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NASCAR - Sprint Cup - All-Star Race Preview
From The Sports Network
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| DATE: Saturday, May 19th |
| SITE: Charlotte Motor Speedway (1960) -- Concord, North Carolina |
| TRACK: 1.5-mile oval - 1,980 feet (Frontstretch); 1,500 feet (Backstretch) |
| CAPACITY: 171,000 (Grandstand Seating) |
| ANNUAL: 28th |
| TELEVISION: Speed Channel |
| ANNOUNCERS: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds |
| RADIO: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio |
| START TIME: 7:30 p.m. (ET) - Sprint Showdown; 9 p.m. (ET) - All-Star Race |
| DEFENDING CHAMPION: Carl Edwards |
| RUNNER-UP: Kyle Busch |
| POLE WINNER: Kyle Busch (Finished 2nd) |
| LAPS: 90 total in five segments (20 laps/20 laps/20 laps/20 laps/10 laps) |
| MILES: 150 |
| RACE RECORD: 185.022 m.p.h. - 70 laps (30/30/10 - Jeff Gordon, 2001) |
| TOTAL PURSE: $3,195,839 (2011 figures) |
| PAYOUTS: 1st Place - $1,203,300; 2nd Place - $258,300; 3rd Place - $133,300 |
| 2011 Finish |
| Finish | Driver | Start | Finish | Driver | Start |
| 1 | Carl Edwards | 4 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | 13 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 2 | 7 | Denny Hamlin | 15 |
| 3 | David Reutimann | 18 | 8 | David Ragan | 19 |
| 4 | Tony Stewart | 6 | 9 | Kevin Harvick | 14 |
| 5 | Greg Biffle | 3 | 10 | Ryan Newman | 10 |
| 2011 All-Star Race Facts and Figures |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 127.841 m.p.h. |
| TIME OF RACE: 1 hour, 10 minutes, 24 seconds |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.443 second |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 5 for 6 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 8 among 4 drivers |
| POLE WINNER: Kyle Busch (135.916 m.p.h.) |
| Past All-Star Race Winners (Starting Position) Car -- Speed |
| 2011 -- Carl Edwards (4th) -- Ford -- 127.841 m.p.h. |
| 2010 -- Kurt Busch (1st) -- Dodge -- 94.175 m.p.h. |
| 2009 -- Tony Stewart (15th) -- Chevrolet -- 99.137 m.p.h. |
| 2008 -- Kasey Kahne (24th) -- Dodge -- 131.132 m.p.h. |
| 2007 -- Kevin Harvick (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 89.091 m.p.h. |
| 2006 -- Jimmie Johnson (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 103.294 m.p.h. |
| 2005 -- Mark Martin (2nd) -- Ford -- 113.951 m.p.h. |
| 2004 -- Matt Kenseth (3rd) -- Ford -- 91.889 m.p.h. |
| 2003 -- Jimmie Johnson (16th) -- Chevrolet -- 133.297 m.p.h. |
| 2002 -- Ryan Newman (27th) -- Ford -- 110.005 m.p.h. |
| 2001 -- Jeff Gordon (10th) -- Chevrolet -- 185.022 m.p.h. (race record) |
| 2000 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr (5th) -- Chevrolet -- 167.035 m.p.h. |
| 1999 -- Terry Labonte (13th) -- Chevrolet -- 183.495 m.p.h. |
| 1998 -- Mark Martin (5th) -- Ford -- 142.084 m.p.h. |
| 1997 -- Jeff Gordon (19th) -- Chevrolet -- 157.895 m.p.h. |
| 1996 -- Michael Waltrip (20th) -- Ford -- 162.721 m.p.h. |
| 1995 -- Jeff Gordon (7th) -- Chevrolet -- 148.410 m.p.h. |
| 1994 -- Geoff Bodine (4th) -- Ford -- 115.561 m.p.h. |
| 1993 -- Dale Earnhardt (3rd) -- Chevrolet -- 139.690 m.p.h. |
| 1992 -- Davey Allison (1st) -- Ford -- 132.678 m.p.h. |
| 1991 -- Davey Allison (1st) -- Ford -- 168.750 m.p.h. |
| 1990 -- Dale Earnhardt (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 163.001 m.p.h. |
| 1989 -- Rusty Wallace (3rd) -- Pontiac -- 133.150 m.p.h. |
| 1988 -- Terry Labonte (6th) -- Chevrolet -- 139.228 m.p.h. |
| 1987 -- Dale Earnhardt (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 153.023 m.p.h. |
| 1986 -- Bill Elliott (2nd) -- Ford -- 159.123 m.p.h. |
| 1985 -- Darrell Waltrip (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 161.184 m.p.h. |
| NOTE: Formerly called The Winston (1985-2003), Nextel Cup All-Star Challenge |
| (2004-07). 1986 race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway. |
| Past All-Star Race Pole Winners (Finish) |
| 2011 -- Kyle Busch -- 2nd |
| 2010 -- None -- Weather |
| 2009 -- Jimmie Johnson -- 13th |
| 2008 -- Kyle Busch -- 24th |
| 2007 -- Matt Kenseth -- 7th |
| 2006 -- Kasey Kahne -- 14th |
| 2005 -- Ryan Newman -- 12th |
| 2004 -- Rusty Wallace -- 9th |
| 2003 -- Bill Elliott -- 16th |
| 2002 -- Matt Kenseth -- 3rd |
| 2001 -- Rusty Wallace -- 15th |
| 2000 -- Bill Elliott -- 8th |
| 1999 -- Bobby Labonte -- 15th |
| 1998 -- Bill Elliott -- 7th |
| 1997 -- Bill Elliott -- 10th |
| 1996 -- Jeff Gordon -- 8th |
| 1995 -- Bobby Labonte -- 15th |
| 1994 -- Rusty Wallace -- 19th |
| 1993 -- Ernie Irvan -- 3rd |
| 1992 -- Davey Allison -- 1st |
| 1991 -- Davey Allison -- 1st |
| 1990 -- Dale Earnhardt -- 1st |
| 1989 -- Terry Labonte -- 14th |
| 1988 -- Darrell Waltrip -- 9th |
| 1987 -- Bill Elliott -- 14th |
| 1986 -- Darrell Waltrip -- 4th |
| 1985 -- Terry Labonte -- 3rd |
| Last Race Results |
| RACE: Bojangles' Southern 500 (May 12th) |
| SITE: Darlington Raceway -- Darlington, South Carolina |
| MILES: 502.688 |
| LAPS: 368 |
| WINNER: Jimmie Johnson |
| RUNNER-UP: Denny Hamlin |
| THIRD: Tony Stewart |
| FOURTH: Kyle Busch |
| FIFTH: Martin Truex Jr. |
| POLE WINNER: Greg Biffle (Finished 12th) |
| TIME OF RACE: 3 hours, 45 minutes, 25 seconds |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 133.802 m.p.h. |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.781 second |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 8 for 38 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 22 among 8 drivers |
| LAP LEADERS: G. Biffle 1-48; K. Kahne 49; J. Johnson 50; L. Cassill 51; Kyle |
| Busch 52-72; G. Biffle 73-98; D. Hamlin 99-100; J. Johnson |
| 101-172; Kyle Busch 173; J. Johnson 174-179; Kyle Busch 180-188; |
| J. Johnson 189-194; Kyle Busch 195; D. Hamlin 196-199; K. Kahne |
| 200-231; D. Hamlin 232-280; D. Earnhardt Jr. 281; M. Truex Jr. |
| 282-298; D. Hamlin 299; M. Truex Jr. 300-307; J. Johnson 308-312; |
| Kyle Busch 313-324; J. Johnson 325-368. |
| All-Star Race Entry List |
| Car | Driver, Hometown | Car/Name |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI) | Dodge/Miller Lite |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) | Chevrolet/Farmer's Insurance |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia) | Ford/DeWalt |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) | Toyota/FedEx Office |
| 14 | Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) | Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) | Toyota/5-Hour Energy |
| 16 | Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA) | Ford/3M/American Red Cross |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) | Ford/Roush Fenway Racing |
| 18 | Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Toyota/M&M's |
| 21 | Trevor Bayne (Knoxville, TN) | Ford/Good Sam/Camping World |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA) | Chevrolet/DuPont |
| 27 | Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI) | Chevrolet/Menards/Certain Teed |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) | Chevrolet/Budweiser/Rheem |
| 34 | David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) | Ford/US Shredder |
| 39 | Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN) | Chevrolet/Tornados |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA) | Chevrolet/Lowe's Patriotic |
| 51 | Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Chevrolet/Phoenix Construction |
| 55 | Mark Martin (Batesville, AR) | Toyota/Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 78 | Regan Smith (Cato, NY) | Chevrolet/Furniture Row |
| 99 * | Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) | Ford/Fastenal |
| TBA | 2012 Sprint Showdown Winner | TBA/TBA |
| TBA | 2012 Sprint Showdown 2nd Place finisher | TBA/TBA |
| TBA | 2012 Fan Vote Winner | TBA/TBA |
| Leading Contenders (Finish the last nine years) |
| Driver | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Carl Edwards | --- | --- | 15th | 4th | --- | 10th | 5th | 21st | Won |
| Kyle Busch | --- | --- | --- | 16th | 20th | 24th | 7th | 14th | 2nd |
| Tony Stewart | 14th | 3rd | 17th | 12th | 5th | 5th | Won | 5th | 4th |
| Greg Biffle | --- | 19th | 14th | 15th | 13th | 2nd | 21st | 9th | 5th |
| Matt Kenseth | 6th | Won | 11th | 11th | 7th | 3rd | 2nd | 8th | 6th |
| Denny Hamlin | --- | --- | --- | --- | 17th | 23rd | 4th | 4th | 7th |
| David Ragan | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 8th |
| Kevin Harvick | 7th | 22nd | 18th | 2nd | Won | 11th | 15th | 6th | 9th |
| Ryan Newman | 19th | 2nd | 12th | 5th | 8th | 6th | 18th | 11th | 10th |
| Jimmie Johnson | Won | 17th | 5th | Won | 2nd | 4th | 13th | 13th | 11th |
| Kurt Busch | 2nd | 20th | 7th | 20th | 19th | 22nd | 3rd | Won | 13th |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr | 17th | 5th | 10th | 9th | 9th | 8th | 10th | 12th | 14th |
| Jeff Gordon | 8th | 6th | 4th | 3rd | 11th | 15th | 19th | 20th | 15th |
| Clint Bowyer | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 18th | 12th | --- | 16th |
| Brad Keselowski | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 18th |
| Mark Martin | 15th | 10th | Won | 15th | 3rd | 9th | 6th | 17th | 19th |
| Regan Smith | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 20th |
| Kasey Kahne | --- | 7th | 16th | 14th | 14th | Won | 14th | 15th | 21st |
| Paul Menard | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Marcos Ambrose | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Trevor Bayne | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mover of the Week |
| Marcos Ambrose - Started in the 28th position and finished 9th |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Tony Stewart |
| Darkhorse - Kyle Busch |
| Last Week's Pick to Win (Denny Hamlin) - Finished 2nd |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Ryan Newman) - Finished 23rd |
| NOTES: |
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The 28th running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will feature five
segments, instead of four in previous years. The first four segments will be
20 laps each, and the fifth and final will be a 10-lap shootout to the finish.
New to the format this year is the winners of the first four segments will
move up to the front of the field and line up 1-4 prior to the field coming to
pit road for the final mandatory pit stop.
Drivers who qualify for the all-star race are those who won a Sprint Cup
Series event from either the 2011 or 2012 seasons (up to last weekend at
Darlington Raceway). Additionally, drivers who won the all-star race or the
series championship within the previous 10 years are eligible. Three more
competitors will be added to the field on Saturday night, with the top-two
finishers in The Sprint Showdown and the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote
advancing.
Over the past eight seasons, the all-star race has had eight different
winners. Last year was no exception with Carl Edwards winning the star-
studded affair.
Edwards collected $1.2 million for the win, but wrecked his car while he did a
celebratory burnout on the infield grass along the frontstretch at Charlotte.
Edwards exited the pits first during a mandatory four-tire stop prior to the
start of the final 10-lap segment. He then held off a hard-charging Kyle
Busch, the pole sitter, during the closing laps to win his first all-star race
at Charlotte. His previous best finish in this event was fourth, which came in
2006.
With his win in 2010, Kurt Busch became the seventh different winner in the
last seven NASCAR Sprint All-Star races. Busch overcame two encounters with
the wall and then survived a wild 10-lap shootout to the finish to win the
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and claim the $1,078,309 prize. Busch, the 2004
Cup Series champion, grabbed the lead with eight laps to go when he passed
then leader Denny Hamlin after Hamlin blocked teammate Kyle Busch and forced
him to scrape the wall. With two laps remaining, Kyle Busch crashed into the
wall again after his right-front tire gave out. Busch also took out Kasey
Kahne. Kurt Busch easily pulled away from the field on the final restart and
then cruised to his first win in nine all-star race attempts.
Starting 15th, Tony Stewart raced to victory in 2009, as he defeated Matt
Kenseth by less than a second for his first win in the event. Stewart overtook
Kenseth with just two laps remaining to snatch the victory.
Kasey Kahne can thank the fans for giving him the opportunity to win the 2008
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, as he made it into the field after being voted in
by the fans. Starting 24th, Kahne took the lead with 17 laps remaining and
raced to victory, defeating Greg Biffle by 1.327 seconds. Kahne became the
first driver to start outside the top-20 and win the race.
In 2007, Kevin Harvick outran Jimmie Johnson down the stretch and won by less
than a second, reversing the result from the previous season. In 2006, Johnson
defeated Harvick by 1.729 seconds. Pole sitter Matt Kenseth dominated the
first segment and led 36 of the 80 laps, but a speeding penalty on pit road
was his demise, as he finished seventh. Harvick took over the race on lap 61
and held on through the checkered flag.
Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt are the only three-time winners of this race.
The winner of this event has won the next race, the Coca-Cola 600, five times
(Darrell Waltrip in 1985, Davey Allison in 1991, Earnhardt in 1993, Kasey
Kahne 2008 and Kurt Busch 2010). Allison is the only driver to win this
race two consecutive years.
Time trials for this year's all-star race consists of three laps around the
1.5-mile track. A four-tire pit stop is mandatory during that three-lap run.
The starting lineup for the event will be determined by the team's total time.
When Dale Earnhardt Jr won in 2000, he became the first driver since the
inaugural race to win on his initial try. Ryan Newman has since added his name
to this category when he won in 2002. In addition, Newman owns the distinction
of being the driver who started the deepest in the field and won when he
started 27th that year.
Bill Elliott is the all-time leader with five poles and 13 top-10 finishes.
Mark Martin has raced in this event 22 consecutive times (more than any
driver), winning twice and posting 10 top-10's. Jeff Gordon is the youngest
winner of the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race at 23 years, 9 months and 16
days (1995). Martin is the oldest at 46 years, 4 months and 12 days (2005).
The pole sitter has won this race only four times, the last coming in 2010
when Kurt Busch recorded the feat. Busch was awarded the pole position after
rain canceled qualifying. Dale Earnhardt was the first driver to win from the
pole in 1990.
Two-time winner Jimmie Johnson has a 6.70 average finish in nine appearances
in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, second best of any driver with more than
two appearances. In fact, in six of the nine races, Johnson has placed in the
top-five. Matt Kenseth, who has an average finish of 6.5 in 11 races with
eight top-10s, is the best of any driver in the field.
Five drivers have won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series championship in the same year: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Dale
Earnhardt (1987, 1990, 1993), Rusty Wallace (1989), Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997,
2001), Jimmie Johnson (2006). Edwards was runner-up to champion Tony Stewart
in 2011, despite ending the season in a points tie with Stewart but lost due
to Stewart's five wins.
THIS AND THAT AT THE SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE: There have been 27 Sprint All-Star
Races, with 26 being held at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 1986, the event was
held at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and won by Bill Elliott. That season was also
the first year for what is now known as the Sprint Showdown. 86 drivers have
run in at least one all-star race and there have been 19 different winners.
The race has featured a field that ranged from 10 drivers in 1986 to 27 in
2002. Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won six all-star races: Jeff Gordon
(three), Jimmie Johnson (two) and Terry Labonte (one). The record for lead
changes in a NASCAR Sprint All-Star race is 10 in 2004. The most different
leaders is nine in 2002.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the May 27 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor
Speedway. Kevin Harvick won last year's race there.
05/15 16:23:54 ET
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As of May 15, 2012, at 04:24 PM ET
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