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AJ Allmendinger wins the Sprint Showdown which puts him in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images Photo) ยป More Photos
AJ Allmendinger won the 40-lap Sprint Showdown at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Saturday night and earned himself a spot in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXIV, along with showdown runner-up Sam Hornish Jr.
The two raced their way into the field for the main event by besting the 27-car showdown field. Also transferring into the main event will be a driver chosen by fan vote.
The race was divided into two 20-lap segments. Brian Vickers took the lead on Lap 1 in his Red Bull Racing Toyota, as Chad McCumbee, Paul Menard and J.J. Yeley all brushed the wall on the first lap. The first wreck happened on Lap 3, when Patrick Carpentier went around on the exit of Turn 2 to bring out a yellow flag.
On the restart on Lap 7, Allmendinger’s Red Bull Toyota drifted up in Turn 2 and hit pole-sitter Elliott Sadler’s Dodge, stuffing it into the wall. Vickers went the distance in the first 20-lap segment, crossing the finish line ahead of the Roush Fenway Racing Ford of David Ragan, Allmendinger, Robby Gordon and Hornish.
With a mandatory break at Lap 20, eight cars stayed out on the track, with the remainder pitting. Ragan inherited the lead over Allmendinger, Hornish, Johnny Sauter, Reed Sorenson, Scott Riggs, McCumbee, Kasey Kahne, Vickers and Regan Smith.
Allmendinger took the lead at the start of the second segment and moved away smartly, but on Lap 28, Sauter lost a tire and turned hard right into the Turn 1 wall to bring out a caution. In this segment, only green-flag laps counted, so the field restarted with 12 laps to go.
On the restart, Allmendinger got a great jump and held the lead ahead of Ragan and Hornish. Behind them, David Gilliland took fifth after he bounced off Sorenson, sending the Dodge into the wall.
On Lap 33, Hornish dove under Ragan, taking over second place, the final transfer spot. And that’s how they finished, Allmendinger winning over Hornish, Ragan, Vickers and Kahne.
SPRINT SHOWDOWN RESULTS
Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to
SPEED will televise the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXIV and the NASCAR Sprint Showdown live on May 17, as well as provide more than 90 hours of support programming prior to the event. Stay tuned to SPEEDtv.com for frequent updates on the history of the event and all the details about this year’s action.
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