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| Jimmie Johnson celebrating his 3rd Sprint Allstar race win |
The 48 team from Hendrick Motorsports has dealt with many challenges that NASCAR has given them over the years. Last night Jimmie Johnson and team threw one right back at NASCAR.
When NASCAR changed the format for this year’s Sprint Cup Allstar race they hoped to bring excitement back to a race that had lost some of the excitement and drama we are accustomed to seeing.
The new format was made up of 5 segments: four 20 lap segments and a final 10 lap shootout. The winners from the first four segments were placed 1st-4th on the track. All d rivers had to make a mandatory 4 tire pit stop before the final 10 lap sprint.
Jimmie Johnson won the first segment. He was guaranteed to enter the pits first on the mandatory pit stop after segment 4.
After the first segment, Johnson drove Charlotte Motor Speedway like he was back at Talladega, just cruising along in the back, staying out of trouble.
There was no reason for the 48 to charge back up front because his segment 1 win was all of the racing he truly needed to do until the final shootout.
During the final 10 laps, Jimmie led the field to the green after his team got him out of the pits as the leader. A few minutes later, Johnson won his 3rd allstar race as he drove away then held off a charging Brad Keselowski.
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| Prerace festivities |
Johnson’s win was a slap in the face to the changes that NASCAR made to this year’s format. There was excitement and there were even fireworks, but unfortunately… it all happened during the prerace festivities.
Chad Knaus is somewhere smiling ear to ear I bet, because again this year he was able to beat the NASCAR rules. This time stinking up the show for fans watching.
Not to discredit the win, this team played within the rules and did what they had to do to win the race. No harm, no foul.
The only foul should be to the powers that be who decided this format would actually work. Did they not play out all of the possibilities?
Here’s my take on it and what I think they should do to make the Allstar race once again a race to remember.
MY FORMAT:
120 laps-elimination style, top 30 in NSCS points, no fan vote,
If there would have been one more lap in last night’s race, things could have been different, according to Brad Keselowski.
As a spectator of this event, it seemed that every time I turned around or tried to check my Twitter account we were under caution, getting ready for another segment. Are four 20 lap segments really needed? Are the tires even warm? I don’t think so.
First I would make 4 segments:
1) 50 laps with a required green flag pit stop, teams have the option on tires. This gives drivers a long run to really see how the car is handling. Cars in position 26-30 are eliminated from the race. The winner receives compensation and starts segment 2 as the leader.
2) 30 laps, no stops required, drivers in positions 21-25 are eliminated from the race. The winner receives compensation and starts segment 3 as the leader.
3) 20 laps, no stops required, drivers in position 16-20 are eliminated from the race, the winner receives compensation and is the leader for the final shootout.
** 5 minute break, the race will be red flagged, teams will come down pit road and be allowed to make any change to the car within the NASCAR rulebook on pit road. This will gear the top 15 up for the final shootout.
4) 20 lap Sprint to the finish.
This format seems a bit like older formats that have been used, but I believe that adding more drivers to the show and eliminating them based on actual track position will make drivers go that much further and not give an inch on the track.
The fan vote will forever go to Dale Earnhardt, it is unfair to drivers like Bobby Labonte who got the fan vote because Jr. won the opening race. All of the drivers in the cup series are allstars, the best of the best. Having the top 30 in points would only create more excitement for the actual allstar race.
It seems like we’re changing things in NASCAR on a regular basis these days. Add something else to the list.
The views expressed are those of the writer. Send comments and follow me on Twitter @Dontae_Allen
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