Getty Images
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 18: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet, leads the field into turn 1 during the NASCAR Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2012 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Looking back at Saturday night's non-points race at Daytona International Speedway:
Observations
Other than the people who never liked big-pack racing to begin with, it was hard to find anyone who didn't like the looks of the racing in Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout. Even Jeff Gordon, who ended up on his roof, still much preferred the racing he saw Saturday to the previous reliance on two-car drafting tandems. Other than changing the track or taking off the restrictor-plates, there don't seem to be any other viable options. And neither of those is going to happen.
There were three big stories at the end of 2011. Tony Stewart won the championship and Kurt and Kyle Busch found themselves in trouble with NASCAR (and Kyle with his sponsor). So it seemed fitting Saturday night all three played a role in the outcome of the season's first race. Kyle Busch won the race while drag-racing with Stewart on the last lap and Kurt Busch – now driving for another team – spent much of the night in contention for the win until he was caught up in a wreck on Lap 74 of 82.
Smart move by NASCAR to change the eligibility requirements for the Budweiser Shootout next season back to what they were from 1979 through 2008 – which is pole winners and past winners of the race. In recent seasons, NASCAR has taken a lot of criticism as it has relaxed the rules and just about anyone appeared able to qualify to what was once a sort of "all-star" event.
Notes
Ambrose missed them all: Marcos Ambrose saw all of the wild, multicar wrecks in Saturday night's race. “I saw pretty much every spin, crash,” he said. “I was either in it, around it or just dodge it.”
His fast No. 9 Ford and ability to dodge the wrecks gave him a shot on the last lap for the win. He came up short but was third.
“We've got a lot of steam under the hood this week, which is great,” Ambrose said.
Shootout rules change for 2013: After several years of various eligibility rules, the 2013 Budweiser Shootout will return to a tried-and-true format.
Next year, the 75-lap non-points event at Daytona International Speedway and unofficial start to NASCAR season will include drivers who won poles from the previous season as well as former winners of the event.
That was the eligibility format used for the race from 1979 through 2008.
Should the winner of this season's pole for the Daytona 500 not already have a Shootout victory, that driver will become the next entry in next season's Shootout.
3 keys to victory
1. The race wasn't 10 laps old before the first wreck collected several contenders, including Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Michael Waltrip.
2. Twice Kyle Busch saved himself from spinning out and wrecking following contact from Jimmie Johnson late in the race – putting on a show worthy of a trophy all on its own.
3. Although Busch was caught up in the final wreck on Lap 74, he still managed to restart seventh after the caution and in one lap made his way to second behind Stewart. That set up the last lap pass.
Turning point
Last year, the last lap at Daytona races featured many drafting tandems racing to the finish. In this race, it was just Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch. Busch whipped around Stewart off Turn 4 for the win.
Things would have been different if …
Jamie McMurray, Joey Logano and Jeff Gordon all appeared to have cars very capable of winning the race, but each got taken out of contention by wrecks.
Next race
Daytona 500
Where: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
TV: Fox
Radio: Motor Racing Network
Last year’s winner: Trevor Bayne
