All-Star weekend for the Cup Series is a chance for guys to relax. No worrying about points, no worrying about finishes, just a chance to relax for two weeks at home and try to win a million bucks in the All-Star Challenge.
So why do Cup guys, who rarely get a break during the season, race the Truck Series race on Friday night?
"Variety is the spice of life," according to Nextel Cup veteran Mark Martin.
By the Numbers
When Kyle Busch takes the green at Lowe's, he will attempt to do something only three others have done in NCTS history -- win three consecutive races at the same track.
Complete story, click here
Five Cup drivers -- Martin, A.J. Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Ken Schrader -- will drive in Friday's Quaker Steak and Lube 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway (8:30 p.m. ET, SPEED) in the sixth Craftsman Truck Series race of the season.
Martin will race in his second NCTS race this season when he gets behind the wheel of the No. 21 Ford. His first race went well at California when he led 45 laps and had the lead with six laps remaining. But on a restart, Ron Hornaday bumped Martin and he spun into the infield, losing the lead and ultimately finishing a disappointing 23rd.
But for a guy who said he was slowing down in 2007, he's certainly not showing it.
"I am carrying out that plan to cut back," Martin said. "I'm not interested in chasing that [Nextel Cup Series] championship. I had a great career, but 2007 isn't the year to do that anymore. There are portions of my life that have been passing me by. I hope to pick up a few pieces of that at age 48."
While a championship isn't in the cards for Martin anymore, getting his priorities back in order is -- and that begins at home.
"In my whole life, racing has always come first and then family. I have the opportunity to change that," Martin said.
Harvick, on the other hand, has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. After running away with the Busch Series championship in 2006, he has cut some Busch races out of his schedule. But he has added some NCTS events to take their place.
Charlotte will mark the third time this season Harvick had piloted his own KHI-owned No. 2 Chevrolet. At California, Harvick brought home an eighth-place finish and in Martinsville he finished fourth.
If recent history is any indication, Harvick should finish in the top five once again. His last two races at Lowe's Motor Speedway in a truck -- a fourth and a fifth.
Still, it's been a couple years since Harvick cruised the 1.5-mile track in a truck and he knows it's different than what he is accustomed to.
"The trucks are almost wide open all the way around because they have so much more downforce," Harvick said. "With the cars, you have to lift off the throttle in the corners.
"With the trucks, you arc it in a lot more and roll out of the gas a lot slower in the corners. [The trucks] draft a lot more like a car would at Daytona or Talladega because they are so much boxier and punch such a bigger hole in the air."
Even with a chance to take a well-deserved break, Harvick saw too many positives to keep him on the racetrack.
"I really enjoy racing the trucks because they are so much fun," he said. "I like racing at Charlotte, under the lights on the All-Star weekend. I think it gets everybody excited."
Martin agrees, and even though he has cut down to a part-time schedule, he couldn't resist driving a truck for the Wood Brothers this weekend.
"I've always loved the Craftsman Truck Series," Martin said. "It's a lot of fun and, I think, it's some of the most competitive racing we have."
So why do Cup guys, who rarely get a break during the season, race the Truck Series race on Friday night?
"Variety is the spice of life," according to Nextel Cup veteran Mark Martin.
By the Numbers
When Kyle Busch takes the green at Lowe's, he will attempt to do something only three others have done in NCTS history -- win three consecutive races at the same track.
Complete story, click here
Five Cup drivers -- Martin, A.J. Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Ken Schrader -- will drive in Friday's Quaker Steak and Lube 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway (8:30 p.m. ET, SPEED) in the sixth Craftsman Truck Series race of the season.
Martin will race in his second NCTS race this season when he gets behind the wheel of the No. 21 Ford. His first race went well at California when he led 45 laps and had the lead with six laps remaining. But on a restart, Ron Hornaday bumped Martin and he spun into the infield, losing the lead and ultimately finishing a disappointing 23rd.
But for a guy who said he was slowing down in 2007, he's certainly not showing it.
"I am carrying out that plan to cut back," Martin said. "I'm not interested in chasing that [Nextel Cup Series] championship. I had a great career, but 2007 isn't the year to do that anymore. There are portions of my life that have been passing me by. I hope to pick up a few pieces of that at age 48."
While a championship isn't in the cards for Martin anymore, getting his priorities back in order is -- and that begins at home.
"In my whole life, racing has always come first and then family. I have the opportunity to change that," Martin said.
Harvick, on the other hand, has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. After running away with the Busch Series championship in 2006, he has cut some Busch races out of his schedule. But he has added some NCTS events to take their place.
Charlotte will mark the third time this season Harvick had piloted his own KHI-owned No. 2 Chevrolet. At California, Harvick brought home an eighth-place finish and in Martinsville he finished fourth.
If recent history is any indication, Harvick should finish in the top five once again. His last two races at Lowe's Motor Speedway in a truck -- a fourth and a fifth.
Still, it's been a couple years since Harvick cruised the 1.5-mile track in a truck and he knows it's different than what he is accustomed to.
"The trucks are almost wide open all the way around because they have so much more downforce," Harvick said. "With the cars, you have to lift off the throttle in the corners.
"With the trucks, you arc it in a lot more and roll out of the gas a lot slower in the corners. [The trucks] draft a lot more like a car would at Daytona or Talladega because they are so much boxier and punch such a bigger hole in the air."
Even with a chance to take a well-deserved break, Harvick saw too many positives to keep him on the racetrack.
"I really enjoy racing the trucks because they are so much fun," he said. "I like racing at Charlotte, under the lights on the All-Star weekend. I think it gets everybody excited."
Martin agrees, and even though he has cut down to a part-time schedule, he couldn't resist driving a truck for the Wood Brothers this weekend.
"I've always loved the Craftsman Truck Series," Martin said. "It's a lot of fun and, I think, it's some of the most competitive racing we have."