Kyle Busch (Left), driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, and his fiancee Samantha Sarcinella (Right) walk on the gridd at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Autism Speaks 400 presented by Hershey's Milk & Milkshakes at Dover International Speedway. (Photo: Getty Imag
This time, it’s all about the Benjamins. And some bragging rights, too.
Eighteen of NASCAR best Sprint Cup drivers are locked into the field for Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte, with three more to be determined in the preliminary Sprint Showdown. SPEED will televised all the All-Star action live Saturday night, starting at 7 p.m. ET.
To the winner goes $1 million and the right to stand tallest before the hometown fans. This race is about the money, the glory and for 100 laps being the baddest sumbitch on the race track.
No points involved, no drivers hopping out of their cars and talking about having a good top-10 finish. Here, you either win or lose. Nothing else.
Here’s how the field shapes up for this year’s race:
THE FAVORITES Kyle Busch — He’s won two of the last three points races, and his average finish over the last six races is 4.83. Busch has got it going on right now and will be awfully tough to beat.
Jimmie Johnson — After throwing away the Dover race on a rare driver error, Johnson will be especially motivated to make a statement and win his third All-Star race.
Denny Hamlin — In his last five races, Hamlin has two victories and two fourth-place finishes. This looks like the year he’s going to challenge Johnson for a championship.
Jeff Gordon — A three-time All-Star winner, Gordon has had the best car in roughly half the races this season. It would be no surprise if his victory drought ends on Saturday night.
Kasey Kahne — Although his finishes haven’t shown it, Kahne has run well this year. And with the exception of Johnson, no one is better at CMS than Kahne is.
