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Tony Stewart won the Budweiser Shootout in 2001 and 2002. Credit: ASP
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
February 7, 2003
10:47 AM EST (1547 GMT)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR Winston Cup racing is all about statistics, and numerology.
During the 2003 season, we'll tease and tantalize with a weekly display of numbers and facts about the sport's best drivers.
Budweiser has sponsored the annual pre-season, non-points race at Daytona since 1979. It was known as the Busch Clash until 1998 when the name was changed to the Bud Shootout. Renamed the Budweiser Shootout for the 2001 edition, the event has remained a showcase for the pole winners from the previous season. Beginning in 2001, past winners of the Shootout were allowed to retain their eligibility, providing they had competed in at least one Winston Cup race the previous season.
Five times the defending Winston Cup champion has won the Budweiser Shootout. If he can become the sixth on Saturday night, Tony Stewart will win his third straight Shootout. Dale Earnhardt won the Shootout in 1988, 1991 and 1995 after winning the title the previous year. Terry Labonte in 1985 and Dale Jarrett in 2000 were the others to accomplish the feat.
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Earnhardt was clearly the dominant driver in the history of the event, winning six of the 23 races (26 percent) held prior to his death in 2001. His six victories came in 12 Budweiser Shootout appearances. He finished in the top four in 11 out of his 12 appearances. His only finish lower than fourth was 12th in 1983, when his car experienced engine problems. Earnhardt had an average finish of 2.75, the best of all drivers that have competed in more than two Shootouts.
Jeff Gordon won the Budweiser Shootout in 1994 and 1997 while Dale Jarrett won in 1996 and 2000. The only other multiple winners are the late Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Ken Schrader (1989-90) and Tony Stewart (2001-02) -- also the only drivers to win back-to-back races.
Only five times in the 24-year history of the Budweiser Shootout has the winner of the event gone on to victory in the Daytona 500: Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott (1987), Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000) and Jeff Gordon (1997).
The 2003 Budweiser Shootout field includes 19 drivers, including 2002 Bud Pole champion Ryan Newman (six poles); Bill Elliott and Jimmie Johnson (four poles); Jeff Gordon (three); Ricky Craven, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two); and Todd Bodine, Ward Burton, Matt Kenseth, Dale Jarrett, Kevin Harvick, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace and Kurt Busch (one each). Past champions that gained entry based on their former victories include Terry Labonte (1985), Ken Schrader (1989-90), Geoffrey Bodine (1992) and Mark Martin (1999).
A $966,000 purse is offered for the 2003 Budweiser Shootout. The winner receives at least $205,000.
Only three times in the 24-year history of the Budweiser Shootout has the race been won from the pole position, which is determined in a random drawing. Only four of the past 10 Budweiser Shootouts have been won from a top-10 starting position -- though the race was held in two segments from 1991-1997. The 13th position has accounted for four race winners, including three consecutive (1997-1999).
The Busch Clash format was changed from a 20-lap race to two 10-lap segments from 1991 through 1997. The establishment of the Bud Shootout as a single 25-lap event in 1998 marked the third format change. The format was again changed in 2001, to a 70-lap event. Beginning in 2003, the Budweiser Shootout again becomes a two-segment event (20 laps and 50 laps).
Seventy-two drivers have participated in the Budweiser Shootouts. Thirty-two of those drivers have participated in two or less and 22 in only one.
Mark Martin has appeared in the most consecutive Budweiser Shootout, competing in 14 straight events since 1989. Bill Elliott competed in 12 consecutive events from 1985-1996.
The drivers that have participated in the Budweiser Shootout the most times include Bill Elliott (17), Rusty Wallace (16), Mark Martin (15), Geoffrey Bodine and Ricky Rudd (14) and Terry Labonte (13).
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.
Eight of the 72 drivers that have participated in a Budweiser Shootout have a finishing average of fifth or better in the event.
Kenny Wallace finished second to his brother Rusty in the 1998 Budweiser Shootout. It was Rusty's only victory and Kenny's first appearance in the event.
General Motors products have won 18 of the 24 Budweiser Shootouts since the event's inception in 1979 (Chevrolet 12, Buick two, Oldsmobile two and Pontiac two). A Pontiac has won the last two years. Bill Elliott (1987), Geoffrey Bodine (1992), Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000), Rusty Wallace (1998) and Mark Martin (1999) have provided the only Ford victories.
While Ford has won four of the last seven Budweiser Shootouts, a Chevrolet has won seven of the last 10 Daytona 500s. Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000) is the only Ford driver to win the Daytona 500 in the 10-race period.
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