Post by labontefanboy on Nov 11, 2013 21:36:21 GMT -5
Budweiser Shootout
The annual exhibition event at Daytona International Speedway returned after a two year rain-induced hiatus. The 70 lap Saturday night shootout featured pole winners of 2006 and previous event winners, leading to an 18 car field. The preseason show included crashes, excitement, many lead changes, and last lap drama typical of the event that has nothing on the line except pride and money.
In an ironic twist, Greg Biffle won the pole for the first event since winning the 2006 championship, as he started alongside Jimmie Johnson. Elliott Sadler took the lead in turn 1 of the first lap, leading the first lap of the 2007 season. Carl Edwards followed to the lead on lap 3, and Kurt Busch took it over from laps 4 through 12 in his first race with Richard Childress Racing.
The next stint of the race featured lead changes on almost every single lap. Busch, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Jeremy Mayfield, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Johnson, Biffle, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Edwards, and Sadler all took turns leading. The critical moment of the race happened on lap 36 however. Tony Stewart felt his Chevrolet hiccup on the backstretch, and radioed a message to his crew that he was coming down pit road for his pit stop. As he slowed, cars slowed and scattered to avoid crashing. Jeremy Mayfield went high, and proceed to run out of racetrack and doorslammed the #00 Toyota of Kenny Wallace. As Mayfield drove away in the clear, mayhem took over behind him as Wallace's car slammed Kurt Busch, and Elliott Sadler tumbled over in the background. All told, 8 cars were involved, but only Sadler exited the race from damage.
The race restarted on lap 41 with Jeff Burton in the lead. However, the #31 driver missed a shift as he accelerated, and went high on the racetrack to let other drivers pass by. Jeff Gordon followed the #31, thinking he was leading the field to the high groove, only to be nailed from behind by his teammate, Jimmie Johnson. That triggered the 2nd of 2 cautions in the race, as Gordon's spinning car was struck by Kurt Busch, eliminating the #33 from contention in the race. Other cars were involved, incurring minor cosmetic damage, but only Busch exited the race. As the field raced back to the start-finish line to set the caution flag order, one of Busch's teammates also slowed on track. Kevin Harvick, in sponsor UPS's debut, slowed with damage to a part in his racecar. As he coasted to pit road, the team learned that the rough bumps of DIS caused a suspension failure, knocking Harvick out of contention.
With 25 laps to go, Clint Bowyer led the field back to the green flag on lap 46. Stewart jumped to the lead on lap 47, followed by Mayfield on lap 48. Those two would battle for the lead until fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally sneaked into the picture, leading his first lap on lap 53. He held the lead until Burton finally recovered all the way to the front, as the #31 navigated lapped traffic perfectly. Kyle Busch would lead for 2 laps until Stewart made it back to the front with 11 to go. Mayfield took the lead back on lap 63, until Stewart led lap 65. At that point, reigning Rookie of the Year winner Bowyer snatched the lead. With 3 to go, Mayfield took it back, until Stewart's feisty move to the inside line on the backstretch grabbed it back. Bowyer continued to battle on the high side, and led the field as the nine-driver lead pack took the white flag on lap 70. Stewart tried to get and advantage heading towards turn 1, and moved to the middle lane to side draft the #07 Chevy. However, Smoke left to much room open on the bottom lane and Mayfield stuck his Ford Fusion in the hold. The 3 drivers would race 3-wide around the track on the last lap until Mayfield finally pulled away out of turn 4 with drafting help from Dale Jr. In his first race with the Robert Yates Racing organization, Mayfield took the checkers. That marks the second straight victory at Daytona for the #88 car, as now-retired Dale Jarrett won the July event in 2006.
Results:
The annual exhibition event at Daytona International Speedway returned after a two year rain-induced hiatus. The 70 lap Saturday night shootout featured pole winners of 2006 and previous event winners, leading to an 18 car field. The preseason show included crashes, excitement, many lead changes, and last lap drama typical of the event that has nothing on the line except pride and money.
In an ironic twist, Greg Biffle won the pole for the first event since winning the 2006 championship, as he started alongside Jimmie Johnson. Elliott Sadler took the lead in turn 1 of the first lap, leading the first lap of the 2007 season. Carl Edwards followed to the lead on lap 3, and Kurt Busch took it over from laps 4 through 12 in his first race with Richard Childress Racing.
The next stint of the race featured lead changes on almost every single lap. Busch, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Jeremy Mayfield, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Johnson, Biffle, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Edwards, and Sadler all took turns leading. The critical moment of the race happened on lap 36 however. Tony Stewart felt his Chevrolet hiccup on the backstretch, and radioed a message to his crew that he was coming down pit road for his pit stop. As he slowed, cars slowed and scattered to avoid crashing. Jeremy Mayfield went high, and proceed to run out of racetrack and doorslammed the #00 Toyota of Kenny Wallace. As Mayfield drove away in the clear, mayhem took over behind him as Wallace's car slammed Kurt Busch, and Elliott Sadler tumbled over in the background. All told, 8 cars were involved, but only Sadler exited the race from damage.
The race restarted on lap 41 with Jeff Burton in the lead. However, the #31 driver missed a shift as he accelerated, and went high on the racetrack to let other drivers pass by. Jeff Gordon followed the #31, thinking he was leading the field to the high groove, only to be nailed from behind by his teammate, Jimmie Johnson. That triggered the 2nd of 2 cautions in the race, as Gordon's spinning car was struck by Kurt Busch, eliminating the #33 from contention in the race. Other cars were involved, incurring minor cosmetic damage, but only Busch exited the race. As the field raced back to the start-finish line to set the caution flag order, one of Busch's teammates also slowed on track. Kevin Harvick, in sponsor UPS's debut, slowed with damage to a part in his racecar. As he coasted to pit road, the team learned that the rough bumps of DIS caused a suspension failure, knocking Harvick out of contention.
With 25 laps to go, Clint Bowyer led the field back to the green flag on lap 46. Stewart jumped to the lead on lap 47, followed by Mayfield on lap 48. Those two would battle for the lead until fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally sneaked into the picture, leading his first lap on lap 53. He held the lead until Burton finally recovered all the way to the front, as the #31 navigated lapped traffic perfectly. Kyle Busch would lead for 2 laps until Stewart made it back to the front with 11 to go. Mayfield took the lead back on lap 63, until Stewart led lap 65. At that point, reigning Rookie of the Year winner Bowyer snatched the lead. With 3 to go, Mayfield took it back, until Stewart's feisty move to the inside line on the backstretch grabbed it back. Bowyer continued to battle on the high side, and led the field as the nine-driver lead pack took the white flag on lap 70. Stewart tried to get and advantage heading towards turn 1, and moved to the middle lane to side draft the #07 Chevy. However, Smoke left to much room open on the bottom lane and Mayfield stuck his Ford Fusion in the hold. The 3 drivers would race 3-wide around the track on the last lap until Mayfield finally pulled away out of turn 4 with drafting help from Dale Jr. In his first race with the Robert Yates Racing organization, Mayfield took the checkers. That marks the second straight victory at Daytona for the #88 car, as now-retired Dale Jarrett won the July event in 2006.
Results: