The Budweiser Shootout is an annual NASCAR Nextel Cup Series exhibition event held at Daytona International Speedway in February, the weekend before the Daytona 500. It began as the Busch Clash and was a fifty-mile "all-out sprint." In its current format, it is made up of two segments: a short 20-lap segment, followed by a ten-minute intermission. After the intermission, the race concludes with a 50-lap segment in which each car must make a green flag pit stop. The race, like the Nextel All-Star Challenge held at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May, carries no points for the winner but rather a large purse, circumstances which are supposed to encourage an all-out driving style not seen in regular-season races, where one serious mistake can largely ruin a season. However, due to the smaller fields, huge accidents normally seen in the Daytona 500 are uncommon. The smaller field consists of all of the pole winners from the previous season as well as former event winners. The starting lineup is determined by a random draw, not by qualifying as all other races are determined.
Daytona International Speedway is a superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is a 2.5 mile (4 km) tri-oval race track facility with a seating capacity of 168,000 spectators. It hosts races of motor vehicles of various kinds, including go-karts, motorcycles (on and off road), sports cars, modified pickup trucks, and stock cars. The facility also includes a 3.56 mile (5.7 km) road course and a 180-acre infield, including the 29 acre Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing.
* 1979-1990: The race consisted of a single twenty-lap (50-mile) green flag sprint with no pit stops required.
* 1991-1997: The race was broken into two ten-lap, green flag segements. The field was then inverted for the second ten-lap segement. Prize money was awarded for both segments for all positions.
* 1998-2000: The event was renamed the Bud Shootout, and consisted of two 25-lap (62.5-mile) races, the Bud Shootout Qualifier at 11 a.m., and the Bud Shootout itself at 12 p.m. One two-tire pit stop was required for each race.
* 2001-2002: The event was renamed the Budweiser Shootout and expanded to a new distance, 70 laps (175 miles). Caution laps would be counted, but the finish had to be under green, with the Craftsman Truck Series green-white-checker rule applying if necessary. A minimum of One two-tire green flag pit was required. The Bud Shootout Qualifier was discontinued as qualifying for Cup races was reduced to one round.
* 2003-2006: The race was broken up into two segments: a 20-lap segment, followed by a ten-minute intermission, concluding with a 50-lap second segment. A two-tire green flag pit stop was is required during the second segment.
