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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Now, will things get better for Kevin Harvick?

He battled the flu this week but recovered to drive in Saturdays' Budweiser Shootout, winning when Greg Biffle wrecked as they raced side-by-side for the lead. Harvick won this race a year ago, but it proved to be the only race he or any of his Richard Childress Racing teammates won last year. The question becomes if this is a sign of the team's continued improvement seen at the end of the year or be the mirage last year's Shootout win was?

For now, Harvick will enjoy the win and ignore the memory of last year's woes.

Kasey Kahne finished second with Jamie McMurray, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin completing the top five. Brian Vickers was sixth with Joey Logano seventh, Jeff Gordon eighth, Tony Stewart ninth and Juan Pablo Montoya 10th.

"It was pretty wild at the end," McMurray said, "but that's what it was all about."

The race ended under caution after Biffle, racing Harvick for the win, spun as Jeff Gordon bump-drafted him. During the previous caution, Biffle, who inherited the lead by staying out, thought he had a tire going down.

Either way, Biffle's spin caused several cars to crash and allowed Harvick to win this event again.

Five times the Budweiser Shootout winner went on to win the Daytona 500 a week later. Dale Jarrett last did it in 2000.

It was not a good night for Daytona 500 front-row starters Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Martin, who won the pole for the 500 earlier in the day, triggered a crash and then later had his car jump out of gear, dropping him to the rear. He finished 20th. Earnhardt, who will start second in the 500, battled handling issues most of the race and never was a factor. He finished 11th.

A caution with five laps to go led to most of the field pitting. Biffle moved into the lead by not pitting and Kahne followed him. Everyone else pitted. McMurray restarted third with Harvick next to him.

Kurt Busch's race ended on the 33rd lap when Mark Martin clipped him. Busch spun into the infield grass along the frontstretch and then came back up the track before he slammed the wall head-on.

"That was my fault," Martin radioed his crew. "My fault. I had too much going on. I didn't see him. I had too much going on."

It was Martin's second crash in three days. He and Denny Hamlin got together in Thursday's first practice session.

After the incident, Busch's new crew chief, Steve Addington, tried to console his team, saying: "Everybody keep their heads up. (Next) Sunday, that's the big one."

This was the second time Busch also had crashed in three days after contact with other cars.

"I'm making more laps in the ambulance than in a car,'' said Busch, who was uninjured after returning from the infield care center after a mandatory visit.

Jeff Burton also was the victim of contact. Kyle Busch hit Burton and he slid up the track. While Burton gathered the car, he had a tire go down. He spun before he could make it to pit road, bringing out a caution on lap 41.

And, Michael Waltrip was involved in two incidents that brought out cautions.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com

NASCAR Sprint Cup Budweiser Shootout Results

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (AP) — Results Saturday from NASCAR's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway (start position in parentheses):

1. (2) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 76 laps
2. (19) Kasey Kahne, Ford, 76
3. (9) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 76
4. (17) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 76
5. (24) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 76
6. (23) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 76
7. (21) Joey Logano, Toyota, 76
8. (3) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 76
9. (13) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 76
10. (20) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 76
11. (11) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 76
12. (7) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 76
13. (16) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 76
14. (14) Ken Schrader, Toyota, 76
15. (5) Greg Biffle, Ford, accident, 74
16. (8) Matt Kenseth, Ford, accident, 74
17. (1) Carl Edwards, Ford, accident, 74
18. (12) Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, accident, 74
19. (4) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, accident, 74
20. (6) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, accident, 74
21. (15) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, accident, 69
22. (10) John Andretti, Ford, accident, 69
23. (22) Kurt Busch, Dodge, accident, 32
24. (18) Derrike Cope, Dodge, engine, 15

Average speed of race winner: 144.670 mph (232.81 kph).
Time of race: 1 hour, 18 minutes, 48 seconds.
Margin of victory: Under Caution.
Caution flags: 5 for 14 laps.
Lead changes: 12 among 5 drivers.
Lap leaders: C.Edwards 1-29; J.McMurray 30; C.Edwards 31-43; T.Stewart 44-46; K.Harvick 47-50; G.Biffle 51; K.Harvick 52-61; T.Stewart 62-64; K.Harvick 65-66; J.McMurray 67; K.Harvick 68-70; G.Biffle 71-74; K.Harvick 75-76.
Leaders summary (driver, times led, laps led): C.Edwards, 2 times for 42 laps; K.Harvick, 5 times for 21 laps; T.Stewart, 2 times for 6 laps; G.Biffle, 2 times for 5 laps; J.McMurray, 2 times for 2 laps.