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No points. No problem. Just follow the money.
That’s the easiest way to describe Saturday night’s 29th NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Twenty-two drivers will battle for a winner’s payout of more than $1 million without worrying that failure might damage their Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ chances.
The strategy is simple enough: Checkers or wreckers. Just bring back the steering wheel – as long as you’re carrying it to Victory Lane.
The odds favor defending All-Star Race winner Jimmie Johnson, a three-time event winner. He shares the all-time victory record Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt.
Parity, however, has been the watchword in recent All-Star races: 12 different winners in the most recent 14 events, six of them NASCAR Sprint Cup champions.
A surprise is who hasn’t won the event, starting with Joe Gibbs Racing. That may change this year as JGR’s lineup contains two of the season’s hottest competitors. Matt Kenseth, the 2004 All-Star winner, counts three victories. Kyle Busch has won twice. The pair has led a combined 1,521 laps during the season’s first 11 races.
Three All-Star berths remain up for grabs. The top-two finishers of the Sprint Showdown will transfer. The winner of the Sprint Fan Vote gets the final starting slot. Among those on the outside looking in are Sunoco Rookie of the Year rivals Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series takes a one-week breather in advance of the May 25 History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch won his fifth race of the season at Darlington Raceway, adding to the lustrous resume of crew chief Adam Stevens. The former JGR NASCAR Sprint Cup engineer has won 14 times with Busch and Joey Logano during the past two seasons. The Stevens-led No. 54 JGR Toyota team holds a 20-point NNS owner championship lead.
Matt Crafton, a former North Carolina Education Lottery 200 winner, attempts to add to his championship lead as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway Friday night. Kyle Busch chases Charlotte truck win No. 5 while reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski – second a year ago – wants to join his father, Bob Keselowski, as the only father-son winners in the series record book.