Ladies and Gentlemen, Your 2007 Budweiser Shootout Driver Lineup

 

2007 Budweiser Shootout Driver Lineup Finalized:

The field for the 29th annual Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway is set. There will be at least 21 drivers that will be eligible for the 2007 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, Feb. 10.

The field for the non-points Nextel Cup Series All-Star race features the previous season's pole winners and past Budweiser Shootout champions.

Drivers that have won pole positions during the 2006 season and qualified for 2007 Budweiser Shootout are three-time Daytona 500 champion Jeff Gordon, 2006 Daytona 500 winner and 2006 Nextel Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, 2006 Budweiser Shootout champion Denny Hamlin, Brian Vickers, rookie driver David Gilliland, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Elliott Sadler, Scott Riggs, Ryan Newman and Boris Said.

Past Budweiser Shootout champions eligible for the 2007 event are three-time Daytona 500 champion Dale Jarrett, 2004 Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., two-time Pepsi 400 winner Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Ken Schrader and Bill Elliott. With only prize money and the prestige of winning at "The World Center of Racing," the Budweiser Shootout turns into a no-holds barred race with an electric atmosphere.

Jarrett and Vickers will be behind the wheel of Toyotas in the manufacturer's first Nextel Cup Series event while Hamlin will be gunning for two straight Budweiser Shootout victories. Hamlin became the first rookie to win the Budweiser Shootout when he led 16 of the final 21 laps and held off restrictor-plate titans Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart in a green-white-checkered finish.

Speedweeks 2007 kicks off with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 27-28. Also on tap for the three-week festival of speed are the Budweiser Shootout (Feb. 10), the Gatorade Duel (Feb. 15), the Chevy Silverado HD 250 Craftsman Truck Series race and IROC (Feb. 16), the Daytona 300 Busch Series race (Feb. 17) and the 49th annual Daytona 500 (Feb. 18).

Tickets to all exciting events at Daytona International Speedway are available by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS PR)

Visit Cheap NASCAR Nextel Cup Tickets for more information

Who's The Most Improved In 2006 NEXTEL Cup Season?

 

NASCAR Expert Lee Spencer

Which five teams improved most in 2006?

No. 31 Chevrolet: The intellectual Jeff Burton turned rebuilding Richard Childress Racing into a group effort. Last year, Burton finished 18th in points; this year, he finished seventh. The pit crew didn't change, but the addition of crew chief Scott Miller, who had been the engineer on Kevin Harvick's team during most of the 2005 season, has enabled Richard Childress' No. 29 and 31 teams to work together more closely.

The most dramatic difference on the track has been the improvement in the cars' aerodynamics and mechanics, which has bolstered the performances of all three RCR Cup teams.

No. 9 Dodge: Kasey Kahne had a solid rookie season in 2004, but after he finished 23rd in points under crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr. in his sophomore season, the kinder, gentler Kenny Francis took over the team for 2006.

Francis provided a comfortable environment in which Kahne could build confidence and flourish. It also helped that the crew from the No. 19 team, which had made the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup the past two years, moved to the No. 9 team before the season. The makeover worked; Kahne won six races and had 19 top 10 finishes, including 12 in the top five, in 2006 and made his first Chase appearance.

No. 11 Chevrolet: Though this team incorporates the technology of the other two Joe Gibbs Racing squads, it tailors its cars to rookie phenom Denny Hamlin. Crew chief Mike Ford credits Hamlin with turning around the team, which finished 33rd in owner points last season.

Hamlin made his Cup debut in the No. 11 car last season at Kansas, and Ford says he knew after four laps that he had "a wheel man that I could build a team around." Hamlin has become such a student of the sport that success -- a sweep at Pocono and a Chase berth -- has come easily.

No. 43 Dodge: Bobby Labonte inherited a team that had posted zero top 10s and just two top 15 finishes in 2005, but the addition of Labonte as driver, Todd Parrott as crew chief and Robbie Loomis as vice president of race operations at Petty Enterprises worked wonders for the No. 43.

The team's momentum was slowed by a late-race accident in the Daytona 500 and two engine failures in the first nine races, but Labonte persevered and finished in the top five three times and in the top 10 eight times in 2006. Parrott left the team in August, but Paul Andrews stepped in and Labonte never missed a beat.

No. 8 Chevrolet: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the brew crew were criticized by the media and fans in 2005, and that seemed to cause the No. 8 team to adopt a family-style mentality and pull together under the leadership of crew chief Tony Eury Jr.

Earnhardt's maturation was the key. He showed undying determination this season -- especially during the Chase race at Texas. Fighting the flu, he finished sixth after battling back from a midrace accident that dropped him to 34th. A weaker driver would have mailed it in.

Staff writer Lee Spencer covers NASCAR for Sporting News. E-mail her at lspencer@sportingnews.com

Last Race On Schedule Decides NEXTEL Cup Championship

 

Championship Scenarios Heading to Homestead:

Any driver within 156 points is still mathematically eligible for the Nextel Cup Series championship. So, going into the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the following drivers can still win the title:
Jimmie Johnson 6332 points
Matt Kenseth -63
Kevin Harvick -90
Denny Hamlin -90
Dale Earnhardt Jr. -115
Jimmie Johnson is assured of winning the championship if any of the following occur:
Finish of 12th or better and leading no laps
Finish of 13th or better and leading at least one lap
Finish of 15th or better and leading the most laps
If Kenseth wins the Ford 400 and both Johnson and Kenseth tie in the point standings, they would also tie at the first tiebreaker with five wins each. The next tiebreaker is second place finishes. The advantage would go to Johnson, who currently has six runner-up finishes, better than the three runner-up finishes by Kenseth.(NASCAR Statistical Services)(11-13-2006)

AND

#48-Jimmie Johnson wins if any of the following occur:

Finish of 12th or better and leading no laps
Finish of 13th or better and leading at least one lap
Finish of 15th or better and leading the most laps
#17-Matt Kenseth wins if all of the following occur:

He wins the race and leads the most laps.
Jimmie Johnson finishes 13th or worse without leading a lap.
#29-Kevin Harvick wins if all of the following occur:

He wins the race and leads the most laps.
Jimmie Johnson finishes 22nd or worse and doesn't lead a lap.
Matt Kenseth finishes 4th or worse and doesn't lead a lap.
#11-Denny Hamlin wins if all of the following occur:

He wins the race and leads the most laps.
Jimmie Johnson finishes 22nd or worse and doesn't lead a lap.
Matt Kenseth finishes 4th or worse and doesn't lead a lap.
#8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wins if all of the following occur:

He wins the race and leads the most laps.
Jimmie Johnson finishes 30th or worse and doesn't lead a lap.
Matt Kenseth finishes 10th or worse and doesn't lead a lap.
Both Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin both finish fourth or worse and don't lead a lap. (FoxSports)
(11-17-2006)

Jimmie Johnson Needs 12th or Better At Final NEXTEL Cup Battle

 

ALMOST HOME
Harvick wins; Johnson nears title
By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service,November 13

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Despite a balky alternator and a race peppered with cautions over the final 50 laps, Kevin Harvick held off Jimmie Johnson in a three-lap dash to the finish in Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

In winning his fifth race of the season, his second this year at Phoenix and the 10th of his career, Harvick gained only 15 points on Johnson in the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. Johnson, who has finished either first or second in each of the past five races, had reason to celebrate Sunday, as the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet extended his points lead over 13th-place finisher Matt Kenseth to 63.

Johnson had to come from 29th starting position, the result of an unfortunate early draw for Friday's qualifying session. But Johnson raced through the field and passed Harvick for the lead on Lap 134. All told, Johnson led 28 laps, a number far inferior to Harvick's 252.

Harvick and rookie Denny Hamlin, who ran third at Phoenix, trail Johnson by 90 points entering next Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Johnson can clinch his first Nextel Cup championship with a finish of 12th or better at Homestead.

Jeff Gordon came home fourth at PIR, and Carl Edwards finished fifth. Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton completed the top 10.

"We just having fun and racing as hard we can just doing what we've been doing all year," Harvick said. "To tell you the truth, there's not a lot of pressure. We're just doing what we've tried to do all year, and that's win races."

Harvick had some advice for Johnson as he contemplates his championship prospects at Homestead.

More on one race to go for Johnson

Quest For The Nextel Cup - Three Left Standing With Two To Go

 

Three for the money
Johnson, Kenseth and Earnhardt set for desert battle
By Lars Anderson > Inside NASCAR SI.com

Jimmie Johnson stood in the brilliant Arizona sunshine and played with a few kids outside of his motor home. Nearby, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shook off the sluggishness of sleep and strode through the infield at Phoenix International Raceway, on his way to a Sports Illustrated photo shoot. And Matt Kenseth was in his hauler, quietly plotting his strategy for his most important race of the 2006 season.

This is how the three divers vying for the Nextel Cup championship spent their Friday mornings in Arizona. With two races left in the season, Johnson holds a 17-point advantage over Kenseth and a 78-point lead over Earnhardt. If the first practice session on Friday at PIR is any indication of how the leaders will run in the race on Sunday -- and it often is -- then Johnson has to feel pretty good about his title hopes. Of the three, Johnson was the fastest as he posted the fourth quickest lap in the field. J.J. was followed by Earnhardt (25th) and Kenseth (31st).

"Hell no, this isn't over yet," Earnhardt told me on Friday morning. "We still got a fighting chance."

"If we can leave here within 40 points of the lead, we'll be just fine," says Tony Eury Jr., Earnhardt's crew chief. "The Hendrick cars have been having trouble with their motors, and if Johnson blows up or has a mechanical problem, then it's a whole new game. We're not giving up."

Here's a closer look at the three drivers still in the hunt for the Nextel Cup.

read more Johnson, Kenseth, and Earnhardt

Ward Burton Is Back!

 

Burton's back
By Dan Beaver, dba Media

AVONDALE, Ariz. – How exactly does team owner Larry McClure characterize his No. 4 Cup team?

"It's been great," he said. "It's getting better and better."

Fans of driver Ward Burton may soon characterize the NASCAR season the same way.

Cars and drivers outside the top 35 in owner points are not guaranteed starting spots in the race, and the No. 4 team sits 39th in the standings. For the Checker Auto Parts 500 here at Phoenix, Burton posted a solid qualifying lap that puts him 24th on the grid for Sunday's race.

In the garage, it was almost as if the team had won the lottery, as mechanics and officials dropped by to congratulate the car owner on his driver's solid run. That qualifying lap also confirmed something for the car owner that almost is official.

After a long hiatus, Burton is slated to be the full-time driver of the No. 4 next year.

"We haven't completely signed the deal, but we've agreed on one," McClure said. "So it looks like he'll have a good shot at being back in the car next year."

Burton's last gig as a full-time driver ended here at Phoenix back in 2004 when he broke a rear end about two-thirds of the way through the event and finished a disappointing 40th in Gene Haas' No. 0 Chevy. To the consternation of his fans, Burton fell off the NASCAR landscape for a time after that.

Offers came Burton's way for rides that would have been less than competitive, and he has admitted in the past that perhaps he was a little too picky when he turned them down. When McClure and Wimmer agreed to part ways this fall, an outcry from Burton's fans was answered. McClure put the Virginia native behind the wheel of the No. 4 Chevy for a one-off race at Burton's hometown track in Martinsville in October.

more on Ward Burton and other NEXTEL Cup news

Geoff Bodine may race in Daytona 500 next year

 

Ron Levanduski
November 9, 2006

At 57, Geoff Bodine has found an elixir that he says has revitalized his arthritic body. Now, he hopes to attempt to qualify for February's Daytona 500 with the company behind that nutritional drink as his sponsor.

Bodine started taking the nutritional, fruit-based drink MonaVie in April and says he's never felt better. The company approached Bodine with the idea of running a car at Daytona. Bodine, who hasn't driven a Nextel Cup car in more than two years, said he's up for the challenge.

"I wasn't looking to get back into racing, believe me, but this opportunity came along and it's a good opportunity," Bodine said Wednesday.

He said most of his family has tried the MonaVie juice, which is sold only through a network of individuals and costs more than $30.

"It's got rid of the majority of my arthritic pains," he said. "I've felt the benefits of it and now I'm trying to get the brand name out and show the world this product."

With his sponsor in tow, the 1986 Daytona 500 winner is looking for a team he hopes can help him have the kind of run he had at Daytona in 2002, when he finished third in the Daytona 500 with a small, independent team.

"We know it's going to be tough and that's why we are looking for a good team that runs well on super speedways," Bodine said. "I've got a good sponsor and they understand the financial obligation that it's going to take to get an established team involved. If we don't get a good car we won't go. I'm confident we're going to find a good car and team and we'll do this."

Bodine's last time in a stock car was 2005, when he made a few Busch Series efforts.

"I wasn't looking for this, but I'm happy they want to do this with me and it might go farther," Bodine said. "I've been very happy with the time that I've had off from racing."

more on Geoff Bodine in Daytona 500

Two Wins In A Row For Tony Stewart

 

Stewart wins; Johnson grabs points lead
Greg Engle
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

FORT WORTH, Texas -- For the second week in a row a Nextel Cup race turned into the Tony Stewart show.

Stewart staged a dominating performance Sunday to win the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, his second consecutive victory and third in the past six races.

Stewart survived a round of late green flag pit stops, a caution with four laps to go and a green-white-checkered flag restart to become the 12th different winner in 12 Nextel Cup races at Texas.

Jimmie Johnson finished second for the second consecutive week and used his fourth straight top-two finish to grab the points lead from Matt Kenseth.

Kenseth battled an ill-handling car the entire race and scrambled to finish 12th despite a late-race spin. Johnson leads the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup by 17 points over Kenseth with two races remaining. It's the first time Johnson has led the points standings since Bristol in August.

"That's great," Johnson said. "We just hope we can lead this thing at the end of the year. That's the goal."

Stewart led 278 of the 339 laps Sunday, a record at the 1.5-mile track. Last week at Atlanta, Stewart led a race-high 146 of 325 laps.

"In the 27 years I've been racing, I can count on my two hands the times I had a car this good all day long from start to finish," Stewart said. "Last week was one of them, this week is another. I'm not even sure that the car I had in Atlanta last week was that dominant."

The race started nearly 45 minutes late because of light rain.

Stewart started eighth and took the lead for the first time on Lap 43. From there it was his race to lose.

Kasey Kahne, who had started fourth, became a threat to Stewart in the closing stages. On Lap 314, green flag pit stops began, led by Kahne. Stewart cycled out with the lead, with Kahne second, four seconds back.

On Lap 328 the caution flew when Greg Biffle smacked the wall. As the field slowed, the engine in Kahne's Dodge soured, sending him to the garage for his second DNF in a row.

more on Tony Stewart winning at Texas Motor Speedway

Can Burton Bounce Back?

 

Panic not in Burton's sightline . . . yet
BY RALPH N. PAULK
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

FORT WORTH, Texas - Jeff Burton isn't ready to push the panic button, but he admits a misstep during today's Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway could severely cripple his Nextel Cup title chances.

Burton, a South Boston native, sat atop the Nextel Cup points standings for four weeks before relinquishing the lead to Matt Kenseth. In a span of two weeks, his fortunes have faltered strongly and now he's desperately fighting to narrow his 84-point deficit.

Burton can't afford to drive conservatively like he did in the first five Chase for the Nextel Cup races, which included his lone victory this year at Dover. He tried patience at Martinsville and Atlanta, but wasn't rewarded for his efforts.

Now, he's in the unenviable situation of having to push the No. 31 Chevrolet to its limits. And he can't wait too long to make his move today, considering he'll start near the back of the 43-car field after a disappointing qualifying effort leaves him sitting in Row 15.

"To me, what I am looking at, are we in the position to press to try to make something happen?" asked Burton, making his 437th career Cup start today. "I still don't think we are there."

Yet, he and crew chief Scott Miller agreed the moment to panic might be somewhere around the corner. With Phoenix and Homestead-Miami left after today's race, there's little room for error - and very little time to catch up.

"We definitely can't afford any mistakes," Miller said. "We still have a chance to win this thing."

It seems that fate has conspired to deny Burton his first-ever Cup title. Mostly, myriad tire problems affected his results at Talladega (27th), Martinsville (42nd) and Atlanta (13th).

Burton and Miller aren't pointing an accusatory finger, but something has gone awry during the second half of the Chase. Further complicating matters, Burton says, is the fact no one can put their finger on it.

"In this sport, there are a lot of finger-pointers," Burton said. "There are a lot of people that give up on people really quickly.

"In all honesty, if you have a driver or a crew member or a tire changer that continually makes a lot of mistakes, at some point, you have to do something about that."

more on Jeff Burton's bounce back

"Texas" Terry Labonte takes his final NEXTEL Cup checkered flag Sunday

 

Terry Labonte to make final career start Sunday:

"Texas" Terry Labonte will make the 848th and final start of his NASCAR Nextel Cup Series career in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, and the two-time Cup champion will receive quite a send-off. The pre-race activities will be centered around Labonte, and there will be plenty of opportunity for his home state fans to say farewell to the 49-year-old Corpus Christi native.

In addition to a special video tribute and gift presentations to Labonte, Texas Motor Speedway and NASCAR worked jointly in providing a special pre-race tribute for him. Labonte will be the final driver introduced, regardless of his qualifying position, and he and his wife, Kim, will be given a parade lap around the track in a Chevrolet Corvette at the front of the field of driver parade vehicles.

Following the command for "Gentleman, Start Your Engines," Labonte will lead the field on the parade lap before falling back to his qualifying position for the pace laps. Justin Labonte will be alongside his father as the two will pace the 43-car Nextel Cup Series field prior to the green flag. Justin will be driving the 1978 Stratagraph Chevrolet Monte Carlo that his father drove to his first Cup win at Darlington Raceway in 1980.

Terry will be in the special paint scheme Chevy Monte Carlo featuring some of the top wins in his career, including his 1999 win at Texas, which is portrayed on the hood. Race fans also will have the opportunity to pen their best wishes to Labonte on a giant eight-foot tall postcard located in the "10 Years Strong Experience" outside Gate 4 on the frontstretch. Labonte will also run a special tribute paint scheme on the #44 Chevy. (Hendrick Motorsports PR)