2017 Sony Shootout Eligibility

Driver Eligibility
- Pole Winner In 2016
- Past Shootout Winner
- Started A Race In 2016




Drivers That Are Eligible To Race
1. Noah Hart (Daytona 500, Atlanta, Sebring and Darlington 2 Pole)
2. Jacob Hart (Road Atlanta and Washington D.C. Pole)
3. Zebulun Stark (Las Vegas 1, New York 1 and Texas Pole)
4. James Silverfox (California 1 Pole)
5. Jake Baskinger (Phoenix and Darlington 1 Pole)
6. Sean Harple (Texas World Pole)
7. Nick Mace (Willow Springs and Indianapolis Pole)
8. Jeffery Finguy (Oklahoma Pole)
9. Charlie Smith (Chicagoland Pole)
10. Sean Perkins (Ohio Pole)
11. Eric Burton (Mosport Pole)
12. Richerd Johnson (Talladega 1 Pole)
13. Hayden Kline (Homestead 1 Pole)
14. Jeffery Lynn (Decatur and Sonoma Pole)
15. Jeff James (Daytona 2 and New York 2 Pole)
16. Cody Llamas (South Boston Pole)
17. Eugene Demax (Pocono, Myrtle Beach and Homestead 2 Pole)
18. Carson Scott (Michigan and Las Vegas 2 Pole)
19. Matthew Rodriguez (Kansas Pole)
20. Jordan Fisher (Carbondale Pole)
21. Alan Cavagnaro (California 2 Pole)
22. Levi Pascoe (Rockingham Pole)
23. Charles Sandfer (Talladega 2 Pole and Season 12 Sony Shootout Winner)
24. Vincent Allen (2016 Sony Shootout Winner)
25. D.J. Kurtis (2015 Sony Shootout Winner)
26. Luke Martin (Season 1 and 5 Sony Shootout Winner)


Any of these 26 drivers have the right to race. Nobody else meets the criteria. Noah Hart, Zebulun Stark, Richerd Johnson and Vincent Allen don't have full-time rides but could be entered in the race if they want to. Just because you are eligible DOESN'T mean you HAVE to enter. You can choose whether you want to race or not. Some drivers on this list race for smaller teams that might not want to risk wrecking a racecar or might want to use this race as an experiment and test the track and see how the cars race in race conditions. However, if every driver who has a full time ride for next year wants to race in this event we will have 22 cars in the Shootout, possibly more.

Eligibility limited to pole winners and past shootout winners because the series wants this event's eligibility to be focused on the Sony Pole Award winners, those drivers winning the Sony Pole Award win a ticket to the Sony Shootout. Also past winners of the Shootout will always be welcomed back to the event just as long as they started a race in last year's Sony Cup Series Season. We will stick with this format with years to come as well. Daytona 500 winners and Past Champions will be saddened to not be able to compete in the first real race of the year.


Daytona 500 Winners not able to participate
James Shelly (Season 17)
Dom Caps (Season 11)
Dillon Young (Season 10)

Past Champions not able to participate
Jordan Davis (Last years champion! Season 7 and 2016 Champion)
Jesse Turner (2015 Champion)
Dom Caps (Season 6 Champion)

Dang. so Zeb won't be racing. Ok

Noah Hart and Zebulun Stark will not be racing. There isn't any confirmation that Richerd Johnson and Vincent Allen won't particapte. We know Richerd said he was done (for now) running in the Sony Cup Series, don't know if he'd want to participate or if he could find a ride that would put him in it. Vincent Allen has offers on the table as he is already scheduled to run a one off race for the Daytona 500 for Allen Family Racing Team. Not sure if AFRT will throw him in their car, if he'd race for someone else or if he'll even want to be apart of it.

As far as we know every full time driver on the list will participate.

Roush: I would throw money in the pot for Richerd to participate, if he wants, he's a respectable person and I would love it if he won his last last start in the SCS. Also, the decision is his but if he doesn't, he doesn't

O-O

Vincent Allen To Drive For Finguy-Psytomi Motorsports For Sony Shootout


Vincent Allen will drive the #62 Finguy-Psytomi Motorsports Dodge in the Shootout. With the partnership AFRT and FPM have for 2017 and with Allen driving for Fearsport in the HNS it felt like it would be a good fit if FPM fielded him with sponsorship from Nintendo on the car as well. With no sponsorship on board for Daytona, FPM and Nintendo willing to give him the chance it seemed fitting for Vincent to take the ride. Vincent will still race for AFRT in the attempt to qualifying into the Daytona 500 but will field FPM's 2nd car and only further helping the alliance AFRT and FPM have built by having Vincent drive for FPM in the Shootout to earn more track time for speedweeks and earn valuable money for starting in the event.

Sean Perkins may skip Shootout to focus on 500, says Shootout has "lost its luster."

A rather surprising update has taken place. Sean Perkins has stated that he is unsure if he will race in the shootout or not in order to focus on the Daytona 500.

Perkins stated, "In the end it is the team's decision. Right now the Shootout has very little payoff for winning it. There aren't even enough cars in the race to make it remotely interesting either. Plus, some of our best drivers aren't eligible for the race. Our reigning champion isn't even eligible for it. I don't know the statistics, but it seems like the luster of the shootout is wearing off. Back in the day it was fun to go out there and draft with each other. But now I think we are all tired of the same old system."

Perkins then went on to suggest some changes for the Shootout.

"The first idea I came up with was turn the race into an eliminator. Start something like 30 cars in it. After a 20 lap segment, eliminate the cars running in P 26-30. Then in Segment #2, eliminate 5 more cars. Then have a final 10 lap segment where we all go extremely aggressive for an absurd amount of cash.

The second thing that the series ought to do is open up the eligibility. Allow the top 10 people in drivers points from last year who aren't already locked in. Having something like a 21 car field for this race is kind of sad and pathetic.

The third idea is one that will get me hated, but I'll say it anyway. Run the Road Course. I have always said Super-speedways are a crapshoot. Exhibition races are supposed to be fun, and allow us to get extremely aggressive with each other. Sadly, we can't do that on a super-speedway because we may end up in the catch-fencing if we did. By running the road course, or a modified short track, we could beat and bang, and put on a show that the fans will love.

These are just a few ideas... Not sure if I will race or not yet. Focusing solely on the Daytona 500 might be what I need to get BFM into victory lane."

Finguy: "Shocked and Ecstatic" About the Decision of Vincent Allen

Confirming and accepting the news of Fearsport driver Vincent Allen, to join in a One-off appearance in the Sony Shootout. Jeffery Finguy will welcome Vincent as a driver in his and another owner in Hardee's National, as well as to strengthen the partnership between FPM & AFRT, for at least helping out Vincent with this chance to compete in the Sony Shootout and only the Sony Shootout.

"To be quite honest, this is an opportunity I never would had imagined. Vincent (Allen) is a young driver and one that I can see that will be prominent sometime soon in due time in the SCS." Being questioned about why he agreed to this deal was one thing. "It's a shootout. It's all for fun. Plus it's free track time. You can respect the decision to not race or to compete. We have an example of both. From well, 'comrade' Sean Perkins. To young Allen. We will help Vincent to this point, but I can respect his decision to go sponsor less with his families team going into the 500. But this one-off is going to be a special one. Let's hope me and Vincent can get the job done."

Roush: I hope Vincent does a great job! I'll be pulling for him. I am not shocked about Perkins, however. I have sort of expected this to happen because he wants to rebell against anything he can to be a rebel. I wouldn't take it for granted and I would be THRILLED to take part in this event because it is about money, not points but M O N E Y. Which means everyone will be at their best to try and win. It doesn't need to be changed. I love the fact that a select few polesitters will be here to show what they got. I loved it when I was a kid and watched this race growing up and seeing a few of the new cars race before the big show starts. Not everything needs updating, some things can stay the same. However, a randomizer for qualifying would be cool as hell, but it is only a suggestion.

Hey it's no big deal for me. My crew doesn't need to prepare another car, they can still come down to watch. I can get to relax and have a good time in the pits/garage and cheer on my teammates. Maybe go up into the main grandstands and talk to fans.