NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Adds Exciting New Wrinkle Prior To Final 10-Lap Shootout
Already filled with plenty of excitment for NASCAR race fans, this year's All-Star event will have a new wrinkle to add intrique to the final 10 lap sprint.
Courtesy: NASCAR Media Relations
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 17, 2010)
– The 26th running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will once again
feature a 10-lap shootout as its final segment and will add a new
wrinkle that should make the competition even more exciting for the
fans.
The
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, set for Saturday, May 22 at Charlotte
Motor Speedway (SPEED, 7 p.m.), will consist of four segments,
concluding with a 10-lap sprint and a $1 million pay-out to the race
winner. There’s an added twist this year before the green flag drops
for the final segment: once the field takes a lap behind the pace car,
all cars must enter pit road for a four-tire stop. The order in which
the cars exit off pit road is how they will line up for the final 10
laps, placing an even greater premium on the efficiency of the pit
crews.
The 2010 format is as follows:
· Segment
1: 50 laps with a mandatory green-flag pit stop on Lap 25 at which time
teams must pit and take on four tires. Following the end of Segment 1,
the caution flag will be displayed for an optional pit stop.
· Segment 2: 20 laps with the caution flag displayed at the end of Segment 2 for an optional pit stop.
· Segment
3: 20 laps with a 10-minute break at the end of Segment 3. Teams may
make normal adjustments to their cars during this break. The finishing
order after the third segment determines the field’s lineup for the
pace lap prior to the start of the fourth segment.
· Segment
4: Once the field takes a lap behind the pace car, all cars must enter
pit road for a four-tire stop. The order in which the cars exit pit
road is how they will line up for the 10-lap shootout with only
green-flag laps counting.
“We saw last year just how competitive this format can be, with Tony Stewart battling Matt Kenseth for the win on the final couple of laps,” said Robin Pemberton,
NASCAR vice president of competition. “With the addition of the
four-tire pit stop, there is going to be even greater competition
between the pit crews on who can get their driver serviced and out the
quickest. I think the fans are in for quite a show.”
Mark Martin,
a two-time NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winner, is looking forward to
competing in his 21st all-star event this year, which is the most of
any driver.
“I love the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race as much as the fans do,” said Martin.
The
eligibility standards for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race remain the
same: race winners from either the 2009 or 2010 season through May 16
or any past champions of the all-star event or NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
(over the previous 10 years) are eligible for the race. In addition,
the top-two finishers in the Sprint Showdown, a 40-lap preliminary race
scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote, all
advance into the all-star race lineup. Joey Logano won the Sprint Fan Vote last year.
Individual
tickets for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and CREED pre-race concert
start at just $39, and four-pack prices with four tickets, four hot
dogs and four soft drinks start at just $35 per person. Tickets can be
obtained by calling the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket office at (800)
455-FANS or online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com
The
sixth annual NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge presented by Craftsman
returns to kick off the all-star week’s competition, Wednesday, May 19. The event’s finishing order
determines pit selection for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The No.
31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team is the defending Pit Crew Challenge
champion.
Drivers currently eligible for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (as of March 17): Kurt
Busch, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin
Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski,
Bobby Labonte, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman,
David Reutimann, Tony Stewart, and Brian Vickers.
