Back on track: New-look Shootout whets season

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Amid much anticipation, the 2009 Sprint Cup Series officially returns to the track Saturday night.

The 31st annual Budweiser Shootout at Daytona -- the non-points precursor to the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 15 -- snares the spotlight first at Daytona International Speedway.

This year, the event will have changes in its format, with a slightly longer distance and an expanded field designed to showcase the four manufacturers competing in NASCAR's premier series.

And come Saturday, no one will be more eager to mash the gas than the Budweiser Shootout's defending winner, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"Winning the first race of the year -- whether it's for points or no points -- is always pretty special," Earnhardt said. "There's no better way to start a season than by winning the first one right out of the gate."

Doing so may be especially important this season, given NASCAR's 2009 suspension of testing at tracks that hold NASCAR-sanctioned events. Instead of the usual January tests at Daytona and Las Vegas, Cup teams concentrated energy in shops and engine rooms to prepare for the season.

For the Budweiser Shootout's 28 eligible participants, Saturday night's race means the first opportunity to gather data under race conditions, a crucial component for Daytona 500 preparations.

Last year, Earnhardt used his victory to jumpstart his first season at Hendrick Motorsports. The momentum carried over to a victory in the first of two 150-mile qualifying races for the Daytona 500 and an eventual ninth-place finish in the Daytona 500.

"It doesn't necessarily determine how the rest of your Speedweeks will go, because we run different cars for the Daytona 500," Earnhardt said. "But it's the opening act of a new season, and everyone wants to start off with a bang. I guess it's more important for bragging rights."

He cites a "good car, good motor; being in the right place at the right time," for his 2008 Budweiser Shootout win.

"Everything was clicking," Earnhardt added. "I had teammates up front, and we worked together quite a bit. It was just a good race where everything went right."

• What is the Shootout?

The Shootout race distance has been increased from 70 laps to 75 laps for 2009. That's a total of 187.5 miles on Daytona's high-banked, 2.5-mile layout.

As has been the case since 2003, the event will be run in two segments; only the first segment increases in distance from 20 to 25 laps.

Following the first segment, a 10-minute "pit stop" gives crews the opportunity to make normal adjustments to their cars. That means tweaks they would do on a normal pit stop during a regular Cup Series event.

• All work must be done on pit road or in the garage.

• Teams may not change springs, shocks or rear-ends.

• All green- and yellow-flag laps in both segments will count.

Following the 10-minute "pit stop", the event's second segment remains a 50-lap sprint for the win.

As announced this past August, the field now includes the top six teams from each manufacturer based on the final 2008 car owners' standings. Another change announced on Jan. 16: Each manufacturer also has a "wild card" entry, which increases the field from 24 to 28 teams.

The "wild card" criteria: Any owner outside the top six for each manufacturer, whose driver is a past Cup champion who attempted to qualify for all 2008 events. Each manufacturer is permitted only one of these positions, which will be based on the most recent champion per manufacturer.

If an owner/manufacturer doesn't have a past Cup champion, the next highest eligible owner outside the top six, per manufacturer, in the final 2008 owners' standings, will be eligible to fill that manufacturer's "wild card" position.

The 2009 field includes five former Daytona 500 champions: Jeff Gordon, Michael Waltrip, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson.

First-time Shootout participants include A.J. Allmendinger, Robby Gordon, Joey Logano, Paul Menard, David Ragan, David Reutimann, Scott Speed and David Stremme.

• 'Wild cards' added to field

Note: This year's 28-car field is the largest in event history. Last year's 23-car field was the previous high.

The Cup garage at Daytona will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on Thursday for inspection of Budweiser Shootout cars. That's followed by the traditional draw party at 6:30 p.m., which determines the starting lineup. On Friday, teams will practice twice -- from 4:15 to 5 p.m. and 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.