Stewart's bumpy ride wins Shootout
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tony Stewart fired the opening salvo of NASCAR's 2007 season by capturing the Budweiser Shootout last night, a two-segment, 70-lap, nonpoints dash for cash that kicks off Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.
Stewart piloted the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Chevrolet to his third triumph in this season-opening exhibition race, giving him 10 victories at the high-banked, 2.5-mile trioval -- but none in the Daytona 500.
"It's a great way to start off the year," said Stewart, who didn't even bring his fastest car to the race, saving his real bullet for today's pole qualifications for next Sunday's 500. "I think we figured out how to win Saturday night races here, now we just have to go ahead and figure out how to win one on Sunday."
Gibbs, who struggled as coach of the 5-11 Washington Redskins this season, found Stewart's victory especially redemptive. "I said it was great to be back and win something again," he said. "I got kicked around pretty good in football this year and it was great to be back with the guys."
Stewart, who earned $215,000 for the victory, executed a winning bump-and-run move on leader Kyle Busch with seven laps to go to assume the lead and tow rookie David Gilliland and Kurt Busch across the finish line in second and third, respectively.
Gilliland and Kurt Busch made impressive runs to get to the front in the final 50-lap segment, but Kyle Busch, who led three times for 39 laps, was just as impressive in making a save when Stewart came steaming up from behind and caused him to lose tire grip in Turn 2 of Lap 63. Busch's No. 5 Chevrolet wiggled and shot to the top of the track before dropping off the pace, enabling Stewart to vault to the lead.
"I'll say that save he made in Turn 2 is probably going to be among one of the top five this season," Stewart said. "I don't know if there's too many guys who could've caught that car. I thought it was headed straight to the wall."
Kyle Busch said Stewart's move was the result of contact. "He was all over me," Busch said. "He was on my rear bumper and contact was made, but that's part of the game. It's no different in short-track racing when you bump somebody to try and move them out of the way to win the race.
"I didn't have four tires to try and keep it under me, either," added Busch, referring to a two-tire pit stop with 16 laps to go. "So I was kind of struggling out there, just barely hanging on."
So, too, was Gilliland in the Robert Yates Racing No. 38 Ford. He was attempting to become the second rookie to win the Bud Shootout in as many years after Stewart's teammate, Denny Hamlin, won last year in his Gibbs Racing debut.
"I've always dreamed about racing here at Daytona," Gilliland said. "And to be able to come and do it in my first race ever and bring home a second-place finish is a dream come true."
Asked if he was concerned that Gilliland might pull a similiar bump-and-run move on him, Stewart replied, "No, not really. David's a pretty talented guy. He proved why he got his ride last year [winning the pole at Talladega in October]. He was running a real smooth line.
"The last couple of laps stuff was going on behind him. I was watching him where he had to go and I was moving around accordingly," Stewart said. "It was easier to kind of help him, to a certain degree, at that point instead of worrying about going two-wide."
Hamlin wound up finishing 17th after he got collected in a four-car, last-lap crash that started when Dale Earnhardt Jr. (14th) tapped Elliott Sadler (16th) from behind and caused him to careen into Hamlin's No. 11 Chevrolet, which collected the No. 9 Dodge of Kasey Kahne (15th).
Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 83
Stewart's stated career objectives are to win a NASCAR championship, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Daytona 500. "We've accomplished two of those three," Stewart said, winner of two Nextel Cup championships and the 2005 Brickyard 400. "Now we just have one left."
Michael Vega can be reached at vega@globe.com. 
