Feb. 11, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.  – Michael Waltrip drew the third starting spot for the Budweiser Shootout during Thursday night’s Budweiser Draw Party. The 30th annual event for drivers who were pole winners in 2007 and past Shootout champions will take place on Saturday night, Feb. 9, at Daytona International Speedway. Waltrip earned his berth by winning the Bud pole for the Talladega 500 last October.

“I am really proud to be a part of this event,” said Waltrip. “It’s nice to just walk up to the table, draw a number and get to race. It’s the best qualifying process NASCAR has ever had. That number three means a lot to me, and I know it does for a lot of the fans out there.

“I am very happy to start up front. I think our cars are fast. It’s going to be a lot of fun on Saturday night.”

Waltrip’s teammate Dale Jarrett snatched the 15th starting position. Drawing the top spot was Penske Racing’s Kurt Busch.
Live coverage of the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway gets underway Saturday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. on FOX and MRN Radio.
30th Annual Budweiser Shootout Starting Lineup

1. Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
2. Mark Martin, No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet
3. Michael Waltrip, No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota
4. Jamie McMurray, No. 26 Crown Royal/Cask No. 16 Ford
5. David Gilliland, No. 38 freecreditreport.com Ford
6. Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target/Polaroid Dodge
7. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 National Guard/Mountain Dew/AMP Energy Chevrolet
8. Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Budweiser Dodge
9. Martin Truex, Jr., No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet
10. Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota
11. J.J. Yeley, No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota
12. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota
13. Ken Schrader, No. 49 Qtrax.com Dodge
14. Bill Elliott, No. 21 Air Force Ford
15. Dale Jarrett, No. 44 UPS Toyota
16. Casey Mears, No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet
17. Greg Biffle, No. 16 3M Ford
18. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet
19. Dave Blaney, No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota
20. Carl Edwards, No. 99 Office Depot
21. Clint Bowyer, No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet
22. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet
23. Ryan Newman, No. 12 alltel Dodge

Shootout Format

• The starting positions for the Shootout are determined by a random draw.
• Beginning in 2003, the Shootout was formatted into two segments. The first segment is 20 laps followed by a 10-minute intermission.
• During the intermission, teams may change tires or perform any other action that would be part of a normal pit stop.
• The second segment is 50 laps and must end in a green-white-checkered finish. Caution laps will count toward the total in both segments so the second segment may extend beyond the scheduled 70-lap total.

2007 Eligibility

• The 23-driver field for the Shootout is the largest field in the history of the event. (The previous high was 22 in 2002.)
• Eighteen drivers gained eligibility by winning a pole in 2007, while five others are eligible because they are past winners of the Shootout (and finished in the top 50 in final series point standings).
• Four drivers will be competing in the event for the first time.

Shootout-Daytona 500 Sweep

• Five times in the 29-year history of the event, the winner of the Shootout has gone on to win the Daytona 500: Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott (1987) Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000) and Jeff Gordon (1997).

Shootout Tidbits

• Eighty-eight drivers have participated in the Shootout races, totaling 423 entries; 42 of those drivers have participated in two or less; 28 in only one.
• Sixteen different drivers have won the event, led by Dale Earnhardt with six victories. Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart are tied for second with three wins each. Other multiple winners: Jeff Gordon, Neil Bonnett and Ken Schrader.
• Buddy Baker (1979), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994), Dale Jarrett (1996) and Denny Hamlin (2006) won the first Shootout in which they competed.

Year     Winners of Shootout  
1979     Buddy Baker
1980     Dale Earnhardt
1981     Darrell Waltrip
1982     Bobby Allison
1983     Neil Bonnett
1984     Neil Bonnett
1985     Terry Labonte
1986     Dale Earnhardt
1987     Bill Elliott
1988     Dale Earnhardt
1989     Ken Schrader
1990     Ken Schrader
1991     Dale Earnhardt
1992     Geoffrey Bodine
1993     Dale Earnhardt
1994     Jeff Gordon
1995     Dale Earnhardt
1996     Dale Jarrett
1997     Jeff Gordon
1998     Rusty Wallace
1999     Mark Martin
2000     Dale Jarrett
2001     Tony Stewart
2002     Tony Stewart
2003     Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2004     Dale Jarrett
2005     Jimmie Johnson
2006     Denny Hamlin
2007     Tony Stewart