Budweiser Shootout and Budweiser Shootout Selection Show

The ever-evolving rules that determine the potential lineup for the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway have opened the door for the top rookie drivers of the past decade.  The revised qualifications are much simpler than its previous incarnations and include only two provisions:

· The highest ranked 25 competitors in 2011 NSCS driver points
· Previous winners at Daytona, including the Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola, and Shootout events

Thirty drivers will be eligible for the Feb. 18 race. The Shootout, a non-points event, opens the NASCAR portion of Daytona SpeedWeeks. It will be the first NASCAR race on Daytona’s recently repaved surface.

The starting grid for the 75-lap (two segments of 25 and 50 laps) race will be set with a blind draw Feb. 17.

“Race fans expect to see NASCAR’s best drivers compete in the Budweiser Shootout to kick off the 2011 racing season, and this star-studded lineup will not disappoint when they take the green flag for the first time on the new asphalt,” said DIS president Joie Chitwood. “The Budweiser Shootout has showcased some of the most thrilling racing over the years, and our fans are in for an exciting night on February 17.”

With that in mind, the drivers eligible for the 2012 Bud Shootout at Daytona include:

2011 Top 25 Driver Points:
Tony Stewart
Carl Edwards
Kevin Harvick
Matt Kenseth
Brad Keselowski
Jimmie Johnson
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Jeff Gordon
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Newman
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Clint Bowyer
Kasey Kahne
AJ Allmendinger
Greg Biffle
Paul Menard
Martin Truex Jr.
Marcos Ambrose
Jeff Burton
Juan Pablo Montoya
Mark Martin
David Ragan
Joey Logano
Brian Vickers

Others (criteria in parentheses)Bill Elliott (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400, Shootout)
Geoff Bodine (Daytona 500, Shootout)
Derrike Cope (Daytona 500)
Michael Waltrip (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400)
Jamie McMurray (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400)
Trevor Bayne (Daytona 500)
Terry Labonte (Shootout)
Ken Schrader (Shootout)

The Budweiser Shootout Selection Show will air on SPEED Friday, February 17th @ 8:30 PM with a replay at 12:30 AM on Saturday, February 18th.