NASCAR tweaks Sprint All-Star Race, pit stops to determine running order for the final 10 laps
CONCORD, N.C. – NASCAR will tweak the format for the Sprint All-Star Race by including a mandatory four-tire pit stop prior the final 10-lap segment of the May 22 event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The sanctioning body announced Wednesday that the remainder of the format will remain the same as last year with a 50-lap segment (which will include a mandatory green-flag, four-tire pit stop following lap 25), a 20-lap segment, another 20-lap segment, a 10-minute break and the final 10-lap segment.
Prior to the final 10 laps, drivers will leave pit road in the order they finished the third segment, do a pace lap and then come down pit road for a four-tire stop. How they exit the pits will determine the order of the restart. All restarts will be double-file restarts.
“The pit crew is going to be under the gun and under pressure to get the job done to get you out first,” said Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch. “You need to get out first, second or fourth.
“You don’t want to be third because you’re going to be stuck on the inside. You can probably come out second because you know the leader is going to restart on the outside lane and you can try to beat him down into Turn 1 and slide up in front of him.”
There are 18 drivers currently eligible for the all-star race:
• 2009-10 race winners: Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers, Joey Logano, David Reutimann, Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth.
• Cup champions of the last 10 years: Bobby Labonte
• All-star winners from last 10 years: Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The rest of the field will compete in a 40-lap race, broken into two 20-lap segments, with the top two drivers advancing to the All-Star race. One final transfer spot belongs to the driver who wins the fan vote. Voting begins on NASCAR’s Web site next Wednesday.
Those eligible for the fan vote: AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Marcos Ambrose, John Andretti, Norm Benning, Greg Biffle, Dave Blaney, Mike Bliss, Todd Bodine, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Patrick Carpentier, Terry Cook, Derrike Cope, Erik Darnell, Carl Edwards, Bill Elliott, Jeff Fuller, David Gilliland, Robby Gordon, Sam Hornish Jr., Travis Kvapil, Michael McDowell, Casey Mears, Paul Menard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Joe Nemechek, Max Papis, David Ragan, Tony Raines, Robert Richardson, Scott Riggs, Elliott Sadler, Boris Said, Regan Smith, Reed Sorenson, Scott Speed, David Stremme, Martin Truex Jr., Mike Wallace and Michael Waltrip.
Once again, pit stall position for the all-star event will be determined by the finishing order of the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge, scheduled for May 19 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. That ticket is a separate ticket from the ticket for the all-star race.
