2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout / Daytona 500 Preview
After an off-season full of changes and breaking news, the good ol’ boys (and girls) of NASCAR officially kick off the 2012 season this Saturday when they take to the high banks of the famed Daytona International Speedway. All NASCAR races held at the Daytona International Speedway are what are called restrictor plate races. For those who don’t know, a restrictor plate is an aluminum plate that is installed on the engine’s intake manifold that reduces the amount of air the motor can take in leading to significantly restricted engine performance. This restrictor plate actually serves two functions on the engine. First, the restrictor plate “levels the playing field” by dropping the horsepower of the motors from the normal 750hp down to approximately 450hp. In doing this it actually accomplishes its second task which is the more important of the two. The restrictor plate also acts as a safety mechanism by reducing the speeds of the car enough it helps prevent the car from becoming airborne in the event of a high speed accident. While restrictor plate racing produces some of the most exciting racing in NASCAR, it also produces some of the most dangerous. It is not uncommon to have a restrictor plate race in which there are well over 50 lead changes, however the tight, evenly matched packs of cars often get into trouble in the form of a big wreck nicknamed the “Big One.” The “Big One” routinely wipes out half of the field and alters the outcome of the race in a major way. Drivers and spotters are constantly working to avoid getting caught up in the Big One or becoming collateral damage from the resulting mess; however in restrictor plate racing it is not a question of if the Big One will happen, but more of a question of when?
As stated earlier, the pavement pounding Sprint Cup machines will hit the track in the Budweiser Shootout this Saturday at 7p (Central) in the Budweiser Shootout on FOX. The format of the race is the same as the 2011 Shootout, 75 laps (187.5 miles), and is broken into two segments. The first segment is 25 laps followed by a 10 minute pit stop and the final 50 laps. In typical NASCAR fashion, both green-flag laps and yellow-flag laps will count, however there are some major changes for this race that are not enforced in a typical race. During the 10-minute pit stop crews will be able to change tires, add fuel and make chassis adjustments; however teams will not be allowed to change springs, shocks or rear end gears. The other big difference is how the starting line-up of the race is decided. The Shootout does not use the typical time trials (qualifying) format. Instead, the starting grid will be set by a live blind draw TV special on SPEED Channel, Friday, Feb. 17, 2012 at 730p (Central).
Next up for the Sprint Cup Series is the Super Bowl of the NASCAR season….The Daytona 500. While most sports end their season with their marquee event, NASCAR begins its season with its biggest race. Dubbed “The Great American Race” by CBS Sports’ Ken Squier, the Daytona 500 is the one race all NASCAR drivers dream of one day winning. Recently, Chevrolet has had a stranglehold on winning the Daytona 500. Since 2003, Chevrolet has won 6 of the 9 Daytona 500 races. The few exceptions have the Ford’s of Matt Kenseth in 2009 and of Trevor Bayne in 2011 as well as the Dodge of Ryan Newman in 2008. Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is set for Sunday, February 19th at 12p (Central) on FOX and the remainder of the field will be set at the Gatorade Dual at Daytona on Thursday, February 23 at 1p on SPEED.
In closing, trying to pick winners for the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona 500 without seeing any practice is definitely an inexact science, but I’ll give it a shot! My pick for the Budweiser Shootout is Kyle Busch and for the Daytona 500 is Tony Stewart. Who do you have?….See you at Daytona!