Nobody likes a know-it-all, but it can’t hurt if you whip out a few interesting facts during tonight’s Bud Shootout to impress your friends and family.
Bud Shootout 2011: Fun Daytona Stats To Impress Your Friends
So while you’re watching the Daytona International Speedway action from home, check out these notes and wow your buddies.
The Format:
-- The Budweiser Shootout is a 75-lap race divided into two segments. First, there’s a 25-lap segment after which drivers can adjust their cars during a 10-minute break.
After the break, the Shootout concludes with a 50-lap run. Both green and yellow flag laps will count in both segments.
The Winners:
-- Kevin Harvick has won the past two Bud Shootouts – no one has never won three in a row.
-- Dale Earnhardt Sr. won six Bud Shootouts (the most of anyone), but Tony Stewart leads all active drivers with three victories. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have won two each.
The Weird Facts:
-- Even though the Shootout is somewhat of an all-star event, the last person to win the race and go on to win the Sprint Cup title was Stewart in 2002. Overall, it’s happened seven times (but Earnhardt Sr. accounted for four of those).
-- Winning the Shootout isn’t good for a driver’s Daytona 500 chances. The last person to win the Shootout and sweep Speedweeks by winning the 500 was Jeff Gordon in 1997.
-- Mark Martin will tie Bill Elliott for the most Bud Shootout appearances of all time tonight with his 23rd.
The Smart Picks:
-- Tony Stewart: Tops in Daytona driver rating, which is the most reliable stat NASCAR offers. Plus, he’s won the Shootout three times before.
-- Anyone with an Earnhardt-Childress Racing engine: All these guys do is win restrictor-plate races. They swept last year’s events between Harvick (Bud Shootout, spring Talladega, summer Daytona), Jamie McMurray (Daytona 500) and Clint Bowyer (fall Talladega).
-- Dale Earnhardt Jr.: It’s Dale Jr. It’s Daytona. Duh.
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