By: Jay W. Pennell
Sprint Cup Correspondent
HardcoreRaceFans.com

Although your day at the polls for the presidential primaries may have come and gone, you still have a chance to make your voice heard. Voting for the Sprint All-Star Race is currently underway and your driver needs you!

Those drivers not eligible for the Sprint All-Star Race Saturday, May 17th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will have three chances to make their way into that elite field. The top two finishers in Saturday’s 40-lap Sprint Showdown will transfer into 100-lap main event due to racing their way in. That leaves one more spot open and it is up to you – the Hardcore Race Fans – to decide who that driver is.

For the fifth year, fans will be able to decide who they want to see race in one of the most unique all-star events in all of sports. Last year, after a campaign that quite possibly rivals that of any of the presidential candidates, Kenny Wallace earned his way into the 23rd running of the All-Star Race.

“I wish that all the drivers could feel what I felt last year when I was voted into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race,” Wallace explained. “It solidifies what I’ve been doing the last 22 years. I look forward to rooting on the winner of the Fan Vote this year.”

To be eligible, drivers must have finished in the top-50 in Cup Series standings in 2007 and have attempted to qualify for at least one race in 2008. The driver who has accumulated the most votes – and finishes on the lead lap in the Sprint Showdown – will transfer into the All-Star Race later that night.

This event is so special that sponsors have even begun getting involved. Jim Beam, who sponsors Robby Gordon, has undertaken a massive marketing campaign to get fans to ‘Vote for Robby’. Running online advertisements and distributing stickers and shirts at tracks leading up to the All-Star weekend, Jim Beam has shown their commitment.

“Earlier this year, Jim Beam and the fans stood behind me with the 'Rally for Robby' campaign following the Daytona 500 penalty,” Gordon said of his sponsor, “and now they are showing their support once again!” “It's great to be associated with such an enthusiastic sponsor. We've worked really hard to be competitive this season, so if the Jim Beam Racing team gets voted in by the fans, it would be very exciting for both the team and myself.”

Past winners of the Sprint Fan Vote include Wallace (2007), Kyle Petty (2006), Martin Truex Jr. (2005) and Ken Schrader (2004).

Voting is available by: - Texting “NASCAR” to 7777 on Sprint phones and following the received directions - Visiting participating Sprint locations - Stopping by the Sprint Experience at the Track - By visiting NASCAR.com

Drivers eligible for this year’s Sprint Fan Vote include:

A.J. Allmendinger
John Andretti
Stanton Barrett
Johnny Benson
Dave Blaney
Ward Burton
Patrick Carpentier
Bill Elliott
Dario Franchitti
David Gilliland
Robby Gordon
Jeff Green
Sam Hornish, Jr.
Kasey Kahne
Travis Kvapil
Burney Lamar
Carl Long
Sterling Marlin
Jeremy Mayfield
Eric McClure
Paul Menard
Joe Nemechek
Kyle Petty
David Ragan
Tony Raines
David Reutimann
Scott Riggs
Ricky Rudd
Elliott Sadler
Boris Said
Johnny Sauter
Ken Schrader
Mike Skinner
Regan Smith
Reed Sorenson
David Stremme
Brian Vickers
Kenny Wallace
Michael Waltrip
J.J Yeley