The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Tony Stewart is NASCAR's Prince of Darkness because he loves racing at night.

So, the Winston Cup champion couldn't be happier that the Budweiser Shootout - the first competition of the year for the sport's 19 biggest names - will be run under the lights for the first time today.

"It's a perfect time of day for me," Stewart said. "When I really get going is when the sun goes down. For once, I won't be rubbing my eyes at the drivers meeting."

Stewart forged much of his early racing success under the lights on short tracks.

The race tonight at Daytona International Speedway is the 25th edition of the made-for-TV event that began as the Busch Clash. It pays $200,000 to the winner.

The non-points race includes the previous season's pole winners and former winners of the event.

This year's field includes the top 11 finishers in the 2002 Winston Cup standings, 15 pole winners and former Shootout winners Mark Martin, Terry Labonte, Ken Schrader and Geoffrey Bodine.

Bodine is the only driver in the lineup without a ride for 2003 and the man who picked the pole position for the race in a blind draw.

Bodine, driving brother Brett's car, finished third in last year's Daytona 500 but was unable to find a ride for the race Feb. 16. Brett, a owner-driver, didn't think to offer Geoffrey his car until last week.

"He deserves to be in the field," Brett said.

Among Geoffrey's competitors will be his other brother, Todd.

"Maybe we can team up and help each other," said Geoffrey, a former Daytona winner. "I'd love to see him or me win this Shootout. But this is Brett's car and he is on a tight budget. I have to be careful."

The Shootout will be the first opportunity for Winston Cup Series regulars to test their new cars under race conditions.

Chevrolet and Pontiac are introducing new models, and all four makes, including Ford and Dodge, now have to fit a series of standard templates to make it through technical inspection.

Three-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Jarrett is excited about the likelihood that all of the cars will be on a level plain this year because of the so-called "common templates."

"To be quite honest, the last two years just because of the rules ... we felt like they were certainly against our Fords a little bit, so you didn't get as excited," the 1999 Series champion said. "You were still excited to be at Daytona to start a new season, and knew that if everything went perfect, we might be able to get into Victory Lane, but this year is different.

"I think we now have rules that allow anybody that's here the opportunity to win."

The format for this year's race has been changed. Instead of running 70 laps with no break, this year's Shootout will be halted for a 10-minute intermission after the first 20 laps and then will close with a 50-lap dash on the 2 1/2-mile oval.

"The break will give teams, especially with this being a night race, a chance if they've missed their setups a little bit, to come in and correct that and finish out the race where they need to be," Winston Cup director John Darby said.

Another factor will be the smaller gas tank required by NASCAR at Daytona and Talladega, forcing teams to pit more often. NASCAR hopes to break up the huge, dangerous packs of cars on the big, fast tracks.

"That's where the strategic part of the Shootout will come into play," Darby said. "If we have a caution somewhere after the break, I look for everyone to come down pit road, trying to get enough fuel to make it to the end."

NASCAR schedule

Today

ARCA Re/Max Advance Discount Auto Parts 200, 4:30 p.m., Speed Channel

NASCAR Budweiser Shootout, 8 p.m., Ch. 19, 45

Sunday

NASCAR Goody's Dash 150, 11 a.m., Speed Channel

NASCAR Winston Cup qualifying for pole, second front-row spot, 1 p.m., Ch. 19, 45

Thursday

NASCAR Gatorade 125 qualifying races, 1 p.m., FX

Friday

True Value International Race of Champions, 11 a.m.

NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Florida Dodge Dealers 250, 1 p.m., Speed Channel.

Feb. 15

NASCAR Busch Koolerz 300, 1 p.m., Ch. 19, 45

Feb. 16

NASCAR Daytona 500, 1 p.m., Ch. 19, 45