#3WideBlog Race Review: Sprint Cup All Star

     The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Saturday night. Not only is this a home track for many of the drivers and teams, but it is also another historic stop on the NASCAR schedule. No such thing as a good points day, only a victory counts. Its the NASCAR Sprint Cup All Star race, and there's $1,000,000 on the line.

via NASCAR.com

     First was the Sprint Showdown. 22 drivers fighting for their chance to race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup All Star race. To qualify for the All Star race drivers must be: Race winners from 2011 or 2012, Sprint Cup Champions from the last ten years, Winners of the All Star race within the last ten years. Then there's the Sprint Showdown. A Drivers last chance to qualify in as only the top two advance. Well there is one more chance but that comes down to the fan vote. The Sprint Showdown consisted of two 20 lap segments split by a competition caution.


    A.J. Allmendinger started on the pole for the Sprint Showdown, Martin Truex Jr. was on his outside, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Aric Almirola started third through fifth. On the pace laps you could tell even with low air pressures that Allmendinger had a left front tire going down. As the pace car pulled on to pit road and the field got ready for the green flag, Allmendinger pulled onto pit road aswell giving up the pole. This meant that Earnhardt Jr. and the entire inside line moves up one place and technically Truex Jr. lead them to the green flag on the outside. Entering turn one Earnhardt Jr. took the lead and never looked back, He led all 20 laps of the first segment. After the competition caution Earnhardt led the other 20 lap segment flag to flag, to capture his first ever Sprint showdown victory. By earning this victory he joined Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart as the third driver to win in all four NASCAR special events races. The best on track battle came in the closing laps as A.J. Allmendinger overcame the odds and ran down, caught and passed Jamie McMurray for the second and final transfer spot into the Sprint All-Star.

AP Photo

     Former Sprint Cup series champion Bobby Labonte won the coveted fan vote in to the 23rd and final transfer spot into the Sprint All Star, behind Earnhardt Jr. and Allmendinger. This years Sprint All Star was broken into 5 segments, Four 20 lap segments followed by a 10 lap dash for the cash. Each segment was separated by a competition caution. Winners of each 20 lap segment would line up 1st through 4th heading down pit road for the mandatory pit stop before the 10 lap dash. This wound up making strategy important, to position yourself right at the end of each segment, for the best chance at the last one.


     Kyle Busch won the pole for the Sprint All Star and led Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle Kevin Harvick, and the rest of the All Star field to the green flag. It was clear Jimmie Johnsons plan was to win the first segment because he stormed to the front from the 6th position quickly. On lap 16 he passed Kyle Busch for the lead on the outside and pulled away to win the first segment. During that first segment Tony Stewart scrubbed the wall exiting turn 2, and Kevin Harvick brushed the turn 4 wall after a battle with teammate Paul  Menard. 

    Different pit strategies changed up the starting order heading into the second segment. Hamlin led Menard, Marcos Ambrose, Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth to the green flag. Johnson had a different strategy. Being locked into first before the mandatory pit stop before the 10 lap dash, as the field came to the green flag for segment 2, Johnson was just exiting turn four laying back and saving his equipment for the dash. At lap 26 Edwards' chances at the million went up in flames as his Roush-Fenway motor exploded, and brought out the first non-competition caution of the night. The green flies again and Kenseth caught Hamlin for the lead and passed him on lap 37. Kenseth won the second segment, locking him into second heading down pit road before the final 10 lap dash. He was followed by Earnhardt Jr, Hamlin, Ambrose and Allmendinger


     After the different pitstop strategies jostled the field again, it seemed Kenseth had the same idea as Johnson to begin the third segment. They both hung way back as the field took the green flag. This segment ran flag to flag and boiled down to an epic back and forth battle between Brad Keselowski and Kasey Kahne. Kahne made a final attempt coming to the line at the lap 60 competition caution, but Keselowski beat him by inches to lock himself into third before the mandatory pitstop. The fourth 20 lap segment was the last chance to lock into the top 4 before the 10 lap dash, and Greg Biffle saw his chances go up in flames as well. 8 laps into the fourth segment Biffle's Roush-Fenway motor also burst into flames, ending his chances at the million. This brought out only the second non-competition caution of the night, and left a 5 lap shootout for the 4th segment win and the 4th locked in position before the mandatory pitstop. Earnhardt Jr. led the field on the restart and held on to win the fourth segment after transferring in as winner of the Sprint Showdown.


     So it was time for the only mandatory pitstop of the night, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. lined up 1-2-3-4 heading down pit road. This mandatory pitstop had no mandatory work to be done during, the only thing stipulated by NASCAR was that the cars had to come to a complete stop inside the pitbox. That's exactly what most drivers did, pulled in, stopped and peeled out. The top four were able to retain their advantage, and it was time for the 10 lap dash for the one million dollar prize.


    Johnson led Kenseth, Keselowski, Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of the field to the final green flag. Kenseth didnt get a very good restart and held the top line back allowing Johnson, Keselowski and Ambrose to scoot by on the bottom. Kenseth fought back to third, but Jimmie Johnson had all that strategy pay off as he pulled away from Keselowski to win the NASCAR Sprint All Star and the million dollar prize. Johnson tied Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for first with his third All Star victory on the all time list. 

via NASCAR.com

    
     This capped off an amazing week for Hendrick Motorsports as Johnson had won the week prior at Darlington to give Rick Hendrick his 200th win as an owner. Johnsons #48 Pit Crew also won the pit crew challenge held before the All Star race then Johnson won the All Star itself. Owner Rick Hendrick actually went for a ride on the drivers door of Johnsons car during his victory pass of the frontstretch. Nothing could wipe the smile from either of their faces.

via NASCAR.com

   





     I think we know who has all the momentum heading into NASCAR's longest race, The Coca-Cola 600, But anything can happen in 600 miles of NASCAR racing. 


    Untill then Smitty OUT.