Bud Shootout: Who's in? Read between the lines

Here's the skinny on the 2009 Budweiser Shootout (tentatively, of course; this is just an educated guess until the behind-closed-doors maneuvering is complete and the official entry list is filed):

Tony Stewart is in. What, you thought owner/driver Smoke -- in a Chevrolet, no less -- would not be in the first "race" of the year? He'll drive the No. 14 Chevy, formerly the No. 70. (listen)

• Four added to field
• Changes to Shootout
• Driver opinions vary
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Bobby Labonte is in. The car owner points for Yates Racing's No. 38 Ford will be moved to Hall of Fame Racing's No. 96, which was a Toyota in 2008. What, you thought "alliance" was something different than "merger"?

Robby Gordon is in. Apparently there was more room at the Toyota Inn for the Dodge defector rather than for Scott Speed's then-No. 84/now-No. 82, which actually was a Toyota in 2008.

Sam Hornish Jr. is in. Benefiting from Gordon's manufacturer switch as well as the contraction of a few cars, ol' Sammy gets to take the green flag in Penske Racing's No. 77 Dodge.

And the Gillett Evernham's No. 10 makes the cut, though no driver has been officially named to fill the seat. (A.J. Allmendinger remains the choice du jour.)

As previously reported, the Shootout format has changed for 2009: The top six teams in owner points from each manufacturer earn berths in the season-opening exhibition race at Daytona. (complete list)

On Friday, two caveats:

• Any owner outside of the top six in year-end owner points whose driver is a past Cup Series champion that attempted to qualify for all 36 races (only one position will be filled per manufacturer and will be based on the most recent past champion per manufacturer).

• If an owner/manufacturer does not have a past champion driver, the next highest eligible owner outside the top six in year-end owner points from each manufacturer will be eligible to compete in the event.

So using the best information available, the lineup looks something like:

Let's call the two newly-instituted caveats the "Tony Stewart Amendment." (Hey, other drivers have been undeservingly thrown under the bus ...)

• 2003: Matt Kenseth clinches the Cup Series championship on, like, Memorial Day. Voilà: The Chase is born.

• 2005-06: Fan faves Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. fail to make the Chase in 2005; Stewart follows in '06. Voilà: The Chase field expands from 10 to 12.

Now Sprint ahead to August 2008: No longer the sponsor of the Coors Light pole award for Cup Series qualifying, Anheuser-Busch influenced changes to the criteria for entry into the Budweiser Shootout. And now, realizing the five-month-old criteria is already out of date (read: economic recession continues to kick Detroit's tailpipe), an Olive Garden branch -- NASCAR's new official branch of goodwill -- is extended to the struggling manufacturers to allow one additional driver per make into the Shootout.

The cynics among us would point to Dec. 19, when General Motors renewed its sponsorship of Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500 -- coincidentally the same day President George W. Bush announced the $17.4 billion automobile industry bailout. Certainly no one from Chevrolet asked that its biggest Speedweeks storyline -- Smoke returning in a Bowtie -- be somehow guaranteed a spot in the season's first event ...

In NASCAR's eyes, the automakers and the fans win before the first checkered flag of the season. I guess that's one way of looking at it ... unless you're Scott Speed and just got thrown under the bus.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! (Updated on Saturday, Jan. 17)

From my buddy Dave Moody's blog, The Motorsports Soapbox: "Sirius Speedway spoke to NASCAR representative Ramsey Poston [on Friday], and he confirmed that Robby Gordon is approved to run the Budweiser Shootout in a Dodge, before converting to Toyota for the remainder of Speedweek 2009."

OK, so if RG drives a Dodge, then Hornish is out of the Shootout (if GEM enters the No. 10) -- meaning a guy who will drive a Dodge in 2009 is being booted in favor of a driver who will jump to a rival manufacturer the next day for Daytona 500 qualifying.

But what if Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, which fields Chevys, decides to enter Juan Montoya, who theoretically could enter as a Dodge driver given his '08 ride and 26th-place finish in owner points (and thus make GEM's decision moot regarding the No. 10)? Given the diversity angle, wouldn't you think Montoya's presence would be encouraged / welcomed? ... And if Gordon does drive a Dodge in the Shootout, then Scott Speed is in as the Toyota wild card.

Can this get any more convoluted? If anyone figures out the Shootout lineup, here's something you can tackle for giggles. In the meantime, we eagerly await the aforementioned official entry list ...

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.