CUP: Twenty-Five In Shootout Field
Kurt Busch will attempt to defend his 2011 Budweiser Shootout victory against a field of 24 other NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.
Of the 25 cars entered, Hendrick Motorsports is the only team fielding four cars, while Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Richard Childress Racing will have three each.
Brad Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose will be making their first Shootout starts, while defending Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne will not be in the race.
Last year’s race was the closest in history, with Busch defeating Jamie McMurray by .058 seconds.
And the best average finish in the field belongs to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has a 2.75 average.
The Budweiser Shootout field:
No. 1, Jamie McMurray, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
No. 2, Brad Keselowski, Penske Racing
No. 5, Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports
No. 9, Marcos Ambrose, Richard Petty Motorsports
No. 11, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 14, Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing
No. 15, Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip Racing
No. 16, Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing
No. 17, Matt Kenseth , Roush Fenway Racing
No. 18, Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 20, Joey Logano, Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22, AJ Allmendinger, Penske Racing
No. 24, Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports
No. 27, Paul Menard, Richard Childress Racing
No. 29, Kevin Harvick, Richard Childress Racing
No. 31, Jeff Burton , Richard Childress Racing
No. 34, David Ragan Front Row Motorsports
No. 39, Ryan Newman, Stewart-Haas Racing
No. 42, Juan Pablo Montoya, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
No. 48, Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports
No. 51, Kurt Busch, Phoenix Racing
No. 55, Michael Waltrip, Michael Waltrip Racing
No. 56, Martin Truex Jr., Michael Waltrip Racing
No. 88, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports
No. 99, Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.