NASCAR Season Starter Has New Name + DirecTV Cancels Hotpass

Today I saw that the season starting race that used to be called the Budweiser Shootout, now has a new name.

Sprint has partnered up with Daytona International Speedway and is sponsoring what used to be "The Shootout" and now calling it "The Sprint Unlimited at Daytona."

Yes, it's still a non-points, and yes the usual rules still apply.  That being that this event will be comprised of pole winners from last year and previous winners of this event.

The Sprint Unlimited at Daytona will run on February 16th at 8 p.m. ET and what's curious (which I expect a quickie rule change any day now for next year) is that last year's champion, Brad Keselowski, is not in the field.  He might have won the title, but he did not snag any poles doing it.

The other oddity is that AJ Allmendinger, is eligible.  (He won the pole at Kansas, and has been reinstated from his substance abuse suspension last year.)

This new title, just doesn't ring well with me in as much as what it's trying to convey with the message.  Unlimited might imply something else besides a select few drivers who qualify for an event.  We'll see how it pans out.  As far as we all know, this might just be phase one of a big change of events for the race or the opening weekend.  It might just work.

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Sports Business Daily is reporting that DirectTV is ending its relationship with NASCAR, which includes a sponsorship deal and the NASCAR Hot Pass service.

It looks like they're cutting/saving costs.

The Hot Pass was initially a fee service, but no one took to it, so they produced the feed and released it for free.  But over time, the cost of producing that service was becoming too much for their bottom line.  Part of the cost issues came from the sublicensing fees from Fox, Turner and ESPN.

DirecTV says they will look to stay with NASCAR, but in a much smaller capacity of displays at select tracks.

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I wonder, with DirecTV stepping back, if Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s television production company, Hammerhead Entertainment, might step up to the plate on this one.  They're involved in many other aspects of TV production of the sport with some of its sponsors (AMP Energy, Diet Mountain Dew, GoDaddy.com, Hendrick Motorsports, Nationwide Insurance, SPEED & more) and had a decent TV series in the past.  They are fully capable.

(Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Many Companies)

NASCAR Responds To Fans And Changes The Shootout Eligibility

In years past the Budweiser Shootout was usually a select, limited field but in 2009 NASCAR opened up the eligibility to get into the exhibition race so they could squeeze more drivers into the race.  I thought that was a good idea, as it gave more teams a shot at feeling how the track and cars can be in the Daytona 500.

Admittedly, we had a pretty good sized field for the 2012 Budweiser Shootout, or The Shootout at Daytona.  And I thought that was exciting.  But according to NASCAR, apparently fans were grumbling about the eligibility rules and how many drivers were in the race.  First tandem drafting, now Shootout rules.

Hence, NASCAR announced new eligibility rules to be able to enter the Budweiser Shootout, and they call it "returning to its roots," as the Shootout field for 2013 will now be populated with winners of the 2012 Coors Light Pole for each race, and past Shootout winners only.

Last season, we had 18 different pole winners.

So now, who ever wins the pole for the 54th Annual Daytona 500 (Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. on FOX), will be entered into the 2013 Budweiser Shootout.

“Fans have expressed their desire to see this event return to its original eligibility rules,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “We listened and decided it would be best to return to the eligibility rules of years past adding further meaning to pole qualifying for each NASCAR Sprint Cup race.”

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NB&P has two light-hearted questions:

Were we really that upset to see that many drivers pack onto the track for the first race of the season?  I wasn't.  But somedays, I'm pretty easy going about some things.

My other (humorous) question is how the sponsors might feel?  So winning the Coors Light pole, will get someone qualified for the Budweiser Shootout?  Just sayin'! 

2012 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona - A Recap

The first race of the year kicked off the NASCAR season in style.  NASCAR has been working hard to codify the fans who didn't like the tandem restrictor-plate drafting from the last few years.  I initially wasn't a fan of the draft, but it did generate some great, dramatic finishes.

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As the 2012 Budweiser Shootout started it seems that all of NASCAR's tampering has paid off and I haven't seen any of the tandem drafting that we have become accustomed to over the last few seasons.  It's early in the race though.

The first incident 10 laps in collected a few cars, with Ragan getting in to Menard that collected 8 cars of the field.

In the past few seasons the tandem drafting pretty much did a decent job to minimize "the big one" in the race.  But with the tandem drafting possibly eliminated (As I write this early in the race), I have to wonder if we're going to start seeing more wrecks that collect more cars.

With 25 laps in the books, they pit for the intermission where teams get to work on their cars.

Coming back out after the pit stops, we saw our first 4-wide action in the competition.  Yea...  NASCAR got the cars right.

Later, Martin Truex Jr. sent Clint Bowyer sliding through the infield.  They were coming up on Carl Edwards, Bowyer went right, Edwards moved up and blocked and Bowyer tried to slide back down, but instead, spun off of Truex's front bumper.  I wonder if radio communication between drivers, which is now banned, could have possibly prevented that.  Probably not, but I had to wonder.

Then... with 28 laps to go, Kyle Busch got sideways...  and saved it.  That was impressive, but his stunt of using his side window to drive scattered the field a bit.  Kyle did the sideways stunt twice and still pulled it off.  He demonstrated yet again, his talent at the wheel of a car at 200mph!

TV Reminder: NASCAR's Saturday Night Shootout at Daytona

This is a reminder that this upcoming Saturday night, we have the Shootout at Daytona (Budweiser Shootout) taking place.  This is the annual preseason, NASCAR race from Daytona International Speedway.   The Shootout is a non-points event that is a 75-lap dash broken into 2 segments.  The first is 25 laps, then the 50 laps.  It's primarily populated with drivers who:

• Were in the top-25 in points last year;
• Previous winners of the Shootout;
• Previous winners of any Daytona points race;

This year, 33 different drivers are able to compete in the race, but only  25 are slated to run this exhibition event!  For example, Trevor Bayne qualifies, considering he won last year's Daytona 500, but they don't have the resources to compete in this race in addition to preparing for the D500... so they're focusing on the critical issues.

But those who are competing are...

AJ Allmendinger                                                          
Greg Biffle                                                              
Clint Bowyer                                                             
Jeff Burton                                                              
Kurt Busch                                                               
Kyle Busch                                                               
Dale Earnhardt Jr.                                                       
Carl Edwards                                                             
Jeff Gordon                                                              
Denny Hamlin                                                             
Kevin Harvick                                                            
Jimmie Johnson                                                           
Kasey Kahne                                                              
Matt Kenseth                                                             
Joey Logano                                                              
Jamie McMurray
Paul Menard
Juan Pablo Montoya
Ryan Newman                                                              
David Ragan                                                              
Tony Stewart
Martin Truex Jr.
Michael Waltrip  

The 2009 Budweiser Shootout Observations - Kevin Harvick Wins

The Budweiser Shootout started out with a bit of a fizzle as the broadcast was a little blotchy on my end of my Comcast cable transmission in the Bay Area.

Dierks Bentley's song seemed to not be connected with FOX so we experienced what felt like someone at the track was holding up their cell phone so we can catch the experience.

The track itself seemed to be having issues as the National Anthem was cutting in and out.

During the Anthem, I believe we got a sample of Scott Speed's attitude as he had a sort of mocking attitude to the snaggy Anthem transmission that got caught on camera. Nice start so far.

I think Scott Speed will be the new wildcard this year, if what I've read in the past is any indicator of things to come.

Ahh... the Shootout starts and we have NASCAR racing back on our TV's for the 2009 season.

The first caution involved Logano, Speed, Ragan, R. Gordon. There was a lot of checking up that seemed a bit dangerous as cars started to accordian a bit for a few laps before this incident.

Ad Opinion:
The Kasey Kahne GPS ad was pretty funny, and one of my perennial favorites, the Mikey fan asking Michael Waltrip to sign his simulated wrecked diecasts.

I can't mock that too much as I've done that with a Ryan Newman diecast from '01, '02. I towed an Alltel diecast behind my truck. These things handle as well as the real cars! After one sharp turn, I had myself my Ryan Newman superspeedway raced diecast. (He used to get caught up in everything at the superspeedways. I was frustrated.)

New Rules, An Opinion:
I get the new rules NASCAR have dispatched on the sport. They want all the manufacturers represented. And by setting the rule to the top "x" of cars for each manufacturer gets some folk in the race that shouldn't be. Then of course, NASCAR recognized a slight shortcoming and had to add a gimme type of rule to allow Tony Stewart to be in the race.

I still sit in shock watching last years Daytona 500 winner, Ryan Newman, sitting on the sidelines watching the race while some new drivers that shouldn't even be near this race are in it.

As my wife puts it, (A live fan perspective) That's f****ing bull**** with all these new rules. It should be the driver, not the car that gets in this race. Oh, wait, she's not a fan anymore after all the new rules that pop up every year.

In-Race Opinion:
Is it me, or was the track excessively bumpy tonight? Or has it just been that long since we've seen a race? Nah, these cars ARE much more jumpier than they used to be. I don't remember so many near accidents in a race, as they've been having every lap it seems.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said that after a few laps the cars got real loose. It seemed that way throughout the field.

Meanwhile, David Stremme in Ryans old No. 12 Dodge seems to be in it a lot as Stremme takes out Greg Biffle with 3 laps to go. If this race is any indicator, this driver placement of Stremme may not pan out as well as I had hoped for him. This was the third altercation for Stremme tonight.

By virtue of a multi car wreck in the last lap of the race, Kevin Harvick gets himself past Jamie McMurray just before the yellow flag as Jeff Gordon got into the 07 car that took the rest of the field out.

Congratulations to Kevin Harvick, being in the right spot at the end of the race.

Image credit: Jerry Markland of Getty Images

Extraneous Budweiser Shootout Tidbits

Here's some Budweiser Shootout Tidbits for you:

• 91 drivers have participated in the Budweiser Shootout;
42 of those drivers have participated in two or less; 28 in only one.

• There have been as few as seven drivers in one race, (1981) and a high of 23 in 2008.
(Which will be broken this year)

• Whose competed the most times in the Budweiser Shootout?:

• Bill Elliott (23)
• Mark Martin (21)
• Rusty Wallace (19)
• Ken Schrader (18)
• Geoffrey Bodine (16)
• Ricky Rudd (16)

• Whose competed in the most consecutive number of Shootouts?
Mark Martin has appeared in 20 straight events from 1989-2008.
Unfortunately, Mark will not compete in this year’s race.
With that, the active lead will be taken over by Jeff Gordon with 16 (including this year’s event).

• How many multiple winners have there been?
There have been seven multiple winners in the Budweiser Shootout:

• Tony Stewart has won three of the last eight Budweiser Shootouts (2001, 2002 and 2007).
• Dale Earnhardt won six of the 23 races between 1979 and 2001. His six victories came in 12 appearances.
• Dale Jarrett won in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
• The other multiple winners: Neil Bonnett (1983 and 1984), Ken Schrader (1989 and 1990), Jeff Gordon (1994 and 1997) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003 and 2008).
• Bonnett, Schrader and Stewart are the only drivers to win back-to-back races.

• Who won the Shootout in their first appearance in the race?

• Buddy Baker (1979),
• Dale Earnhardt (1980),
• Jeff Gordon (1994),
• Dale Jarrett (1996) and
• Denny Hamlin (2006)

• How often has the winner gone on to win the Daytona 500?:

• Bobby Allison (1982)
• Bill Elliott (1987)
• Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000)
• Jeff Gordon (1997)

• Do you know how many drivers won from the pole?

• Darrell Waltrip (1981),
• Bill Elliott (1987) and
• Ken Schrader (1989).

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Budweiser Shootout Manufacturer Win Stats

Budweiser Shootout Manufacturer Recap


Manu: Victories, Last Victory, Driver
Chevrolet 17 2008 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Ford 7 2004 – Dale Jarrett
Buick 2 1982 – Bobby Allison
Oldsmobile 2 1980 – Dale Earnhardt
Pontiac 2 2002 – Tony Stewart
I bet Tony wants to change that stat!)
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Some Bits and Pieces About the Budweiser Shootout

By the Numbers: Budweiser Shootout at Daytona

.08 seconds
Is the margin of victory Dale Earnhardt beat Sterling Marlin by in 1995. The closest margin in Budweiser Shootout history

1 lap.
The # of laps led, by Rusty Wallace (1998), Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Dale Earnhardt (1980) and Dale Jarrett (2004) in the Budweiser Shootouts they won

2.75 –
The average finish in the Budweiser Shootout by Dale Earnhardt, best by any driver with multiple starts

5 –
The # of Drivers who have won the event in their first appearance
(Buddy Baker, 1979; Dale Earnhardt, 1980; Jeff Gordon, 1994; Dale Jarrett, 1996; Denny Hamlin, 2006)

19 –
The number of lead changes in 2001, the highest number since race began in 1979

19 –
The starting position of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2003, the lowest starting position of a Budweiser Shootout race-winner

23 –
Is the largest number of participants in the Shootout ever, in 2008.
That number will be broken this year with 28 cars competing.

44 –
The most laps led in the Shootout by a non-winning driver. Greg Biffle (2005) Ain't that a wonderful stat to have?

47 –
The most laps ever led in the Shootout... Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2008)

Reformat of 2009 Budweiser Shootout

NASCAR announced Friday a revision to the 2009 Budweiser Shootout on February 7th at Daytona format that provides each manufacturer with a wild card entry, increasing the size of the field from 24 to 28 cars, highlighting the manufacturers� involvement in NASCAR, and featuring more drivers for fans to support.

As was announced last August, the lineup will consist of the top six teams from each manufacturer, based on the final 2008 car owner points. Eligibility is based on owners competing in this event with the same manufacturer as 2008.

The new wrinkle calls for each manufacturer to be able to enter a seventh car, or wild card entry, based on the following criteria:

• Any owner outside of the top six in year end 2008 owners points whose driver is a past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion that attempted to qualify for all of the 2008 events (only one position will be filled per manufacturer and will be based on the most recent past champion per manufacturer).
• If an owner/manufacturer does not have a past champion driver, the next highest eligible owner outside the top six in year end 2008 owners points from each manufacturer will be eligible to compete in the event.

At least NASCAR fixed the anti-Tony rule they messed up putting out there last year.

Source: NASCAR Press Release

The New Budweiser Shootout

Cruisin' the internet, I came across a great little perspective on the "New" format of the Budweiser Shootout, and how's it's not focused on cars, not drivers, and how this came about.

The change to the number of laps and how some drivers feel about it, and how

Basically, it's about Coors sponsoring the pole award and needing to make a distinction.
It also touches on the obvious inequities in qualifying top cars within the brands.

It's a great read. Go check it out at SportingNews.com.

Reid Spencer also touches on an interesting tidbit about A.J. Allmendinger that I missed through all this noise about his leaving the Red Bull Team, but I won't blow that... I'll let you go see for yourself.