DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Rules nearly overshadowed racing Sunday in the Budweiser Shootout.
A mostly single-file race turned into, well, a shootout at the end, with Tony Stewart winning for the second straight year with an Earnhardt in his rearview mirror.
On Sunday, it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Stewart's rear bumper right to the finish line in the race that is considered a sneak preview of next weekend's Daytona 500.
Last year, Stewart outdueled Dale Earnhardt Sr. in the made-for-TV event at Daytona International speedway, just a week before the seven-time Winston Cup champion was killed in the Daytona 500.
"Winning that race last year with that black No. 3 in my mirror was the highlight of my career," Stewart said. "But this was just like last year. He may have 'Junior' behind his name, but he drives like Senior."
Jeff Gordon, the reigning Winston Cup champion, was also part of the exciting finish. The four-time champ drew the last starting spot in the 22-car field but worked his No. 24 Chevrolet into position to make a run at the leader near the end of the 70-lap event.
Stewart, the Winston Cup runner-up last year, led a five-car breakaway in the waning laps, pulling Earnhardt Jr., Sterling Marlin, Ken Schrader and Gordon in a tight single file for lap after lap. Finally, six laps from the end, Gordon, who seemed to be one of the few drivers who could consistently pass other cars, made a move around Schrader on the high side to take fourth. Gordon and Schrader then combined to pass Marlin two laps from the end.
On the final trip around the 2 1/2-mile oval, Gordon chose the high side of the banked oval and got alongside Earnhardt. The two bogged down coming off the fourth turn, and Stewart's No. 20 Pontiac won by about a car length as Earnhardt's Chevy edged Gordon for second.
Stewart fell to fifth, just behind Earnhardt, after the two made their mandatory green-flag pit stops on laps 40 and 41, respectively. It took Stewart only until lap 47 to move back to the lead, with Earnhardt in second.
"I think I learned something there," Stewart said. "But that's something I'm going to keep in my back pocket for next weekend.
"I was good behind Junior and in front of him," said Stewart, who averaged 181.295 mph to win $200,955. "I knew it was going to be between us at the end."
With NASCAR's latest aerodynamic rules turning Daytona racing into mostly single-file competition and making passing a chore, Earnhardt said there was no way he was going to overtake Stewart.
"I would have had a better shot, but I felt like the race was over going into Turn 1 on the last lap," Earnhardt said. "Every time we were trying to do something to get a run on Tony, he knew what we were doing."
Stewart said, "It was the same tricks his father tried to pull last year to get the lead."
Schrader's Pontiac finished fourth, just ahead of Marlin's Dodge. Dale Jarrett's Ford finished sixth, half a straightaway behind Marlin.
Ford teams have complained since the end of last season that they are at an aerodynamic disadvantage, and Sunday's race appeared to back that up.
Kurt Busch started from the pole in a Ford after getting that position in a blind draw. After Stewart passed him for the lead on lap four, the only other Ford driver out front the rest of the way was Rusty Wallace, who led for several laps after taking only two tires on the race's mandatory green-flag pit stop. He was quickly caught and passed, finishing 11th.
NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said the sanctioning organization was planning to discuss Ford's complaints.
He said Ford's problems resulted in part from the rules — and because the cars are just not very good. He said if a change is made it would go into effect before Thursday's twin 125-mile qualifying races.
The aerodynamic rules for Daytona and Talladega, NASCAR's two biggest and fastest ovals, were changed following a dull Daytona 500 in 2000.
The 2001 rules turned the racing into a wild show, with three- and four-wide racing and passing throughout the pack on just about every lap. It was great entertainment but left drivers complaining about the dangers of such racing.
"I'd rather be a spectator if they go back to the old rules," Gordon said. "They may still do some tweaking, but I felt comfortable out there and enjoyed it."
Sunday's race was more reminiscent of 2000, with only six lead changes among six drivers and no caution flags. Jarrett won the race two years ago, with only nine lead changes among seven drivers and six caution flags for 24 laps over the 500 miles.
"It may have been a little boring at times today, with the single-file racing," Gordon said, "but I thought it was a good, exciting finish."