Who would have thought there would be an All-Star main event without a single caution for debris or a wreck? Instead, there were three, the only cautions scheduled to break the race into four segments.
The Sprint Showdown (formerly the Open), the qualifying race directly before the All-Star race (officially called All-Star Race XXIV), was a different story. The 40-lap race had one scheduled pit stop after the first of two segments, but quickly the one definite pit stop turned to three additional pit stops.
Patrick Carpentier, the driver who promised to run naked if he was voted in, was the first to bring out a caution when his No. 10 Dodge got loose and spun hitting the wall. He was done and was also disqualified from the Fan Vote because his car was no longer race-ready.
When the segment restarted Carpentier’s teammate, Elliott Sadler, in his No. 19 Dodge, was the second car to bring out a caution after AJ Allmendinger slid up the track and hit him. His car slammed into the wall ruining his chances of advancing to the All-Star Race or being eligible for the Fan Vote.
Sadler had been the favorite to win. He captured the pole in Friday’s qualifying session and if that failed, he had hopes of being voted in by fans, especially after Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked “Junior Nation” to pick Sadler. All of that was gone after Sadler was “taken out,” in his words, moments after getting out of the wrecked race car.
The segment restarted again on Lap 10 and went caution free until lap 20 when the segment was over. Brian Vickers (No. 83 Toyota) was the leader at the end of the segment and it looked as if he and David Ragan, who was sitting second, might be the cars to beat.
Once the second segment started, however, Vickers’ teammate, Allmendinger, quickly got around both Ragan and Vickers to take the lead at lap 22. Allmendinger pulled away from the pack and really had no threat from anyone else, except for Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 77 Dodge).
Hornish Jr. had started eighth and was the fastest car a majority of the race. If the 20-lap segment had a few extra laps, he may have been able to catch Allmendinger and get around him.
Instead, Allmendinger won his first NASCAR race, albeit the race was 40 laps and gave him bragging rights only.
Neither Allmendinger nor Hornish Jr. had to work as hard as they did during the closing laps because their lead was big enough to maintain for the remaining laps. Both qualified for the All-Star race by finishing first and second. They took up two of the remaining three spots left in the 24-drivers lineup. The final spot was the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote.
Finishing fifth in his first ever Showdown appearance, Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge), did not race his way into the race. He had not won a race in 2007 or any of the 11 races so far in 2008 to automatically qualify for the race. It appeared as if he’d missed the All-Star race for the first time in his five years as a Cup driver. His fans, however, thought differently; he was the Sprint Fan Vote winner.
“I would have loved to have raced my way in, but we have great fans and it’s cool they voted for us and got us in the race,” Kahne said moments after being told he won the Sprint Fan Vote.
He captured the 24th starting position.
With the sun slowly disappearing, Kyle Busch started his No. 18 Toyota on the pole alongside his former teammate, Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 Chevrolet. Busch would quickly pull away from the rest of the pack and like many other times this season he appeared to be a sure winner. He ended up leading all 25 laps in of the first of the four segments.
The second segment started with Busch leading, but within the first couple of laps, his lead over Carl Edwards (No. 99 Ford) started to deteriorate. Edwards took the lead from him on lap 39 (the 13th lap in segment two) and raced his way to be the winner of segment two.
All cars and drivers had to come down pit road for a 10-minute break. Most drivers and their crews made slight adjustments; some made none at all. Busch’s team attempted to repair an engine problem. Their attempt was unsuccessful, and Busch, his Toyota and pit crew, were finished for the night.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the remaining 23 cars out of pit road. He led for 13 laps until Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ford), with a fast car like the weekend before, took the lead away from him.
Biffle pulled away from Earnhardt Jr., who appeared to have fallen back a bit and led the race until lap 75. He became the winner of segment three.
Pit stops weren’t mandatory until this point; all cars had to make a final pit stop, regardless of their needs or desires.
Jimmie Johnson, followed by Denny Hamlin and Kahne, came out of the pits at the front after making very few adjustments. Kahne made a slight adjustment and per his team director, Kenny Francis, took absolutely no tires. He had moved from the middle of the pack to third.
Johnson’s lead in the final 25 laps lasted one lap before Hamlin got around him to take it away. Hamlin tried to pull away in hopes of becoming a big winner, but, Kahne, now in second, had a different idea. The two raced side-by-side for several laps before Kahne got around Hamlin. Hamlin tried to take the lead back but, like his teammate, Busch, he was soon plagued with a failed engine.
Kahne, being pressured by Biffle, who had made his way back to the front, tried to pull away from the pack. It looked as if Biffle was catching up to him, but Biffle’s car was too tight and “kept getting tighter”causing him to back away.
Kahne eventually pulled away and with no threat from Biffle (or any other driver) he won the most important and valuable (more than $1 million dollars) segment of the race.
He became the first Dodge driver to ever win the All-Star race. He became the first-ever Sprint Fan Vote winner to win. Kahne is also the third driver in the 24-year history of the All-Star race to win after transferring from the Showdown.
Naysayers among the pundits were instantly incensed with his win. Most, however, thought it was perfect that the driver picked by the fans to be in the race was the driver who won.
How did my driver do?
Great! He finished in the Top Five and is a few dollars richer. I’m hoping the momentum he picked up will continue to be in full force for this weekend.
A little note — next week’s column may be a day late because your humble columnist will be one of the many in attendance at the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend.
Don’t miss:
From Charlotte
- Sprint Cup qualifying, Thursday at 7 p.m. on SPEED
- CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 (Nationwide race), Saturday night at 7 on ESPN2
- Coca-Cola 600 (Sprint Cup race), Sunday at 5 on FOX
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