Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

A brief look at how some of Saturday’s Bud Shootout participants have performed in the past

I’m rapidly finishing up my honey-do list so I’ll be ready to spend time on the weekends doing what’s most important: Sitting in front of the TV watching a NASCAR race.

My children love this time of year because they know that my desire to watch racing with limited interruptions means that I’ll be throwing them a few buck to hit the mall when a race is on.

So who’s the favorite to win this year’s Bud Shootout? I’m never good at predictions, but it’s interesting to look at the stats on how some of the top drivers have performed in past Shootouts.

  • Mark Martin has competed in a whopping 21 Shootouts and has won once, in 1999. He has only led a total of seven laps.
  • Jeff Gordon has driven in 16 Shootouts and has won in 1994 and 1997. He has led a total of 52 laps.
  • Tony Stewart has won in 2001, 2002 and 2007 and has raced in the event 10 times. He has led a total of 62 laps.
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. has raced in nine events and has two wins (2003 and 2008). He has led a total of 104 laps.
  • Jimmie Johnson has competed in the Shootout seven times, has won once (in 2005) and has led a total of 34 laps. If he wins the Shootout this year, I’m going to visit a sports book and put some money on him to win another championship.
  • Kevin Harvick has raced in five Shootouts and won the event last year. He has led a total of 22 laps.
  • Kurt Busch has no wins in six races and has led a total of 20 laps.
  • Kurt’s brother, Kyle, has been in three Bud Shootouts. He has no wins and has led 49 total laps.
  • The best average finish by any driver with multiple starts in the event is Dale Earnhardt with an average finish of 2.75.
  • And only five drivers have ever won in their first event. (Buddy Baker, 1979; Dale Earnhardt, 1980; Jeff Gordon, 1994; Dale Jarrett, 1996; Denny Hamlin, 2006)

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