Who Will Come Out on Top in the Sprint All-Star Race?

The Sprint All-Star race. An event consider by many to be the best "all-star" event in all of sports.

Now what the big questions are is first who is going to get to transferred into the main event from the evenings first race, the Sprint Showdown?

Thirty-five teams will take the green flag and fight tooth and nail for 40 total laps, two segments of 20 laps each, to be one of the two teams that will earn their way into the main event.

This year's edition of the Sprint Showdown will feature a few reigning winners and runner-ups whom have transferred into the main event through this means before.

2008 winner A.J. Allmendinger and runner-up Sam Hornish will start tenth and eighth respectively.

2007 winner Martin Truex Jr. will be taking the green flag from the sixth position.

2006 winner Scott Riggs will start from the fifth position with 2005 winner Brian Vickers starting in the 31st position.

At the conclusion of Showdown practice it was A.J. Allmendinger showing the way with a fast time of 29.634 seconds. The rest of the top five in practice were Martin Truex Jr., Casey Mears, Joe Nemechek and Elliott Sadler.

Now since it will be hard to pick just two drivers to say these guys are going to transfer due to the "unknown" factor that is always present on the All-Star night I am going to do like I do every week and pick four drivers and one underdog.

A.J. Allmendinger

Yeah I am onioning up and picking last year's showdown winner to repeat his performance and why not? A.J. has only been performing exponentially better then he did at this time last year and is determined to make it back into the main event.

Fastest in practice and loving his new home in that 44 car for Richard Petty Motorsports look for the guy they call "Dinger" to win this one for the King.

David Reutimann

"The Franchise" as he has become known around the MWR shop will continue to be the franchise player and will have the best shot to represent MWR in the main event of the evening.

While Reutimann doesn't have the best of records at the mile and a half in Charlotte I feel that the adrenaline boost of racing for money and glory will give him that extra push he needs.

Marcos Ambrose

Has the guy not been impressive over the last couple of weeks bringing home solid finishes and being that guy that is kinda lingering with the chance of competing for the win.

Look for Ambrose to put a strong case to represent the rookie class of 2009 in this year's main event.

Joey Logano

This kid may just be starting to come into his own and bringing home solid top ten finishes, I feel the combination of two teammates that do well at tracks like Lowe's and the adrenaline boost of short-track style racing under the lights will motivate him into competing for one of those top two spots.

Underdog: Joe Nemechek

I feel ole Front Row Joe is definitely due a good finish and I wouldn't be surprised after the way he ran in practice today to seem he place that Chevy of his into the main event.

If he does it will be a great boost for him and his team and help with their seemingly never-ending search for sponsorship dollars. Let's just hope if he makes it in Red Bull doesn't come running over with another check.

Now that we've covered the Sprint Showdown there is still one more spot in the main event that will go to the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote.

With the polls closing Saturday night and early word being that A.J. Allmendinger, Bill Elliott and Joey Logano are leading the vote getter's I wouldn't be surprised to see this vote go to Bill Elliott in the end.

Obviously I did include two of those three drivers in my picks to earn their transfer spots through the Showdown and even if Logano doesn't finish in the top two I get the feeling that Elliott will edge the 18 year old out in the polls.

So that brings us to the main event totalling in 100 laps spread across four segments.

The first segment, the longest of the night, will consist of 50 laps with a mandatory green flag pit stop at the half-way mark. In this segment the team with the best 20-25 lap setup will find their way to the front and stay there.

The following two segments are 20 laps a piece and be separated by only a caution flag where teams have the options of pitting. This would make one think that the team that can make the tires last 40 laps and not have to utilize that pit stop will be in the front at the end but there is that final 10 lap shootout at the end.

This 10 lap shootout will favor drivers like Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart who love hanging their cars out there on the edge and not leaving anything out there on the track.

The race will consist of former All-Star race winners Kasey Kahne(2008), Kevin Harvick(2007), Jimmie Johnson(2006,2003), Mark Martin(2005,1998), Matt Kenseth(2004), Ryan Newman(2002), Jeff Gordon(2001,1997,1995) and Dale Earnhardt Jr.(2000). Every race winner since 2000 will be starting this event and all will present a challenge for the win.

Obviously this is a difficult race to pick for and an even harder race to label someone the "underdog" so I'm going to pick out my top three drivers that I think this year's format will play to their strengths in the end.

Kyle Busch

Hard to pick against the guy in a race where the format is all-or-nothing either bring home the money or bring home the car in a box trying to get the money.

The short sprints for the final three segments will benefit Kyle since short fast runs where he leaves nothing on the table is just the kind of runs he loves.

Jimmie Johnson

While I'm not saying its some kind of conspiracy that Johnson has been dominant at the track that bears the name of his sponsor, Lowe's, you definitely can't deny that Jimmie and his crew chief, Chad Knaus, seem to have this place figured out.

Jimmie already has three titles in a row, tying Yarborough's mark look for him to make a case for tying another mark by winning his third All-Star race tying the mark currently held by teammate Jeff Gordon and the late Dale Earnhardt.

Mark Martin

Mark "The Kid" Martin also has the chance to tie the mark of three All-Star victories and become the oldest winner of the All-Star event.

Martin, who will be 50 years and 127 days old on Saturday, will be gunning for them young kids and looking to show them how a real "all-star" does it. Not to mention he has that Hendrick equipment and access to the same notes as teammates Gordon and Johnson.

No matter what at the end of the night the true winners will be us, the fans. This race will have unbridled excitement and is almost guaranteed to have some moment, hopefully the finish, that we will be talking about for years.