Complete Preview of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will take a week off from points racing to reward its All-Star drivers. Saturday night will be the 29^th running of the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  

Jeff Gordon is tied with Jimmie Johnson for the most Sprint All-Star Race wins by active drivers. Each driver has three wins. Johnson won the race last year.

Where: Charlotte Motor Speedway

When: Saturday, May 18 at 7 p.m. ET

TV: Speed TV

Race Format

NASCAR has made changes for the 2013 Sprint All-Star Race. In addition to the race format, the pit-crew challenge has been removed from the schedule this year. Here is the 2013 Sprint All-Star Race format:

Sprint Showdown Qualifying: Two laps, with the fastest lap counting—Friday, May 17 at 5 p.m. ET, TV-SPEED

Sprint All-Star Race Qualifying: Three lap average, with a pit stop with a mandatory 4-tire change—Friday, May 4 at 6 p.m. ET, TV-SPEED

Sprint Showdown Race: 40-lap race preceding the Sprint All-Star Race. The top two finishers will be entered into the All-Star race and will start in the back of the field.

Sprint All-Star Race: Four 20-lap segments and one 10-lap segment to finish the race

* The drivers will come down pit road for a mandatory four-tire pit stop following the completion of the fourth segment. The order the drivers will come down pit road will be determined by the average finishing order of the drivers in the first four segments. Cars will be lined up for the final 10-lap segment based upon the order they leave pit road. Only green flag laps will count in the final segment.

Sprint All-Star Race Drivers

Drivers who have won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race in the current and preceding year, drivers who have won the Sprint All-Star Race in the past 10 years and drivers who have won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship in the past 10 years are qualifying for the Sprint All-Star Race.

18 Drivers have qualified for the Sprint All-Star Race:

No. 2 Brad Keselowski

No. 5 Kasey Kahne

No. 9 Marcos Ambrose

No. 11 Denny Hamlin

No. 14 Tony Stewart

No. 15 Clint Bowyer

No. 16 Greg Biffle

No. 18 Kyle Busch

No. 20 Matt Kenseth

No. 22 Joey Logano

No. 24 Jeff Gordon

No. 29 Kevin Harvick

No. 34 David Ragan

No. 39 Ryan Newman

No. 48 Jimmie Johnson

No. 78 Kurt Busch

No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

No. 99 Carl Edwards

Fan Vote

The fans are able to select a driver who is not already qualified for the Sprint All-Star Race. The driver must finish the Showdown Race on the lead lap and have a car that is in driveable conditions for the Sprint All-Star Race. Fans can vote for the driver they would like to see in the All-Star race on the nascar.com Fan Vote Page.

Best of NASCAR All-Star Race

Sprint All-Star Race Prediction

The Gen-6 car has improved the racing and should make the Sprint All-Star Race one of the best races to watch this season. Matt Kenseth has had speed at almost every race this year. Kenseth is my pick to visit Victory Lane Saturday night.

Follow me on Twitter @MrFantantasyNASCAR