By Ryan - Posted on February 10, 2010
Kevin Harvick battled the flu and the rest of the field Saturday night to become only the fourth driver in NASCAR history to win back-to-back Budweiser Shootouts at Daytona International Speedway.
With 5 laps left, Ryan Newman’s contact with Michael Waltrip’s Toyota sent Waltrip into a hard spin in the backstretch, bringing out the caution. Harvick and most of the other lead-lap cars pitted, while Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne remained on the track. Harvick took 2 tires, and re-entered the track to restart in fourth place, behind Biffle, Kahne, and Jamie McMurray. When the green flag waved, he dove to the bottom of the track and took the lead. He began to pull away, when Jeff Gordon rear-ended Biffle, causing an 8-car pileup, and the final caution of the race, ending it. This was the seventh Bud Shootout win for Richard Childress Racing, the most for any Cup team.
Kasey Kahne placed second in this non-points race, followed by Jamie McMurray, Kyle Bush, and Denny Hamlin. Rounding out the top ten spots were Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Brian Vickers, Tony Stewart, and Juan Montoya.
Harvick was very happy with the backup car that he drove to the win. While suffering with the flu this week, Harvick watched Clint Bowyer drive the 29 team’s primary car in Shootout practice, only for it to come to a premature end in a 7-car wreck.
“I was sick on Thursday and didn’t even get to see a lap in the car, but this thing was a rocket, man,” said Harvick.
Pole-sitter Carl Edwards was dominant early in the race, leading until Lap 30, when McMurray took the lead for one lap, before Edwards regained the lead. On Lap 32, Mark Martin’s Chevy made contact with Kurt Busch’s backup car, which sent him through the grass into the outside wall near the exit of pit road.
Trying to find humor in the situation, Busch said, “I’m making more laps in the ambulance than I am on the track.”
The race saw 12 lead changes, five leaders, and five cautions for 14 caution laps. Carl Edwards led the most laps, including the entire first 25-lap segment. This luck didn’t last, however. Edwards lost the lead to Tony Stewart on Lap 44, then did the speedway shuffle to the back, finishing only 17th in the 24-car field.
