Ken Schrader, seen here fielding...
Ken Schrader, seen here fielding questions from the media, will start the No. 36 M&M's Pontiac on the pole.
This Budweiser driving game,...
This Budweiser driving game, which is scheduled to travel to restaurants and bars throughout the country, was programmed to act like a "slot-machine" to make sure the positional drawing was still done completely at random.
Bill France, Jr., who is still...
Bill France, Jr., who is still battling cancer, made a surprise appearance during the Shootout media conference. Though he is still not fully recovered, one could tell France still had his wits when he quipped, "I'm not kicking ass yet, but I am taking names... the rest will come later."
Jeremy Mayfield makes his...
Jeremy Mayfield makes his attempt at snagging the pole for Sunday's Shootout. Mayfield will start 14th.
(L-R) Winston Cup drivers...
(L-R) Winston Cup drivers Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, and Dale Earnhardt intently watch as their co-competitors take their shots at the Budweiser machine.
The starting lineup for the...
The starting lineup for the 23rd annual Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway this Sunday.
The lineup for the 23rd annual Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway this Sunday is all set and Ken Schrader will lead the way. Schrader, a two-time winner of consecutive "special events" at Daytona, nabbed the pole and will start the No. 36 Pontiac alongside the master of the draft Dale Earnhardt and his No. 3 Chevy.
The drawing for this year's positional selection was a little different than in previous years. Though the drawing was still done completely at random, each of the 18 eligible drivers' (including the one wildcard entry, which was filled by Ted Musgrave) fate was in their own hands sort of. Using a Budweiser driving game that was modified to operate as what can best be described as a pseudo slot-machine, each driver pushed a button to start a rolling screen of numbers ranging from one to 19. Those 19 numbers corresponded to the starting positions available for the Shootout (the number 19, however, was tossed out since only 18 drivers are entered). Then, while the numbers were rolling, the driver pushed the same button a second time, and whatever number the machine stopped on that would be his starting position on Sunday.
Schrader, who was one of the last drivers to step up to the machine, had the lucky hand. Earnhardt will start second, followed by Dale Jarrett in the debut of his No. 88 UPS Ford. Alongside Jarrett will be Mark Martin who will also don a new sponsor with the No. 6 Viagra/Pfizer Ford. The rest of the Top 10 are: Steve Park in the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet, Jeff Gordon in his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet sporting a new paint scheme, Tony Stewart in the No. 20 Home Depot Pontiac, his teammate Bobby Labonte in the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac, Joe Nemechek's No. 33 Oakwood Homes Chevrolet starts ninth, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. starts tenth in the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet. The lone Dodge in the field will be driven by Bill Elliott starting 13th.
FOX Sports will be airing the 70-lap, 175-mile event at 2 p.m. EST on Sunday.
Lineup for the 23rd Annual Budweiser Shootout
Starting Position/Car #/Driver/Team
1 /36 /Ken Schrader /M&M's Pontiac
2 /3 /Dale Earnhardt /GM Goodwrench Svc Plus Chevrolet
3 /88 /Dale Jarrett /UPS Ford
4 /6 /Mark Martin /Viagra/Pfizer Ford
5 /1 /Steve Park /Pennzoil Chevrolet
6 /24 /Jeff Gordon /DuPont Chevrolet
7 /20 /Tony Stewart /Home Depot Pontiac
8 /18 /Bobby Labonte /Interstate Batteries Pontiac
9 /33 /Joe Nemechek /Oakwood Homes Chevrolet
10 /8 /Dale Earnhardt Jr. /Budweiser Chevrolet
11 /28 /Ricky Rudd /Texaco-Havoline Ford
12 /5 /Terry Labonte /Kellogg's Chevrolet
13 /9 /Bill Elliott /Dodge Dealers Dodge
14 /12 /Jeremy Mayfield /Mobil 1 Ford
15 /2 /Rusty Wallace /Miller Lite Ford
16 /99 /Jeff Burton /CITGO SUPERGARD Ford
17 /90 /Ted Musgrave /Hills Bros Coffee Ford
18 /31 /Mike Skinner /Lowe's Chevrolet