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[/media-credit]Raceday in Talladega Spurs Changes in 2012 Sprint Fan Vote Top 10
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – May 10, 2012 – Fueled by his run at Talladega Superspeedway this past Sunday, Michael Waltrip leaped into the 2012 Sprint Fan Vote top 10 (alphabetical) standings and forced rookie Aric Almirola to the outside. Seven drivers currently in the top 20 in points need to either win at Darlington or claim a win or runner-up finish in the Sprint Showdown to earn a spot in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race field.
Without either of those two scenarios playing out, top-20 drivers A.J. Allmendinger (20th), Jeff Burton (18th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3rd), Joey Logano (15th), Jamie McMurray (16th), Juan Pablo Montoya (17th) and Martin Truex Jr. (6th) will have to rely on the Sprint Fan Vote to get into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
The 10 drivers leading the Sprint Fan Vote standings (in alphabetical order) are: Allmendinger, Burton, Earnhardt Jr., Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte, Logano, McMurray, Truex Jr., Kenny Wallace and Waltrip.
Voting will continue until 5 p.m. (EDT) Saturday, May 19. Fans can vote by visiting Sprint.com/Speed, using the NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile application on Sprint Android devices, or by texting “VOTE” to 229466 on any wireless carrier (standard text messaging and data rates apply). As an added incentive for Sprint customers, votes submitted from a Sprint, Nextel, Boost or Virgin Mobile device will count double toward an eligible driver’s total.
Voting is also open at NASCAR.com/AllStar or by visiting the Sprint Experience, Sprint’s mobile-marketing display located in the midway at all NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
To be eligible for the Sprint All-Star Fan Vote, drivers must be approved by NASCAR for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition and have met all other eligibility requirements. Those requirements include finishing in the Top 50 of the final 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship point standings or an attempt to qualify for the 2012 Daytona 500.
The driver who accumulates the most votes and finishes the Sprint Showdown qualifying race on the lead lap with a car in “raceable” condition (as determined by NASCAR competition) will earn a spot in the prestigious NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race field.
Drivers eligible for the 2012 Sprint Fan Vote:
A.J. Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, T.J. Bell, Dave Blaney, Geoffrey Bodine, Jeff Burton, Landon Cassill, Chris Cook, Erik Darnell, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bill Elliott, David Gilliland, Robby Gordon, Brian Keselowski, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, Andy Lally, Stephen Leicht, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Juan Pablo Montoya, Joe Nemechek, Steve Park, Andy Pilgrim, Tony Raines, David Reutimann, Robert Richardson, Boris Said, Ken Schrader, Brian Simo, David Stremme, Martin Truex Jr., Brian Vickers, Kenny Wallace, Mike Wallace, Michael Waltrip and J.J. Yeley.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 56 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2012 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
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