How do you check out the love interest of your teenager?

This is the first time my 15 yr old daughter has been so interested in a boy that she's worried about whether he'll ask her out, or not. Ftr, she hasn't been allowed to date yet and we've kept her busy w/sports, which is her first love. She was elected female class representative to her high school's homecoming court, and about the time of homecoming week, she approached this boy who had been eying her, and scared the bejesus out of him, but now, rumor has it (his friend asked her if she would talk to this boy after 3rd period) this boy wants to ask her out to the winter ball... Winter ball is a school dance where they sell tickets and require students to bring I.D., lock them into the ballroom w/chaperones, it's all safe, or so it seems... Last year, she went w/the whole vb team as a group. This year, it's possibly going to be with this boy... So, now what? Do I check out his family, or what? Who will be the driver to this event- the boy is too young to drive... Should I invite his whole family over for barbeque lunch before the event? (That's what I'm thinking I'd like to do...) My daughter would be mortified, I'm sure... She told me the boy is almost painfully shy... I gave his name to my oldest son, who was a soldier in Afghanistan and knows plenty people who live in the area this boy does, so I'm expecting him to find out stuff about him... That just seemed like the next step to me, but I'm thinking perhaps that might have been overreaction... I didn't worry so much about my boys when they were teens...