The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season begins Saturday night with the Bud Shootout at Daytona International Speedway, followed by qualifying on Sunday for the Feb. 17 Daytona 500.

Series champion Jimmie Johnson is looking to earn his second checkered flag in the non-points race. The 2005 Shootout winner and driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet has never finished outside the top 10 in this event. The 23-driver field will draw for starting positions on Thursday night.

DRIVER JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES

BUD SHOOTOUT: "I'm looking forward to getting back on the track in race conditions. We've made a lot of laps in testing the past few weeks, but there's no comparison to being out there in the battle. It's going to be interesting to see how the cars handle in a big pack. I think it will be a good show for the fans.

"Being in the shootout is a definite plus as far as letting us be among the first to see how this new car design is going to react in a race at Daytona. Plus, it's just a 'no-holds-barred' great race for the fans and the drivers. Having your first race of the season be a non-points race is a great way to get back in the groove without the added pressure of knowing points are on the line."

LOOKING AHEAD: "We've all enjoyed celebrating the championship, but that's over and done with. It's a new year, a new season, and a whole new set of challenges. When you're the ones on top of the hill, everybody's looking to knock you off. As a team, we kind of like the view from up here, so we've got the same focus and drive we had before that first championship ever came along.

"This sport is unforgiving. Guys who are too busy looking back at what they've accomplished are the guys who are going to get their butts handed to them. We don't intend to be those guys."

OFFSEASON: "The offseason was pretty hectic, but we had a lot of fun. Some of my friends ask me why, after a 38-race season, I don't just go home and sit on the couch for a while. If you're fortunate enough to win a championship, it gives you the opportunity to go places and do things a lot of people don't get the chance to do. I'm trying to take it all in and make the most of it and hopefully help some people along the way.

"This past weekend, I left California (Speedway) after testing and headed to Phoenix. My buddy Nick (Lachey) and I held our first Super Skins celebrity golf tournament on Saturday. We had a blast and raised some money for some great charities. When you're having fun and doing some good at the same time, it's hard to question why you're not sitting at home."

QUALIFYING: "It would be a real honor to win the pole for the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Anytime you have success at Daytona, it's special. This place just has so much history and so many legends have competed here, it's humbling to have your name mentioned in the same breath as those drivers.

"It was such an incredible rush to win my first Cup series pole at Daytona (in 2002). Being a rookie, it was a lot to wrap your head around. All the media, the cameras, the excitement and the prestige ? it was a lot to take in, but I loved every second of it.

"If we aren't fortunate enough to win the pole, I just hope for a good starting spot for the Twin 150s. The Hendrick engine department has done an amazing job with the restrictor-plate program, so I'm confident we can start near the front."

RACE NOTES

Chassis

Team Lowe's Racing will take chassis 48413 to the Bud Shootout this weekend. Jimmie Johnson finished 16th with this chassis in the first Car of Tomorrow race at Bristol Motor Speedway in March 2007 and third at Darlington Raceway in May. Career

Johnson has won at least three races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first six full-time seasons.

Johnson's most recent victory at Phoenix was the 33rd of his Sprint Cup career. The win ties Johnson with the legendary "Fireball" Roberts for 18th on NASCAR's all-time wins list. Johnson has the fourth-highest win total among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon, Bill Elliott and Mark Martin.

Johnson has won Sprint Cup Series events at all but seven of the 22 tracks where the series competes.

Johnson's 10 wins in 2007 is the highest number of wins recorded in a single season since Jeff Gordon posted 13 victories in 1998.

The four consecutive wins scored by the No. 48 team in the 2007 Chase for the Championship ties a modern-era NASCAR record.

History

In 219 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 86 top-five finishes and 134 top-10 finishes. He has a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup series circuit. Johnson has led 5,484 laps and driven 62,889 laps in his Sprint Cup career, covering more than 83,980 miles. He has finished on the lead lap 167 times.

JOHNSON'S BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT STATISTICS

BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT CAR HISTORY

2007 BUD POLE WINNERS

#38?David Gilliland

#24?Jeff Gordon

#9?Kasey Kahne

#12?Ryan Newman

#11?Denny Hamlin

#07?Clint Bowyer

#96?J.J. Yeley

#26?Jamie McMurray

#22?Dave Blaney

#5?Casey Mears

#41?Reed Sorenson

#88?Dale Earnhardt, Jr

#2?Kurt Busch

#48?Jimmie Johnson

#55?Michael Waltrip

#16?Greg Biffle

#1?Martin Truex Jr.

#99?Carl Edwards

PAST BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT WINNERS

#20?Tony Stewart (won in 2001, 2002, 2007)

#44?Dale Jarrett (won in 1996, 2000, 2004)

#8?Mark Martin (won in 1999)

#49?Ken Schrader (won in 1989,1990)

#21?Bill Elliott (won in 1987)

NO. 48 AT-TRACK CREW LIST

TELEVISION SCHEDULE

Sprint Cup Series

Daytona International Speedway

Thursday Feb. 7

8-9 p.m., SPEED, Bud Shootout Selection Show

Friday, Feb. 8

4-5 p.m., SPEED, NASCAR Sprint Cup PRACTICE, Bud Shootout #1

6:30-7:30 p.m., SPEED, NASCAR Sprint Cup PRACTICE, Bud Shootout #2

Saturday, Feb. 9

10:30 a.m.-noon, SPEED, NASCAR Sprint Cup PRACTICE #1, Daytona 500

1:30-3 p.m., SPEED, NASCAR Sprint Cup PRACTICE #2, Daytona 500

8-10 p.m., FOX, NASCAR Sprint Cup Budweiser Shootout

Sunday Feb. 10

1-4 p.m., FOX, NASCAR Sprint Cup QUALIFYING, Daytona 500