Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

The wait is almost over. NASCAR returns to the track this weekend with the Bud Shootout at Daytona, a non-points exhibition warm-up for the Daytona 500. The drawing party is tonight on SPEED, if you're NASCAR starved. For the full dish on this weekend's NASCAR TV content, check out The Daly Planet.

Here's the 2012 Bud Shootout Entry List:

AJ Allmendinger
Marcos Ambrose
Greg Biffle
Clint Bowyer
Jeff Burton
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Carl Edwards
Jeff Gordon
Denny Hamlin
Kevin Harvick
Jimmie Johnson
Kasey Kahne
Matt Kenseth
Brad Keselowski
Joey Logano
Jamie McMurray
Paul Menard
Juan Pablo Montoya
Ryan Newman
David Ragan
Tony Stewart
Martin Truex Jr.
Michael Waltrip

Honestly, this is anybody's race. It's non-points and there's nothing to lose except pride and money, just like the All Star Race in Charlotte. Here's my prediction of the Top 5 cars to watch, in no particular order:

Jimmie Johnson - Always a threat. He didn't win 5 championships by sheer luck.

Kurt Busch - He's landed a sweet ride with Phoenix Racing and has developmental equipment from Hendrick Racing. He posted smoking fast times during testing last month. He's also got something to prove to himself and his critics. Now's a great time to do it.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr - Jr. Nation fans might just get something to cheer about Saturday night. Unquestionably one of the best restrictor plate drivers in NASCAR, Jr. has a way of winning non-points races and he's due.

Tony Stewart - Smoke was on a hot streak to win The Chase. He has a history of hot streaks. Let's see if this one continues with a new Crew Chief.

Kyle Busch - All he does is win (when he's not screwing up). Honestly, nobody races harder than Kyle Busch. Sometimes, his ego writes checks his driving can't cash, but not often. Love him or hate him, ya gotta respect him on the track.

UPDATE: 3 of my Top 5 wrecked during practice. Kurt Busch got turned around by Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch got collected in the resulting "Big One".

Jimmie Johnson's Daytona 500 car failed Tech Inspection and NASCAR seized illegal body parts. The car is being rebuilt at the track, but expect a heavy fine for the 48 team.