DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Martin Truex Jr. won the pole for today's 34th annual Budweisrer Shootour at Daytona Internationl Spedway.
Driving the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, Truex drew the pole position for the shootout. Making his second career Budweiser Shootout start, Truex peeled off the No. 1 wrapper on the Budweiser bottle.
"Came here with a plan and I'm sticking to it," said Truex Jr., driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota owned by Michael Waltrip Racing, on his strategy of winning the 75-lap non-points race.
Completing the all-Toyota front row for the Budweiser Shootout are Kyle Busch in the No. 18 M&M's Toyota. Rounding out the top 5 are Brad Keselowski, 2010 Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray and David Ragan, who captured the 2011 Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola. This is Ragan's first start with Front Row Motorsports.
Chip Ganassi Racing's Juan Pablo Montoya had the worst luck of the night, pulling the last starting spot, 25th.
The race distance will again be 75 laps (187.5 miles), consisting of two segments – 25 and 50 laps. Both green-flag laps and yellow-flag laps will count. Between segments there will be a 10-minute pit stop allowing teams to pit to change tires, add fuel and make normal chassis adjustments.
Finishing last in the 2011 edition of this race, Kasey Kahne hopes to follow Denny Hamlin (2006) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2008) and get a Shootout win in his first race for a new team, Hendrick Motorsports. Defending race winner Kurt Busch will attempt to do the same thing as he moves to Phoenix Racing.
Kevin Harvick will go for his third victory in four years in this race, extending Richard Childress' record for Shootout wins to eight.
FOX will televise the Shootout live beginning at 8 p.m. MRN and NASCAR Sirius Radio also will provide coverage.