CONCORD, N.C. – Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race has a large reward for the first-place finisher in comparison to the short length of the non-points race. The winner of the race receives not only $1 million and a trophy, but also an unofficial “best driver” title among the Sprint Cup competitors.
“Without a doubt you know that you beat the best of the best,” said Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet SS. “It's a very rewarding night, a night the team really enjoys. There's a different atmosphere with the pressure being off and a million reasons to have fun after.”
Tune in to FOX Sports 1 tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET to catch the “best of the best” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers race to the finish line. Be sure to also tune in tonight at 7:15 p.m. ET to catch Hendrick Motorsports rookie Chase Elliott as he competes in the Sprint Showdown looking to advance into Saturday night’s All-Star Race.
Here’s what you should know prior to this weekend’s series of events:
THIS WEEK’S PAINT SCHEMES: Kasey Kahne will be piloting the No. 5 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet SS during this weekend’s All-Star Race, while Jeff Gordon drives the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS. Elliott will make his Sprint Cup Series Sprint Showdown debut competing in the No. 25 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS. Teammates Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevrolet SS and No. 88 Mtn Dew Baja Blast Chevrolet SS, respectively.
QUALIFYING: Elliott will qualify for this year’s Sprint Showdown today at 4:15 p.m. ET.
Qualifying for Saturday night’s All-Star Race will take place on Saturday at 7:10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. The qualifying format will consist of completing three laps and a pit stop with a four-tire change—the fastest team will start from the pole position. Teams will receive one practice session for this weekend’s event on Friday at 1:45 p.m. ET, also on FOX Sports 1.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT CHARLOTTE: In 30 All-Star Races, Hendrick Motorsports has scored eight wins, 33 top-five finishes, 49 top-10 finishes and led 646 laps. Most recently, Johnson won the 2013 event after leading 10 laps to earn a record fourth All-Star victory. All four full-time Hendrick Motorsports drivers are eligible for this year’s All-Star Race.
DOUBLE DUTY: Kahne will pilot the No. 00 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In five Truck Series career starts, Kahne has won four times (twice at Darlington Raceway, once at Homestead-Miami Speedway and once at Rockingham Speedway) and finished second at Pocono Raceway in July 2010. He has an average start of 5.2 and an average finish of 1.2. He also has led 307 of 686 total career laps in the Truck Series.
KAHNE AT CHARLOTTE: Kahne remains the only driver to win the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race after transferring into the event via the Sprint Fan Vote. Including his 2008 victory, the 35-year-old driver has competed in the race every year since joining the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit in 2004.
GORDON AT CHARLOTTE: Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS, first earned a berth in the NASCAR All-Star Race in 1994 by winning the preliminary race and has gained automatic entry into the annual non-points event every year since. In each year that Gordon has won the All-Star Race (1995, 1997 and 2001), he also has won the Cup Series title that same season.
ELLIOTT AT CHARLOTTE: Elliott has raced at Charlotte Motor Speedway twice in his NASCAR career, recording two XFINITY Series starts. During his first run in May last season, Elliott’s day was cut short by a mechanical failure. However, in his second Charlotte appearance last October he entered with a comfortable championship points lead and sat on the pole for the second time in his career. He led 66 laps and finished eighth en route to winning the 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series title.
JOHNSON AT CHARLOTTE: Johnson has won the storied All-Star Race a record four times. His first win came in 2003 when the race was called “The Winston.” He won again in 2006 as well as earning back-to-back wins in 2012 and 2013. For this weekend’s event, crew chief Chad Knaus has selected chassis No. 48-922, which last raced at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.
ALL-STAR VICTORY: Earnhardt made history on May 20, 2000, when he became the first rookie to win the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Earnhardt led two laps and beat veteran Dale Jarrett to the finish line by 1.295 seconds.
EARNHARDT AT CHARLOTTE: In 15 appearances in the non-points All-Star event, Earnhardt averages an eighth-place finish. Last year, Earnhardt lined up sixth for the 90-lap shootout and crossed the finish line fourth. This weekend, crew chief Greg Ives will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-882. Earnhardt most recently raced the chassis to a 20th-place finish at Charlotte in October 2014.