It's that time of year again.  It's time to put the horsepower to the asphalt, the loud pedal to the floorboard, and the fans in the grandstands.

The 2011 season of NASCAR takes it's first green flag Saturday night, under the lights, but more importantly on top of new asphalt.  The Daytona International Speedway has a new attitude after the $2 million, six-month project to completely repave the entire 2.5-mile speedway plus pit road.

What it means is a faster, wilder, and more intense track.  More chapters in the legacy of Daytona will be written starting Saturday night.

The best part, this Saturday's race isn't even for points...it's for bragging rights.  A total of 24 drivers will compete under the lights for the first victory of the 2011 campaign.

With the new season set to begin, I'm bringing back a very popular pool from last season.  A great group of writers from many different media outlets have come together to present the first ever Fan Vs. Fan Victory Pool.  Each week, these writers will choose who they will pick to win the Sprint Cup Series race.  Based on where they finish, each will gain points towards the season-ending championship.

Where the driver they chose finishes equals the amount of points earned for that race, with each victory counting towards the 2011 Chase for the Cup.

This week, it's a little tease.  There will be no points awarded, but it's all about bragging rights towards winning the first race of the year.  So, ladies and gentleman, I introduce to you the contenders for the 2011 Fan Vs. Fan Victory Pool championship and their picks to win the Budweiser Shootout.

 

Misan Ayuka (FanVsFan.com):  Jamie McMurray

Last season Jamie McMurray won all the big races but came up short in the Budwesier shootout this year could be different.

McMurray has become one of the best plate racers in cup and with his last two shootout finishes being 2nd and 3rd expect him to be up in the front all night.

McMurray will have a great 2011 the Budwesier Shootout might propel him to that.

 

James Broomhead (Bleacher Report):  Juan Pablo Montoya

The new season is upon us (finally). The Shootout is all about the show, and all about the racing, and Juan Montoya is the perfect embodiment of that spirit.

He's also not a bad plate track racer in a top team, but on a night of unknowns - new season, new surface - it really is anyone's guess. Boogity, boogity, boogity...

 

Kelly Crandall (Speedway Media):  Dale Earnhardt Jr

I'm having a sense of deja vu.  Back in 2008 when Earnhardt Jr. joined HMS he had new cars, new team and headed to Daytona and won the shootout. While he's still at HMS this year, he does have new cars and a new team, meaning he's again starting fresh.  Nothing would be better for Junior and his fans but to once again start off the season on the right foot.

Harvick may be the favorite at all the plate tracks, but that's got to end soon. Get Earnhardt Jr. in the ballpark with a car he can drive and he's going to be a contender.  

 

Summer Dreyer (Next Time By):  NO PICK SENT

No pick sent at posting time.  But, she's down in Daytona, so she will get to see the winner for herself.

 

Billy Fellin (Bleacher Report):  Kevin Harvick

This guy just knows how to win this race.

Granted, like most of the races he finishes well in, he sneaks up on most of the pack late in the race and just is strong enough to hang on to the top position by the time the flag falls. I look for him to be back in victory lane this year.

 

Michael Hirshbein (Fan Vs. Fan):  Kyle Busch

Why?  Cause Kyle Busch is breaking out this year, starting early.

Christopher Leone (FanHuddle.com):  Michael Waltrip

He'll have extra drive to show well at Daytona as we near the 10th anniversary of his 2001 Daytona 500 victory, and to honor his former car owner Dale Earnhardt with the black NAPA car.

It'd be cool to see him pull it off, and I think he's going to be a fan favorite to win the race anyway... and we all know that having the fan sentiment behind you can be a huge boost in small doses.

 

Kara Martin (Speedway Media):  NO PICK SENT

No pick sent at posting time.  But, no points...so no harm, no foul.

 

Ryan O'Hara (Speedway Media):  Kevin Harvick

Harvick has won the last two Shootouts and hasn't shown me that he can't win this race. He led the most laps at the Daytona 500, but was shuffled out of the third green-white-checkered and won the Coke Zero 400 later that year. He has an excellent chance of making it 3 in a row.

 

Dustin Parks (All About Horsepower):  Jamie McMurray

He's coming back to the track where he earned the biggest victory of his career.  It's a track where Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing loves to come to, and he's driving a car number that was the first team Dale Earnhardt ever owned.

You have all those elements, combined with the fact that McMurray thrives when it's a big stage, and you have the ultimate victory scenario.  I'm going with the No. 1 to finish No. 1.

 

Sal Sigala Jr (3 Wide and 1 To Go):  Tony Stewart

No reason given.

 

Rob Tiongson (The Podium Finish):  Dale Earnhardt Jr.

He's got this air of cool confidence heading into the season and in particular, Speedweeks 2011. While success has been sporadic at best for Driver 88, there's plenty of reasons to believe that he'll rebound this year and finally get that mammoth monkey off his back with new crew chief Steve Letarte.

HMS has thrown its greatest changes with the AMP Energy/National Guard team, who captured the Shootout win in 2008. Similar success may be found with the man who'll no doubt receive more attention than he'd like this coming week...for obvious reasons.

 

Final Thoughts:  The biggest agreement all these writers is that NASCAR is officially back and we all are ready for some real racing.

This race is just for pride, but everyone wants to win the first one for the season.  The first green flag of the 2011 year waves Saturday night at 8 p.m.

 

Summary of Picks:

Dale Earnhardt Jr-2

Kevin Harvick-2

Jamie McMurray-2

Kyle Busch-1

Juan Pablo Montoya-1

Tony Stewart-1

Michael Waltrip-1