Watch the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway streaming online live tonight, starting at 9 P.M. Eastern Standard time by clicking on the link at the bottom of this preview article.
The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is unique among NASCAR events, in that it limits the field to the best of the best. To qualify to start the 2014 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a driver has to have won a Sprint Cup race this year, won a Sprint Cup race last year, have won one of the past 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup championships, have won one of the past 10 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races, win a vote among NASCAR fans (for one driver) or finish first or second in the Sprint All-Star Showdown Race, which was held yesterday.
In case you missed yesterday’s race and vote , Clint Bowyer and AJ Allmendinger finished first and second, respectively, in the 40-lap Sprint Showdown and will run in tonight’s Sprint All-Star Race. The biggest surprise of the night , according to The Bleacher Report, was when Josh Wise passed up perennial fan favorite Danica Patrick in the voting for the last open spot in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
In case you’re wondering whether your driver qualifies for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, here is a list all of the drivers who are expected to start tonight:
- Carl Edwards
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. (In a related Inquisitr article, Dale Jr. races go-karts with basketball legend Charles Barkley )
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Brian Vickers
- Jimmy Johnson
- Kurt Busch
- David Ragan
- Ryan Newman
- Jeff Gordon
- Joey Logano
- Matt Kenseth
- Kyle Busch
- Greg Biffle
- Tony Stewart
- Denny Hamlin
- Kasey Kahne
- Kevin Harvick
- Brad Keselowski
- Jamie McMurray
- Clint Bowyer
- AJ Allmendinger
- Josh Wise
The Sprint All-Star Race (formerly known as The Winston) has run continually since 1985, with most of the events being held at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Although it has had several format changes over the course of its history, the general format has always involved bringing in the best of the best among NASCAR drivers – the ones who have actually won races and championships. The current format features four 20-lap segments, each followed by a mandatory pit stop, and a final 10-lap sprint segment. The winners of the first four segments line up in positions one through four to begin the final segment.
Jimmy Johnson, who has won the past two NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races and is racing today, has had more success at the event than any other driver, with four wins. The late Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jeff Gordon are tied for second with three wins each. Mark Martin, Terry Labonte and Davey Allison, all of whom are retired (or semi-retired, in Labonte’s case), making Johnson and Gordon the only drivers in the current field with multiple victories in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
Don’t miss the action. You can get information to view it on Fox Sports 1 in your area here or you can watch it streaming online live here .