BUSCH WINS THE BUD

With a push from 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch won Saturday night’s season-opening exhibition race "The Budwiser Shootout" when Denny Hamlin drew a black flag for passing below the yellow out-of-bounds line as the cars approached the finish. Hamlin, who was inches ahead at the stripe, was demoted to 12th for the infraction and scored as the last car on the lead lap. Without a teammate in the race, Busch took his first victory at Daytona—and his first victory on a restrictor-plate racetrack, for that matter—in the No. 22 Penske Dodge. McMurray came home second, narrowly edging Ryan Newman, who led the race off the final corner, only to have Hamlin slingshot past him in the dogleg. Newman was third, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle. This was a brand-new Daytona, with a brand-new asphalt surface and a brand-new style of racing. The fast way around the 2.5-mile superspeedway was to pair up in a two-car draft, and that was what fans saw for the entire event. The race produced a record 28 lead changes among nine drivers. "What an unbelievable experience, this two-car draft," Busch said. "I had no idea what to expect going in. I was just going to take it one lap at a time and see how it played out. I wanted to learn as the race went on how this Shell/Pennzoil Dodge raced.

NASCAR STAR TONY STEWART LEAVES AUSTRALIA AFTER POLICE QUESTIONING

NASCAR star Tony Stewart has been questioned by New South Wales  (Australia) police after an alleged incident involving Sydney Raceway co-owner Brett Morris. A statement by the NSW police would only confirm that “Police from Rosehill local area command were alerted to an altercation involving two men at a car racing track at Wentworth St Granville (Sydney Raceway) about 7.30pm (Saturday) night. “A 39 year-old man was arrested at the scene and was taken to Parramatta Police Station after a 46 year-old man was allegedly struck in the face by a racing helmet. “The 39 year-old man was released by police without charge, pending further investigation.” Stewart was racing a Sprintcar at the track, after his successful trip down under in 2010. He is now heading back to the US, however should charges be laid he may be required to return to Australia for any subsequent court appearance.

DAYTONA NASCAR LIVE DOWN UNDER THIS SUNDAY

AMBROSE ON TOP IN NASCAR PRACTICE. KELLY SHINES ON DEBUT

Marcos Ambrose has made the early running in this weekend's NASCAR Road Course race at Infinion Raceway, Sonoma. Ambrose took his Toyota to a fastest lap time of 76.375 at 93.800 MPH to edge out the Chevys of Clint Boyer and Ryan Newman. GT driver Jan Magnussen was off the early pace back in 26th place. DTM star Mattias Ekstrom also found his first taste of US stockcars quite a challenge ending the day in 40th place. Meanwhile in the Nationwide Cup at the spectacular Road America circuit, Aussie NASCAR debutante Owen Kelly has done well finishing the day in sixth position. Fastest time at Road America went to former Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve. The Nationwide race from Road America can be seen in Australia on ONE HD early Monday morning, with a delayed telecast of Sprint Cup action also on ONE Tuesday night at 8.30 p.m.

KASEY KAHNES THEM AT SONOMA

How strange was it for Kasey Kahne to win a road-course race? The driver of the No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge had to ask his crew chief for directions to victory lane after taking the checkered flag in a green-white-checkered finish in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Kahne held off road-course ace Tony Stewart through a succession of four late-race double-file restarts, the final time after Scott Speed’s spin on Lap 108 caused the seventh caution of the day. After starting from the rear because of an engine change, Marcos Ambrose chased the top two finishers to the line to claim third place, matching the best result of his Sprint Cup Series career. “Awesome—not too bad for a dirt-tracker from Washington!” Kenny Francis, Kahne’s crew chief, radioed after his driver crossed the stripe on Lap 113, three laps beyond the scheduled distance at the 1.99-mile road course. “Unreal,” replied Kahne, who gave owner Richard Petty his first victory since John Andretti in 1999. “Gosh, we had to hold him (Stewart) off for a while. We won a road-course race! Oh, my God, I can’t believe this.” Jimmie Johnson recovered from a pit-road speeding penalty to finish fourth. Denny Hamlin, who led 33 laps—second only to Kahne’s 37—came home fifth. Juan Pablo Montoya, AJ Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon and Elliott Sadler completed the top 10....