Yes folks, NASCAR racing is almost upon us once again. No offense to football, but Hallelujah!

With the Bud Shootout coming up this weekend, here's everything you need to know about the event's history:

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The number of participants has ranged from a low of seven in 1981 to a high of 28 in 2009 (25 are entered for this year’s event).
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The drivers with the most Shootout appearances:
— Bill Elliott (23)
— Mark Martin (23)
— Rusty Wallace (19)
— Ken Schrader (19)
— Jeff Gordon (18)
Mark Martin had appeared in the most consecutive Shootout races, competing in 20 consecutive events from 1989-2008. The active leader in consecutive appearances is Jeff Gordon, with 18.
This year marks his 19th.
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There have been eight multiple winners in the Shootout:
— Tony Stewart has won three of the last 10 (2001, 2002 and 2007).
— Dale Earnhardt won six events, most all-time (1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995).
— Dale Jarrett won in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
— Other multiple winners: Neil Bonnett (1983-1984), Ken Schrader, (1989-1990), Jeff Gordon (1994 and 1997), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003 and 2008) and Kevin Harvick (2009-2010).
— Bonnett, Schrader, Stewart and Harvick are the only drivers to win back-to-back races. No driver has ever won three consecutive Shootouts.
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Buddy Baker (1979), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994), Dale Jarrett (1996) and Denny Hamlin (2006) all won the first Shootout in which they competed.
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Only five times in the 32-year history of the race has the winner gone on to win the Daytona 500:
Bobby Allison (1982)
Bill Elliott (1987)
Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000)
Jeff Gordon (1997)
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— There have been three winners from the pole: Darrell Waltrip (1981), Bill Elliott (1987) and Ken Schrader (1989).
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— Two drivers have swept the Shootout, Daytona 500 pole and Daytona 500 from 1979-2010: Dale Jarrett (2000) and Bill Elliott (1987).
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— One driver has swept the Shootout, Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400 from 1979-2011: Bobby Allison (1982).
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Seven drivers have won the Shootout (1979-2011) and the same season’s championship. Dale Earnhardt is the only one to have accomplished it multiple times – four times.
Tony Stewart (2002)
Jeff Gordon (1997)
Dale Earnhardt (1993)
Dale Earnhardt (1991)
Dale Earnhardt (1986)
Darrell Waltrip (1981)
Dale Earnhardt (1980)
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— Four drivers have won consecutive Shootouts (1979-2010). None went on to win that year’s Daytona 500.
Kevin Harvick (2009-10)
Tony Stewart (2000-01)
Ken Schrader (1990-91)
Neil Bonnett (1983-84)
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By the Numbers: Shootout at Daytona
.058 –Margin of victory in seconds by Kurt Busch over Jamie McMurray in 2011, the closest margin in Shootout history
1 – Laps led by Rusty Wallace (1998), Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Dale Jarrett (2000 and 2004) and Kevin Harvick (2009) in the Shootouts they won
2.75 – Average finish by Dale Earnhardt, best by any driver with multiple starts
5 – Drivers who have won the event in their first appearance (Buddy Baker, 1979; Dale Earnhardt, 1980; Jeff Gordon, 1994; Dale Jarrett, 1996; Denny Hamlin, 2006)
6 – Number of Shootout wins by Dale Earnhardt, the series leader
7 – Number of fewest starters in the field for the Shootout (1981)
11 – Number of starts before winning, most since race began in 1979 (Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin)
14 – Number of different leaders in the 2009 event, most since race began in 1979
19 – Number of wins by Chevrolet in the Shootout, leads all manufacturers
27 – Kevin Harvick’s starting position in 2009, the lowest by a race winner in the event’s history
28 – Number of lead changes in the 2011 event, highest number since race began in 1979
44 – Laps led by Greg Biffle in 2005, the most by a driver who did not win the event
47 – Laps led by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008, the most in a single Shootout
98 – Number of all-time laps led in the Shootout (1979-2011) held by Dale Earnhardt

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