Daytona Beach, Fla. ? Rules nearly overshadowed racing Sunday in the Budweiser Shootout.

A mostly single-file race turned into, well, a shootout at the end, with Tony Stewart winning for the second straight year with an Earnhardt in his rearview mirror.

On Sunday, it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Stewart’s rear bumper right to the finish line in the race that is considered a sneak preview of next weekend’s Daytona 500.

Last year, Stewart outdueled Dale Earnhardt Sr. in the made-for-TV event at Daytona International speedway, just a week before the seven-time Winston Cup champion was killed in the Daytona 500.

“Winning that race last year with that black No. 3 in my mirror was the highlight of my career,” Stewart said. “But this was just like last year. He may have ‘Junior’ behind his name, but he drives like Senior.”

Jeff Gordon, the reigning Winston Cup champion, was also part of the exciting finish. The four-time champ drew the last starting spot in the 22-car field but worked his No. 24 Chevrolet into position to make a run at the leader near the end of the 70-lap event.

Stewart led a five-car breakaway in the waning laps, pulling Earnhardt Jr., Sterling Marlin, Ken Schrader and Gordon in a tight single file for lap after lap. Finally, six laps from the end, Gordon, who seemed to be one of the few drivers who could consistently pass other cars, made a move around Schrader on the high side to take fourth. Gordon and Schrader then combined to pass Marlin two laps from the end.

On the final trip around the 21/2-mile oval, Gordon chose the high side of the banked oval and got alongside Earnhardt. The two bogged down coming off the fourth turn, and Stewart’s No. 20 Pontiac won by about a car length as Earnhardt’s Chevy edged Gordon for second.

Stewart fell to fifth, just behind Earnhardt, after the two made their mandatory green-flag pit stops on lap 40 and 41, respectively. It took Stewart only until lap 47 to move back to the lead, with Earnhardt in second.

Stewart averaged 181.295 mph and won $200,955.