Budweiser Shootout Cars vs Daytona 500 Cars

By Chuck Abrams

Chuck Abrams

OK, in the past weeks I have griped about the drivers in the Bud Shootout not being pole winners. I am over that now… until next year’s Shootout.

But I do have to say the race was exciting as heck and a total crapshoot until the final lap when Kevin Harvick out-ran McMurray for the $200,000.

I have wondered if the RCR cars have found the need for speed they will require this year and it is hard to tell. We know Harvick can draft well and Daytona is all about being in position for the win. Casey Mears and Jeff Burton were doing relatively well but were caught up in accidents.

Martin Truex Jr. has the pole for the Daytona 500 and DEI/EGR share a motor program with RCR so that might bode well for that group. The real speed test for RCR will be at Las Vegas and Fontana in the next few weeks.

Bump-stops were a big discussion topic again. Drivers hate them and NASCAR seems to love them for some reason. As bumpy as Daytona is, the cars could use a bit more travel so they don’t bang over the right front and slam back up. Talk about getting your car loose.

And speaking of bumpy, I have to hand it to SPEED for the awesome camera work. Those cars were bouncing all over the place with the poor track condition and the buffeting from the turmoil the winds from the cars cause. It certainly helped give the TV viewer a better feel for the racing conditions and that it is not at all like driving on a perfectly smooth surface.

As you all probably know, the cars raced during the Shootout were not Daytona 500 back-up cars at all, but I still think we got a good view of who will be running well – most everyone. But drivers that are not used to the draft and particularly the bump stop suspension will be the drivers that cause the big wrecks. If I am a veteran driver, I am looking out for:

Joey Logano                 Scott Speed
AJ Allmendinger             Boris Said
Jeremy Mayfield             Derrike Cope
Kelly Bires                 Geoff Bodine
Norm Benning                Mike Garvey
Marcos Ambrose              John Andretti
Kirk Shelmerdine            Tony Raines
Mike Skinner                Carl Long
Terry Labonte 

A win for Jamie McMurray would be huge for him. The Roush cars were all running well including Matt Kenseth who is not the best drafting driver out there. McMurray usually runs well at Daytona for some reason, and he is on the bubble at Roush as quite probably the driver most likely to get cut to meet the four cars maximum set by NASCAR a few years ago. In order to be at the top of the heap for consideration for a good ride in 2010, he needs to shine this year. The way the economy is going, we could see some teams disappear next year and fewer choice rides for him. But we will speculate about that later in the year.

Hendrick Motorsports showed some staying power but also showed that they do not have all their stuff figured out. Again, these were not Daytona 500 cars, so I will caveat things a bit for that.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked strong but got loose as the race went on, shades of 2008. The 88 team will have to get its groove on to dial in cars suitable for Jr. this year. Another Daytona of “I am great” and “Now I am not” -- will not please the fans nor make for a fun year.

But Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson all look to make a play for the win. Gordon and Earnhardt are the two biggest guesses whether they can keep the car under them. But they will have plenty of chances this week to dial it in.

All in all it should be a great week of getting your speed on. Have fun and enjoy the races!

Drive fast, turn left and keep the shiny side up.

Feel free to send Chuck your thoughts on this and other race topics at Insider Racing News.
You Can Read Other Articles By Chuck Abrams

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.