Tony Stewart had the fastest car for the second Budweiser Shootout practice. Credit: James Squire/Getty Images

Busch, Stewart lead Shootout practices

Earnhardt said he has the car to beat for Saturday night's sprint

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart were fastest in Friday's two Budweiser Shootout practice sessions at Daytona International Speedway, but Busch was most consistent.

Busch's No. 5 Chevrolet led the 21 entries in the first 45-minute practice with a lap in 47.283 seconds, an average speed of 190.343 mph.

Kyle Busch led the first session. Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

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"The car was good, and it had a good balance to it," Busch said. "It was driving well and it went to the top of the chart, but it's not sucking up too well right now -- it's kind of a turd, but we're going to work on it and make it better."

Rounding out the top five on the first session's speed chart was Dale Earnhardt Jr. (190.247 mph), Kevin Harvick (189.757), Carl Edwards (189.354) and rookie Denny Hamlin (189.298).

Defending Nextel Cup Series champion Stewart, who ran the overall high total of 75 laps in practice, led the second one-hour session in his No. 20 Chevrolet at 193.899 mph, as speeds were up across the board.

Edwards was second (193.886 mph) behind Stewart, followed by Hamlin (193.050), Busch (192.189) and Kasey Kahne (191.550).

Busch made a total of 65 laps in the two practices and apparently was pleased with the progress his Alan Gustafson-led crew made. But immediately after he exited his car he reportedly scrambled to Orlando to race R/C cars.

Brian Vickers, Earnhardt and Busch narrowly escaped being the victims of the first pig-pile of Speedweeks when the engine in Vickers' No. 25 Chevrolet blew on its ninth lap of practice.

Vickers was driving into Turn 1 on the outside of a two-wide draft, with Earnhardt's No. 8 Chevrolet tucked under his bumper and Busch an equal distance behind Earnhardt, when Vickers' engine erupted in a cloud of smoke.

"It was exciting enough for me in my seat, I can't even imagine what those guys behind me were thinking," Vickers said. "For me, I could hardly see anything because my cockpit filled up with smoke, and I know those guys couldn't see anything. The spotter cleared me down, and I got down as soon as I could."

When he became blanketed by smoke, Earnhardt simply slowed, didn't alter his line and didn't panic.

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"You get nervous when you see fluids," Earnhardt said. "There wasn't any fluids -- just Busch trying to get out of the way."

Busch took a totally different tack.

"I smelt it first and then all I saw was a bunch of white stuff," Busch said with a laugh. "I don't even remember who was in front of me, but I looked in my left side mirror to make sure no one was next to me and just yanked the wheel to the left.

"There wasn't anything on the tires because we came right in, made some changes and went right back out."

Vickers was ninth on the first practice speed chart, at 189.032 mph.

"It didn't give us any indication at all that it was going to blow," Vickers said. "The GMAC Chevy was running great and handling pretty good. It was a little tight off Turn 4, but all in all we were pretty happy with it -- and then it just blew up."

After his Hendrick Motorsports crew changed the engine, he made 39 laps in the second session and was 14th on that chart, at 189.805 mph.

"It's a good car," Vickers said. "This was a car we ran last fall at Talladega and finished sixth. In the Bud Shootout nobody brings their best stuff, so for the Shootout I feel like we've got a good car; I think we'll be fine."

Earnhardt, though, continued his optimistic bent early in Speedweeks when he predicted his car was best, despite dropping to 20th on the second practice chart.

"I don't think that means anything," Earnhardt said. "I still think we've got the car to beat out there."