Busch

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kurt Busch, preparing for his second season of NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing, will start from the pole Sunday in the season-opening Budweiser Shootout.

Busch, who drives a Ford for Roush Racing, gained the top position in the 22-car field of the made-for-TV event at Daytona International Speedway in a blind draw on Thursday.

The 70-lap race for last year's pole winners and former winners of the Shootout will be the first opportunity for the drivers to race under the latest aerodynamic rules set by NASCAR.

"I think it will be very difficult to stay up front with the Ford," said Busch, who was second to Kevin Harvick in the 2001 rookie standings. "We'll have to see how the car performs. It's already stacking up as a great test session for us by starting on the pole.

"I've got a lot of talent behind me. It's just a great opportunity."

Kenny Wallace, filling in for injured Steve Park in a Dale Earnhardt Inc., Chevrolet, will start on the outside pole, followed by the Pontiacs of defending Shootout champion Tony Stewart andKen Schrader, the Dodge of former Shootout winner Bill Elliott and the Ford of Ricky Rudd.

Reigning Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon will start last in a Chevrolet.

"You've got a mandatory pit stop during the race, so there's a lot of different strategies that are going to play out," Gordon said. "Guys will go from the back to the front and I hope I'm one of them."

Stewart, the 1999 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, won the 2001 Shootout. He finished with an average race speed of 181.036 mph and took home $202,722 for the win.

Last year's race was true to its name at the beginning as five drivers swapped the lead in the first seven laps. Stewart stole the lead from Dale Earnhardt with two laps to go and never looked back. Stewart took the checkered flag, finishing two car lengths ahead of Earnhardt.

Earnhardt, who died on the last lap of the Daytona 500 last year, had six Shootout wins. Other previous winners include Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin and Elliott.

Scripps Howard News Service contributed to this report.