NEWS BITES: Is a new feature of The Final Lap designed for you to get some quick NASCAR News, and go about your life faster.
Who Will Lead The Field To Green In “The Great American Race”?
Daytona 500 Pole Day will be held Sunday at Daytona International Speedway, and the stakes are big. When qualifying is done, the front row for the Daytona 500 will be locked in. The fastest two qualifiers on Sunday will occupy the front row for the season-opener. The remaining positions will be decided Thursday, Feb. 17 in the Gatorade Duel at Daytona.
Budweiser Shootout at Daytona Opens 2011 Season
The annual preseason Budweiser Shootout at Daytona is set for this Saturday, and it could be the largest in the event’s history. A total of 30 drivers are eligible to compete, which would best the previous high of 28, set in 2009. Criteria are based upon the following qualifications, with eligibility based on a driver having competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series within the last two seasons:
· The 12 drivers that qualified for the 2010 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
· NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year drivers from 2001-2010
Hot Topic: Daytona Repave Could Lead To Historic Show
NASCAR will run this year’s races at Daytona International Speedway on a brand new pavement, only the second repave in the track’s history, and first since 1978. The first of those races will take place Saturday night – the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.
A three-day, series-wide test last month – and another Goodyear tire test in December – gave drivers a first-look at the new surface. The reviews rolled in quickly. Here’s one, from Carl Edwards: “It is just going to be wild. The track is so smooth and has so much grip that there is no telling what people will try. The last lap is going to be insane.”
A number of other drivers echoed that opinion, making this Budweiser Shootout – and the 53rd running of the Daytona 500 that follows a week later – one of the most anticipated in history.
The Final Lap Weekly 