2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race


The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star Race was the 26th running of NASCAR's special non-points race involving winners of the [2009 NASCAR NASCAR Sprint Cup Series|Sprint Cup Series|2009] and 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races through the 2010 Autism Speaks 400 as well as Sprint All-Star Race 2000–2009 winners, when the event was known as "The Winston" and the "Nextel All-Star Challenge", and past Sprint Cup champions from the decade covering 2000 to 2009, including the "Winston Cup" and "Nextel Cup" eras. The event was run at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Charlotte, North Carolina suburb of Concord on May 22, 2010. Speed provided television coverage in the US while MRN and Sirius XM Radio held radio rights. Kurt Busch won the race and the $1 million prize.

Race format

The format of the race was follows:
  • One fifty-lap segment with a mandatory four-tire green flag pit stop at or around Lap 25;
  • Two twenty-lap segments with a ten-minute break following Segment Three;
  • A ten-lap green flag segment.
Pits were open following the end of the first two segments, where drivers could have opted to take a pit stop, but could have sacrificed their position on the track should they chose to do so. After the first pace lap following the break, teams were required to take a four-tire stop. The order they come out determined the starting order for the last segment.
The qualifying session for eligible drivers was to have consisted of three laps instead of the standard two, including a pit stop after either of the first two laps, slowing to the speed limit of 45 mph entering pit road, but going full throttle as they exit. However, a rainstorm the night before cancelled the event, and the first 19 positions were chosen by qualifying order; as a result, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano made up the front row.

Eligible drivers

The following drivers qualified for the race in these categories:

Past Series Champion drivers

The following six drivers were eligible in the Past Champions category:

Past All-Star race-winning drivers

The following five drivers were eligible as a past winner of the event in the last decade:

2009 or 2010 race winners

The following eight drivers were eligible by winning a Sprint Cup points race in 2009 or 2010:
§ – McMurray was the winning driver in the #26 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the AMP Energy 500; that team would later be owned by Latitude 43 Motorsports, and McMurray became the driver of the #1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet for the 2010 season, also winning the 2010 Daytona 500. The #09 team for which Brad Keselowski drove to victory in the Aaron's 499, as well as the #26 team were not eligible unless:
In the end, neither Phoenix or Latitude 43 attempted even the Showdown. The full-time #66 of Prism Motorsports, driven by Dave Blaney, also didn't attempt the Showdown.
† – On May 13, Vickers was sidelined with blood clots in his legs and chest, and Casey Mears replaced him as the interim driver in the #83 Red Bull Racing Toyota. Mears would not have qualified for the event; NASCAR gave the team approval for the driver switch.
For those not listed above, a special race, The Sprint Showdown, consisting of two halves of 20 laps each was held prior to the main event. The top two finishers – Martin Truex Jr. and Greg Biffle – and a driver chosen by a fan poll – Carl Edwards – were promoted to the main event. Only winning drivers, not teams, are eligible to race in the All-Star Race.

Other events

Induction of the Charter Class to the NASCAR Hall of Fame

On October 14, 2009, the Charter Class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame were announced, consisting of Bill France Sr., the organization's founder, his son Bill France Jr., seven time series champions Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt and former driver-owner Junior Johnson. The formal inductions were held on Sunday, May 23 on the Ceremonial Plaza of the new building.

Craftsman All-Star Pit Crew Challenge

The annual Craftsman All-Star Pit Crew Challenge competition was held on the Wednesday prior to the event at the Time Warner Cable Arena. Denny Hamlin's #11 team dethroned Jeff Burton's #31 team as champions, and earned the right to be the first team to choose their pit stall for the race.

Pennzoil Ultra Victory Challenge

The third annual Pennzoil Ultra Victory Challenge – judged by former driver Jimmy Spencer, TNA wrestler Jeff Hardy, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith along with Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti from the rock group Creed – was held prior to the All-Star Race. Joey Logano won the event with 67 points.