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The NEXTEL All-Star Challenge
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The NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, NASCAR’S version of an all-star game, will take place on May 19th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC. Much like the All-Star games in other sports, this race is a lot more intense then the regular season races, but you can still bet the competitiveness in each and every racer will still be there, at least a little. The grand prize for this event is just a little over 1 million dollars, so you can imagine when it does come down to race time, they are ready. |
More importantly it is also a time for the fans to get a chance to interact with the stars of NASCAR more than they could on a regular race day. NASCAR does already have a good reputation of letting their fans meet their racers, but this will be a more laid back environment that will allow the drivers to perhaps open up more than they usually do. Usually after a regular season race you can wait for the drivers to come out of their trailor and approach them for an autograph. But, for this race they will be walking around the infield conversing with the fans, and will be very approachable right up to the race.
This event, which was formally known as The Winston, has been around since 1985, with various formats. Some formats in the past including breaking up the race in segegments or having one long standard race. Also in the past the race featured “knockout” rounds, where if you weren’t in a certain place after so many laps you were eliminated from the race. This year the race will have four 20-lap segments. After the first 20 laps the race will feature a five-lap caution period. If the drivers choose, they can use this time to stay out on the course, if not they can hope to make up positions by staying out. After the next 20 laps, or when half the race has been completed, their will be a halftime. In this ten minute halftime the drivers are expected to use this time to make adjustments to their cars. Again, after the third segment of 20 laps, the drivers will have another five lap caution period that they can use if they choose. Finally, the final 20 laps, known as the “Dash for The Cash,” take place with the winner walking away with a cool million.
What makes this event so unique is that not every NASCAR driver is eligible for this event. What also makes it different is the large prize amount for such a short night of work. The way you qualify for this event is by winning a previous race in a NEXTEL Cup championship (Either this season, or previous seasons.), Or, if you have won this event previously. The final way you can get in, which has just been around since 2004, is if you are voting in by fans using their NEXTEL cell phones, or from NASCAR.com.
Results 2007 Winners |
Kevin Harvick earned $1 million Saturday night, winning the Nextel All-Star Challenge after Matt Kenseth got caught speeding and brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch took each other out of contention. Harvick, who was second to Johnson last season, scored his first All-Star victory in seven tries and gave car owner Richard Childress his first win in the non-points event since Dale Earnhardt in 1993. Harvick's other victory also was a jackpot -- he earned $1.5 million for winning the season-opening Daytona 500.
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| Fin |
Str |
Car# |
Driver |
Team |
Laps |
Total Award |
Status |
Times |
Laps |
| 1 |
4 |
29 |
Kevin Harvick |
Pennzoil Platinum/Shell Chevy |
80 |
$1,031,539 |
Running |
1 |
20 |
| 2 |
2 |
48 |
Jimmie Johnson |
Lowe's/Power of Pride Chevy |
80 |
$256,535 |
Running |
|
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| 3 |
18 |
01 |
Mark Martin |
U.S. Army Chevy |
80 |
$133,535 |
Running |
|
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| 4 |
5 |
31 |
Jeff Burton |
AT&T Mobility Chevy |
80 |
$106,535 |
Running |
|
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| 5 |
17 |
20 |
Tony Stewart |
Home Depot Chevy |
80 |
$101,535 |
Running |
|
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| 6 |
20 |
70 |
Johnny Sauter |
Yellow Transportation/HAAS Chevy |
80 |
$96,535 |
Running |
|
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| 7 |
1 |
17 |
Matt Kenseth |
DeWalt Ford |
80 |
$216,385 |
Running |
2 |
36 |
| 8 |
8 |
12 |
Ryan Newman |
alltel Dodge |
80 |
$90,385 |
Running |
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| 9 |
10 |
8 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Budweiser Chevy |
80 |
$89,385 |
Running |
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| 10 |
19 |
1 |
Martin Truex Jr. |
Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevy |
80 |
$88,385 |
Running |
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| 11 |
7 |
24 |
Jeff Gordon |
DuPont Performance Alliance Chevy |
80 |
$127,360 |
Running |
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| 12 |
13 |
44 |
Dale Jarrett |
UPS Toyota |
80 |
$86,360 |
Running |
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| 13 |
14 |
83 |
Brian Vickers |
Red Bull Toyota |
80 |
$85,360 |
Running |
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| 14 |
11 |
9 |
Kasey Kahne |
Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge |
80 |
$84,860 |
Running |
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| 15 |
12 |
16 |
Greg Biffle |
Ameriquest Ford |
80 |
$84,260 |
Running |
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| 16 |
21 |
78 |
Kenny Wallace |
Furniture Row Chevy |
80 |
$83,985 |
Running |
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| 17 |
9 |
11 |
Denny Hamlin |
FedEx Freight Chevy |
63 |
$83,885 |
Accident |
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| 18 |
16 |
25 |
Casey Mears |
National Guard/GMAC Chevy |
63 |
$83,785 |
Accident |
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| 19 |
3 |
2 |
Kurt Busch |
Miller Lite Dodge |
62 |
$88,685 |
Accident |
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| 20 |
6 |
5 |
Kyle Busch |
Kellogg's/Carquest Chevy |
62 |
$158,585 |
Accident |
1 |
24 |
| 21 |
15 |
43 |
Bobby Labonte |
Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge |
41 |
$83,485 |
Accident |
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