's what positions you for the Daytona 500. If you start the 125, and you're not handling, you could miss the damn race.
"But if you run the Bud Shootout, and you've got a severe handling problem, you know you've got another shot to get it right for the 125."
Most teams won't be using their Daytona 500 car, but lessons can still be learned in the Shootout.
"All of our speedway cars are really close," McMurray said. "The car that I'm going to run the Shootout is one of Sterling's cars from last year. The car that we brought for the 500 was the next car we built after that.
"They're built extremely similar. We're think we can use the Shootout as almost like a test for the 125s."
http://www.nascar.com
[This message was edited by The General on February 07, 2004 at 06:47 PM.]
