Going three-wide, Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet, races AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 22 Pennzoil Dodge, and Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, May 19, 2012
Photo – Chris Graythen/Getty Images

One of NASCAR’s biggest night of racing will be this Saturday night. It’s All-Star Saturday night and the excitement, drama, and action are expected throughout the evening. The All-Star Race is a very special event and often includes a lot of drama, resulting in great racing. Saturday night kicks off with the Sprint Showdown featuring drivers hoping to get into the main event by finishing first or second in the race. The All-Star race follows with format changes for this season. Fans can expect this race to be unpredictable and as wild as it has been in years past.

The Sprint Showdown will kick-off Saturday night and will go green around 7:30 PM EST. The format for this race will be the same as in years past. There will be two 20-lap segments with an optional pit stop between the segments. The top two finishers in the race will advance to the All-Star Race along with the fan-vote winner. During driver introductions for the All-Star Race, the fan-vote winner is revealed to fans. Leading candidates to receive the vote include (alphabetical order) Jeff Burton, Bobby Labonte, Danica Patrick, and Martin Truex Jr.

Following the Showdown will be the main event, the Sprint All-Star Race. The race will be a wild one since no points are on the line and only money goes to the winner. To be exact, the winner gets one million dollars. Unless, the winner of the race leads at the end of each segment, earning them another million, totaling two million dollars as a part of Bruton Smith’s bonus. Being up front and staying up front will be the key to having a shot at the win on Saturday and there are many advantages to being up front and not hanging in the back.

To really have a shot at winning, the drivers will need to remain up front throughout the first four segments, because after the fourth segment, drivers will enter pit road for the mandatory four-tire pit stop based on their average finishes in the first four segments. Being able to enter pit road first is a pretty good reason to be up front and contending for the victory all-night long. The first four segments are 20 laps each and the final segment after pit stops will consist of only ten green-flag laps. A shootout will be in-store to determine the winner and pit crews will be the ones responsible for getting their driver out front for the final segment. There’s a lot to look forward to and the event is sure to be very exciting.

Drivers to watch in the race include Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, and Brad Keselowski along with others. Johnson took home the victory in last year’s race and his dominance of Charlotte Motor Speedway could allow him to do it again. Any of the drivers in the field could legitimately have a shot at victory and even the guys advancing from the Showdown could win since Kasey Kahne did exactly that in 2008.

Fans are pumped for the All-Star events this weekend and drivers know how special this race is to win. With two million dollars on the line, the race is definitely worth winning and the action on the track will be exciting throughout the night. One faulty mistake could cost a driver a shot at victory, but at the same time, that move could open a window of opportunity for another driver to sweep in and grab the money. This race will be an all-out brawl and the excitement will not disappoint. Tune-in on Saturday to the SPEED channel to see all the action unfold on the track in one of the most electrifying races of the year.

Other Notes about the race

Broadcasting Channel- SPEED (TV), MRN (Radio)

Start Time- SPEED’s coverage begins at 4:00 PM EST and the Showdown is scheduled to begin around 7:30 PM EST

Weather Forecast- Thunderstorms, low of 65 F, and a 60% chance of precipitation

Entry List for the Sprint Showdown via Jayski.com

Entry List for the Sprint All-Star Race via Jayski.com