FanHouse Warmup: Budweiser Shootout

Here are a few spark plugs to get you ready for Saturday night's season-opening Budweiser Shootout -- a 75-lap dash for little more than cash and pride.

The Essentials

Race: Budweiser Shootout

Where: Daytona Int'l Speedway
Time: 8 p.m./EDT (Green Flag: 8:10 p.m.)
TV/Radio: FOX Sports, MRN Radio
Forecast: Mostly Clear, Low of 47 Degrees
Distance: 75 laps (187.5 miles)
Pole Sitter: Paul Menard
'08 Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The Storylines

New Format: NASCAR made some minor modifications to the race's physical format but made some drastic ones regarding driver eligibility. See why Tony Stewart was a huge benefactor from the move.

Interesting Grid: The starting order for the Shootout is performed via random draw, which means Paul Menard and Scott Speed will be two of the top-five drivers taking the green flag Saturday night. A practice crash makes that story all the more interesting.

Sliced Bread: Joey Logano, the 18-year-old driver who's gained the nickname "Sliced Bread" for the potential many NASCAR figures see in him, got through his first practices Friday night, but didn't look too comfortable in the draft.

Engine Woes?: Richard Childress Racing might have some problems brewing after Jeff Burton lost an engine during Friday's practice and teammates Casey Mears and Kevin Harvick were way down on the speed chart. Yahoo! says the RCR organization has just three DNF's in the past two seasons.

The Race

Saturday night's festivities will kick off with a Dierks Bentley pre-race concert as the singer is promoting his new album "Feel That Fire", and his appearance couldn't have come at a better time for NASCAR as a whole.

The offseason was more turbulent and surprising than it has been in a long time thanks to the state of the global economy. Thanks to that, Saturday night's all-for-fun and no points affair should just what the whole sport is looking for all of those who looking to feel that NASCAR fire again.

The Sprint Cup Series isn't in Vegas yet, but the event should be quite the crapshoot thanks to a ban on testing over the offseason and many drivers racing for new teams -- including some drivers like Scott Speed who have never raced a Sprint Cup car on a restrictor plate track. Don't be surprised to see a few wrecks and maybe even a finish that involves a spinning race car or two.

Hey, who said it wouldn't be exciting?

The Predictions

Holly Cain: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Geoffrey Miller: Tony Stewart

Enjoy the race, everyone.