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For the 25th running of the Sprint All-Star Race fans will once again be treated to a ten-lap shootout to determine it all. One of the most exciting races on the schedule, the All-Star Race has been known to produce some of the closest and most dramatic finishes of all time, most of them coming during the final ten-lap shootout.
The 2009 edition of the annual All-Star event will be broken up into four segments. The first segment will be a 50-lap run, with a mandatory green-flag pit stop on Lap 25 where teams must change four tires. At the end of 50 laps, the caution flag will be thrown and teams will have the option of coming to pit road for service. The next two segments will each be 20-lap runs with a caution thrown between the two; again teams have the option of hitting pit road for service. Following the third segment (the second 20-lap segment) teams will take a ten-minute break in the action. Once back on the track, the cars will line-up double file the way they finished the third segment and set up for a 10-lap dash to the checkers.
With one million dollars on the line and only ten laps to get the job done, there are sure to be sparks flying and fans on their feet.
A race that has created some of NASCAR’s most memorable moments, the All-Star Race has always been a favorite of fans and competitors alike. By bringing back the 10-lap shootout format, NASCAR, Lowe’s Motor Speedway and Sprint are hoping this year’s silver anniversary event is one for the record books.
Some of the most exciting finishes of the previous twenty-four years of the All-Star event have come during that final 10-lap segment. In 1987, Dale Earnhardt Sr. pulled off the famous “pass in the grass” blocking Bill Elliott on the frontstretch to earn his first All-Star win. In 1989, Rusty Wallace got into the left rear of Darrell Waltrip coming to the white flag, sending him spinning through the grass and igniting a firestorm of boos, and don’t forget about the fight that ensued in the garage.
Perhaps the most memorable of all was the first event held under the lights in 1992. Deemed, “One Hot Night,” the ’92 edition of the race truly came down to the wire with Kyle Petty going for the win against Dale Earnhardt Sr. as Davey Allison snuck up behind them. As Earnhardt spun in Turn 3, Petty and Allison drag raced to the finish. Allison won by a nose, but was turned hard into the wall just past the checkered flag. While the car and the team headed to victory lane, Allison headed to the hospital.
"We were talking a little bit about the format and the fact that having looked back and identified that many of the greatest moments, where the greatest memories have been created, have been with 10 lap shootouts, and going back to this year," Steve Gaffney of Sprint explained. "This is the first time since Sprint has been the title partner of the All Star event we've had a 10 Lap Shootout at the end. So we're really excited about that, as well."
NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton is hoping this year’s event is full of memory-making moments. With a ten-lap dash to the end, Pemberton expects a tough night at the office. "We like good racing and this will be good hardcore racing,” Pemberton explained. “We still have to keep law and order the best we can. There are nights that are easier than others, but for the most part we have to be on our game.”
The 2002 All-Star Race winner, Ryan Newman is looking forward to the 10-lap segment. Helping with the unveiling Wednesday afternoon, Newman joked, " I was reading the bottom line down here, and it says $1 million to win. Everything else doesn't matter." A graduate of the USAC Series, Newman came up the ranks racing short heat races to take it all. Now with this year's event bringing that local short track flair to one of the biggest events of the season, the driver of the No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet is excited about the new format. "Well, I like it," Newman said of the 10-lap dash. "I grew up racing USAC series, an eight lap heat race at Winchester that lasted 2 and a half minutes. So not that we're trying to short the fans of their money, but there's a lot of excitement in 10 laps. We're going to do our best to do that. "It's the way we grew up" Newman added. "Short track racing, racing hard and racing fast and getting the job done. Those 10 laps prove that." The 25th running of the Sprint All-Star Race this May is sure to be one for the record books. The new format announced Wednesday is sure to mix things up, change teams strategies and bring the competition closer together. A true show for the fans at home and in the stands,officials have decided to give the exhibition event a true Saturday night shootout feel by bringing back the final ten-lap segment. 
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