The stars would come out at Charlotte on Saturday night. Well, some of them. Twenty drivers would make up the field, but we knew that the Top 20 on the season would be missing at least a couple of performers.
Let me be clear. Any race format that artificially moves entries from behind to plop them up front is a dumb one. I do not care if it is NASCAR’s All-Star Race or one that allows me to charge ahead of the Kentucky Derby field while wearing sneakers and a propeller hat. Dumb is as dumb does.
Dover's event could have been called the Gloria Gaynor 400. Some survived, some did not. Good luck was what they wanted, what more than a few were hoping for, and what at least one got.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you give it away. Denny Hamlin won the All-Star event Saturday night, but Brad Keselowski and his team handed it over.
It was a fine weekend. Sure, you may think I say that due to Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhard, Jr. and Jeff Gordon coming across the line in that order in Kansas. Okay, there might be some truth in that.
Why it is that NASCAR feels it has to tweak the All-Star race. Consider this. The All Star Game, the mid-summer classic plays nine innings and all rules apply. The NBA All Star event follows the rules and the NFL late season All Star game still plays four quarters and follows the rules.
