NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXVI
Encyclopedia
| Location | Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race... in Concord, North Carolina Concord, North Carolina Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area... |
| Date | May 22, 2010 |
| Laps | 100 (One 50-lap segment, two 20 lap segments and ten green flag laps) |
| Distance | 150 miles (241.4 km) [Segment 1: 75 miles (120.7 km); Segments 2 and 3: 30 miles (48.3 km); Final segment: 15 miles (24.1 km) – Green Flag Laps only] |
| Winner | Kurt Busch Kurt Busch Kurt Thomas Busch is an American NASCAR and NHRA driver. He drives the No. 22 Shell Oil Company/Pennzoil Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and will race on an "opportunity permitting" basis in the Pro Stock division of NHRA... |
| Showdown Winners | Martin Truex, Jr. Greg Biffle Greg Biffle Gregory Jack "Greg" Biffle is a NASCAR driver who drives the #16 3M Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. After racing in the NASCAR Winter Heat Series in the mid-90s, he was recommended to Jack Roush by former announcer Benny Parsons... |
| Fan Vote | Carl Edwards Carl Edwards Carl Michael Edwards, II is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #99 Fastenal/Aflac Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series and the #60 Ford in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing... |
| Average speed | 94.175 mi/h |
| Polesitter | Kurt Busch (due to rainout of qualifying) |
| Most Laps Led | Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.... (56 laps) |
| Television | |
| Network Television network A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small... |
Speed |
| Announcers | Mike Joy Mike Joy Mike Joy is an American TV sports announcer, who currently serves as the lap-by-lap voice of FOX Sports' NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage. His color analysts are Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds. Joy has broadcast more than 30 Daytona 500s, NASCAR's biggest event... , Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,... and Larry McReynolds Larry McReynolds Lawrence Joseph McReynolds III is a former NASCAR crew chief and currently serves as a racing analyst on Fox Sports, TNT and a columnist on Foxsports.com. He currently lives in Mooresville, North Carolina... |
The NASCAR Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star Race
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, formerly known as The Winston until 2004, then the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge from 2004 until 2007, is a race open to race winners from the previous season as well as the current season, plus the past ten event winners and past decade's Cup Series champions...
XXVI was the 26th running of NASCAR's special non-points race involving winners of the 2009
2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008...
and 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 62nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States. Beginning at Daytona International Speedway, the season included 36 races and two exhibition races. The season concluded with the 2010 Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway...
races through the 2010 Autism Speaks 400
2010 Autism Speaks 400
The 2010 Autism Speaks 400 was the twelfth race of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. It started at 1 p.m. EST on May 16, 2010. The 2010 Autism Speaks 400 was televised on Fox and was broadcasted on MRN radio at 12 p.m. Martin Truex, Jr....
as well as Sprint All-Star Race XVI-XXV winners, when the event was known as "The Winston" and the "Nextel All-Star Challenge", and past Sprint Cup champions from the decade covering 2000 to 2009, including the "Winston Cup" (2000–2003) and "Nextel Cup" (2004–2007) eras. The event was run at the 1.5 miles (2.4 km) Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
in the Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
suburb of Concord
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
on May 22, 2010. Speed provided television coverage in the USA while MRN
Motor Racing Network
The Motor Racing Network is the principal radio broadcasting operation of NASCAR, promoting themselves as "The Voice of NASCAR." It broadcasts coverage of most major NASCAR races at the top three levels of NASCAR at tracks owned by International Speedway Corporation as well as Dover International...
(over-the-air/terrestrial) and Sirius XM Radio (satellite) held radio rights.
Race format
The format of the race was follows:- One fifty-lap segment with a mandatory four-tire green flag pit stop at or around Lap 25;
- Two twenty-lap segments with a ten-minute break following Segment Three;
- A ten-lap green flag segment.
Pits were open following the end of the first two segments, where drivers could have opted to take a pit stop, but could have sacrificed their position on the track should they chose to do so. After the first pace lap following the break, teams were required to take a four-tire stop. The order they come out determined the starting order for the last segment.
The qualifying session for eligible drivers was to have consisted of three laps instead of the standard two, including a pit stop after either of the first two laps, slowing to the speed limit of 45 mph entering pit road, but going full throttle as they exit. However, a rainstorm the night before (May 21) cancelled the event, and the first 19 positions were chosen by the luck of the draw for the cancelled qualifying; as a result, Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch is an American NASCAR and NHRA driver. He drives the No. 22 Shell Oil Company/Pennzoil Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and will race on an "opportunity permitting" basis in the Pro Stock division of NHRA...
and Joey Logano
Joey Logano
Joseph Thomas "Joey" Logano , nicknamed "sliced bread" by Randy LaJoie, is an American stock car auto racing race car driver who currently drives the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and the #20 GameStop/Sport Clips Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs...
made up the front row.
Past Series Champion drivers
The following six drivers were eligible in the Past Champions category:- 48-Jimmie JohnsonJimmie JohnsonJimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports....
(Four-time series champion, most recently 20092009 NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesThe 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008...
) - 14-Tony StewartTony StewartAnthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
(Two-time series champion, most recently 2005; also defending race championNASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXVThe NASCAR Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star Race XXV was the 25th Anniversary running of NASCAR's special non-points race involving winners of the 2008 and 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races through the 2009 Southern 500 presented by GoDaddy.com as well as Sprint All-Star Race XV-XXIV winners,...
) - 2-Kurt BuschKurt BuschKurt Thomas Busch is an American NASCAR and NHRA driver. He drives the No. 22 Shell Oil Company/Pennzoil Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and will race on an "opportunity permitting" basis in the Pro Stock division of NHRA...
(2004 series champion) - 17-Matt KensethMatt KensethMatthew Roy "Matt" Kenseth is an American stock car driver. Kenseth currently drives the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
(2003 series champion) - 24-Jeff GordonJeff GordonJeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
(Four-time series champion, most recently 2001) - 71-Bobby LabonteBobby LabonteRobert Alan "Bobby" Labonte is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He currently drives the #47 Kroger/Clorox/Kimberly-Clark/Kingsford/Reese Towpower Hitches Toyota Camry for JTG Daugherty Racing. He currently resides in Trinity, North Carolina. He is married to his wife...
(2000 series champion)
Past All-Star race-winning drivers
The following five drivers were eligible as a past winner of the event in the last decade:- 9-Kasey KahneKasey KahneKasey Kenneth Kahne is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #5 Farmers Insurance Group Chevrolet Impala for Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series....
(Sprint All-Star Race XXIV winner) - 29-Kevin HarvickKevin HarvickKevin Michael Harvick is an American stock car auto racing race car driver and car owner currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing, driving the No. 29 Budweiser/Jimmy John's/Rheem/Okuma/Realtree Outdoors/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet Impala...
(Sprint All-Star Race XXIII2007 NEXTEL All-Star ChallengeThe 2007 NEXTEL Open and NEXTEL All-Star Challenge was held on Saturday, May 19, 2007 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte...
winner) - 5-Mark MartinMark Martin (NASCAR)Mark Anthony Martin is an American stock car driver currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. As of 2012, Martin will drive for Michael Waltrip Racing, moving on from successful organizations such as Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing. He has the second most wins in the NASCAR...
(Sprint All-Star Race XXI winner) - 39-Ryan NewmanRyan NewmanRyan Joseph Newman is a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He drives the #39 United States Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for Stewart Haas Racing under crew chief Tony Gibson. Newman graduated from Purdue University in 2001 with a B.S. in vehicle structure engineering...
(Sprint All-Star Race XVIII winner) - 88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Sprint All-Star Race XVI winner)
2009 or 2010 race winners
The following eight drivers were eligible by winning a Sprint Cup points race in 2009 or 2010:- 18-Kyle BuschKyle BuschKyle Thomas Busch, is an American NASCAR driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No...
(2009 Shelby 4272009 Shelby 427The 2009 Shelby 427 was the third race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. This race took place on March 1 of that year at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the namesake Nevada city...
) - 12-Brad KeselowskiBrad KeselowskiBradley Robert Keselowski is an American auto racing driver currently competing in the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger in the Sprint Cup Series and the #22 Discount Tire Company/Ruby Tuesday Dodge Challenger in the Nationwide Series for Penske Racing...
(2009 Aaron's 4992009 Aaron's 499The 2009 Aaron's 499 was the ninth race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The race was run at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama on April 26...
)§ - 00-David ReutimannDavid ReutimannEmil David Reutimann is the driver the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine/Tums/Best Western Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
(2009 Coca-Cola 6002009 Coca-Cola 600The 2009 Coca-Cola 600, the longest race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season in terms of distance, was the twelfth race of the thirty-six race season. It was also the 50th running of the race, and in celebration thereof Lowe's Motor Speedway painted the outside retaining walls gold...
) - 20-Joey LoganoJoey LoganoJoseph Thomas "Joey" Logano , nicknamed "sliced bread" by Randy LaJoie, is an American stock car auto racing race car driver who currently drives the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and the #20 GameStop/Sport Clips Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs...
(2009 Lenox Industrial Tools 301) - 11-Denny HamlinDenny HamlinJames Dennis Alan "Denny" Hamlin is an American race car driver. Though originally born in Tampa, Florida, Hamlin was raised for most of his life in Chesterfield, Virginia. After racing in go-karts for a number of years, he worked his way up to Late Models by 2004 and signed a development contract...
(2009 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500Pennsylvania 500The Good Sam RV Insurance 500 is the second of two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car races held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, the other being the Pocono 500...
) - 83-Brian VickersBrian VickersBrian Lee Vickers is a American NASCAR driver. He was the 2003 Busch Series champion, and at age 20, became the youngest champion in any of NASCAR's three top-tier series...
(2009 Carfax 4002009 Carfax 400The 2009 Carfax 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that took place on August 16, 2009 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Out of the 43 races, there were 42 Americans and 2 foreigners . There were seven cautions for 36 laps and the race lasted 3 hours and 2 minutes...
)† - 1-Jamie McMurrayJamie McMurrayJames Christopher "Jamie" McMurray is a professional American race car driver. McMurray is best known for winning the 2002 UAW-GM Quality 500 as a substitute driver in his second Winston Cup start, and is one of three drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year...
(2009 AMP Energy 5002009 AMP Energy 500The 2009 AMP Energy 500 was the 33rd race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and the seventh event of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. It was held on November 1, 2009 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, and is the only race in the Championship Chase to utilize restrictor plates...
)§
§ – McMurray was the winning driver in the #26 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the Amp Energy 500; that team would later be owned by Latitude 43 Motorsports
Latitude 43 Motorsports
Latitude 43 Motorsports is a NASCAR team currently competing in the Sprint Cup Series in 2010 and in 2011. They are fielding the #26 Ford driven by Boris Said and Bill Elliott. The team was started after Vermont businessman Bill Jenkins purchased the team from Roush Fenway Racing to satisfy...
, and McMurray became the driver of the #1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is a NASCAR team based in Concord, North Carolina, United States, owned by Dale Earnhardt's widow Teresa Earnhardt, Chip Ganassi, and Felix Sabates. This team was formed when Dale Earnhardt, Inc...
Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
for the 2010 season, also winning the 2010 Daytona 500
2010 Daytona 500
The 2010 Daytona 500 was the 52nd running of "The Great American Race", and it kicked off the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season on February 14 at the 2.5 mile Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Fox telecast the race while radio coverage was handled by Sirius XM Radio...
. The #09 team for which Brad Keselowski drove to victory in the Aaron's 499, as well as the #26 team were not eligible unless:
- a) the team won a race prior to May 16;
- b) won one of the two top positions of the Sprint Showdown or
- c) Aric AlmirolaAric AlmirolaAric A. Almirola is a Cuban-American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives the #88 Unilever/Grand Touring Vodka Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports. Almirola attended the University of Central Florida working on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to...
, who drove the #09 car or either David StremmeDavid StremmeDavid Andrew Stremme is an American stock car driver. He is most notable as the 2003 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year, winning the award while running a part time for several different teams. He currently drives the #30 Chevrolet Impala for Inception Motorsports.-Early life:Stremme was...
or Boris SaidBoris SaidBoris Said is an American race car driver from Carlsbad, California but considers his hometown to be Stamford, Connecticut. His father, Bob Said, was a Formula One race driver and US Olympic bobsled driver in 1968 and 1972. He drove the #26 Ford Fusion for Latitude 43 Motorsports in the NASCAR...
, the respective drivers of the new #26 car, were selected in the fan poll.
† – On May 13, Vickers was sidelined with blood clots in his legs and chest, and Casey Mears
Casey Mears
Casey James Mears is the driver of the #13 GEICO Toyota for Germain Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. He is a former winner of the Coca-Cola 600....
replaced him as the interim driver in the #83 Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing is a Formula One racing team based in Milton Keynes, England which currently holds an Austrian licence. It is, along with Scuderia Toro Rosso, one of two teams owned by beverage company Red Bull GmbH. The team have won two Constructors' Championship titles, in and , becoming the...
Toyota. Mears would not have qualified for the event; NASCAR gave the team approval for the driver switch.
For those not listed above, a special race, The Sprint Showdown, consisting of two halves of 20 laps [30 miles (48.3 km)] each was held prior to the main event. The top two finishers – Martin Truex, Jr. and Greg Biffle
Greg Biffle
Gregory Jack "Greg" Biffle is a NASCAR driver who drives the #16 3M Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. After racing in the NASCAR Winter Heat Series in the mid-90s, he was recommended to Jack Roush by former announcer Benny Parsons...
– and a driver chosen by a fan poll – Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards
Carl Michael Edwards, II is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #99 Fastenal/Aflac Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series and the #60 Ford in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
– were promoted to the main event. Only winning drivers, not teams, are eligible to race in the All-Star Race.
Induction of the Charter Class to the NASCAR Hall of Fame
On October 14, 2009 , the Charter Class of the NASCAR Hall of FameNASCAR Hall of Fame
The NASCAR Hall of Fame honors drivers who have shown exceptional skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, and other major contributors to competition within the sanctioning body. NASCAR committed itself to building a Hall of Fame and on March 6, 2006, the city of Charlotte,...
were announced, consisting of Bill France Sr., the organization's founder, his son Bill France Jr., seven time series champions Richard Petty
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
and Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
and former driver-owner Junior Johnson
Junior Johnson
Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. , better known as Junior Johnson, is a retired moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966...
. The formal inductions were held on Sunday, May 23 on the Ceremonial Plaza of the new building.
Craftsman All-Star Pit Crew Challenge
The annual Craftsman All-Star Pit Crew Challenge competition was held on the Wednesday prior to the event at the Time Warner Cable Arena. Denny Hamlin's #11 team dethroned Jeff BurtonJeff Burton
Jeffrey Brian "Jeff" Burton , also referred to as JB or The Mayor, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who drives the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing. Burton is the younger brother of Ward Burton, who is a former Sprint Cup driver...
's #31 team as champions, and earned the right to be the first team to choose their pit stall for the race.
Pennzoil Ultra Victory Challenge
The third annual Pennzoil Ultra Victory Challenge – judged by former driver Jimmy SpencerJimmy Spencer
Jimmy Spencer is a current television commentator, and a former NASCAR driver. He formerly hosted the NASCAR inspired talk show, “What’s the Deal?”, on SPEED. He is the former co-host, with John Roberts and Kenny Wallace, of the SPEED's pre-race and post-race NASCAR shows NASCAR RaceDay and...
, TNA
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
wrestler Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
wide receiver Steve Smith along with Scott Stapp
Scott Stapp
Scott Alan Stapp is an American musician and singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Creed, of which he is a founding member. His debut solo album, The Great Divide, was released in 2005. A second album, Between Lust and Love, is currently in production...
and Mark Tremonti
Mark Tremonti
Mark Thomas Tremonti is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the American rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands...
from the rock group Creed
Creed (band)
Creed is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida. Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has released three consecutive multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond, and has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with an...
– was held prior to the All-Star Race. Joey Logano won the event with 67 points.