Daytona Beach, FL (Sports Network) - Officials from Daytona International
Speedway announced Friday that next year's qualifying date for the Daytona 500
will move to the same day as the Budweiser Shootout to avoid conflict with the
Super Bowl on Sunday, February 7 in Miami.
Daytona 500 qualifying, which determines the front starting row for NASCAR's
biggest race of the season, will be held prior to the ARCA race on February 6.
The Budweiser Shootout runs under the lights at Daytona that night.
There will be no track activity on Sunday.
"We're excited about the new schedule," Daytona International Speedway
President Robin Braig said. "By moving Daytona 500 qualifying to Saturday, we
are now providing even more value to our race fans, who can now enjoy a unique
racing tripleheader as well as all the festivities surrounding the Super Bowl
the following day."
Qualifying will kick off the tripleheader at Daytona, starting at 1:00 p.m.
(et). The ARCA event is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (et), and the Budweiser
Shootout, the Sprint Cup Series preseason, non-points event, is slated for
8:00 p.m. (et).