The Budweiser Pole Award (also known as the Bud Pole Award, and previously the Busch Pole Award) was an award given to the fastest qualifier in each NASCAR NEXTEL Cup (formerly Winston Cup) points paying race. Each driver who won a Budweiser Pole Award in the previous season was entered in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway a week before the season-opening Daytona 500. The Budweiser Pole Award was not given at events where Budweiser Pole Qualifying was rained out and the line-up was determined by owner's points. The Budweiser Pole Award was replaced by the Coors Light Pole Award in 2008 when Coors replaced Budweiser as the official beer of NASCAR.[1]
As a [[contingency sponsorship], in order to fully be eligible for the Budweiser Pole Award and receive the berth into the Budweiser Shootout, the car must have been affixed with the designated Anheuser-Busch decal. Affixing the decal to the car was optional, and was not specifically required on the respective the entry blank for the race. (As a comparison, note that during the Winston Cup era, R.J. Reynolds decals were required by rules).
If a car did not have the decal affixed, the car/driver were still scored as the fastest qualifier, and lines up on race day in position 1. However, the pole award trophy, cash prize, and Shootout berth were withheld and the pole award was not recognized. The next-fastest driver (provided they carry the decal) defaults as the 'unofficial' Budweiser Pole Award winner, but did not receive the Shoutout berth.
The decal issue was seldom an issue except for drivers under the age of 21, in which case, drivers under 21 may have carried a generic "Anheuser-Busch Pole Award" decal. Petty Enterprises, who traditionally refused to allow alcohol sponsorship on their cars, also did not carry Budweiser Pole Award decals on their cars.