The Bud Shootout is the only Nextel Cup event of Speedweeks that is run after dark. Credit: Autostock

After short offseason, cars ready to roll

Bud Shootout's 70-lapper kicks off 2005 season

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Finally, after all the testing and preparation, Nextel Cup stock cars return to the track for an actual race.

The Budweiser Shootout kicks off Speedweeks 2005 at Daytona International Speedway, running a 70-lap non-points race Saturday night for last year's pole winners and previous winners of the Shootout.

	Dale Jarrett: Defending champion Credit: Sherryl Creekmore/NASCAR
	ALSO •   Jarrett draws pole position •   Bud Shootout Lineup TUNE IN •   Speedweeks schedule

Twenty drivers are eligible to go for the $211,500 first prize and a chance at the favorite's role for the Daytona 500 a little more than a week later."And you'd think for such an important race, drivers would know what's going on.

But ask a few of them about the format, and you'll get puzzled looks.

"What did they do to change it?" Dale Earnhardt Jr. wondered Thursday. "Did they add laps or something? Aw, man."

Well, the format was altered from 25 laps to 70 laps four years ago, but who's counting?

The 70 laps will be split into two segments of 20 and 50 laps, with a break in between to work on the cars.

And since 50 laps on one tank of fuel is impossible, the second segment will include a pit stop.

Of course, some of the drivers don't know that.

"I'll be honest with you," Jeff Gordon said. "They've changed the Shootout so many times that I don't even have any idea how many laps it is or how many pit stops there are. I don't have a clue, and I don't want to know until it's finalized."

Well, it is finalized.

But apparently Gordon and teammate Brian Vickers have talked about the format. Or maybe they haven't.

"I have no idea," said Vickers, making his first Shootout start. "I just know it's Daytona, and it will be wide open."

Jeff Gordon (left) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Credit: Autostock

That's true. Since the Shootout is a non-points race, drivers are more likely to make a risky move than if it were a points event.

And most teams will be using their Daytona 500 backup car, so tearing up a car in the Shootout is less of a big deal.

"We're going to put the best car out there we can, and then I'll talk to the guys on Saturday sometime and we'll figure it all out," Gordon said. "But I think it's going to be pretty much business as usual.

"It's a great event. It's fun and exciting. For those of us who are in it, I think it's a bit of an advantage to get a little bit of extra drafting practice and to get comfortable with what's happening on Thursday."

Thursday is when the Gatorade Duel is held, setting the order for the 500. The cars used in the Duel aren't the same as the Shootout, but there is something to be learned.

"The Bud Shootout really won't cross over but it gets you ready for the Duel and the 500," Jimmie Johnson said. "I think there is a small advantage to being in the Shootout, if you go out and work on your setup a little bit.

"You also have a chance to get on the track. It never fails you that halfway into the 500 something comes to you that you forgot about but wanted to remember. So you get a head start."

And it's a fun head start, too.

Brian Vickers makes his first start in the Bud Shootout. Credit: Autostock

"The Bud Shootout is going to be a unique experience," Vickers said. "Any race that you can run at this level without points is fun. You can go out there wide open and have fun. It says a lot to be in it period."

It says a lot to win it, too, as Dale Jarrett did last year.

"It is to the extent that a lot of the guys who are in the Shootout are the guys you're going to watch for in the 500," Jarrett said. "I think that the Shootout gives you an idea as to what to expect from the usual suspects, but it isn't necessarily a precursor for who will win the Daytona 500."

Jarrett ended up 10th in the 500 last year but has said winning the Shootout wasn't a sign of his team's strength.

"Obviously, we didn't have the fastest car in that race last year, but I was able to put our car in front of what was probably the fastest car at the end, which was Dale Jr.'s car," Jarrett said.

"So that helped us win that race. The win certainly was great considering the year we'd had in 2003, so it was a great confidence booster for the team."

BUD SHOOTOUT •   2004 Results •   2003 Results •   2002 Results •   2001 Results

Any win is a good way to lift a team's spirits, and any time drivers get on a track, they're going to do anything they can to win.

That'll be the case Saturday night, too.

"We're going to go for it," said Kasey Kahne, another Shootout rookie. "Our Dodge Charger is going to be better. I'm looking forward to it. I think we have a great car that will be good in the Shootout and the 150s and the 500.

"We're going to do whatever it takes to get to the front in the Shootout. We'll definitely do whatever we need to to get to the front."