Tires never made it on the racetrack Saturday night at Daytona. Credit: AP

Rain postpones Budweiser Shootout

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Rain that began in mid-afternoon and persisted into the early evening caused Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout to be postponed at Daytona International Speedway.

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The season's first special event, featuring 17 Bud Pole Award winners from the 2005 Nextel Cup season and four former Shootout winners, will now be held Sunday afternoon.

The green flag is scheduled for 4:42 p.m. ET. TNT will have live coverage beginning at 4 p.m.

Ken Schrader will lead the 21-car field for the two-segment event, which includes a 20-lap run, a 10-minute break and a final 50-lap race for a minimum winner's share of $212,000.

Sunday's schedule already includes Bud Pole Qualifying for the Daytona 500 at 12:10 p.m. ET. A total of 58 cars that will attempt to win the pole for next Sunday's "Great American Race."

Before the rain began, the Nextel Cup field conducted two practice sessions. Kevin Harvick's No. 29 Chevrolet led the first, two-hour session while Elliott Sadler's No. 38 Ford led the second, which was cut a half-hour short of its 90-minute length by rain.

"I think the pressure is on," Sadler said. "I've got a car owner that's won the 500. I've got a teammate that's won the 500. I've got a crew chief that's won the 500. I guess I'm the only missing link here.

"We always come here with Robert's stuff and run good," he said. "Doug and all the guys do a great job with the motors and my crew chief is very focused and understands what it takes to run good during the 500. I think we're prepared just as good as we've ever been."