DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- With cars spinning out behind him, Kevin Harvick survived a green-white-checkered overtime to win Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout non-points race for the second consecutive year and become NASCAR's first winner of the season.Harvick's No. 29 Shell-sponsored Chevrolet led Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray across the finish line under the yellow flag at Daytona International Speedway in a race that featured plenty of lead changes and bump-drafting at its best and worst. Four drivers swapped the lead in the final 12 laps of the 76-lap event.
Greg Biffle and Kahne opted to keep their Fords on track during the second-to-last caution period while the rest of the field pitted for fresh tires. Harvick immediately drove low inside Biffle on the restart and took the point moments before Biffle was hit from behind by Jeff Gordon, collecting a half-dozen cars in the melee.
Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-five.
Harvick, who was suffering from the stomach flu earlier this week, was driving a back-up car, as was McMurray -- both of their primary cars part of a six-car accident in Thursday's opening practice session. Harvick's car, however, was being driven at the time by his Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer, substituting for a sick Harvick, who remained home in North Carolina.
"They want to kick me out and have me get sick again,'' Harvick joked. "I knew I was going to be all right though after (Ryan) Newman hit me three times before the start/finish line (to start the race).''
There was plenty more of that to be had. NASCAR announced two weeks ago it was relaxing its strict policing policy about bump drafting at Daytona and Talladega and many of the drivers tested the new boundaries. Only 13 cars on the 24-car starting grid finished the race --12 of those collected in accidents, including the six-car wreck at the end triggered by Biffle and Gordon.
It was hardly a free-for-all, but Kahne conceded things got interesting.
"I thought it was really competitive,'' he said. Kahne's runner-up effort in the No. 9 Budweiser Ford is a career-best Daytona finish.
"I was two and three-wide for what seemed like 30 laps. I thought it was some pretty exciting racing. ... Like it was 'on' from the green flag tonight.''
Another of NASCAR's rule changes granted a larger restrictor plate, which gave cars more horsepower and allowed them to make moves and pull off runs not possible in the tightly-packed fields here in recent years.
"The cars were pretty out of control, which was fun at times,'' said Gordon, who ended up sixth. "You had to really drive them.'''
With the victory, Harvick becomes only the second driver to score back-to-back wins in the Shootout, which features last year's 12 Chase for the Championship drivers, all former Daytona winners, past Shootout winners, past series champions and the reigning Rookie of the Year.
It was a big statement from this team, which struggled last year. And it was a big statement for Harvick, who publicly questioned the organization last year and has all but said he is leaving the team after his contract expires this season.
"It's good for our particular group ... For us all to win together, it kind of gives you that team bonding you really need,'' Harvick said. "It gives you a little swagger in your step that everybody knows they can win.
"We got beat down a little bit in the middle last year ... and there's nothing like slinging Budweiser in Victory Lane that can replace that feeling. It just gives those guys that confidence, gives us that confidence that we've done it (win) a lot and we can still do it a lot more.''
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
What ever happend to the one rule where the race couldn't end under a yellow flag? They said several times that it had to finish under green.
Nascar twistes the rules constsntly as they go along, exspecially if it favors their scripted golden boy; the johnson built champ.
This didn't have anything to do with Johnson. I know they have the rule you only get one chance at the green white checkered, but they stated several times and showed it on T.V. that the race had to end under green.
after the white flag comes out and then the caution flag comes out the race is over. it's always been like that
Jeff Gordon is such a good driver.......NOT!! What a butthead. Nice move at the end of the race.
Jeff Gordon IS a good driver. Please get a life! Everyone has accidents....
Even Biffel said he had a tire going down and that he had older tires and his car was loose. It didn't have anything to do with Gordon. Everyone who was asked said he did or it looked like a tire was going down.
i hope that this doesn't become the Danica season. Already sick ofhearing about her!!
Harwick you can thank Jeff Gordan for helping you to win this race.Gordan was the cause of that last lap major wreck.He bump into the back of Greg Biffle causing Biffle the lead in the race and when he wrecked he took a bunch of good cars out of the race.Biffle lost control of hiS car sending it into a lot of good cars to the junk yard.I don't know what is wrong with Gordon but this year and last it seems like he is half hearted about racing.If this is true than he needs to get out of Racing.NASCAR needs to do something about all this wrecking because all it does is piss off the drivers and their Fans.If NASCAR would make the drivers and teams pay for all these race cars that are damaged caused a certain driver the wrecks will stop.This rule is only for when certin drivers that do cause thes wrecks.Now is would only happen if a driver could have kept from causing the wreck.
YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH GORDON this year and last, BIG JOHN?
Simple answer; HE IS SICK AND TIRED OF NAZCAR + HENDRICK FIXING CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR THE 48 FRAUD, pratically stepping over godon tose and 5 other TOP DRIVERS.Same in 2007.
YES BBJ, the wrecking may stop or at least reduced if nascar makes the responsible pay for, but the grandstands will get even more empty and the tv viewers even lover.NOT WORTH TO NAZCAR MONEY TRAIN.
Human-Nights:
Just a waste of corporate spending. No return on investment. Look at these corporations stock prices. All losers like the NASCAR fans..
GORDON HIT THE ONLY CAR THAT DIDN'T GET NEW TIRES.HE WAS HOLDING EVERYBODY UP ..bIFFLE DESERVED TO BE HIT
I would have thought that Mr. Harvick would have maybe mentioned his rear tire man who passed away in the off season and that he was still part of the team for at least his family. Show some compassion, it doesn't hurt! I would hope that you aren't as cold as some of those other drivers who think of themselves only. There is no I in TEAM.
is that racing.... this is THE BUD SHOOTOUT and they come across the finish line at 58 mph.... get real nascar what kind of finish was that reguardless who wins......the paying fans dont deserve that
no race should finish under the caution.....it takes away the whole purpose of racing......dont it it would better to let the whole race be under caution and the last 2 laps be under green than finishing under caution anybody agree
Thank goodness we only have to watch that no-driving-moron Waltrip once more in a car,I don't think Ryan bumped him the first time he spun out by himself. He needs to quit making excuses and just admit he is the worst driver ever in Nascar,even surpassing Cope.
RIGHT JEFF PROOF they did state the green ending enough; Then, why it ended under yellow? Baffles me.
I'm glad someone else saw and heard the same thing I did the last 2 days before the race. We all know the rule has been you get one chance at the green white checkerd but when they make statements like it must end under a green flag then you come to think they waved off that rule for this race to make it interesting for the fans.
all of yall seem so mature