Introduction and Format
It's an exhibition race, guys! Remember, we are picking for TWO RACES this week. There is an All-Star opener before the main event where all drivers who are ineligible for the all-star will compete. And, no points, so I won't post any points this week. We're just going for wins this week, guys!

A big criticism of this race is that in recent year,s it has evolved from a big show for the fans to a test session for the 600 the next week. I can see this argument... ti seems like every year there are the guys going for it, and the guys just riding around testing out some stuff. So we've got to figure out who will go for it and who won't.

To be clear, here is the format. All drivers who won a race in the previous season, 2010, or in 2011 up to this race, are eligible for the race. Past champions, and I believe past winners of the All-Star race are also eligible, which should include Martin and Jr., but don't take me to the bank on this because NASCAR hasn't put up the entry lists yet.


The format for the main race itself has changed over the years... it started out in 1984 I think it was as just a straight 50 or 75 laps. In the 90's, segments evolved, and it has slowly become a longer race. The last segment for hte last several years has been either 10 or 20 laps. I personally like the 10 lap segment... just always seemed more exciting. They have inverted the field for the final segment and sometimes for the 2nd segment.

The race was also the sight of the "pass in the grass" by Earnhardt... although it wasn't a pass, it was more of a block.

YouTube - The Winston 1987 - Earnhardt vs Elliott


All Star Open
First off, the opener... make 3 picks for this race as well:

However, these are the drivers eligible to be voted into the All-Star race.. Jr. is on the list, Martin is not. I thought Jr. won the All-Star race in 2000 which would make him eligible.

A.J. Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Marcos Ambrose, Dave Blaney, Mike Bliss, Todd Bodine, Jeff Burton, Patrick Carpentier, Landon Cassill, Kevin Conway, Derrike Cope, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bill Elliott, David Gilliland, Robby Gordon, Sam Hornish Jr., Brad Keselowski, Brian Keselowski, Travis Kvapil, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, Andy Lally, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Casey Mears, Paul Menard, Joe Nemechek, Max Papis, David Ragan, Tony Raines, Robert Richardson Jr., Elliott Sadler, Regan Smith, Reed Sorenson, Scott Speed, David Stremme, Martin Truex Jr., Brian Vickers, Steve Wallace, Michael Waltrip and J.J. Yeley.

So these are the guys to pick from apparently for the opener.... and if Jr. wins or not, I don't see that as relevant... the fans will vote him in.

Also,. there is this requirement from NASCAR:

The driver who accumulates the most votes and finishes the Sprint Showdown qualifying race on the lead lap with a car in raceable condition (as determined by NASCAR competition) will earn a spot in the prestigious field.

So of this group... I'd say your main contenders will almost have to be Allmendinger, Ambrose, MAYBE Blaney, not counting on it, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, MAYBE Bobby Labonte, Joey Logano, Paul Menard, David Ragan, MAYBE Regan Smith, Martin Truex, Jr., and Brian Vickers.

Wow, it's easy sometimes to pick the winners... but of those long shot picks, it's hard to figure them out.

Allmendinger and Ambrose have been getting better on these cookie cutters... Ambrose was even top 5-top 10 at Las VEgas and Texas.

Jeff Burton and Dale Jr. are both proven drivers who are just in big droughts in their careers. Don't undercut the ECR and Hendrick power.

Brad Keselowski might be a good pick, but the thing is, it just seems like Penske is on a downward slope right now... their results are getting poorer every week, no matter what they say to the media about improvements over there (you don't want to go public saying you're going to keep getting worse, sponsors don't like that.)

Bobby Labonte, Dave Blaney, and Regan Smith are all underfunded teams... which this is coming out to be the year of the underdog, so look out.

Paul Menard started this year off running great, just like last year, but he's tapering off.

Logano has just had the most awful of luck.

David Ragan was running good at Texas, a similar track to Charlotte.

Truex Jr. and Vickers are hard to pin down. Usually, the only place you should look for Martin Truex is a cheesy NAPA commercial. He did accidently run well at Dover, his favorite and home track, though.


So good luck... this race will be interesting to pick for, I believe.

All Star Race

The main event! It will be divided into segments, and we're not picking segments... just the end results. Lots of guys in this field who could make some stuff happen.

So Jr. is in providing he doesn't wreck in the opener... whether he wins that race or not, because he'll be voted in. I think Johnson will be going for the million. Gordon I don't know about.. seems like he's slipping a bit in his old age. This race always seems to bite him a little bit too.... Johnson has always had a lot of bad luck at this race, it seems, even though he is historically so good at this track. I think he might snap it though... hard to say.

Stewart has had some good runs on 1.5 mile tracks this year, and that's about the only place. He has been pretty inconsistent really. I think he and Newman may be trying some stuff out this week to get back on track.

Edwards has never been a very good driver at Charlotte.. Kenseth has always been the man at Charlotte for Roush. Edwards admitted last year the track he was most concenred with in the chase was Charlotte.

Kyle Busch... this is really a Kyle Busch style of race, although he has never won it. He got mad at Hamlin last year when Hamlin blocked him. Hamlin just hasn't had much going on this year... don't look for much out of him myself, although he can always surprise I geuss..

Kurt Busch is the defending winner, but Penske was running a lot better last year too. I don't look for much out of Kurt Busch, but being a non-points race, they might just try some stuff out and he might come out on top again....

Harvick and Bowyer have been good this year. Burton and Menard may very well not be in the race though. I'd say it is hard to choose who is the harder charger and who may come out on top at this race.. Bowyer was 2nd at Texas though.

Then the other guys running those ECR engines... Jamie McMurray is in, and he won the race here last fall! He could make some things interesting....

Rivalries

This could be the week that guys like Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch go at it. Montoya and NEwman are both in the race, since Montoya won Watkins Glen and Newman won the first Phoenix last year. Keselowski most likely won't be in the same race with Edwards. Could happen, but not likely.

I thin kthe bigger possibility is actually some new rivalries forming... kind of like Kyle Busch and Hamlin last year.

My picks
And with all this excitement, it's hard to say... and you can get crazy with your picks since it isn't a points race as well.... so make sure you when you post, you are clear about which race you are posting in....

All Star Open:
1) Marcos Ambrose
2) David Ragan
3) Paul Menard

All Star Race:
1) Jimmie Johnson
2) Kyle Busch
3) Clint Bowyer

My Experience at this Race!!!

Just for the kicks... my first race was at what was tehn called "The Winston" in 2001!! WE went to poll night, which was a 4 tire change and then 3 laps around the track. Hwoever, power went out that night and there was minimal lighting. The last several cars drove off into the turns with no lights... there were some temporary lights on the straightaway, but you could only see shadows moving through the corners, and you could hear the drivers letting off and getting back on the throttle in the corners. It was about the wildest thing I've ever seen at a race where I was actually there.

The next night, there was an ARCA race in teh afternoon, in which everyone went crazy for Kerry Earnhardt, who crashed about 20 laps into the race pretty hard. Then there was the opener, won by Ryan Newman that year. That year, there was also a "last chance" race, where they threw a caution, the winner pulled off the track, the rest of the field could pit and do whatever, and then run 10 more laps, and then that guy got into the race.. Johnny Benson won.

So after that, we could see lighting and storms coming as the introductions for the race were going. When the field finally took the green flag that night, the rains began, and about 8-10 cars crashed right in front of where we were sitting in Turn 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRCVmsBA7SM

Monte Carlo pace cars!!!! Go to about 3:30 to see the wreck... it was crazy.

So then we sat there for a couple of hours watching them dry the track... they got it dry, I believe cars hit the track and were doing pace laps, and then ti rained again. Didn't take as long to dry the track this time, but just as they did, it rained some more. At that poitn, big fights were breaking out, it was bitter cold wince we were wearing 80 degree clotehs and it was probably 40 at this point, and we went to eat at Waflle House and watched the rest of the race in motel room. WE got to our room just as teh race actually began again. Jeff Gordon, who had the worst part of the big wreck on lap 1, pulled out his back up car and set it up. Being as it was not a points race, he coudl do that... and he went on to win the race....

 

Hell of a rundown...........Make my picks later. Just didnt want you to think we were ignoring you. LOL.

 

Thanks Jerry. And Brent, do you need me to put up a Coca~Cola 600 thread, or are you going to be able to make some picks during the week?

I'm willing to do this for anyone who asks.... just tell me if you need a thread up early or not and I'll do it. Or, if you're clear about which picks are which, you can even post some picks up in a previous week and just make sure everyone knows what they are so I don't have any shenanigans flags flying around.

 

All Star Open
Jeff Burton
Robby Gordon
Dale Jr

All Star Race
Kyle Busch
Jeff Gordon
Kevin Harvick

 

The deal is to qualify for the All-Star race by having won it, it must have been won in the last 10 years. This is the first year Junior has not been automatically qualified.

So anyways, I haven't enough time to post right now. Its pretty safe to assume I be able to get online through the week using my iPad, but to be safe I'll make all my picks prematurely now. I'll probably ammend these later

All-Star Open
1. Dale Jr (easy pickins')
2. A.J. Allmendinger
3. Brad Keselowski

All-Star Race
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Dale Jr.
3. Mar Martin

CocaCola 600
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Dale Jr.
3. Jeff Gordon

 

Pretty interesting that you're going all Hendrick with the luck they had in the last year or so at the mile and a halfs, especially Charlotte! The 1.5's are where the weak point was for Hendrick last year too it seemed....

The rule for the opener is that you have to have a raceable car to star the All-Star. I just think Jr. is going to count on the fan vote and take it easy in that opener unless he sits on the pole and can just run away with it.

I didn't think Mark Martin had won this thing snice 1998 when Jeff Gordon ran out of gas on the last lap... turns out, he did win it in 2005, one of his last years with Roush.

 

Thursday night and this is all we have? Hmmm..... Anywho, I'm going to a cruise in about 30 minutes away on Saturday night, and may not make it back in time to computer points for the opener. I may have to leave 77GP in charge for that one... I'll try to let you know when I get back.

Maybe I need to get Jerry to crack his whip to get the picks coming in too, hehehe

 

so this is a non MCF points race? Only for bragging rigths if someone picks the winners? I don't really have to post a line-up this week, just checking to make sure if for some reason I forget to make my picks!

 

The "All-Star Champion" sounds like serious bragging right to me! nothings more important to me right now

 

I pick Dale `Jr to get in the contest & WIN.....cause he's a ALL Star 4-Sure & it's his turn to shine : )

I hope the fans vote Joey L. in the Race : ) & wish he was driving a Chevy, cause if he was, he would be doing better : )

I wish I could watch the race, but I'd be working, and checking the outcome 2morrow Morning...

Hope everyone enjoys the race & thanks again `Duane for
creating this thread & contest .

Cast your ballot


Thursday May 19, 2011 - 10:46 PM

The All-Star Race is May 21 and this is your opportunity to help set the field. Make your selection for the driver you want to see in the field running for $1 million. MoreFan-friendly activities scheduled for All-Star Week<!--0-->