2008 Budweiser Shootout Field Now Stands At Record 23 Drivers
The 2008 Budweiser Shootout field reached a milestone over the weekend when Carl Edwards captured the pole at Phoenix International Raceway and qualified for the 70-lap All-Star non-points race held on Saturday night, Feb. 9 at Daytona International Speedway.
Edwards, who turned a lap of 27.114 seconds, 132.773 mph in his No. 99 Office Depot Ford to earn the pole for the Checker Auto Parts 500, became the 23rd driver eligible for next year’s Budweiser Shootout, which features the previous season’s pole winners as well as past Budweiser Shootout champions.
The record for most starters in the Budweiser Shootout is 22 set back in 2002.
“I think if I did it 10 more times, I couldn’t go faster,” Edwards said of his qualifying run. “That’s all I can ask of my guys. They gave me a great race car.”
Besides Edwards, other drivers that have already won pole positions during the 2007 season and qualified for the Budweiser Shootout include David Gilliland, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, J.J. Yeley, Jamie McMurray, Dave Blaney, Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Michael Waltrip, Greg Biffle and Martin Truex Jr.
Among the past winners of the Budweiser Shootout eligible include 2007 Budweiser Shootout champion Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, Ken Schrader and Bill Elliott.
There will be one more opportunity for NEXTEL Cup Series drivers to earn a starting berth in the 2008 Budweiser Shootout and that will be during qualifying for this weekend’s Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
