Kevin Harvick has found the key to winning the biggest races at Daytona International Speedway: lead as few laps as possible. Harvick, who won the 2007 Daytona 500 after leading just four laps, led just one Saturday night en route to winning his first Bud Shootout.
His improbable win was just the tip of the iceberg on a wild, full moon Florida night as 28 of NASCAR's stars knocked the dust of the steering wheel in the season-opening exhibition.
If the starting order of Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona left you feeling a little bit uneasy about the start of the non-points dash for cash, well, Friday night's practice likely isn't going to calm your nerves:
Saturday night, NASCAR will roar back to life with the annual season-opening, non-points race -- the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. Here's a guide to help you understand the new rules involving driver eligibility as well as the slightly tweaked race format.
Eligibility:In years past, the Shootout has been the reward of winning the pole at a race in the previous season. By doing so, drivers were guaranteed a spot in the race for pride and money. However, sponsorship conflicts (Coors Light Pole Award, Budweiser Shootout) have brought an end to that process.
As a result, NASCAR announced in August a change of eligibility requirements that are an attempt at a nod of appreciation for the car manufacturers sponsoring the sport.
Paul Menard's new season with a new team is starting out on a refreshingly good note.
Menard, who left the Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing team following 2008 to drive the No. 98 Ford at Yates Racing, drew the pole for Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona during a made-for-TV draw "party" Thursday night just outside of the speedway.
The lineup -- one that is set completely at random for the 28 eligible drivers -- has left some drivers that don't fall into "favorites" category sitting at the front while others, including last-place starter and former Shootout winner Jeff Gordon, will have plenty of traffic to negotiate at the green flag.
The light, my friends, has finally started to stare back at us through the end of the tunnel that is the NASCAR offseason.
Yes, the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona is scheduled to drop the green flag this Saturday night just past 8 PM ET here on the right coast, 5 PM PT for you left-coasters and with that, FanHouse's coverage of NASCAR (and other motorsports!) will have officially hit the big time.
As you may have noticed, someone else has been lurking around the NASCAR parts of FH for the past few weeks under the alias of Holly Cain. Holly has signed on to offer her incredible experience and knowledge of racing for anyone and everyone who stops by FanHouse.
Obviously, we hope you'll make us a regular around the interwebs of NASCAR, but if you need a little more prodding, here goes.
A.J Allmendinger, after an interesting month of rumors, finally has nailed down a ride for a portion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
The former open-wheel driver with five Champ Car wins to his credit and two seasons of Sprint Cup racing with Team Red Bull that ended in 2008 signed with Richard Petty Motorsports Wednesday for up to two years.
The contract, at the moment, has afforded Allmendinger -- ousted by Team Red Bull towards the end of the 2008 season in favor of the unproven, yet talented Scott Speed -- nine races at the start of 2009 including next weekend's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.
NASCAR made a mockery of the Budweiser Shootout format back in August thanks to a conflict of sponsorship, and this week, an attempt to improve the race took another step back.
The August changes to the annual season-opening non-points race made eligibility requirements revolve around the previous season's manufacturer standings with the top six team from each car make earning a spot in the dash for cash. According to NASCAR, it was an attempt to give more exposure to the four car companies that compete in the Sprint Cup Series.
The result left Tony Stewart and other notable drivers ineligible for the Feb. 7 race and on Friday, NASCAR changed that.
I wrote the other day about how much I disliked the new format NASCAR is going with for the season-opening Budweiser Shootout in 2009 at Daytona, mainly because of the qualification procedure.
"I don't know what the extra five laps are for," he said Friday at Auto Club Speedway, site of Sunday's Pepsi 500 Sprint Cup race. "What the heck? They [NASCAR] don't get it. They messed up The Winston, the all-star race, and they're messing up the Shootout.
"They ought to line us up, make us run 10 laps. They want us to run around there for 25 first and have a 25-lap segment? That'd be cool. But 10 laps to go, all or nothing - that's what the fans want, that's what the drivers want.
"The last segment being 50 laps? We're just going to sit there for 30. I just don't get it. They don't get it. I don't understand. I don't know what the focus group is they're talking to to get these formats.
"It's frustrating because I want to like running those races. I don't want to dread them, but right now I'm dreading running them because the formats are no fun."
If Earnhardt Jr. was aiming for a scathing critique of the format, then he was spot on. And can you blame the guy?
For years and years and years, winning a pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series meant a whole lot more than getting to start out front for that specific race, or getting first selection of a pit stall.
Now, because of NASCAR's fumbling of sponsorship contracts, it means a whole lot less.
Winning a pole in the Sprint Cup Series in the previous season meant a driver was guaranteed a spot in the next season's opening event, the Budwieser Shootout at Daytona. The race is an exhibition of sorts that serves as a great tune-up to the coming NASCAR season a week in advance of the Daytona 500.
The race will still exist in 2009, but the format has changed the qualifying procedures have turned the event more into a showcase for sponsors instead of an underdog team that might have snuck into the race with a pole win in the previous season.
NASCAR announced the format change on Tuesday, and the specifics of the race include lengthening it by 5 laps to 75 laps and giving teams a 10-minute break after lap 25. The qualfying procedure, though, is what ticks me off.
I literally laughed in the middle of hotel lobby when I read today the penalties exacted on Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart for their antics last Friday night during Budweiser Shootout practice.
And yes, the girl behind the Starbucks counter gave me a weird look.
Probation was the name of the game for the two former champions who got into an arguing match with two 3,500lb race cars Friday night. Who cares if the actions have cost drivers points and fines in the past, for NASCAR is set about making NASCAR more user-friendly to people who like controversy.
Step one in that process is apparently slapping the weakest penalty known to man on the two drivers who consistently find themselves on the wrong side of NASCAR's ire.
Yep, Stewart and Busch earned a six-race probation for their antics. Nope, not a suspension. Not a fine. No community service. And nope, no points deductions either.
Kevin Harvick has found the key to winning the biggest races at Daytona International Speedway: lead as few laps as possible. Harvick, who won the 2007 Daytona 500 after leading just four laps, led just one Saturday night en route to winning his first Bud Shootout.
Saturday night, NASCAR will roar back to life with the annual season-opening, non-points race -- the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. Here's a guide to help you understand the new rules involving driver eligibility as well as the slightly tweaked race format.
Paul Menard's new season with a new team is starting out on a refreshingly good note.
The light, my friends, has finally started to stare back at us through the end of the tunnel that is the NASCAR offseason.
A.J Allmendinger, after an interesting month of rumors, finally has nailed down a ride for a portion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
NASCAR made a mockery of the Budweiser Shootout format back in August thanks to a conflict of sponsorship, and this week, an attempt to improve the race took another step back.
I wrote the other day about how much I disliked the new format NASCAR is going with for the season-opening Budweiser Shootout in 2009 at Daytona, mainly because of the qualification procedure. 
For years and years and years, winning a pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series meant a whole lot more than getting to start out front for that specific race, or getting first selection of a pit stall.
I literally laughed in the middle of hotel lobby when I read today the penalties exacted on Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart for their antics last Friday night during Budweiser Shootout practice.
