Daytona Beach, Fla. ? Dale Earnhardt Jr. powered past Jeff Gordon five laps from the end Saturday night and held off the four-time Winston Cup champion to win the Budweiser Shootout.

Earnhardt appeared able to wheel his red No. 8 Chevrolet to the front any time he wanted, staying at or near the lead throughout the 70-lap made-for-TV event at Daytona International Speedway.

Little E was already considered the favorite to win the Daytona 500 pole today and to win the big race on Feb. 16. His performance in the first Shootout under the lights didn’t hurt that speculation.

With Gordon, a two-time Shootout winner, leading at the start of lap 66, Earnhardt, with some drafting help from Ryan Newman, took the outside line on the high-banked 21¼2-mile oval and charged to the front.

Gordon pushed his Chevy hard the last five laps, trying to get back past Earnhardt, but he never quite caught the high-flying third-generation driver.

Asked about taking the lead, Junior said,

“I can’t remember, there was so much happening the last two laps,” Earnhardt said when asked about his move to the lead. “But I stayed out front. That’s a tough win.”

It was only the second time Earnhardt has qualified for the non-points race featuring the previous year’s Winston Cup pole winners and former Shootout champions. Last year, he finished second to Tony Stewart.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. crosses the finish line to win the Budweiser Shootout. The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup season began Saturday in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Earnhardt, who started last in the lineup determined by a blind draw, was hemmed in at the rear for a few laps, but finally broke free and began to move forward by diving to the bottom of the banking and making a three-wide pass.

He moved steadily forward and took the lead for the first time on the 16th of 70 laps, passing the Ford of Kurt Busch, who had led from lap five.

Under a new format, the 19 starters in the 25th Shootout raced for 20 laps, then took a 10-minute intermission, during which their crews were allowed to make any changes to the car they wanted.

Earnhardt, who won $205,000, beat Gordon to the finish line by 0.180 seconds — about four car-lengths. There were no caution flags and the winner averaged 180.827 mph.

Matt Kenseth finished third, followed by Newman, 2002’s top rookie.