All-Star Race Changes Under Consideration
Lowe's Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler confirmed on Tuesday that talks are under way to make changes to the Nextel All-Star Challenge. The race has been run at the suburban Charlotte track for 20 of its 21 years.
"We're getting together in the next few weeks with NASCAR and Nextel to discuss some ways to tweak this thing," Wheeler said. "The bottom line is we are trying to find a way to put together 2 1/2 hours of absolutely great racing."
The All-Star race currently is a 90-lap invitational, non-points race for Nextel Cup drivers. The winner gets a $1 million (€790,000) payout.
The field is currently determined by drivers who have won races in the current and preceding year, past All-Star race winners and Cup champions from the last 10 years. The winner of the Nextel Open — the race held before the main event for all drivers not otherwise eligible — advances, and a fan vote was recently added to get another driver in.
Now NASCAR is considering tying in the race with its Pit Crew Challenge, but is undecided on what to award. One idea being discussed is giving the pole position to the winner of the Pit Crew competition.
Wheeler would like to see the field widened. He'd like more than one driver to advance out of the Open, and said he might push to get the top drivers from the Busch Series and Truck Series into the event.
"I'd like to get more cars in the field, and it's the All-Star race, so I don't see why the all-stars from the other series can't compete," he said. "At the same time, we are walking a fine line because it is the All-Star race and where do we draw the line of who should be in and who shouldn't?" (International Herald Tribune)
Lowe's Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler confirmed on Tuesday that talks are under way to make changes to the Nextel All-Star Challenge. The race has been run at the suburban Charlotte track for 20 of its 21 years.
"We're getting together in the next few weeks with NASCAR and Nextel to discuss some ways to tweak this thing," Wheeler said. "The bottom line is we are trying to find a way to put together 2 1/2 hours of absolutely great racing."
The All-Star race currently is a 90-lap invitational, non-points race for Nextel Cup drivers. The winner gets a $1 million (€790,000) payout.
The field is currently determined by drivers who have won races in the current and preceding year, past All-Star race winners and Cup champions from the last 10 years. The winner of the Nextel Open — the race held before the main event for all drivers not otherwise eligible — advances, and a fan vote was recently added to get another driver in.
Now NASCAR is considering tying in the race with its Pit Crew Challenge, but is undecided on what to award. One idea being discussed is giving the pole position to the winner of the Pit Crew competition.
Wheeler would like to see the field widened. He'd like more than one driver to advance out of the Open, and said he might push to get the top drivers from the Busch Series and Truck Series into the event.
"I'd like to get more cars in the field, and it's the All-Star race, so I don't see why the all-stars from the other series can't compete," he said. "At the same time, we are walking a fine line because it is the All-Star race and where do we draw the line of who should be in and who shouldn't?" (International Herald Tribune)