Bud Shootout

The Bud Shootout was a great start to the new season. While I don't agree with the new format of allowing the top 7 teams from each manufacturer to compete in the race this year, I do understand why they did it. When they made the decision to take testing away from the teams, they had to do something to allow all of the teams equal opportunity to get on the track and learn some stuff.

However, I do NOT like it. The Bud Shootout has always been a race for those who earned the right to be there. The drivers that made that race had proved something during the season, they proved that they could put themselves on the front row to start a race, that they were good enough for that starting spot. Now I don't really know what the Bud Shootout is all about, it's almost like it's become a second all-star race, with some not-so-all-stars in it.

Let's look at what happened. 5 laps into the race two wanna be's (Joey Logano & Scott Speed) and a has been (Robby Gordon) got into a wreck. Luckily they didn't take out any of the big guns. All three of those guys should have been sitting on the sidelines watching, they had no business being in those cars Saturday night. Granted they didn't start the wreck, but it could have been a lot worse.

Greg Biffle, wow, I really like the guy, but he's got to get over this wrecking issue. That guy wrecked more times in the Shootout than should be allowed! Not sure if his car was just that loose, or if someone kept knocking him around, but good grief!

Ryan Newman, now here's a guy I truly felt sorry for. This guy used to dominate qualifying. He used to make the others cringe when he took off on his first lap, yet he was benched on Saturday night. Why? Just because he switched teams. I don't think that's right. That man hasn't missed a Bud Shootout since he started racing with the elite. Could someone please explain this to me?

Tony Stewart, people wanted to write him off as done after his decision to leave Joe Gibbs, the #20, Zippy and the Home Depot to become part owner in the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing. I said give him a chance. He clearly hated driving Toyota last year and it showed on the track. He didn't have a stellar year and he voiced his opinion about the equipment. Now he's back in his beloved Chevy's and I believe all is well in Stewart's world, and it showed Saturday night. He finished 3rd in the race in a brand new car with a brand new team that's had less than a year to pull itself together. This shows that an owner/driver can do it, and do it well (take notes Robby Gordon!). Good luck to Tony in the 2009 season!

It was an exciting event with 14 different leaders, 23 lead changes and 8 cautions (the most ever for a Shootout). I'm a hard core Chevy support, as well as an Richard Childress Racing die hard, so I was thrilled when Happy Harvick pulled off the victory out of nowhere. My husband was having a hard time getting our two year old in bed because I got so excited those last few laps of the race. It was an awesome finish. Though my other main man, Dale Jr. was taken out in an unfortunate incident when his former DEI teammate got loose and took him out in the final laps of the race. Dale Jr. had run an awesome race and had led a few times. He just got sucked back by the draft at the wrong time.

With all that said, it's going to be a great season with many drivers to watch this year. Here's a few to keep an eye on:

Joey Logano - Can the rookie fill the giant shoes of Tony Stewart in the 20? He's got a great team behind him, so it could be interesting.
Mark Martin - Having renounced his retirement, he's now running full time in the Hendrick stable. Can old school and new school converge and dominate?
Tony Stewart - Can he disprove the myth that owner/drivers cannot do it all? He seems to be on the right track!
Dale Jr. - He had a good first season with Hendrick, can he improve on last year and make a true title chase?
Jimmy Johnson - Let me be frank, I'm NOT a fan, but could he be the first driver ever to win 4 in a row?
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing - With the unlikely merger of DEI and Ganassi, this could either be the biggest disaster or a Cinderella story. Personally I think Teresa Earnhardt has made some big mistakes, but I do not want to see the legacy Dale Earnhardt founded crumble to pieces just 8 short years after his death.