Will Dale Earnhardt Jr be in the 2010 Bud Shootout?
[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=dale+earnhardt+jr&iid=6900373″ src=”9/9/1/5/TUMS_Fast_Relief_92c2.jpg?adImageId=7833635&imageId=6900373″ width=”234″ height=”156″ /]The NASCAR off-season is very short and before you know it the team haulers will be rolling into Daytona. The first race of the 2010 season is the Budweiser Shootout. One traditional Shootout staple might be on the sidelines this year and that driver in non-other then the biggest star in the sport, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
In 2009 the rules of the Shootout were changed. The rules are set to bring more attention to the manufacturers. Eligibility for the Shootout is based on being in the top 6 in owner points among the Chevy, Ford, Dodge and Toyota brands. Each manufacturer is also given one wild card spot for a past champion or prior Shootout winner. If none of these conditions filled then the spot goes to the highest team in owner points for the specific manufacturer.
The top six Chevy teams for 2009 were the 48, 5, 24, 14, 42, and the 39. In fact Dale Earnhardt Jr was 12th in owner points among Chevy teams.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won the Shootout twice in his career. The problem with giving him the automatic bid is that he isn’t the most previous Chevy winner. Kevin Harvick is the most recent bow-tie victor. I don’t know how NASCAR will interpret its rules on this but I’m guessing Junior will get the spot.
NASCAR isn’t a sport that’s best known for its consistency of rules so the question is will they change the rules to allow Dale Jr in the race? Will there be a fan vote to get him in? Will NASCAR have qualifying races like they do for All-Star weekend? All I know is that somehow NASCAR will find a way to make room for him. Could you imagine a race at Daytona with an Earnhardt on the sidelines?
Perhaps the saving grace for Dale Earnhardt Jr will be that Dodge will only have three teams next year. This will somehow in my opinion open the door for Dale Earnhardt Jr to race in the Shootout.
UPDATE: NASCAR announced rules changes on 12-23-2009 and those changes can be found HERE
