Busch Wins the 2011 Bud Shootout

Burton wins 1st 25 lap segment

Written By: Matt "Night" Rider
Results Credited to: http://www.nascar.com/races/leaderboard/cup/race/
Photo Credited to: Kurt Busch (http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/bspem2gh5ij/NASCAR+Testing/3NfChejI9-L/Kurt+Busch) Jeff Burton (http://bleacherreport.com/gallery/Auto%20Club%20500%20Qualifying?d=2010-02-19)

DAYTONA, FL- Penske racer Kurt Busch (Pictured Left) won a wild last lap dash to the checkers in the 2011 Bud Shootout. Joe Gibbs racer Denny Hamlin dove to the bottom, in a last ditch effort to win, but ended the night disqualified, because he passed then leader Ryan Newman below the yellow line. By rule second place went to Chip Ganassi/DEI racer Jamie McMurray. Third belonged to Ryan Newman, while last year's NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson finished fourth. Roush Fenway racer Greg Biffle grabbed the fifth place finish.

Sixth went to Jeff Gordan and his new sponsor "Drive To End Hunger" from AARP. Kevin "Happy" Harvick finished right behind Gordan in seventh, while eighth place went to Jeff Burton (Pictured Right), who won the first 25 lap segment, and led for a race-high 32 laps before surrendering the lead to "The Rocket" Ryan Newman in the final stages of the race. Clint Bowyer and Bobby Labonte finished nineth and tenth in the fifty lap sprint to the finish. 

Speed was the main factor, in a fast 25 lap first segment as Richard Childress Racing teammates Jeff Burton (Pictured Right) and Kevin Harvick teamed up to take down the 24 car field in the first segment of the 2011 Bud Shootout on Saturday night. Harvick is only 0.058 seconds behind his teammate Jeff Burton, who leads the field into the second and final fifty lap segment.

The newly repaved Daytona International Speedway proved that it could produce speeds well over 200 MPH, throughout the practice runs and into the first segment of Saturday night's Bud Shootout.

Hendrick racer Dale Earnhardt Jr. drew the pole position for the first segment. Having won the Bud Shootout two times already in his career, Dale Jr. was confident that he could make it a third. Starting along side Dale Jr. was Tony Stewart, who sported a new sponsor (Mobil 1) on the hood of his Chevy! Stewart won two Bud Shootouts in his career.

The Toyota Camrys of Kyle Busch and Michael Waltrip were the fastest two car bump draft, flying around the track at speeds around 206 MPH in the first segment. The average speed of the first segment was 196 MPH.