NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Picking Favorites For The All-Star Scramble
27th running of one of NASCAR’s feature events Saturday night in Charlotte…
Mike Hembree  |  Posted May 16, 2011   Charlotte, NC
Kyle Busch was charged with reckless driving. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race will be the 27th in the series, and the event – all have been held at Charlotte Motor Speedway except for the 1986 running – has produced some of the wildest competition and most thrilling finishes in NASCAR history.

There is no reason to expect anything different Saturday night when an anticipated field of 22 drivers hits CMS under the lights and before a television audience on SPEED.

The vast majority of NASCAR’s top guns will be in the race. The major absentee – at the moment – is Dale Earnhardt Jr.., but he is expected to join the field before it rolls off into the night sky.

Junior can be added to the starting grid for the night’s feature race by finishing first or second in the preliminary Sprint Showdown or by winning the fan vote, which adds a driver not currently on the list. It will be considered a major upset if Junior does not lead the fan voting.

The starting lineup will be set by three laps of qualifying Friday night. The time-trial session will include a four-tire pit stop, and the total elapsed time of the three laps will be the driver’s official clocking.

Although favorites don’t always win the all-star event – mainly because crashes often take out strong cars, this race is among the easiest to handicap.

Five favorites:

KYLE BUSCH – This race seems practically invented for Rowdy, who was born the year (1985) it started. He pushes the button and drives deep – sometimes too deep – into the turns. The fact that he hasn’t won this all-or-nothing race is surprising.

JIMMIE JOHNSON – Johnson loves Charlotte Motor Speedway, and vice versa. He has won the all-star race twice (2003 and 2006) and is a victory threat every time he races at the 1.5-mile oval.

KEVIN HARVICK – Harvick won in 2007, and his driving style is perfect for this event. If his car is strong, he’ll be in the running at the finish. Imagine a last-lap dash featuring Harvick and Kyle Busch.

MATT KENSETH – Although the all-star race often favors hard chargers, it can also pay those who wait patiently and show their full power in the final segment. Kenseth races like David Pearson – saving the best for last, and he won this race in 2004.

CARL EDWARDS – Edwards also hasn’t won the all-star race. With the season he’s having, this could be his best shot.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 29 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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