Track Notes for Budweiser Shootout
STEWART-HAAS RACING
Budweiser Shootout Race Report
Date: Feb. 7, 2009
Event: Budweiser Shootout (non-point race)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
Winner: Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
SHR Finish: Tony Stewart (3rd – Running, completed 78 of 78 laps in a green-white-checkered finish)
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), made his debut as a driver/owner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series by finishing a strong third in Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
The Budweiser Shootout is an exhibition race featuring the top-six cars from each of the four manufacturers – Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge and Toyota – along with a wild card entry from each manufacturer that goes to a past champion. If no past champion, the manufacturer’s seventh-highest placing car in 2008 car owner points earns a starting berth. This year’s field included an event-record 28 drivers, with Stewart nailing down his starting spot thanks to his 2005 Sprint Cup championship.
Stewart, a three-time winner of the Budweiser Shootout, led four laps in the 78-lap race around the 2.5-mile oval before scoring his third straight top-three finish and sixth overall in the non-point event.
Stewart’s SHR teammate – Ryan Newman – was forced to look on from the No. 14 team’s pit box, as his switch from Dodge to Chevrolet for 2009 precluded him from this year’s race.
Kevin Harvick won the Budweiser Shootout to score his first victory since the 2007 Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway near Charlotte. Jamie McMurray finished second, while Stewart, Jeff Gordon and A.J. Allmendinger rounded out the top-five. Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch comprised the remainder of the top-10.
Next up for SHR is Daytona 500 qualifying, where Stewart and Newman, driver of the team’s No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala SS, will be among 57 drivers going for the pole for the 51st annual Daytona 500. Qualifying is set to get underway at 1:10 p.m. EST on Sunday with live coverage provided by FOX. The Gatorade Duel – twin 150-lap races which will set the field for the Daytona 500 – takes place at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12 with live coverage on SPEED. Speedweeks then culminates with the Daytona 500 at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15, which can also be seen live on FOX.