Budweiser Shootout at Daytona is an annual invitation-only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series exhibition event held at Daytona International Speedway in February, the weekend before the Daytona 500. It is the first competitive event of the season and serves as a kickoff event for the NASCAR portion of Speed Weeks. The event was first known as the Busch Clash and was the mind child of Monty Roberts. Brand Manager of the newly formed Busch beer which had formerly been Busch Bavarian Beer to promote the new Beer. Monty Roberts had during his career been involved with successfully introducing Mercury Automotive Division into racing when he was with Ford Motor Co., and he had been a part of the Ontario Motor Speedway and believed racing fans were loyal true followers. The name of the race was changed 20 years later. 'Busch Clash' was a fifty-mile "all-out sprint". In its current format, it is made up of two segments: a short 25-lap segment, followed by a ten-minute intermission. After the intermission, the race concludes with a 50-lap segment in which each car will need to make a pit stop for fuel. The race, like the Sprint All-Star Race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, carries no points for the winner but rather a large purse, circumstances which are supposed to encourage an all-out driving style not seen in regular-season races, where one serious mistake can largely ruin a season. However, due to the smaller field, large accidents often seen in the Daytona 500 are less-common. The smaller, invitation-only field consists of a maximum of 28 cars. The starting lineup is determined by a random draw, not by qualifying as all other races are determined.

From 1979 until 1994 and again in 1997, it was a race of pole-winners and one second-round qualifier. In 1995 and 1996, they were accompanied by the winner of the most poles in the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division. From 1998 until 2000, it consisted of the pole winners and the winner of a qualifying race among all second-round pole winners. From 2001 until 2008, it consisted of all pole winners and previous Shootout champions.

The 1987 race, won by Bill Elliott was completed at an average speed of 197.802 mph. It stands as the fastest sanctioned race in the history of NASCAR (though it was not an official points-paying event).

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