Auto Racing | Dale Earnhardt Jr. kicks off season with win

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. aced his first test with his new team.

Earnhardt had a smashing debut in his Hendrick Motorsports ride, getting a boost from his new teammates to power past Tony Stewart to win the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night.

It was Earnhardt's first victory in any series since summer 2006, and could be a sign of things to come now that NASCAR's most popular driver is partnered with its most powerful team.

Seconds after taking the checkered flag, Earnhardt declared himself a favorite for next week's season-opening Daytona 500.

"What a race car!" Earnhardt yelled over his radio. "This might be a [Daytona] 500 winner here and you don't know it."

The winner of the 70-lap exhibition has gone on to win the Daytona 500 five times, with Dale Jarrett the last in 2000.

It was Earnhardt's 11th victory at NASCAR's most famous track, but first since a second-tier Nationwide Series win in June 2006. His last official Cup win came at Richmond the month before.

"I don't know what took him so long to win a race for us," car owner Rick Hendrick quipped. "It sure takes a lot of pressure off."

Stewart capped a tumultuous 24 hours by finishing second. The two-time series champion was ordered to steer clear of Kurt Busch after the two tangled on the track in a Friday night practice session and later argued in the NASCAR hauler.

That meeting ended abruptly when Stewart allegedly struck Busch and left, four sources with knowledge of the incident told the Charlotte Observer.

When asked Saturday whether NASCAR officials Robin Pemberton, John Darby and Hunter witnessed Stewart strike Busch on Friday evening, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston replied, "What transpires in the NASCAR hauler, remains in the hauler."

On Friday, Stewart hit Busch during a practice session for the Shootout, causing Busch's car to slam into the wall. Stewart's car rolled down the track and slid into his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin.

As Stewart turned onto pit road, Busch twice slammed his car into the side of Stewart's No. 20. When Stewart attempted to turn into the garage area, Busch cut him off.

During a TV interview Saturday morning, Busch said his focus was on preparing his Daytona 500 car.

"Tony and I are competitors, we always have been and we're going to be just fine," Busch said. "We're going to move forward."

Defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson finished third, and was followed by Jeff Gordon, Reed Sorenson and Casey Mears. All four Hendrick cars finished in the top six.

Other event

• Driving his second race for Bill Davis Racing, Michael Annett guided his Toyota to victory in the crash-filled ARCA 200 on the high-banked, 2.5-mile oval at Daytona International Speedway.

Annett, making his Daytona debut, added the season-opening victory to a dominating win in a BDR car last fall at the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway, the first ARCA/REMAX Series win for Toyota and Annett's first stock-car triumph.