Saturday nights All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for drivers is like a bullet shot from a high-powered gun..jpg)
With no points on the line, it’s pure racing. A fast and furious 100 laps 150 miles of no holds barred action topped off with a ten-lap shootout that has the potential to add another memorable ending to 24 years of amazing finishes.
Not to mention a paycheck worth $1,022,975 to the winner.
From Dale Earnhardt Senior’s ‘pass in the grass’ in 1987, to Darrell Waltrip’s ‘Tide Slide’ in 1989 the All Star race has produced some of NASCAR’s most electrifying finishes.
Returning this year is a format that features a final 10-lap shootout, a segment that has been responsible for some of those thrilling highlights.
“From a fan standpoint, it really drives the race,” said Mark Martin. “A 10-lap shootout is a huge, huge deal. It puts a lot of excitement in it, a sense of urgency. I think it's a good move. Sparks will fly once again at Lowe's Motor Speedway.”
Martin himself was at the center of one of those finishes. In his1998 all-star victory, Martin fought his way through the pack during the10-lap final segment and scored the win when Jeff Gordon ran out of gas on the last turn of the last lap.
Gordon too has a lot of memories of the All Star race. He’s won it three times, tying Earnhardt Senior for the most wins.
His first victory came in 1995. In only his second start in the event Gordon staged a dominating performance winning all the segments.
Two years later Gordon again dominated. In that victory however, Gordon raced a car that NASCAR said, while legal, was a machine that could never race again.
"The Jurassic Park car, 'T-Rex,' was just an effort by Hendrick Motorsports to build a better, faster car," said Gordon. "It was built primarily for one race - the all-star race in 1997. At the same time, though, we felt some of the ideas - if they worked - could be adapted to future cars.
"We didn't know we were going to be as strong as we were, win the race and get the attention of NASCAR quite the way we did. We were within the rules, but they didn't like some of the things we did with the car and wanted to make some rule changes. "
For the uninitiated here’s how the All-Star event works. Those eligible include former winners of the event, Sprint Cup champions from the past 10 years who are active drivers and have competed in at least one event in the past year, drivers who have won a Sprint Cup race in the last 12 months and two drivers who will transfer in from the Sprint Showdown. There’s also one more entry, a driver that fans will vote in.
The race itself is made up of four segments; the first is a 50 lap run, then two 20-lap sprints and the final 10-lap dash for the win.
Pit stops will be regulated as well. During the first segment there will be a mandatory green flag stop on lap 25 that requires teams to change all four tires. Between the first two segments there will be a yellow flag period when teams can changes tires, add fuel or make chassis adjustments.
Then there’ll be a 10-minute break between the third and last segment where crews can again perform normal service.
Keep in mind that drivers coming from the Showdown or the fan vote aren’t exactly hopeless heroes grateful to simply make the show. In 1996 Michael Waltrip raced his way in to the All Star event and won, and last years winner Kasey Kahne was voted in by the fans.
In fact recently the fans voted Kahne’s winning effort last year as the greatest racing moment in Lowe’s Motor speedway history.
"I've seen some pretty incredible races and finishes at Lowe's Motor Speedway," said Kahne. "The fans got me into the All-Star Race last year and I owe that victory to them. It's pretty cool that they've voted that moment as the best. The speedway has a lot of history and I am proud to be a part of it."
So sit down and hold on, the All Star race will be locked and loaded Saturday night ready for one wild night of racing that’s sure to add another memorable finish to the record books.
"Winning the all-star race is really hard because obviously you only get a shot at it once a year and there's so much preparation going into it and it's an exciting race,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr. who won in 2000 and become the only rookie so far to win the event.
“I think it's a great addition to our season,” he added. “I'm looking forward to seeing how the format works out this year. I think going 10 laps at the end of the race is an exciting option for the drivers and the fans. I'm really more excited about it this year than I had been in years past. Some of the formats in my opinion were really, really boring. So this is pretty exciting for me."
Meet the All-Stars:
(From NASCAR Media)
In addition to event rookie Brad Keselowski, 17 others have entered the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. (Dale Jarrett and Terry Labonte, who qualified, declined.). In addition, the top-two finishers in the Sprint Showdown qualify, along with the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote.
Driver: Greg Biffle
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No.16 3M Ford
Previous All-Star Appearances: 5
Best Finish: 2nd (2008)
Why He’s in: Won at N. Hampshire, Sept. 2008
What He’s Saying:
“Hopefully, I come up one spot better than I did last year. I finished second at both (LMS) races. We’re gonna work hard at it.”
Driver: Clint Bowyer
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet
All-Star Appearances: 1
Best Finish: 18th (2008)
Why He’s In: Won at Richmond, May 2008
What He’s Saying:
“It should be a wild finish, that’s for sure. A million bucks on the line with 10 to go, fans can’t ask for more than that. “
Driver: Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet
All-Star Appearances: 11
Best Finish: 4th (1998, 2007)
Why He’s In: Won at Bristol, April 2008
What He’s Saying:
“Every sport needs an all-star event. Our all-star event, I think, is the best all-star event — period. End of story. Every other all-star event, the intensity goes down. Our all-star event, the intensity goes up.”
Driver: Kurt Busch
Team: Penske Racing
Car: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
All-Star Appearances: 7
Best Finish: 2nd (2003)
Why He’s In: Won at N. Hampshire, June 2008
What He’s Saying:
“You jump into the all-star race and it’s just a whole different atmosphere and attitude. … This race is just an entirely different animal. … You can bet that things will surely get heated up and there will be fireworks for sure.’
Driver: Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 M&M’s Toyota
All-Star Appearances: 3
Best Finish: 16th (2006)
Why He’s In: Won at Atlanta, March 2008
What He’s Saying:
“I think my favorite (all-star) memory of watching as a fan growing up was the T-Rex car in ‘97 with Jeff Gordon, being a Jeff Gordon fan and watching him dominate that night and pretty much take everybody to school.”
Driver: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Nat’l Guard/Amp Energy Chevrolet
All-Star Appearances: 9
Best Finish: 1st (2000)
Why He’s In: Won at Michigan, June 2008
What He’s Saying:
“Winning the all-star race is really hard because obviously you only get a shot at it once a year … I think it’s a great addition to our season … I’m looking forward to seeing how the format works out.”
Driver: Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Aflac Ford
All-Star Appearances: 3
Best Finish: 4th (2006)
Why He’s In: Won at Auto Club, Feb. 2008
What He’s Saying:
“The All-Star race is fun. Everybody wants to win it bad. The 10-lap shootout format is gonna be wild. I think the fans will be on their feet one way or another.”
Driver: Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet
All-Star Appearances: 15
Best Finish: 1st (1995, ‘97, 2001)
Why He’s In: Won at Texas in April
What He’s Saying:
“The All-Star race is a spectacular event … everybody in that race is a proven winner … you don’t get into that race easily. “
Driver: Denny Hamlin
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 11 FedEx Toyota
All-Star Appearances: 2
Best Finish: 17th (2007)
Why He’s In: Won at Martinsville, March 2008
What He’s Saying:
“Our car just wasn’t as good at night (at Darlington, finishing 13th) as it was during the day. ... It’s just something we have to work on.”
Driver: Kevin Harvick
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 29 Pennzoil Chevrolet
All-Star Appearances: 8
Best Finish: 1st (2007)
Why He’s In: Won 2007 all-star race
What He’s Saying:
“Night racing is where we all grew up. We all grew up racing at a Saturday night or Friday night short track, whatever the case may be. I guess it just brings out the best in all of us. It is a lot of fun and exciting to watch."
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet
All-Star Appearances: 7
Best Finish: 1st (2003 and ‘06)
Why He’s In: Won at Phoenix, April 2008
What He’s Saying:
“This race is an all-star event so in my opinion you need to do something exceptional to get into it and I think our system works. And there's a high car count, so that's exciting.”
Driver: Kasey Kahne
Team: Richard Petty Motorsports
Car: No. 9 Budweiser Dodge
All-Star Appearances: 5
Best Finish: 1st (2008)
Why He’s In: Won 2008 Coca-Cola 600
What He’s Saying:
“Absolutely, it’s all about the fans. We couldn’t have won last year without the fans voting us into the race. The drivers and crews are out there to thank the fans and put on a good show for them.”
Driver: Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 DEWALT Ford
All-Star Appearances: 8
Best Finish: 1st (2004)
Why He’s In: Won Daytona 500 in February
What He’s Saying:
“My favorite all-star memory is when we passed Newman right at the end of that race to win it. We were having a pretty good battle and to be able to pull it off was pretty cool.”
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Team: Phoenix Racing
Car: No. 09 Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort Dodge
All-Star Appearances: None
Best Finish: n/a
Why He’s In: Won at Talladega in April
What He’s Saying:
“I thought winning Talladega was awesome, but when I found out I would be in the all-star event … I mean, who wouldn’t want the chance to race for a million dollars?”
Driver: Bobby Labonte
Team: Hall of Fame Racing
Car: No. 96 ASK.com Ford
All-Star Appearances: 14
Best Finish: 2nd (1997 and ‘98)
Why He’s In: Won 2000 series championship
What He’s Saying:
“I was pleased where we ended up (18th) at Darlington. That car was so tight, I hope we can get a handle on that for (the all-star race)”
Driver: Mark Martin
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet
All-Star Appearances: 19
Best Finish: 1st (1998 and 2005)
Why He’s In: Won at Phoenix in April
What He’s Saying:
“This is the all-star race. Even though it has rendered frustration for me from time to time, the format has also rendered me great rewards at other times.”
Driver: Ryan Newman
Team: Stewart-Haas Racing
Car: No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet
All-Star Appearances: 7
Best Finish: 1st (2002)
Why He’s In: Won 2008 Daytona 500
What He’s Saying:
“The atmosphere is entirely different at the all-star race than at most all of the other races throughout the season. Sparks fly.”
Driver: Tony Stewart
Team: Stewart-Haas Racing
Car: No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet
All-Star Appearances: 10
Best Finish: 2nd (1999)
Why He’s In: Won at Talladega, October 2008
What He’s Saying:
“I’m really proud of everybody at Stewart-Haas. We're doing things right. It's just a matter of time (before we win this year)."
Fast Facts
The Race: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
The Date: Saturday, May 16
The Track: Lowe’s Motor Speedway (1.5-mile quad-oval)
The Time: 9 p.m. ET
The Distance: 100 laps/150 miles
TV: SPEED. 7 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN and Sirius Satellite (WSOC FM 103.7 local)
2008 Polesitter: Kyle Busch
2008 Winner: Kasey Kahne
Schedule:Friday—Practice, 1:30-2:50 p.m. 6:05—Qualifying.
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