FYI WIRZ: NASCAR's Top Point Aces Talk All-Star Race in Charlotte

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) Sprint All-Star Race is a bit complicated in eligibility and race format, but the race has been a fan favorite since 1985, when it was called “The Winston,” and continues to entertain.

The All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. is open to race winners for the previous and present NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The winners of the past 10 All-Star events and champions from the most recent decade are also eligible. Two more drivers move on to compete if they finish in the top two spots in the Sprint Showdown qualifying race. Fans also vote in one driver who doesn’t meet any of the other entry standards.   
 
Drivers race for a whopping $1 million win plus bragging rights for the center of stock car racing in the Charlotte area. Two-time All-Star winner and five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson refers to the race as a fun event with a ton of money on the line. It’s also a non-point race, so drivers tend to approach the race with a different mindset.

Still, it’s the same 1.5-mile quad-oval track with 24-degree banking they will face the following week for the Coca-Cola 600.

One of the reasons the race is a fan favorite is the sprint format in segments for only 100 laps. It features one required pit stop that is like halftime in an NFL game, although shorter. The short distance, double-file restarts, no points and big bucks for the win packs plenty of excitement into the night race.

This year fans will be treated to another huge addition to the venerated track: the world’s largest 80’ x 200’ HD video board built on the backstretch and lit with over nine million LED lamps. Drivers may even catch a quick glimpse of that unprecedented sight while racing.
 
Fans can also take in the Pennzoil Ultra Victory Challenge, a burnout contest that viewers at home also enjoy. The Showdown goes off Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. and the All-Star race begins at 9 p.m. on SPEED.

Also, the 2011 Sprint Pit Crew Challenge presented by Craftsman in Charlotte, featuring the top 24 Sprint Cup Series pit crews, will air May 19 at 9:00 p.m. on SPEED.

The top five point leaders going into the All-Star Race—Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick—have quick words about the swift race.

NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., is not qualified and may need the most fan votes to race Saturday night.

FYI WIRZ is the select presentation of motorsports topics by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com. Quotes derived from motorsports industry press releases.

Carl Edwards [No. 99 Ford]

“We’re pulling out all the stops for the All-Star Race and have some really neat stuff car-wise that I’m excited about,” Edwards said. “We’ll see if we can finally break through and win this race. I’m excited to be able to go compete for a million dollars and not have points on the line. It’s just a fun weekend and I’m looking forward to it more than I have any other All-Star Race. We’re running well enough that I think we have a real shot at this thing.”

Jimmie Johnson [No. 48 Chevrolet]

“I’m looking forward to it,” Johnson said. “There’s nothing like being home. Our All-Star Race is a true all-star event. I’m very proud of our sport and Sprint and what they’ve done with that event. Everybody is charged up for it and then we roll out of that into one of the biggest weekends in motorsports, period.”

Kyle Busch [No. 18 Toyota]

“The All-Star Race is a different atmosphere for me, since it’s a different way of racing for everybody,” Busch said. “It’s just that it’s a non-points race, and the pure fact you’re going after a race just for bragging rights and a million bucks. That’s what it’s all about. Our pit crew is really solid, so I hope we can earn the pole again like we did in 2008 with the combination of speed and what those guys do on pit road.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. [No. 88 Chevrolet]

“I don’t take it for granted that we’ll get the fan vote; anything can happen,” Earnhardt said. “So, we’re just going to go and enjoy that weekend. I would rather, personally make it through the fan vote because the qualifying procedure is a little bit of a pain in the tail, but, from a driver’s standpoint anyways, I’m sure that is probably not everybody’s opinion. Having to qualify and then sit around and wait for everybody else to qualify and run up and down pit road like hooligans is not a lot of fun.

“It will be interesting being on the other side of the fence, trying to find a way into the race and going through that experience myself personally to have an appreciation for what that is like versus just showing up and being locked in. It could be interesting and good for me to have that experience as well.”

Kevin Harvick [No. 29 Chevrolet]

“The All-Star week is always a lot of fun,” Harvick said. “The crew guys are a big part of All-Star weekend with all the pit stop competitions and they're a big part of the race, so it’s an important week for us just to kind of see what we have to head to the 600 with and really evaluate the performance of the race car on the race track a week before the race. It’s a fun week and a lot of money on the line. I guess it’s a really good-paying test session, but it’s a lot of fun too.”

Photo credit: Dwight Drum at Racetake.com