2012 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway

For the 34th year in a row the NASCAR season will start with an non-points race featuring NASCAR's biggest stars at Daytona International Speedway.

As is the case most years NASCAR has tweaked the formula once again for the 2012 Budweiser Shootout. This year the qualifying criteria has been simplified while the race format remains the same.

The 2012 Budweiser Shootout is traditionally held the weekend before the Daytona 500. This year that fixes the date to Saturday night February 18th, 2012. with the draw for starting position held the night before on Friday February 17th.

The best place to watch the 2012 Budweiser Shootout from is, of course, the stands at Daytona International Speedway. If you plan to be in the area you can purchase tickets for this event and all other 2012 Speedweeks events online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.

If you can't make it to the track then the race will be broadcast live on FOX at 8PM on Saturday night February 18th. The draw for position will be broadcast at 8PM on Friday night February 17th live on SPEED.

Last year the Budweiser Shootout qualifying criteria were fairly complex including past Rookie of the Year winners, Past winners at Daytona, Chase drivers from the previous year and active past champions.

The 2012 Budweiser Shootout eligibility criteria have been simplified and I think it's safe to say that just about anyone you would want to see in the race will be there.

This year the Budweiser Shootout field will be filled with:

1. The top twenty-five drivers from 2011 by drivers' points
2. Any driver with a win in any previous Daytona race (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400, Budweiser Shootout) who was active in 2011

As in previous years the starting lineup will be set by a blind draw the night before.

This year the race format remains the same with two segments of 25 and 50 laps covering a total distance of 187.5 miles. Both green and yellow flag laps will count towards the total. This is different than the other non-points race. The All-Star Race does not count yellow flag laps during the final segment.

There will be a ten minute break between segments where teams will be able to perform any work that they would normally be able to do during a pit stop. Spring, shock and rear-end changes will not be allowed during the break.

Given the above criteria then it is fairly simple to determine who is eligible for this year's Shootout.

First we have the top twenty-five in driver's points from 2011:

• 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
• A J Allmendinger
• Greg Biffle
• Paul Menard
• Martin Truex Jr.
• Marcos Ambrose
• Jeff Burton
• Juan Pablo Montoya
• Mark Martin
• David Ragan
• Joey Logano
• Brian Vickers

Then we add in drivers who won a Daytona race in the past and were active in 2011 and not already on the list above:

• Bill Elliott (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400, Shootout)
• Geoffrey 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)

These lists combine to give us large field of thirty-three cars eligible for the 2012 Budweiser Shootout.