Obviously, this is a quiet period of time in NASCAR racing . What's more, many teams are scrambling to find the right sponsor or the right budget for 2009. Times are not easy in the United States! Nonetheless, most NASCAR fans are eagerly expecting the beginning of the 2009 Sprint Cup season. Officially, it should start with the Daytona 500 in February. But just before that, there will be an off-series race at the same track that was known in the past as the Bud Shootout. Until last year, the formula for that race included drivers that had at least one pole position the season before and a few other chosen drivers. If it had been that case, our own Patrick Carpentier (with a pole at Loudon) would have been part of the race (if he would have found a ride). But the formula was changed for 2009. Indeed, the Bud Shootout (that might become the Coors Shootout if there is a sponsor change) will now involve the top six drivers of each brand! NASCAR thought of that idea to give equal opportunity to each brand of cars. So the line will include these drivers: Within the Chevy crowd: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Casey Mears (at the wheel of the Childress No 07 car), Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Ford camp will be represented by Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Jamie McMurray and Travis Kvapil. For Toyota, the drivers will be Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano (at the wheel of the Joe Gibbs No 20 Camry), Brian Vickers, David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip. And representing the Dodge brand will be Kasey Kahne, David Stremme (in the No 12 Penske Charger), Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Elliott Sadler and Juan Pablo Montoya...if his ride is still a Dodge! Indeed, with the DEI-Ganassi merger, the team has to decide which brand to choose between Chevy and Dodge.
NASCAR: Ready for the...Shootout?