While I think Kurt Busch has a case that the wreck in practice on Friday night was Tony Stewart’s fault, what Kurt did after the wreck is totally unacceptable.

In the opinion of this writer, Kurt Busch should be parked and not allowed to run in the 2008 Bud Shootout.  Using your car as retaliation, down pit road, is completely unacceptable and should be punished to the extreme.  However, I don’t feel a point fine or any short of a Daytona 500 penalty is warranted here simply due to the fact that this did happen in a practice session.  I think the penalty of parking him for the Bud Shootout is the proper penalty.

The team should be allowed to put a replacement driver in the car (Sam Hornish Jr for example) so that the team and sponsor or not penalized for the actions of Kurt Busch.

Thaks to Rambler14 for posting this in the forum at www.fantasynascarpreview.com

The starting lineup for Saturdays Bud Shootout to be seen on Fox is:

 1st) #2-Kurt Busch (1 pole)

2nd) #8-Mark Martin (won in 1999)

I want to thank Amp 88 for his previous two posts and hopefully lots more to come in the future. Amp has been a member of the forum since the beginning and has made tons of important contributions over that time.

I agree with his earlier post that Toyota will be the manufacturer to beat at the Bud Shootout. I think they’re eager to show that they will compete this season, and therefore put more time and effort into their Shootout cars than the other teams did during the off-season. As a result, my pick to win the Shootout is Tony Stewart. He’s won this race multiple times and is ALWAYS fast at Daytona.

23 cars will take the green flag in the 2008 Bud Shootout.  The race will take place on Saturday February 9 and will be broadcast live by Fox at 8pm Eastern in stunning HD!

So who will be in the field and how did they get there?  Answer Please:

#1  Martin Truex, Jr – Pole at Texas

#2 Kurt Busch – Pole at California

#5 Casey Mears – Pole at Chicago

#07 Clint Bowyer – Pole at Darlington

#8 Mark Martin – Bud Shootout Champion, 1999

#9 Kasey Kahne – Pole at Las Vegas

#11 Denny Hamlin – Pole at Martinsville

#12 Ryan Newman – Pole at Atlanta

#16 Greg Biffle – Pole at Atlanta

#20 Tony Stewart – Bud Shootout Champion, 2007

#21 Bill Elliott – Bud Shootout Champion, 1987

#22 Dave Blaney – Pole at New Hampshire

#24 Jeff Gordon – Pole at California

#26 Jamie McMurray – Pole at Sonoma

#38 David Gilliland – Pole at Daytona

#41 Reed Sorenson – Pole at Indianapolis

#44 Dale Jarrett – Bud Shootout Champion, 2004

#48 Jimmie Johnson – Pole at Richmond

#49 Ken Schrader – Bud Shootout Champion, 1990

#55 Michael Waltrip – Pole at Talladega

#88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr – Pole at Pocono

#96 JJ Yeley – Pole at Michigan

#99 Carl Edwards – Pole at Phoenix 

Totals-7 Chevy, 6 Toyota, 5 Dodge, 5 Ford

Teams

Hendrick Motorsports – All 4 cars in

Jack Rousch – 3 cars in.  Matt Kenseth sits out as well as David Ragan

DEI – 2 cars are in (Truex and Martin).  The rookies sit out

Penske – Kurt and Ryan are in.  Hornish sits out

RCR – Surprise to see only Clint Bowyer in.  Harvick and Burton sit out

Ray Evernham – Kasey Kahne only car in

Joe Gibbs – Gets to see Stewart and Hamlin start his Toyota’s for the first time

Yates Racing – One car in (Gilliland), one car out (Kvpail)

Chip Ganassi – Just one car in (Sorenson).  Open Wheelers out

Michael Waltrip Racing – 2 cars in (Waltrip and Jarrett)

Bill Davis Racing – One car in (Blaney)

Single Car Teams IN – Wood Brothers, BAM Racing, HOF Racing

NO cars for Robbie Gordon Motorsports, Petty Racing, Haas CNC Racing, Front Row Motorsports among a few other part-time teams. 

My Prediction for the Bud Shootout….the last 5 years this race has been won from somebody that started in the back of the pack.  I have not yet seen a starting order for the 2008 Shootout, but I will pick a guy that will surely go back there and that is Dale Jarrett.  This will probably be his last shootout so he has motivation on his side.  Toyota’s have been really fast in the pre-season and I look for that speed to pay off in the end and we might just see the old veteran grab himself a win here at the Shootout before he runs off to join the ESPN Broadcast team.

Alright…my first ever written blog here on fantasynascarpreview!  So what to write about….. Well this may not be popular, but it IS timely.  Today is Super Tuesday for the 2008 Presidential election and I wanted to take the time to share my thoughts about what I am doing in the state of Missouri today.  That’s what a blog is all about right…sharing thoughts?  Don’t worry…I WILL post NASCAR related blogs in the near future!You know…I don’t normally get involved in political discussion and for good reason. However I just wanted to share what happened to me over the weekend as I was finalizing who I was going to vote for this morning.

After reading through what seems like tons of stuff I had decided on Sunday that my vote this morning at this Missouri Primary was going to be on the democrat ticket for Barack Obama. Now mind you I am a 34 year old male and a registered republican…but Missouri is an “open” state and in the primary you can vote on either ticket you choose.

So way the Obama vote? Well my Republican candidate is Ron Paul. After reading all the stuff I have read it has come to my attention that my Ron Paul vote is a waste of time. I mean he can’t get the nomination. There is no way he can win the Republican Nomination based on all I have read/seen/heard. So instead I will take the democrat ticket and “make a difference” by voting for Obama over Clinton.

Over the course of Monday Night and Tuesday Morning my mind changed. You know what….I can’t fall for letting the media and stuff I read all over cnn.com and foxnews.com etc decide who I am going to vote for. “Ron Paul would be a great candidate, but like someone already said, he won’t win” — does anyone here have a crystal ball? Or shall we just vote for who the media tells us to? I mean the Patriots are going to win the Superbowl right?

While Rich Romney’s busy emptying his pockets, trying to buy his way into the White House, and Insane McCain is putting his foot in his mouth, talking about 100 years of war and bombing Iran and running out of money, Ron Paul is quietly and busily gathering up delegates.

In Maine, he now has more delegates than McCain and is close on Romney’s foot heels. The good doctor is simply quite brilliant and knows exactly what he’s doing. Paul still has months to gather his supporters into a real force to contend with.

Just as you should not overestimate whom the media calls “winners” (haven’t we learned by now? Guiliani? Thompson? Huck next?) Never, EVER underestimate the dark horse who came out of nowhere. If anything, he’s the little engine that could and don’t be surprised when he does. Kinda like the Giants winning the Superbowl.

So this morning…at the Missouri Primary….I PROUDLY took a republican ticket and voted for Ron Paul.