Kyle Busch captured his first ever NASCAR Cup Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway Saturday night, winning the Monster Energy All-Star race and the $1 million prize.
Richard Petty Motorsports announced Wednesday that Regan Smith will drive the No. 43 Smithfield Ford in this weekend’s Monster Energy Open Race, replacing the injured Aric Almirola. The Open event offers three transfer spots into the Monster Energy All-Star race Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
One of the most memorable All-Star races occurred in 1992 when Davey Allison and Kyle Petty were contending for the win along with Dale Earnhardt who was in the lead. During the closing laps, Petty made contact with Earnhardt, who spun, setting up a battle between Allison and Petty.
NASCAR heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway this week for the Camping World Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Friday night and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star race Saturday evening. Both events will be televised on FS1.
Kansas was a scheduled 400-mile contest but, truth be told, the highlight of this one arrived with 50 to go. It came in the form of a busted brake rotor, three destroyed cars, and a driver being airlifted to a local hospital. The event itself was just another 1.5-mile track, cars spread out hither and yon, and a generic sponsor non-iconic name attached. However, as they reached the 200th lap, we witnessed what could happen on this track, any track, to jerk us back to reality.
With a deft move with three laps left in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin delivered the first victory in the non-points showcase event to Joe Gibbs Racing and to Toyota.
Though they arrived at the finish line through different routes, Biffle and Bowyer earned the two transfer spots into Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (May 16 on FOX Sports 1 at 7 p.m. ET) and will compete for the million-dollar top prize. Ninth-place finisher Danica Patrick also made the field for NASCAR’s glamour non-points race at the 1.5-mile speedway, as the first multiple winner of the Sprint Fan Vote.
I find the All-Star race to be incredibly pointless. There’s literally only one reason why it still goes on and that is so that Charlotte can keep people in the city for an extra week, something I doubt that most people still do, judging from the lack of interest in NASCAR itself.
“Today is an exciting day,” he began,”one that not a lot of folks would have thought possible that night in February down in the hospital in Daytona. Thanks to the good Lord, a tremendous medical team both in Daytona and of course Dr. Anderson here in Charlotte, the incredible support of my wife Samantha, my family and friends, everyone in the NASCAR community, and the many fans.
