2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona to have new format

DAYTONA BEACH — The 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona will have a new format that puts more emphasis on the series' four manufacturers — and the same star-power appeal that has become a season-opening tradition for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and its fans.

The 31st annual season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway will be held on Saturday night, Feb. 7, with a field of 24 cars representing the top teams from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota that will showcase the close competition in NASCAR's premier series. That lineup will consist of the top six teams from each manufacturer, based on the final 2008 car owner points.

The race distance will be increased from 70 laps to 75 (187.5 miles) on the 2.5-mile tri-oval. The race will have two segments, of 25 and 50 laps. Both green- and yellow-flag laps will count.

Between segments, there will be a 10-minute pit stop at which time teams will pit and may elect to change tires, add fuel and make normal chassis adjustments. Crews will be permitted to work on cars and will be allowed to perform functions they would do on a normal pit stop in a regular NASCAR Sprint Cup event. All work must be performed on pit road or in the garage. Changing of springs, shock absorbers or rear-ends will not be permitted.

Starting positions will again be determined by a blind draw, at the annual Budweiser Shootout Draw Party on Thursday night, Feb. 5, on the SPEED stage in the Midway, outside Turn 4.

The Budweiser Shootout – a "non-points" event for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitors – was first held in 1979, and originally known as the Busch Clash. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won this year's shootout.

— Source: NASCAR

Fantasy Report: Coke Zero 400

It's Fourth of July weekend and that means racing at Daytona. The Sprint Cup Series returns to NASCAR's most famous track for the second time this season. February's race showcased an exciting win by Ryan Newman. This weekend's race under the lights could exhibit some exciting fireworks. Onto our picks:

Erik's picks:

Tony Stewart✔, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr.✔, Kyle Busch✔, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Brian Vickers✔ and Michael Waltrip.

Brandon's picks:

Tony Stewart✔, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr.✔, Ryan Newman✔, Kasey Kahne, David Ragan, Brian Vickers✔ and Joe Nemechek.

Fantasy Hint: Like any superspeedway one mistake and your driver could be sitting in the garage. Try to select drivers who have consistent top qualifying positions at Daytona. If there is a wreck your driver might be able to avoid getting knocked out.

Head's Up: Dario Franchitti's team has been shut down by Ganassi Racing and will not be racing, at least with that company, for the rest of the year. He will not be racing in the Coke Zero 400 even though as of Wednesday evening his name was still on the Yahoo! Fantasy NASCAR roster. The Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway will be the third impound race of 2008, there are five impound races in 2008, both Talladega and Richmond races as well as this race. Look for the go-or-go-homers to be toward the front ... but at a marked disadvantage once the race starts until pit stops.

Going For It: Let it be noted that I am currently in second place in our fantasy standings. I figure not being to far out of first this would be a good chance to go for the top spot. With that said I am going to use Dale Earnhardt Jr. (excellent on superspeedways) and Kyle Busch (hottest driver this season). Good luck!

Quick Coke Zero 400 Race Facts

Practice: Thurs. 4 p.m. — Speed TV
Final Practice: Thurs. 6:30 p.m. — Speed TV
Qualifying: Fri. 4 p.m. — Speed TV
Race: Sat. 6:30 p.m. — TNT

Active drivers with most wins: Jeff Gordon (6), Michael Waltrip (3), Tony Stewart & Dale Earnhardt Jr (2)

'That was completely inappropriate'

A poll on the NASCAR Web site asked fans to pick their favorite commercial from the Daytona 500 broadcast.

Taking the checkered flag was this gem from Toyota and the Joe Gibbs team:



My favorite part? When Tony Stewart hurls his helmet at the 20 car. Priceless.

It's Newman Time

By the way here is Ryan Newman's media schedule for the next few days according to his fan club site. Fame has its price, and his will be paid in the hours of sleep he will miss ... but I bet he wouldn't trade it for anything.

• MONDAY:
  7:20 a.m. - Fox & Friends (National TV)
  7:42 a.m. - Mike & Mike in the Morning (radio/TV)
  8 a.m. - No. 12 Alltel Dodge inducted into Daytona 500 Experience
  Various Radio and TV at the induction
  11:30 p.m. ET - Late Night with David Letterman
• TUESDAY:
  9 a.m. ET - LIVE with Regis & Kelly
  Various NY media, Radio Media tour, NASCAR Teleconference
  3:30-6:30 p.m. ET - Ryan will be doing various shows for ESPN which will air that night. Ryan will also be the host of NASCAR Now on ESPN on Tuesday night.
• WEDNESDAYS:
  AM - Various California media
  PM - Best Damn Sports Show

He is in Daytona at 8 a.m. and then in N.Y. tonight doing a show. Tuesday he's got ESPN stuff which could be in Bristol, Conn. or I guess they could move the NASCAR Now set to California. Either way he's got some traveling to do.

Rooting against the little guy

I was lucky enough to go to the Master's in Augusta, Ga., last spring where I noticed a strange thing about the way I root for sports. I felt the same thing yesterday watching the race at Daytona.

In most sports I root for the little guys. I hate the Yankees and I go against the Cowboys and Notre Dame and Duke and the Lakers. I found myself rooting against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. I love seeing the Colorado Rockies go to the World Series or see App. State upset Michigan. Every March I always jump on some mid-major school's bandwagon in the NCAA basketball tournament. But at the Master's I was disappointed when Zach Johnson won and Tiger or Phil or one of the other superstars didn't.

I felt the same way yesterday. Not that Ryan Newman is a slouch (12 Cup wins but 0 since 2005 before Sunday) but I found myself disappointed that Stewart or Junior or Gordon or Johnson or one of the big superstars didn't win. It was the 50th Daytona 500 for crying out loud! It got me to wondering why do I root for the big boys with major events in PGA and Cup when I root for the little guys everywhere else?

Did anyone else feel this way yesterday?

Daytona 500

Ryan Newman (#12) wins a race marked with multiple lead changes.

The last several laps were pretty exciting and gave some hope that Jr. could pull it off but it wasn't to be.

Not a bad start to the season.

Results

Fantasy Report: Daytona 500

The Gatorade Duels are over and the 50th running of the Daytona 500 is this Sunday. Here are our fantasy picks for the week.

Erik's picks: Tony Stewart✔, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr.✔, Kyle Busch✔, Reed Sorenson, Casey Mears, Michael Waltrip✔, David Reutimann

Brandon's picks: Jimmie Johnson✔, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr.✔, Ryan Newman✔, Juan Pablo Montoya, Michael Waltrip✔, David Reutimann

It is hard to pick drivers for this race. Here is why:

• There are multiple lead changes and anyone on the track has a chance to be first when the checkered flag drops.

• In my case I wanted to make “safe” picks. I selected drivers I know have a good chance at finishing towards the front. This is the first race and it's easy to start behind in the fantasy standings and really hard to make up ground over the next few weeks.

• I tried to select drivers that for the most part stay out of “the big one.” This may not be Talladega but one wreck has the potential of taking out several drivers.

Things to look for:

• Dale Jr. has finished well but I am interested to see how he does when championship points are at stake.

• In the past Stewart has not had the best drafting help on superspeedways. Now that he has Kyle Busch to complement his aggressive driving style can it help push Gibbs Racing to a 500 victory?

Duel 1 Results
Duel 2 Results

Disclaimer: Our picks are subject to change and we'll edit this blog to reflect that. The Daytona 500 is different because there are no fantasy points awarded for qualifying. As for the rest of the season, picks can and will often be changed after qualifying.