SportsFullCircle

NASCAR returns after their brief offseason tonight with the ultimate exhibition showdown. The Budweiser Shootout will feature 24 of the greatest drivers in the past few years in a 75-lap battle. Carl Edwards will start the race on pole after the selection show on Thursday night, with Kevin Harvick starting alongside. Unfortunately, two large crashes in practice for the Shootout have six drivers going to backup cars, while Denny  Hamlin and Mark Martin will go to the rear as they were unable to return to the track to practice with their backup cars. Now, its my turn to give you my picks for tonight’s shootout:

Out of Luck:  Derrike Cope has not made a Sprint Cup start since the middle of last year, and is driving his own car that is heavily underfunded. He is going to start eighteenth right between two young guns, Kyle Busch (17th) and Kasey Kahne (19th). I would not look for too much to come out of him tonight, and look for Cope to bring up the rear of the field.

Dark Horse:  Ken Schrader has not competed in a Cup race since 2008 for the seemingly defunct Hall of Fame Racing, but is back in the Shootout with Red Bull and the #82 Toyota. He starts fourteenth tonight alongside Tony Stewart, but he will not be intimidated by Smoke. I expect Schrader to compete for the win tonight, eventually finishing well in the Top 10.

Close But No Cigar:  Joey Logano won at New Hampshire this past season and won the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale, California this past month. I expect Logano to avoid the sophomore slump and make a sophomore surprise, contending for the win late in the Shootout, but will come up short in the end.

Winner’s Circle:  Matt Kenseth finally found success at Daytona last year with a win in the Daytona 500, and will continue that with a win in the Budweiser Shootout. Kenseth is debuting his new sponsor, Crown Royal, on his #17 Ford and will likely hang out at the front throughout the night. I expect a closely-contested race tonight, with Matt Kenseth crossing the checkers first tonight.