All-Star event a great time for race fans
Next Saturday, NASCAR?s most fan friendly event takes place at Lowe?s Motor Speedway. It is called the All-Star Challenge.
Speed TV will provide exclusive coverage of the event beginning May 14 and continuing on through the week, culminating with 48 consecutive hours of NASCAR programming during the weekend.
Fans can catch both Truck and Cup cars? practices and a Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday, but the big day is on Saturday. Fans in attendance can watch the Pit Crew Challenge on May 16 and it will be aired on TV as part of Speed TV?s All-Star programming on Saturday.
As part of the pre-race activities on Saturday, the top crew chiefs in Nextel Cup will take part in the inaugural Kobalt Tools Crew Chief Race. The crew chiefs will compete in identically prepared Thunder Roadsters manufactured by 600 racing. They will compete in a 30-minute program that will include two qualifying heats and a feature race. The race will take place on the speedways quarter-mile oval and in addition to some of the top Cup crew chiefs, also competing will be Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds of Speed Channel.
The big event of the All-Star weekend is the All-Star race. The race features drivers who won Nextel Cup points races in the current and previous seasons, past series champions, and former winners of the All-Star race itself. The winner of the Nextel Open, (a 30-lap shootout for drivers already not eligible) and the fans choice. Fans can get involved by voting for any driver who does not qualify for the race. Last year Kyle Petty was the fans choice.
The race is broken down into three segments of 40, 30 and 20 laps. After the first 40-lap segment, a random drawing determines how many cars are inverted, (anywhere from six to 12 cars), prior to the start of the second segment.
Being that this is a non-points race, the money ($1 million to the winner) and bragging rights are the incentive for the drivers. Last year only 10 cars finished the race as accidents eliminated nine contenders. Jimmy Johnson seems to be the man to beat. Since 2003, his Chevrolet has seen victory lane seven times including last year?s All-Star Challenge.
I have had the privilege of attending the festivities in person, staying in an RV in the middle of the infield. Having garage and pit passes, I wandered around taking in the festivities. This is where I met Dale Earnhardt, who covered his eyes when I went to take his picture because I was wearing a Jeff Gordon cap. Later in the morning, I got to meet Gordon and his crew chief, Ray Evernham. The fun thing about All-Star weekend is that drivers and crews take the time to chat with fans.
You can?t imagine the excitement of seeing the race on TV and also watching the cars speed around you on the track. As the race was progressing, I called my sister Eileen in Virginia. She is the one who got me interested in NASCAR racing, and when I held the phone up for her to hear, she knew exactly where I was. She had a few choice sisterly words for me.
Only a few get to view races that way and I appreciate everyone who has given me the chance to do it. My sister Eileen, Mike Allgaier of Allgaier Motorsports, and now James Clark of the Southern Standard are still affording me many opportunities to enjoy my retirement and I thank them all.