Sorenson tops chart in final practice

Chip Ganassi Racing's Reed Sorenson led a wild final Budweiser Shootout practice session at Daytona International Speedway. In a session in which two separate incidents led to crashes involving at least 10 of the 23 cars that will be in the race, Sorenson survived unscathed. Sorenson led the session with a lap of 187.099, but the big story involved the number of teams that had to go to backup cars.

Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, along with Penske Racing's Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman, were all planning to bring cars to Daytona from North Carolina after sustaining significant damage in the two incidents. Joe Gibbs Racing's Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin, Richard Childress Racing's Clint Bowyer, Wood Brothers Racing's Bill Elliott, Roush Fewnway Racing's Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s Mark Martin and Yates Racing's David Gilliland also sustained damage.

Stewart and Busch crashed late in the session, with Stewart appearing to push Busch to the wall, then the two banging their cars together following the incident. The pair met with NASCAR officials, who would not divulge whether penalties will follow.