The Need for Speed: 2013 Sprint All-Star Race

The Sprint All-Star Race is a race all fans look forward to each year - they thoroughly enjoy the fact that their favorite driver(s) can race all-out with nothing on the line except creating an exciting race.  From a personal standpoint, the 2008 All-Star Race was one of the coolest and most exciting races that I've been to and can't wait to be living in North Carolina so I can attend the 2014 race.   

On Tuesday, NASCAR announced that there would be a new format for the 29th running of the All-Star Race, which would take place on May 18, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. ET on SPEED. 

There are still five segments:  four twenty-lap segments and one ten lap shootout (in the final ten laps, only Green Flag laps will be counted).  During the first three segments, there will be optional pit stops during the breaks, where the field will be set by the pit stop/staying out positioning. 

There is a new emphasis on finishing well in each of the five segments; the running order at the end of the fourth segment will be re-positioned based on the average finish for the first four segments directly behind the pace car prior to the opening of Pit Road for the mandatory four tire pit stop.  The order in which the cars return to the track will determine the starting order of the fifth and final segment.  If there is a tie, the running order will be determined by the finish of the fourth segment. 

As in past years, the drivers who are eligible for the race are the ones who have won Cup races in the current and previous year; drivers who have won the All-Star race in the past ten years; drivers who have won Sprint Cup Championships in the past ten years; the top two finishers in the Sprint Showdown; and finally, the top Sprint Fan Vote driver who finishes on the lead lap of the Showdown. 

Is this new format a good thing?  Only time will tell. 

If you plan on attending the race, there will be a $99 ticket package available, so check www.CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com for more information.