Thanks to some comments made after the Budweiser Shootout, a bit of controversy swelled on Saturday night about how the non-points exhibition race was really supposed to end.
Kevin Harvick, in an interview with SPEED's NASCAR Victory Lane show, said he thought the entry blank he had signed for the race indicated the race must finish under green.
The race, though, finished under yellow. NASCAR's regular season format for a green-white-checkered finish after the race had an extra lap tacked on the end due to Michael Waltrip's crash and subsequent caution with 6 laps to go. Such rules state that NASCAR gives one chance for the race to finish under green, and if there's a caution, the race ends at that instant.
Harvick wasn't the only one confused as some attributed the discrepancy to what was said during the television broadcast. A quick look back (and admittedly non-thorough) on the DVR Sunday by yours truly didn't locate a particular spot where the commentators noted the race would finish one way or another prior to the race.
NASCAR officials quickly put down any questions by stating that the entry blank indeed said there would be one attempt to finish the race under green -- just like the race ended. In fact, the Associated Press' Jenna Fryer was able to track down a copy of the entry blank later in the evening to confirm.
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.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Danica Patrick's sixth-place finish in her stock car debut Saturday night didn't earn her a trophy, but something much more useful: respect and credit.
She was running 24th with 19 laps to go and charged through the field like a veteran NASCAR racer, not an IndyCar driver turning her first competitive laps in a stock car.
By all accounts, her effort equaled the hype. And there has been plenty of hype.
"I think she showed us she's able to drive... I expected her to do well,'' said Kelley Earnhardt, co-owner of JR Motorsports, which fielded Patrick's car Saturday and will do so again in at least 12 NASCAR Nationwide races. "I am ecstatic. I couldn't be happier.''
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It's too early to be too excited Junior Nation, but a front row starting spot in the Daytona 500 could go a long way toward setting Dale Earnhardt Jr. back on the right course.
He'll start alongside his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin, who on Saturday won the pole position for the Feb. 14 Daytona 500. Martin's No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet turned a lap of 191.188 mph around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway -- just edging Earnhardt's lap of 190.913 mph in the No. 88 Amp Energy Chevrolet.
Martin's lap is the fastest since Jeff Gordon posted a 195.067 mph speed in winning the 1999 Daytona 500 pole. Twelve drivers topped the 190-mph mark. Dale Jarrett's 2000 pole-winning speed was the last time any driver had gone 190 mph in qualifying.
"I'd never even met Juan before,'' Patrick said Friday. "The fact that he came to me is kind of amazing. We just talked and he offered up help the rest of the year.''
"I just think that's really cool,'' Patrick said, grinning broadly.
Thanks to some comments made after the 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- With cars spinning out behind him, 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It's too early to be too excited Junior Nation, but a front row starting spot in the Daytona 500 could go a long way toward setting 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It was a small thing, really, but as close to an official "you're in" as it gets.
