Conceived to embody a winner-take-all, no-holds barred mentality paying homage to the sport’s short track roots, NASCAR’s All-Star Race recently has been more fizzle than sizzle.
In an effort to juice things up and revert the increasingly blasé attitude fans have toward the exhibition race that awards $1 million to its winner, NASCAR unveiled a rapidly revised format Friday that should rectify the humdrum affair and add significantly more intrigue. The makeover is much-welcomed and badly needed.
The new format consists of the familiar three segments, but the noticeable difference is how the lineup will be set for the final 13-lap heat. A draw will determine whether the top nine, 10 or 11 drivers have to make a mandatory four-tire pit stop just prior to the decisive segment. Any drivers falling outside the cutoff to pit will be forced to remain on the track with tires at least 15 laps old.
That slower cars will restart up front on worn tires, while faster cars with fresher tires will be positioned toward the back, should guarantee an increase in passing and side-by-side racing, both of which have been in short supply in the annual mid-May race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In each of the past three editions not a single lead change has occurred within the final 10 laps.
At a minimum, the juxtaposition in speed between the two groups of cars will make for a very eventful restart. Those drivers on old tires will try desperately to maintain their spots, with those on newer tires feverishly attempting to get back up front.
For this concept to work as designed it is dependent upon Goodyear to bring a tire that falls off over a run. That the manufacturer has consistently done so throughout the season should alleviate any concerns.
The innovative format is credited to Brad Keselowski, who cultivated the idea as part of the Sprint Cup Drivers Council, a nine-member committee that regularly meets with high-ranking NASCAR officials to discuss issues primarily related to competition and safety.
“I just wanted to see the race something that I would want to watch if I was a fan, and something that I would want to be proud of if I was the driver that won it,” Keselowski said Friday at Kansas Speedway. “Quite honestly, I didn’t feel like the formats of the past few years were that way.”
What Keselowski sought was a balance between making it challenging for a driver to win, but at the same time providing an entertaining event to fans, two factions that often have opposing viewpoints on what constitutes good racing.
“No matter who wins, you’re gonna have to fight hard, whereas I think when we looked at the last few years’ scenario it was pretty simply — win the restart into Turn 1 and you win the race,” Keselowski said. “I didn’t feel like that was an earn-it scenario.
“I’m feeling pretty optimistic that it’s gonna be the best race of the year.”
The format may prove to be an outright failure, or some team could find a way to game the system to gain an advantage. But conceptually Keselowski’s blueprint appears sounds and should go a long way toward helping restore the luster of an event that seemingly used to produce a memorable moment on a yearly basis, yet hasn’t done so as of late.
No matter what unfolds May 21, surely it cannot be any worse than how recent versions have played out.
