This Week in Auto Racing May 21 - 23

This Week in Auto Racing May 21 - 23
By Chris Symeon

Concord, NC (Sports Network) - It's an "all-star" weekend in Charlotte, as Sprint Cup Series teams dash for a lot of cash at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Camping World Truck Series also will race in Charlotte, while qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 take place on Saturday and Sunday.

Sprint Cup Series

NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race - Charlotte Motor Speedway - Concord, NC

The 26th annual running of NASCAR's Sprint All-Star Race will run under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night. No points are at stake, just a big wad of cash awaits the winner.

This year's all-star race has a new addition to the format. All drivers must pit for four tires once the field completes one lap behind the pace car prior to the start of the fourth segment. The order in which the cars exit pit road is how they will line up for the final 10-lap shootout, with only green-flag laps counting.

"The most fun part about [the all-star race] for me really is how much it involves not only the crew chief, but the pit crew as well," 2004 all-star race winner Matt Kenseth said. "This year, there's a mandatory four-tire stop before the final 10 laps. Obviously, it will be important to have a really good pit stop, as important as track position is."

The remainder of the format for this year's race remains the same.

The opening segment will be 50 laps with a mandatory green-flag pit stop on lap 25, at which time teams must pit and take on four tires. The caution flag will be displayed for an additional pit stop following the end of the first stint.

Segment two is 20 laps with the caution flag displayed at the end of this portion for an additional pit stop.

After running 20 laps in segment three, teams will have a 10-minute break when they may make normal adjustments to their cars. The finishing order after the third segment determines the field's lineup for the pace lap prior to the start of segment four.

Last year, the all-star race featured a 10-lap shootout as its final segment for the first time since 2001. Tony Stewart passed Kenseth with two laps remaining to win the event for the first time in his 11th appearance.

The eligibility standards remain the same. Race winners from either the 2009 or 2010 seasons, as well as past Cup Series champions and previous all-star winners (over the last 10 years) are eligible.

Eighteen drivers currently are eligible for the race. The top-two finishers in the Sprint Showdown, a 40-lap preliminary race, and the winner of the "Sprint Fan Vote" on Saturday will complete the 21-car field in the main event.

Brian Vickers is listed on NASCAR's preliminary entry list for the all-star race, but his driving status currently remains uncertain. Last week, Vickers was treated at Washington, D.C. hospital for blood clots that were discovered in his leg and near his lungs. Casey Mears replaced him in the No.83 Toyota this past weekend at Dover. Mears finished 22nd.

According to a news release from Red Bull Racing on Tuesday, Vickers remains in "good spirits" and continues to undergo evaluation for his condition in Charlotte. Vickers and Jay Frye, the team's vice president and general manager, are expected to hold a press conference at CMS on Friday morning.

Vickers gained eligibility for this year's all-star race after winning last August at Michigan.

The all-star race is traditionally scheduled one week before NASCAR's longest race of the season -- 600 miles -- at Charlotte. The non-points event also offers a $1 million payday to the winner.

"I think there's a smile on everyone's faces, from the competitors to the fans," four-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson said. "It's a great racetrack while at home. They find different ways to make it more exciting each and every year. And obviously at the end with the paycheck for a million bucks to the winner motivates everybody."

Johnson is a two-time all-star race winner (2003 and '06), while his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, leads all active with three victories (1995, '97 and 2001).

Mark Martin, also from Hendrick, is expected to compete in his 21st all-star race this year, which is the most of any driver. Martin won it in 1998 and 2005.

"The event is just an incredible event," Martin said. "It is so much fun -- the adrenaline, excitement, fans supporting it and enthusiasm."

The Sprint Showdown should be very interesting this year, with several big name drivers having to race their way into the main event this time. Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer have each not won a Cup race since 2008. They are among the 30 drivers entered for the preliminary event.

Camping World Truck Series

North Carolina Education Lottery 200 - Charlotte Motor Speedway - Concord, NC

This year's Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte could shape up to be another great battle between Kyle Busch and four-time and defending series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. Both drivers have combined for four victories in the last five races there.

Busch won back-to-back races at Charlotte from 2005-06, while Hornaday claimed the victory there in 2007 and '09. They are the only drivers with multiple victories at 1.5-mile track. The series has been competing there since 2003.

In last year race at Charlotte, Hornaday overcame a one-lap deficit and then held off a furious challenge from Busch in the closing laps for his first win of the 2009 season. Hornaday fell a lap behind early when he pitted just before a caution.

"Kyle is a tough competitor, and he races hard every lap," Hornaday said. "We just have to work hard on our truck and make sure we have a good setup, so we can be in position at the end to race Kyle or whoever for the win."

Busch finished second in last year's race, despite two penalties. NASCAR penalized him after he had too many crew members over the wall during an early-race pit stop. His second one came for aggressive driving that occurred when he bumped Colin Braun while attempting to pass Braun for the lead.

"Battling Hornaday (again) will be good, but we know we'll have a lot of other competition there," Busch said.

Matt Crafton is the only other driver entered at Charlotte that has won a truck race there. Crafton's first and only win in the series so far came in the 2008 Charlotte race.

Last Friday, Aric Almirola became a first time truck winner when he rallied from one lap down and then had enough fuel remaining to get through a green- white-checkered finish to take the Dover 200.

Busch led 172 of 204 laps at Dover, but lost his chance to win when he slowed on the track and pitted for engine trouble just before the final restart with two laps to go. He wound up finishing 16th.

After winning Dover, Almirola claimed the points lead for the first time in his truck career. He holds a 27-point advantage over Todd Bodine, who finished fifth.

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES

Indianapolis 500 Qualifying - Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Indianapolis, IN

The Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body for the IZOD IndyCar Series, has reduced its schedule and created a new format for this year's Indianapolis 500 qualifying.

Last December, the IRL announced that Indy 500 qualifying will take place one week later than normally scheduled. Staring positions 1-24 will be determined during Saturday's "Pole Day," while the remaining 33-car field will be set on Sunday's "Bump Day." Several teams had requested that the IRL reduce its Indy 500 qualifying schedule from two weekends to one as a cost-cutting measure.

Teams have been practicing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week, in preparation for qualifying and the May 30 Indianapolis 500.

Qualifying for the 2010 Indy 500 will feature a revised format. The first day of qualifying will conclude with the nine fastest drivers competing for the pole in a 90-minute "shootout." A substantial increase in prize money will be rewarded to the pole winner, and additional cash will be handed out to the other two front-row qualifiers.

When the second and final day of qualifying has ended, points will be awarded to all 33 drivers who earn a starting position in the Indy 500. The pole winner will collect 15 points, with the other front-row starters receiving 13 and 12 points, respectively. Drivers in the second and third rows will earn, in descending order, between 11 and six points. Positions 10-24 will receive four bonus points each, while 25-33 get three points apiece.

"This new format for Indianapolis 500 qualifying will deliver even more action and intensity for fans," said Jeff Belskus, president and chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation. "Drivers will go all out during the first session on Pole Day to get a chance to make a run for the pole. Then they'll need to dig even deeper to find the speed for the pole in the last 90 minutes. Plus, there still will be plenty of spots up for grabs on Bump Day, with all of the dramatic, last-minute bumping that generations of fans have loved about Indy."

Thirty-seven drivers are currently on the entry list for the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Team Penske's Helio Castroneves won last year's Indy 500 from the pole position. Castroneves is seeking to become the next driver to win the race a record four times. A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser have four Indy 500 victories each.

"Every driver dreams of winning the Indianapolis 500; I'm just fortunate to be the guy in this position, and I'll do everything I can to repeat the result from last year," Castroneves said.