Special Events

BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT

The Budweiser Shootout traditionally kicks off Speedweeks. The non-points event has jump-started the Sprint Cup Series season since 1979. From 1979 to 1997, the event was known as the "Busch Clash," and in 1998 became the "Bud Shootout." The current name -- "Budweiser Shootout at Daytona" -- was adopted in 2001.

The Shootout's entry list will change in 2009: only the top six teams in owner points from each manufacturer will earn berths in the season-opening exhibition race at Daytona.

Anheuser-Busch noted that sponsorship of the pole award by a rival brewer [Coors] contributed partially to the decision to radically change the format.

The Shootout previously consisted of drivers who earned a Bud Pole Award in the previous season and past champions of the event who did not earn a Bud Pole during the previous year but finished among the top 50 in the season's final championship standings.

Dale Earnhardt leads all drivers with six victories in Budweiser Shootout events. The only drivers to win back-to-back Budweiser Shootout crowns are Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Ken Schrader (1989-90) and Tony Stewart (2001-02).

GATORADE DUEL AT DAYTONA

The Gatorade Duel at Daytona is the largest-attended weekday sporting event in America. The two 150-mile qualifying races will determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500, "The Great American Race."

From 1959-1968, the races were 100 miles in length; beginning in 1969, the distance was extended to 125 miles; and the current length was implemented in 2005.

The Daytona 500 uses a different qualifying procedure than any other race in the world. On qualifying day, the fastest two cars will solidify their starting spots for the Daytona 500, earning the pole and outside pole positions, respectively.

The fastest qualifier will earn the pole for both the Daytona 500 and the first 150-mile Gatorade Duel qualifying race. In addition to the polesitter, the odd-number positions (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.) of the highest-ranked 35 finishers in the previous year's Sprint Cup Series car owner points standings will be assigned to the first qualifier.

The second-fastest qualifier earns the outside pole for the Daytona 500 and will start on the pole for the second 150-mile Gatorade Duel qualifying race. In addition to the second-fastest qualifier, the even-number positions (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.) of the highest-ranked 35 finishers in the previous year's Sprint Cup Series car owner points standings will be assigned to the second qualifier.

The lineup for each qualifying race will be set based upon the qualifying speeds in the time trials for all cars, including those who are among the highest-ranked 35 in the final 2007 car owner point standings. The highest-ranked 35 designation does not determine the car's starting position, only the assignment of its 150-mile qualifying event.

Additional cars that were not among the highest-ranked 35 in the previous year's Sprint Cup Series car owner points will be alternated between the first and second 150-mile qualifying events using an odd-even format. The odd-number positions will be assigned to the first qualifier while the even-number positions will be assigned to the second qualifier. The odd-even positions are not determined by where the car qualified in the overall field, but their specific qualifying order among those cars not part of the highest-ranked 35 group.

A maximum of 66 cars will be permitted to compete between the two qualifying races, and all cars must compete in one of these events to be eligible for the Daytona 500.

Starting positions for the Daytona 500 will be designated for the highest-ranked 35 positions from the previous year's Sprint Cup Series car owner point standings from each qualifier, the two-highest finishing cars in each qualifier not among that highest-ranked 35 group and the two front-row qualifiers. The balance of the 43-car field will be filled by the fastest remaining qualifiers who have not earned a starting position, with the exception of the 43rd position which will be assigned to an eligible former or current Sprint Cup Series champion. Should there not be an eligible champion, the position will be assigned to the next fastest qualifier not in the field.

Dale Earnhardt leads all drivers with 12 victories in this event, including a remarkable 10-year winning streak from 1990-99. Cale Yarborough ranks second with six wins.

Only seven times has the winner of a Gatorade 125-mile race gone on to win the Daytona 500. Fireball Roberts was the first to do so, in 1962. Yarborough did it twice, in 1977 and 1984. Bill Elliott (1985), Bobby Allison (1988), Sterling Marlin (1995) and Earnhardt (1998) also have accomplished the feat.

ALL-STAR RACE

The annual All-Star Race brings together NASCAR's best under the lights at the 1.5-mile Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., as a prelude to the following week's Coca-Cola 600, annually held on Memorial Day weekend.

The race includes:

• Race-winning drivers and car owners from the previous and current Cup Series seasons.

• Cup Series champions from the past 10 years who are active drivers and have competed in at least one series event during the previous or current season.

• Past winners of the All-Star Race.

• Two drivers who qualify for the premier event by finishing first and second, respectively, in the Showdown (formerly the Open).

• One driver who joins the All-Star Race field by winning the Fan Vote.

The All-Star Race's format:

• Segment 1 -- 50 laps with a mandatory green-flag pit stop on Lap 25 at which time teams must pit and take four tires. Following the end of Segment 1, the caution flag will be displayed for an optional pit stop.

• Segment 2 -- 20 laps with the caution flag displayed at the end of the segment for an optional pit stop.

• Segment 3 -- 20 laps with a 10-minute break at the end of the segment. Teams may make normal adjustments to their cars during this break. The finishing order after the third segment determines the final starting positions for the final segment.

• Segment 4 -- 10-lap shootout with only green-flag laps counting.

Note: The Pit Crew Challenge is directly linked to the All-Star Race, as the finishing order in the Pit Crew Challenge decides the selection order of pit stalls for the All-Star Race.