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ALL-STAR: SPEED Crew Previews Sprint All-Star Race
The SPEED crew sets the stage for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race...
The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will be carried live on SPEED. (Photo: Getty Images)
ALL EYES ON $1 MILLION PRIZE IN SATURDAY’S NASCAR SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE
With a victor crowned in Thursday’s NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams now turn their attention and energy to Saturday’s much-anticipated, non-points race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is a no-holds-barred dash for $1 million and bragging rights for the next year. Below, the SPEED crew sets the stage for the big event and explains why it’s still such a fan and team favorite:
Q: After all these years, why has the All-Star Race remained so special and popular with fans, drivers and teams?
“All-Star night is popular because of the wild stuff that happens. Think about Jeff Gordon and T-Rex, the car built right on the edge of the rulebook with which Jeff won in 1997, and then was told by NASCAR to never bring it back. Then there was Michael Waltrip finishing fifth in the Open, transferring to dead last in the All-Star Race and winning. Or 2001, when a huge rain hit on lap one and much of the field wrecked. NASCAR let everyone who wrecked have their back-up cars, and Gordon won in a back-up. To date, 14 drivers have won their first NASCAR Sprint Cup race on All-Star night, most of them in the Showdown. Everyone loves a night that produces first-time winners.”
--Dick Berggren, NASCAR on FOX/SPEED reporter
“The All-Star race is cool because it’s a three-fold deal. First, it’s for the fans under the lights, a Saturday night dash-for-the-cash shootout. So much pride and honor are on the line for drivers because so few get to race in the big dance. Finally, the All-Star Race promotes chemistry within the teams because the guys get hyped up in front of the home crowd and love the fanfare of the event. Fans love the all-out, hard-core style, and with no points at stake, there won’t be any points racing.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter
“One of the great things about this weekend is the guys at the shop, most of whom are based in the Charlotte area, get to come out and watch their teams race. The road crew gets to do that every week, but the men and women who work inside the shop don’t, so this is a big deal for them. Bragging rights are on the line, and fireworks and drama are on the track. The format is quite unpredictable, and thank God nobody is points racing.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
“Because no points are at stake, drivers can lay it on the line without worrying about the consequences. These guys are programmed to race for the trophy whether the win pays a dollar or $1 million, so it’s not so much about the money but about the bragging rights and the accompanying hardware. Drivers go for broke and the fans love it. Additionally, other sports have all-star events, but they don’t really generate the intensity or rivalries that the All-Star Race does. That passion and emotion keep NASCAR fans and drivers coming back more intensely every year.”
--Krista Voda, host of SPEED’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race coverage
Q: How much do the teams use the NASCAR Sprint All-Star as a practice session or learning opportunity for the Coca-Cola 600?
“Teams learn something every time they race, even if they don’t win, and all these teams will be tucking away some information after Saturday’s race that they’ll try to use next week in the Coke 600. So often we have seen teams bring their All-Star Race car back for the 600 because it performed so well. And although the rules and format are different, and the All-Star Race is a lot shorter, they’re still learning what to expect out of the changing track condition and the tires this weekend.”
--Jimmy Spencer, SPEED analyst
Q: What is your favorite All-Star Race moment?
“There have been a tremendous number of dramatic finishes in the All-Star Race. One of the most exciting, to me, was seeing Michael Waltrip win in 1996 simply because he had been in the sport since the late ‘80s and hadn’t won anything. It completely came out of nowhere and was a huge upset, so to see his joy in Victory Lane was something really special.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
With a victor crowned in Thursday’s NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams now turn their attention and energy to Saturday’s much-anticipated, non-points race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is a no-holds-barred dash for $1 million and bragging rights for the next year. Below, the SPEED crew sets the stage for the big event and explains why it’s still such a fan and team favorite:
Q: After all these years, why has the All-Star Race remained so special and popular with fans, drivers and teams?
“All-Star night is popular because of the wild stuff that happens. Think about Jeff Gordon and T-Rex, the car built right on the edge of the rulebook with which Jeff won in 1997, and then was told by NASCAR to never bring it back. Then there was Michael Waltrip finishing fifth in the Open, transferring to dead last in the All-Star Race and winning. Or 2001, when a huge rain hit on lap one and much of the field wrecked. NASCAR let everyone who wrecked have their back-up cars, and Gordon won in a back-up. To date, 14 drivers have won their first NASCAR Sprint Cup race on All-Star night, most of them in the Showdown. Everyone loves a night that produces first-time winners.”
--Dick Berggren, NASCAR on FOX/SPEED reporter
“The All-Star race is cool because it’s a three-fold deal. First, it’s for the fans under the lights, a Saturday night dash-for-the-cash shootout. So much pride and honor are on the line for drivers because so few get to race in the big dance. Finally, the All-Star Race promotes chemistry within the teams because the guys get hyped up in front of the home crowd and love the fanfare of the event. Fans love the all-out, hard-core style, and with no points at stake, there won’t be any points racing.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter
“One of the great things about this weekend is the guys at the shop, most of whom are based in the Charlotte area, get to come out and watch their teams race. The road crew gets to do that every week, but the men and women who work inside the shop don’t, so this is a big deal for them. Bragging rights are on the line, and fireworks and drama are on the track. The format is quite unpredictable, and thank God nobody is points racing.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
“Because no points are at stake, drivers can lay it on the line without worrying about the consequences. These guys are programmed to race for the trophy whether the win pays a dollar or $1 million, so it’s not so much about the money but about the bragging rights and the accompanying hardware. Drivers go for broke and the fans love it. Additionally, other sports have all-star events, but they don’t really generate the intensity or rivalries that the All-Star Race does. That passion and emotion keep NASCAR fans and drivers coming back more intensely every year.”
--Krista Voda, host of SPEED’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race coverage
Q: How much do the teams use the NASCAR Sprint All-Star as a practice session or learning opportunity for the Coca-Cola 600?
“Teams learn something every time they race, even if they don’t win, and all these teams will be tucking away some information after Saturday’s race that they’ll try to use next week in the Coke 600. So often we have seen teams bring their All-Star Race car back for the 600 because it performed so well. And although the rules and format are different, and the All-Star Race is a lot shorter, they’re still learning what to expect out of the changing track condition and the tires this weekend.”
--Jimmy Spencer, SPEED analyst
Q: What is your favorite All-Star Race moment?
“There have been a tremendous number of dramatic finishes in the All-Star Race. One of the most exciting, to me, was seeing Michael Waltrip win in 1996 simply because he had been in the sport since the late ‘80s and hadn’t won anything. It completely came out of nowhere and was a huge upset, so to see his joy in Victory Lane was something really special.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
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