We chat about the NASCAR off season, the Bud Shootout, Daytona 500 Qualifying, Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Racing, Gatorade Duels, Denny Hamlin knee woes, Kevin Harvick leaving RCR?, and will Dale Earnhardt Jr. have a decent 2010?

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The Final Lap

A Fresh Field … As announced in December, the Budweiser Shootout At Daytona field now includes a collection of the sport’s top drivers and top performers at Daytona. Below is the new criteria, with eligibility dependent on drivers having competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series during the past two seasons:

· The 12 drivers who competed in the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
· Past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions.
· Past Budweiser Shootout champions.
· Past Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola champions.
· The reigning Raybestos Rookie of the Year.

As has been the case since 2003, the Budweiser Shootout will be run in two segments, the first at 25 laps and the second a 50-lap sprint for the win. That’s 187.5 miles on the track’s high-banked, 2.5-mile layout.
Following the first segment, a 10-minute “pit stop” gives crews the opportunity to make normal adjustments to their cars. That means tweaks they would do on a normal pit stop during a regular NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.

· All work must be done on pit road or in the garage.
· Teams may not change springs, shocks or rear-ends.
· All green- and yellow-flag laps in both segments will count.

Following the 10-minute “pit stop”, the event’s second segment remains a 50-lap sprint for the win.

ENTRY LIST AS OF WED 2/3/10

1 1 Jamie McMurray
2 2 Kurt Busch
3 5 Mark Martin
4 9 Kasey Kahne
5 11 Denny Hamlin
6 14 Tony Stewart
7 16 Greg Biffle
8 17 Matt Kenseth
9 18 Kyle Busch
10 20 Joey Logano
11 24 Jeff Gordon
12 29 Kevin Harvick
13 31 Jeff Burton
14 34 John Andretti
15 39 Ryan Newman
16 42 Juan Pablo Montoya
17 48 Jimmie Johnson
18 151 Michael Waltrip
19 71 Bobby Labonte
20 175 Derrike Cope
21 82 Ken Schrader
22 83 Brian Vickers
23 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr
24 99 Carl Edwards

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 1, 2010) – NASCAR will revise its five-year-old procedure governing guaranteed starting positions for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2010. The revision will open up additional spots in the line-up for teams qualifying via time trials.
Under the procedure implemented in 2005, the top 30 eligible owners’ trucks were locked into the starting lineup and guaranteed a spot among the top 35 positions in the 36-truck field. Beginning with the Feb. 12 NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway, the “lock-in” will be reduced to the top 25 eligible owners who have entered the event based upon 2009 Owner Championship point standings.
The 36th and final position continues to be reserved for a past champion not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion is eligible, the position is filled by the next fastest qualifier.
The reduction in guaranteed starting positions brings the series in line percentage-wise with the NASCAR Nationwide Series, which guarantees a top 30 eligible owner’s car a position among 42 of 43 starting spots.
Twenty-five teams competed in all 25 races in 2009 and are thus eligible for guaranteed starting positions for the season’s first four races. Eligibility for the lock-in is set by 2010 Owner Championship points for the remainder of the season.
“All owners who would have been locked in under the previous procedure will have guaranteed starting positions at Daytona and for three additional races,” said NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Director Wayne Auton. “Teams which saw limited competition in 2009 or are new to the series will have greater opportunity to qualify for races than they might have had in the past – especially at short tracks such as Martinsville Speedway – where drivers who may not have a great deal of experience at the national series level are attempting to further their careers.”
Red Horse Racing owner Tom DeLoach praised the move. DeLoach has a pair of teams locked into the field and the possibility of another with a rookie driver with zero points and no NASCAR experience.
“This is the thing to do,” said DeLoach. “If I’m starting a team moving from five (open positions) to 10 you’ve doubled my chances. It’s absolutely the right thing to do. Let’s get out there and race.
“It strengthens the field and it should work well for the fans and the teams.”
The revised procedure does not affect races in which qualifying is canceled. Starting fields in such instances are based upon a separate procedure dictated by the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rule Book.