30th annual Bud Shootout drops green on '08 season

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- After weeks of preseason testing, 23 Sprint Cup Series drivers will take the first green flag of 2008 on Saturday night at Daytona.

Gone are testing's anonymous gray paint jobs and recycled uniforms. Here, at last, is competition -- the 30th annual Budweiser Shootout (8 p.m. ET Saturday on FOX) -- a non-points event that kicks off the season, revving both engines and anticipation.

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Shootout glance

	What: Budweiser Shootout
	Where: Daytona
	Track Layout: 2.5-mile tri-oval
	When: Saturday
	TV: FOX, 8 p.m. ET
	Radio: MRN; Sirius (Channel 128)

Shootout winners

Year	Driver
1979	Buddy Baker
1980	Dale Earnhardt
1981	Darrell Waltrip
1982	Bobby Allison
1983	Neil Bonnett
1984	Neil Bonnett
1985	Terry Labonte
1986	Dale Earnhardt
1987	Bill Elliott
1988	Dale Earnhardt
1989	Ken Schrader
1990	Ken Schrader
1991	Dale Earnhardt
1992	Geoffrey Bodine
1993	Dale Earnhardt
1994	Jeff Gordon
1995	Dale Earnhardt
1996	Dale Jarrett
1997	Jeff Gordon
1998	Rusty Wallace
1999	Mark Martin
2000	Dale Jarrett
2001	Tony Stewart
2002	Tony Stewart
2003	Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2004	Dale Jarrett
2005	Jimmie Johnson
2006	Denny Hamlin
2007	Tony Stewart

For participants, it marks the first NASCAR race in nearly three months.

"It's a fun race to be in," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 2003 Shootout winner. "Most drivers can't wait to see some action from the offseason."

Both precursor and reward, the race warms up fans and competitors for the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 17. The Shootout is open to the past season's pole winners, along with former Shootout winners who finished in the top 50 of the final 2007 Cup standings.

That exclusivity broadens in importance this season.

Teams not only will prepare for the 50th Daytona 500, but also their first full-time season with NASCAR's new racecar. The golden-anniversary Daytona 500 marks the first new-car event at Daytona -- and for 23 teams, Saturday night is an opportunity to research race conditions.

The Shootout began in 1979 and has yielded 17 different winners through 29 events. Buddy Baker won the first one; two-time series champion Tony Stewart is the defending winner.

The Schedule

The Cup Series garage is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Thursday for inspection of Shootout cars. The Shootout draw -- which determines the starting lineup -- is at 7 p.m.

On Friday, teams will practice twice -- from 4:15-5 p.m. and from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Shootout Format

The starting positions for the Shootout will be determined by a random draw.

Beginning in 2003, the Shootout was formatted into two segments. The first segment is 20 laps followed by a 10-minute intermission.

During the intermission teams may change tires or perform any other action that would be part of a normal pit stop.

The second segment is 50 laps and must end in a green-white-checkered finish. Caution laps will count toward the total in both segments so the second segment may extend beyond the scheduled 70-lap total.

2007 Eligibility

The 23-driver field for the Shootout will be the record for the largest field in the history of the event. (The previous high was 22 in 2002.)

There were 18 drivers who gained eligibility by winning a pole in 2007, while five others are eligible because they are past winners of the Shootout (and finished in the top 50 in final series point standings). Four drivers will be competing in the event for the first time.

Shootout-Daytona 500 Sweep

Five times in the 29-year history of the event, the winner has gone on to win in the Daytona 500: Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott (1987) Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000) and Jeff Gordon (1997).

Shootout Tidbits

• Eighty-eight drivers have participated in the Shootout races, totaling 423 entries; 42 of those drivers have participated in two or less; 28 in only one.

• The drivers who have participated in the event the most times: Bill Elliott (22), Mark Martin (20), Rusty Wallace (19), Ken Schrader (17), Geoffrey Bodine (16) and Ricky Rudd (16).

• The number of participants has ranged from a low of seven in 1981 to a high of 22 in 2002.

• Mark Martin has appeared in the most consecutive Shootouts (19 since 1989).

• Sixteen different drivers have won the event, led by Dale Earnhardt with six victories. Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart are tied for second with three each. Other multiple winners: Jeff Gordon, Neil Bonnett and Ken Schrader.

• Buddy Baker (1979), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994), Dale Jarrett (1996) and Denny Hamlin (2006) won the first Shootout in which they competed. Hamlin is the only driver to compete in the event in his rookie season.

• Dale Earnhardt had an average finish of 2.75 in 12 appearances, the best of any driver.

• Tony Stewart has an average finish of 4.50 in his eight appearances, the best of active drivers.

• Jimmie Johnson has finished in the top 10 in all five of his appearances.

• This year's first-time participants include Clint Bowyer, J.J. Yeley, Reed Sorenson and Martin Truex Jr. who won their first poles in 2007.