Earnhardt ready for 'fun' shootout

The race is only open to drivers who earned a pole position in 2006 and those that have won the race before, and it has no bearing on the Nextel Cup championship table.

"The shootout is a great way to start the season, it's fun," said Earnhardt. "We can race hard without the pressure, and laugh about it afterwards."

The two-time Daytona 500 winner also said that he enjoys the frantic nature of the race, which is much shorter than the main event.

Last year, several drivers complained about the amount of bump drafting in the event, but Earnhardt believes that is part of the fun.

"I always thought it was fun when you can beat and bang a little bit," he said. "It's the shootout. It's a race with a lot of cash, and it takes about an hour and a half to run.

"The winner gets more than $200,000. You shouldn't be able to earn that much money in that short time and it be easy."

Earnhardt is expecting another exciting race this year, but he admits that his mentality will change for the Daytona 500 just one week later.

"Everybody wants to win the shootout, so it's not like you're going to be overly friendly," he said.

"I remember feeling like I was going to crash about 30 times last year, but in the 500 you are more patient."