Tori Petry, ESPN Radio
25 cars started the race. Only 10 crossed the finish line. The flames were high and the crashes frequent as pack racing made a comeback on the restrictor-plates at Daytona. In fact, only three drivers escaped the wreckage of the Bud Shootout untouched. But it was not the ones who survived the carnage unscathed that were the standouts in NASCAR’s all-star race. It was the one whose two wreck recoveries kept him in the race - and ultimately put him in Victory Lane.
Kyle Busch’s expert maneuvering of the #18 M&M’s Toyota had even NASCAR fans who hate the rowdy Joe Gibbs Racing driver going wild in the stands. He first steered the car back on track after almost spinning out not once, but twice coming out of Turn 2. Then, after a multicar pile-up near the finish, Busch again proved himself a wheel master as he recovered to take over defending Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart for the win in a photo finish. The finish was the closest in Bud Shootout history at a .013 second margin of victory. The race was no doubt packed with on-your-feet, nail-biting action. In other words, it was exactly what NASCAR was shooting for.
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