All-Star race: Fun for fans, feared by racers
From a fan's point of view, the Nextel All-Star Challenge is among the most fun races of the season. From a crew's point of view, it's probably one of the most nerve-racking times of the year with the exception of the 150-mile Daytona 500 qualifying races.
Who to Watch
# Hendrick Motorsports: I don't want to sound like a broken record, but if you're driving a Hendrick car right now, you've got to be feeling pretty good about going to Lowe's Motor Speedway. It's been their candy store for quite a few years now. This year, they have momentum, and their people are loose, playing with an "I don't care" attitude. There's no pressure on these guys so you've got to like their chances.
# Joe Gibbs Racing: Denny Hamlin is getting frustrated, and he's getting a pretty good taste of what it's like to be a bridesmaid. As well as he and Tony Stewart have run, either one of those guys could be spoilers.
# Evernham Motorsports: Kasey Kahne recently said his team was going to make some changes, and they needed to have some improvements. He thought they were going to be good in the near future, including the races at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Owner Ray Evernham would like nothing better than to lick his wounds and deposit a $1 million check in the bank on Monday.
What to Watch
# Checkers or wreckers: There's a lot of pride and money on the line. When they put their final mark on the checklist at the shop and roll the cars in the haulers headed to Lowe's Motor Speedway, it may be the last time they will see that car. There was an old movie called, "They Were Expendable." That's the way you have to look at these cars because you just don't know if you're going to get them back in one piece.
# Bragging rights: This all-star race carries some of the same bragging rights and significance as sitting on the pole for the Indianapolis 500. With three laps of qualifying and short runs in the race, you've got a couple of chances to get it right, just like the IRL drivers had a couple shots on pole day at Indy last week. At the end of the night, you want to be the one hoisting the trophy and saying, "It ain't about the money. It's about kicking all of y'all's butt." From Ganassi to Roush to Hendrick to Childress, the racetrack is way too close to all of their shops for them to say it's just another race. Any race at Lowe's is not just another race.
# Pits make the difference: Teams will try to flex the rules a little bit. You'll see it on pit road more than anywhere else. It's really going to boil down to just how good and athletic your pit crew can be. They have the opportunity to fly around the car just like their driver has a chance to fly around the track. With the all-or-nothing format, you can throw caution to the wind. One of these drivers is really going to take it to the limit trying to get down on pit road. At the same time, he's going to put a lot of pressure on his crew to make that difference and get him in position to win.
What to Do
There are a lot of great events for the fans in around the Queen City of Charlotte and Race City USA in Mooresville. If you're planning a vacation, there's a lot of racing happening in a 25-mile radius around the track. One of the neatest things I've heard so far is Jimmie Johnson's crew will auction off their uniforms on behalf of the Benny Parsons Foundation. It's going to be a great tribute to a great individual. We still miss Benny tremendously, and it's a great gesture on the part of crew chief Chad Knaus, the entire No. 48 team and Hendrick Motorsports. How many times have you ever seen championship football, basketball or baseball teams put their uniforms up for sale? It's a unique opportunity for some lucky fan or company to get a piece of history and honor Benny Parsons' memory.
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