Switch to unique format would spice up race
With this week being like others, fans get no treat
The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race needs something — anything — to bring back the unique nature of a midseason exhibition race.
It’s not unique now. Aside from the flashy prerace introductions — which are admittedly cool and allow fans to get close to their favorite stars — and the mandatory caution periods, the All- Star Race is pretty much like every other race.
Fans will see 20 of the same drivers they see weekly, racing with the same cars, rules package and style. The money has been a selling point for years — it’s a $1 million prize — but do bluecollar fans really get a kick these days out of seeing their favorite millionaire get richer?
What used to be special about the All-Star Race — not all that long ago — was a different format. There were eliminations for a couple of years (2002-03), but the concept was before its time. There used to be inversions, which shook up the field and put the faster cars farther back. And there were double-file restarts before they were being used regularly in Cup races.
Another promotional aspect of the All-Star Race has been that the win is all that matters and that drivers will go all out for victory. But that’s the same “emphasis on winning ” marketing fans hear every week now that the Chase for the Sprint Cup bases its playoff field on drivers who win.
All this doesn’t make the AllStar Race a bad race. It’s just not different from any other week. And shouldn’t the All-Star event be something more than a repeat of other 1.5-mile track races?
The current format isn’t unique, so it doesn’t seem special.
There are four segments of 25 laps each — an increase of five laps apiece from last year — followed by a mandatory four-tire pit stop. Before the pit stop, drivers will be lined up by their average finish in the segments.
But fans can’t do that math on the fly — Jimmie Johnson is running sixth in this segment, which will make his average finish 3.8 if
he stays there! — so it’s hard to get too invested in the race until knowing the final restart order.
Then the drivers line up for a 10-lap shootout to decide the $1 million. Here’s the problem: With everyone on the same tires — remember, it’s a mandatory four-tire stop — there are rarely passes for the lead after the first lap or two.
Once Jamie McMurray cleared Carl Edwards on a restart last year, he led the final 10 laps. Jimmie Johnson led all 10 laps of the last segment in 2013 and the final nine laps in 2012. Edwards led the final 15 laps in 2011.
Then there’s the concept of All-Stars, which is more watered down this year.
NASCAR increased the minimum size of the field to 20 in order to get more big names into the race but had to tweak the criteria for what qualified as an All-Star.
So what’s the solution? The most realistic idea is eliminations.
NASCAR has embraced the elimination concept with the Chase, so why not use it in the All- Star Race? Since officials expanded the field, it would be even easier to wave goodbye to those who lag behind at the end of each segment.
Let’s say there are 20 drivers who start the race. At the end of each segment, cut four; that would leave a final four heading into the shootout.
Four drivers on the track for 10 laps? It might look funny, but only the front two rows on a restart have a realistic shot of winning anyway.
To mix things up more, make the pit stop between the fourth and fifth segments optional. That way, the leaders would want to stay out for clean air — and third and fourth place might come get fresh tires. The aero advantage would be somewhat negated.
That would increase the chances of a pass for the lead, and the end of the race would only be contested by the best of the best.
And if the concept totally flopped? That’s OK, because at least it would be something different.
FOLLOW NASCAR WRITER JEFF GLUCK @jeff_gluck for breaking news and motor sports analysis.