Jarrett wins Bud Shoot-Out

The late race to the finish was created when a red flag stopped the race following a heavy crash between Jeremy Mayfield and Dave Blaney, who were running up front at the time. Mayfield's Dodge did considerable damage to a metal gate in the wall, which required repairs.

Terry Labonte hit the front at the restart, but Harvick charged past on the next lap - until Jarrett and Earnhardt made their charge. Jarrett hit the front on the final lap, and said he had good cause to thank Dale Jr for his 'help'.

"I've got to thank my buddy Dale Jr - he was knocking the devil out of the rear bumper and that's probably what I needed to get up there," said Jarrett. "The last two times we won this thing [1996 and 2000], we won the Daytona 500 and I'm really looking forward to next Sunday."

Last year's winner Earnhardt complained of a lack of drafting partners: "I was pushing people up front. But as soon as they'd get the opportunity, they'd ditch me. Never in the race did I have a real strong car behind me that was committed to me."

Ryan Newman, who was leading when the red flag came out, slipped back into the pack on the restart and crashed hard with Jamie McMurray on the superstretch on the final lap.

Harvick finished third, followed by Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Tony Stewart, Terry Labonte and Jimmie Johnson.