Bud "Shootout" Indeed!!

So last night, or this morning, 3.30am UK time this morning in fact, I sat up to watch the 2012 NASCAR Bud Shootout...

Was it worth it??

Hell yeah!!

If you listed every element the perfect pre-season event should have the list would include lots of lead changes, close racing, wrecks, and a nail biting finish.

This years race had all those elements packed into an 82 lap action packed sprint!

Surely the racing was exactly what NASCAR fans wanted, a return to pack racing... or was it? The racing was definately more "pack" than "tandem" but a "return"? This was not "old school" pack racing where drivers sat two or three wide, lap after lap, unable to race for themselves. This was "new school" pack racing where drivers could draft or bump draft to overtake... and it was good!

There were wrecks, several wrecks, but what do you expect when you put that many drivers, that close together, for that few laps. The only real sticking point and the cause of the wrecks, was the effect of bump drafting in the corners, especially when the pushing car is lower on the track than the car being pushed.

FoxSports.com are already running a poll asking fans, "Should NASCAR make changes after the Shootout?" Richard Childress is not happy. Should NASCAR change the rules package? Should NASCAR ban bump drafting in the turns? Should NASCAR do this, should NASCAR do that?   

“NASCAR asked the teams and the drivers what we could do to make it better,” said Tony Stewart, the defending Cup Champion. “My point is, this is better than having to sit there and stare at the back of a spoiler for 500 miles and not be able to see where you're going half the race. We had control of what lane we got to run in. We got to move whenever we wanted. You didn't have to not move because you had a guy behind you that you had to rely on making your decision on what he had to do also. We had more control as drivers today.”

The answer according to Dale Earnhardt Jr - "You just hold your damn car where it needs to be and not drive around like an idiot."

Quite! The rules package worked perfectly. I do not believe the drivers will bump draft to the extreme we saw in the Shootout for the whole 500 miles next Sunday. The 500 is a different kettle of fish, a long race to survive, not a sprint. We might see more of the same in the last 100 miles but that has always been the way, hasn't it? The drivers have the Gatorade Duels next, more time to get the hang of the "new school" pack racing.    

The other story from the Bud Shootout was Kyle Busch and his “stab and steer — and some braking" saves and his last corner slingshot for the win on Tony Stewart. Love Kyle or hate him, that boy sure can drive a race car.

So what have we learnt so far?

"Pack" racing is back, don't bump draft the left side of another car in the turns, Kyle Busch sure can save a race car...

Don't lead the last lap...

Now that's very old school after all!!