Paul Menard Draws Shootout Pole
ByPaul Menard and Elliott Sadler will lead 26 other drivers to the green flag for the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona this coming Saturday night. Menard drew the pole position Thursday night and will be driving a Yates Racing Ford.
Eligibility for the race was determined by selecting the top 6 finishers in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship per vehicle manufacturer. Each manufacturer then selected a 7th wildcard entry. The race was formerly exclusive to the previous year's pole winners; that practice was retired since Anheuser-Busch no longer sponsors the Pole Award.
This year's race is divided into two segments: the first is 25 laps, followed by a 10-minute intermission where teams will be allowed to service the cars, followed by the final 50 laps. Laps run under the caution flag will be scored.
Here is how the field will line up after the draw for starting positions:
| 1. Paul Menard (Ford) | 2. Elliott Sadler (Dodge) |
| 3. Reed Sorenson (Dodge) | 4. Scott Speed (R) (Toyota) |
| 5. Denny Hamlin (Toyota) | 6. Tony Stewart (Chevrolet) |
| 7. Brian Vickers (Toyota) | 8. Bobby Labonte (Ford) |
| 9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Chevrolet) | 10. Kyle Busch (Toyota) |
| 11. Carl Edwards (Ford) | 12. Kurt Busch (Dodge) |
| 13. Robby Gordon (Dodge) | 14. Kasey Kahne (Dodge) |
| 15. Jamie McMurray (Ford) | 16. David Ragan (Ford) |
| 17. Michael Waltrip (Toyota) | 18. A.J. Allmendinger (Dodge) |
| 19. Joey Logano (R) (Toyota) | 20. David Stremme (Dodge) |
| 21. Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet) | 22. David Reutimann (Toyota) |
| 23. Jeff Burton (Chevrolet) | 24. Casey Mears (Chevrolet) |
| 25. Matt Kenseth (Ford) | 26. Greg Biffle (Ford) |
| 27. Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet) | 28. Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet) |
