Fans can choose format for 2014 Sprint Unlimited

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The format of the Sprint Unlimited will rest in the hands of the NASCAR fans this season as they will have an opportunity to vote upon the race segments, starting order and restart order of the final segment.

The Sprint Unlimited unofficially kicks off the NASCAR season on Saturday, Feb. 15 and will air live at 8 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Fans will need to tune in to the live broadcast for the results.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson (pictured above during the 2013 Unlimited) were on-hand for the announcement, which was made Thursday during  the Preseason Thunder Fan Fest in Daytona Beach. Gordon, Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified for this year's exhibition event after winning at least one pole position during the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Voting is Unlimited on NASCAR.com/SprintUnlimited and votes count double on the NASCAR Mobile app. If you’re a Sprint customer, you can download NASCAR Mobile for free.

Here is a breakdown of the voting categories:

Segment laps:
-30/35/10
-30/30/15
-30/25/20

Starting lineup:
-Most career pole positions: Drivers will line up by the number of most career poles to the least career poles. Jeff Gordon, who ranks third on the all-time list, leads active drivers with 74 poles.
-2013 championship standings: Drivers line up based upon the final standings, which means defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson would be on the pole.
-Fastest practice speedway: Drivers line up based upon the final practice speed in the final Sprint Unlimited practice session.

Restart order for the final segment:
-Fastest lap: The driver with the fastest lap during the first two segments combined will start first in the final segment. The second-fastest will start second and so on.
-Most laps led: The driver who leads the most laps during segments No. 1 and 2 will start first in the final segment. The driver with the second-most laps led will start second. Any driver who does not lead a lap will start the third segment based upon how they finish the second segment.
-Mandatory pit stop: Fans can put the crews to the test by mandating at least a two-tire stop. The final segment’s lineup will be determined by the race off pit road.