Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
ALL-STAR: Drivers Look Forward To Battle
SPEED will televise the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race live on May 22nd starting at 7 pm Eastern...
Jared Turner  |  Posted May 03, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Watch this year's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race live on SPEED, May 22, 2010 starting at 7:00 pm ET from Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Tradition holds that every year a new wrinkle is added to the Sprint All-Star Race.

Tweaks have ranged from adding mandatory pit stops to revising the number of laps or segments to changing the race’s official name.

It’s what has remained the same – not changed – over 25 years that has created a blockbuster affair for drivers and fans, however.

SPEED will televise the Sprint All-Star Race live on May 22, starting at 7 p.m.

The prestige, dearth of points and pride that come with triumphing in most teams’ backyard at Charlotte Motor Speedway have long made the all-star race like no other.

And a winner’s purse now in excess of $1 million has only enhanced the allure.

“It’s our all-star event and whoever wins it, you know, is considered an all-star driver or team,” said Jeff Gordon, a three-time winner. “I think that it could pay $1, and everybody would still go all out. I mean, we're just that fierce of competitors when we get out there on the race track.

“I think the fact that there's money on the line might bring a little more excitement to it, because I think it sort of dangles that carrot out in front of you and makes you go after it that much harder. When you know there's no points on the line, it's all about the win. And, of course, having some bonus money to go along with that from Sprint certainly makes things very appealing.”

Understanding what makes the race so special first requires understanding where it came from.
See the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star race live on SPEED from Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 22nd. (Image: NASCAR)

Debuting in 1985 as a non-points-paying race with a $200,000 winner’s share, the event has morphed into one of the most anticipated gatherings of the NASCAR season. The race’s 25-year history has featured enough fender-banging finishes and intriguing subplots to fill several novels.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, the Cup series’ title sponsor at the time of the inaugural all-star race, has since moved off the scene and Sprint has assumed title sponsorship of the Cup series along with its all-star event. There are also more drivers in the 2010 all-star race – 21 – than the 12-driver field in 1985.

Along with plenty of memorable performances over 25 years, there has also been enough carnage and controversial finishes to make the all-star race a marquee event on the Cup calendar.

Many of its most memorable moments are entrenched in NASCAR lore – Dale Earnhardt’s “pass through the grass” en route to victory in 1987, Davey Allison’s win and subsequent crash/hospital visit in 1992, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s improbable triumph in his rookie year of 2000.
NASCAR Team owner and future Hall of Fame inductee Junior Johnson (Left) celebrates winning the first NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in 1985 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with driver Darrell Waltrip. (Photo: Charlotte Motor Speedway Archives)

And the list goes on.

NASCAR legends like Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon (both three-time winners) have showcased their talent while underdogs such as Michael Waltrip (1996) and Ryan Newman (2002) have prevailed.

And those are just a few of the winners – and moments – that collectively have made the all-star race one-of-a-kind.

“The all-star event is something we all want to win,” said Martin Truex Jr., who has been in the race three times but will need to qualify this year via the preliminary Sprint Showdown or the Sprint Fan Vote. “We put a lot of effort into it. I think not to say that other sports, they don't. But I think if you watch, for instance, the NFL All-Star Game this past year, a lot of guys couldn't even play because they were going to be in the Super Bowl. So their best of their best couldn't even play.

“I just feel like they don't put in the effort. It's not as big of a deal as it is for us.”

The excitement surrounding the race soared to a new level in 1992 when officials at Charlotte Motor Speedway installed lights and the event was held at night for the first time.
The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway was held under the lights for the first time in 1992 and the excitement surrounding the event soared to new levels. (Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

A nighttime affair has been fitting since sparks – both literally and figuratively – are prone to fly. They did last year when a trio of contenders – Gordon, Newman and Kyle Busch – tangled while racing three-wide for the lead in the final 10-lap segment, helping Tony Stewart ultimately secure the win with his then-upstart Stewart-Haas Racing team.

It was indeed fitting that track promoters last year billed their show as "a backyard brawl."

“The fact that you know there aren't any points, you take a lot of extra risks,” said Jimmie Johnson, a two-time winner. “I think some finishes have shown the risks and then others have been more of a runaway and maybe you could argue this point. Having it be a situation with less pressure, you can take more risks and just makes it more exciting from the driver's standpoint and makes it more entertaining from our standpoint.”

The race is also a hit with fans, usually in the neighborhood of 150,000 of them, who light up the sky with a steady stream of flashing bulbs. The all-star race is particularly fan-friendly as fans now get to vote one driver into the race and watch as the entire crew for every team is typically introduced at the start/finish line in prerace ceremonies.

It’s no wonder cameras tend to be so prevalent. There’s almost always a lot to capture.

“You jump into the All-Star race and it’s just a whole different atmosphere and attitude,” Kurt Busch said. “This race is just an entirely different animal.”

2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Week • The Stars Come Out. The Gloves Come Off. • Saturday, May 22 at 7 pm ET
jared.turner's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jared Turner

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.