Daytona International Speedway

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Historical Facts & Information
· The very first Budweiser Shootout at Daytona took place on Feb. 11, 1979, and was a 20-lap race with no scheduled breaks.
· Nine drivers participated in the inaugural event and Buddy Baker scored the win, edging out Darrell Waltrip by one car length to take the checkered flag.
· Utilizing the format established in 2009, the Budweiser Shootout is currently a 75-lap race that features a 10-minute break after the first 25 laps.
· Kurt Busch is the defending Budweiser Shootout champion. Busch scored the win by making a last-lap pass on the dueling duo of Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin. While Busch went to the outside to make his move, Hamlin dropped below Newman in an effort to go for the win. After a review of the final lap, NASCAR determined Hamlin went below the yellow line in trying to pass Newman, which was a violation of the rulebook. Busch was then scored as the race winner, becoming the 19th different driver to score a victory in the Budweiser Shootout.
· The margin of victory in last year’s race was a mere 0.058 seconds, setting a new record for the closest finish in the history of the Budweiser Shootout.

Continue reading “Budweiser Shootout at Daytona Facts and Numbers”

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Entry Car Driver Owner Crew Chief Year Make Sponsor
1 1 Jamie McMurray Teresa Earnhardt Kevin Manion 12 Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops
2 2 Brad Keselowski Roger Penske Paul Wolfe 12 Dodge Miller Lite
3 5 Kasey Kahne Linda Hendrick Kenny Francis 12 Chevrolet Farmers Insurance
4 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Todd Parrott 12 Ford Stanley
5 11 Denny Hamlin J D Gibbs Darian Grubb 12 Toyota FedEx Express
6 14 Tony Stewart Margaret Haas Steve Addington 12 Chevrolet MOBIL 1
7 15 Clint Bowyer Rob Kauffman Brian Pattie 12 Toyota 5-Hour Energy
8 16 Greg Biffle Jack Roush Matt Puccia 12 Ford 3M
9 17 Matt Kenseth John Henry Jimmy Fennig 12 Ford Best Buy
10 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Dave Rogers 12 Toyota M&M’s

Continue reading “2012 34th Annual Budweiser Shootout at Daytona Entry List”

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How To Qualify For The Daytona 500

Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is unlike any other auto racing qualifying procedure. Drivers have two chances to qualify for the season-opening race, as opposed to the usual format of one qualifying session per event.
The first chance comes via Daytona 500 Qualifying, which will be held Sunday, Feb. 19. The other chance is the Gatorade Duel at Daytona, two 150-mile qualifying races held on Thursday, Feb. 23.

Below is a breakdown of the Daytona 500 qualifying procedure:

Continue reading “How Do Drivers Qualify For The Daytona 500?”

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TEAM RELEASE:
CONCORD, N.C. – Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne will be ready for the Feb. 18 Budweiser Shootout, the Feb. 26 Daytona 500 and all of Daytona Speedweeks after undergoing successful outpatient knee surgery this morning.

Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolets, had an MRI Thursday after experiencing swelling in his left knee. The MRI revealed a torn meniscus, which was treated this morning with a partial medial meniscus removal. Following the common arthroscopic procedure, he was released from an outpatient facility in Charlotte, N.C.

Continue reading “Kasey Kahne has outpatient knee surgery, will race Speedweeks at Daytona”

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Rock superstar Lenny Kravitz will perform the Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show, the pre-race extravaganza leading up to the start of “The Great American Race” at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 26 (FOX, 1 p.m. ET, pre-race show begins at noon ET).

Kravitz, who has sold more than 35 million albums and is the only musician in history to win the Grammy for best male vocals in rock music four times consecutively, will perform three songs prior to the start of the 54th annual Daytona 500 – the season-opening event to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the biggest stock car race in the world.

All race fans that purchase a Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access pass for the Daytona 500 will be able to view Kravitz’s Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show, as well as driver introductions, from the grass tri-oval area.

Continue reading “Lenny Kravitz will perform the Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show”