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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
ALL-STAR: Five Who Might Win
A look at five drivers with a good shot at leaving Charlotte Motor Speedway a Sprint All-Star Race winner on Saturday night...
Mike Hembree  |  Posted May 20, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Jeff Gordon is a four-time winner of the Brickyard 400. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Winning the Sprint All-Star Race is all about power and position in the closing 10 laps.

Drivers and teams can use the previous segments to fine-tune their cars and plot their strategy, but, in the final analysis, it’s all about being in the top group when the green flag is thrown over those closing 10 laps.

Most of the position-shifting in the 10-lap dash for the cash occurs in the first three or four laps, and drivers who take the turns a little deeper and aren’t bashful about creating three-wide racing leaving the turns and roaring down the backstretch are more likely to be in a spot to challenge for the win in the final couple of laps.

Predicting winners in such conditions is a game best left to the professionals in Las Vegas, who perform such duties for money. But, a look back at previous All-Star activity and a closer look at the performances presented this season leads us along a path toward these five favorites for Saturday night’s show:

Jeff Gordon – Gordon has built up enough frustration through this almost-but-lost season to want to lead every lap of the All-Star Race. He has been close enough to victory lane on numerous occasions this season to taste the flying Gatorade but hasn’t been able to close the deal. Saturday night could heal a lot of wounds. And Gordon has been here before, winning the race in 1995, 1997 and 2001.
Tony Stewart celebrates his winning the one million dollar prize after winning the 2009 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Tony Stewart – Stewart also has some lack-of-production issues this season, as his second year as a car owner hasn’t been kind to Tony Stewart, race car driver. If his car is a competitive entry Saturday night, he’ll likely drive with fire in his eyes. He won last year’s All-Star Race with a late run to the front.

Kevin Harvick – Harvick won the All-Star Race in 2007 and is likely to be among the handful of drivers with a realistic shot Saturday night. Although his season hasn’t been all that he hoped it would be, he has a win and sits atop the point standings. A win Saturday would be a major highlight.

Kyle Busch – Busch’s driving style is perfect for this race. If he’s in the top five when the final green flag falls, it will be a large upset if he isn’t in play for the win. Busch has been known to poke his nose in uncomfortable places in this race, and this could be the year he wins it.

Jimmie Johnson – We haven’t seen Mr. Four-Time in victory lane lately, and that, in itself, might be enough incentive to carry Johnson and crew chief Knaus all the way to the win Saturday night. Johnson won this race in 2003 and 2006, and his success level at Charlotte Motor Speedway is well-documented. Count him among the favorites.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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