The entry list for the 2012 Budweiser Shootout was released on Monday, and it’s a bit smaller than the field could have been under the rules.
NASCAR At Daytona: 2012 Budweiser Shootout Entry List Released
If you recall, the new qualification rules for the Shootout allowed just about everyone (and their mothers) to be eligible for the race: A total of 33 drivers could have been in Saturday night’s exhibition event under the lights at Daytona International Speedway.
But the entry list reveals “only” 25 drivers will field a car. Still, that’s a pretty huge field; it’s basically like an All-Star Race before the season starts.
Here are the 25 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who will participate in Saturday’s Bud Shootout:
- Jamie McMurray
- Brad Keselowski
- Kasey Kahne
- Marcos Ambrose
- Denny Hamlin
- Tony Stewart
- Clint Bowyer
- Greg Biffle
- Matt Kenseth
- Kyle Busch
- Joey Logano
- AJ Allmendinger
- Jeff Gordon
- Paul Menard
- Kevin Harvick
- Jeff Burton
- David Ragan
- Ryan Newman
- Juan Pablo Montoya
- Jimmie Johnson
- Kurt Busch
- Michael Waltrip
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Carl Edwards
Why so many names on the list? Because this year’s rules allowed the top 25 drivers in points to enter the race, plus anyone who has ever won a points race or Shootout at Daytona.
The Bud Shootout is no longer the exclusive event it used to be when it was open only to pole winners from the previous season. But the guess here is that fans ultimately won’t care once the green flag drops on the event.
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