DAYTONA BEACH (AP) – Paul Menard started the first wreck of the 2009 NASCAR season.

Menard, the pole-sitter for Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout, got sideways during Friday’s practice at Daytona International Speedway and crashed with rookie Scott Speed.

As Menard slowed down while trying to straighten out his No. 98 Ford in a turn on the 2 1/2-mile superspeedway, Speed drove his No. 82 Toyota into his left-front fender. Both cars spun across the track and came to a stop near the infield.

“The guy in front of me started spinning out and slowing down, and I had nowhere to go, so I started doing the same,” said Speed, a former Formula One driver. “I couldn’t really see much, honestly. … It’s good we got my first wreck under my belt here at Daytona.”

Speed’s car sustained little damage, but Menard’s had to be towed to the garage area. Menard was treated and released from the infield car facility. He said he thought he had a tire going flat before the spin.

Team officials said Menard’s team was going to repair the damage instead of going to a backup car. If they can’t fix it, Menard would have to switch cars and start from the back of the 28-car field. If that happens, Reed Sorenson would become the pole-sitter for NASCAR’s non-points, All-Star event that officially kicks off Speedweeks.

The two practice sessions had a few other hairy moments, too.

Kyle Busch got hit from behind shortly after Menard’s wreck. Jeff Burton blew an engine and will have to start from the back of the pack in Saturday’s race. Kasey Kahne brushed the wall through one turn. Carl Edwards narrowly avoided a crash when he had to make a quick move at high speed to avoid a piece of debris that flew off another car.

Busch and three-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson had the fastest laps in the first practice. Johnson was atop the speed chart in the second session. His top speed was 192.620 mph.

The Shootout will have the largest field in its 31-year history.

NASCAR changed the format last summer and then tweaked the rules last month, increasing the field to 28. That’s seven more entries than last season and six more than the previous record set in 2002.

The field now consists of the top six cars in owners points from each of the sport’s four manufacturers and another wild-card entry for Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge and Toyota. The four wild cards this year are AJ Allmendinger, Sam Hornish Jr., Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart.

“It’s really big for us,” said Stewart, debuting with his own team. “It’s not two days of testing. I would much rather trade and get these two days of Shootout practice and the Shootout versus three days of testing down here. That’s going to be a lot more valuable to us.”

FOYT’S 14: Two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart will have legendary driver A.J. Foyt’s number and his support in the Daytona 500.

Stewart will drive the No. 14 made famous by Foyt, a four-time Indianapolis 500 1972 Daytona 500 champion.

LUG NUTS: A Ford will pace the field at Daytona International Speedway for the first time in almost 40 years – a 2010 Shelby GT500.