page_title: 2009 Budweiser Shootout
section_title: Race
hierarchical_section_title: 2009 Budweiser Shootout / Race
caption_attribution_description: English: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at the 2015 Toyota/Save Mart, Sonoma, California
context_page_description: The 2009 Budweiser Shootout was the first exhibition stock car race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The 31st annual running of the Budweiser Shootout, it was held on February 7, 2009, in Daytona Beach, Florida, at Daytona International Speedway, before a crowd of 80,000 people. The 78-lap race was won by Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing, after he started from the next-to-last 27th position. Jamie McMurray of Roush Fenway Racing finished in second, and Stewart-Haas Racing's Tony Stewart was third.
  Pole position starter Paul Menard was passed by Elliott Sadler on the third lap. Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead for the first time on lap four, and led a total of 23 laps, more than any other driver. Carl Edwards assumed the lead on lap 17, holding it until a caution flag was issued on lap 25. During the caution all the teams made a scheduled ten-minute pit stop. On the 41st lap, Earnhardt retook the lead, which he maintained until the 50th lap, when Matt Kenseth passed him. McMurray became the leader on lap 66, and held it until Harvick overtook him on the final lap.
context_section_description: The 75-lap race began on February 7 at 8:10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00), and was televised live in the United States on Fox. Commentary was provided by lap-by-lap analyst Mike Joy, with analysis from three-time Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip, and former crew chief Larry McReynolds. Around the start of the race, weather conditions were clear but cool. L. Ronald Durham, pastor of Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, began pre-race ceremonies with an invocation. Vocalist Catina Mack from Orlando performed the national anthem, and country music singer Dierks Bentley commanded the drivers to start their engines. During the pace laps, Burton fell to the rear of the field because he changed his car's engine, and Logano did the same for missing the mandatory pre-race drivers' meeting due to him participating in the track's ARCA Re/Max Series race, which ended later than scheduled.
  Menard held the lead going into the back stretch on lap one. On lap two, the top seven cars were in a single file until side-by-side racing began at the conclusion of the lap. Hamlin received assistance from Sadler to pass Menard for the lead on the third lap. On lap four, Earnhardt turned left to overtake Hamlin and move into first place. On the next lap, Ragan appeared to slow behind Johnson; Robby Gordon made contact with his rear, sending him into the right-hand barrier. Speed, Logano and Mears were collected, causing the first caution. Biffle's car sustained minor cosmetic damage as the involved cars slid down the track, and Jeff Gordon avoided the multi-car accident. Logano and Speed immediately retired from the race because of the significant damage to their cars. The race restarted on lap nine, with Earnhardt leading and Sadler in second. Three laps later, Sadler passed Earnhardt to retake the lead. He and Kurt Busch were first and second as the field began lap 13, but Stewart and Kahne moved into the first two positions exiting the first turn. Approaching the 14th lap Kahne slid up the circuit and narrowly avoided going into Hamlin's side, while Vickers and Harvick made contact with each other, but no caution was needed in both cases.
  On lap 17, Hamlin temporarily took the lead from Stewart, but it was Edwards who held the first position at the conclusion of the lap. Stremme separated the field into two with his advance through it. Harvick slowed because he was forced into the right-hand wall, removing his front left fender, and fell five seconds behind the pack. At the end of the 22nd lap, Hamlin slid and regained control of his car in the turn-four tri-oval. Hamlin turned left on the back straight leaving turn two, but he hit Reutimann, who then clipped the front-right quarter of Stremme's car, spinning both drivers into the grass in the field, and  causing the second caution. Both drivers continued. During the caution, all of the teams made their compulsory ten minute pit stops, before returning to the track for the restart. Edwards led until his teammate McMurray overtook him on the left on lap 26. Kahne took the lead on the 27th lap. He held it until Kyle Busch passed him on the later. Kyle Busch had no assistance from Johnson, and Kahne regained the lead two laps later. On lap 29, McMurray took the lead, but on the following lap lost it to Jeff Gordon on his left. McMurray regained the lead from Gordon on lap 31.
  That lap, Jeff Gordon fell behind in the middle lane, and Vickers hit his car's rear. That caused Gordon to clip Biffle's rear and left-hand sides, sending him into Johnson's path, and collecting Mears, Burton, and Allmendinger; a third caution was issued, during which most of the leaders, including McMurray, made pit stops for fuel and tires. Kyle Busch led at the lap-36 restart. Two laps later, Sorenson's engine failed, ending his race, and bringing out a fourth caution because of oil on the track. Earnhardt's teammate Jeff Gordon aided in a pass on Kyle Busch to take the lead for the second time at the lap-41 restart. Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon created a single file as the former led t
caption: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (pictured in 2015) led a total of 24 laps, more than any other driver, before being eliminated from contention in a four-car accident on lap 65.
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