Viewer's Guide: All-Star

ATLANTA -- A week ago, Kasey Kahne had to depend on the fans for his spot in the Nextel All-Star Challenge.

He took the matter into his own hands Saturday, earning his spot after winning the Chevy American Revolution 400 at Richmond.

	Inside the Numbers Kasey Kahne's 2004 Nextel Cup Series record at Lowe's Race Start Finish All-Star Challenge 16 7 Coca-Cola 600 19 12 UAW-GM Quality 500 2 32

"That's special for me for no other reason than to be in the all-star race and have a chance at the million dollars and put a great race on for the fans and to give my team a shot to have a pit stop Friday night and start first in the all-star race," Kahne said.

"It's so cool how they do that. It gets everybody on the team a shot at it, and I'm pretty excited we were able to get in it and have a shot at the pit stop deal."

Crew chief Tommy Baldwin said he was prepared for the possiblity.

"We do have a new car we built and if it does run well this weekend and doesn't have any damage, which is highly unlikely with them crazy guys out there going for a million dollars, we'll bring it to the 600," Baldwin said.

And if they win the million dollars, Kahne knows what he'll do with his share.

"I'd probably go buy a house," Kahne said. "I'm still living in my apartment I got three and a half years ago when I moved to Charlotte. If I won that money, I'd definitely go buy a house."

The numbers were good for FX on Saturday night at Richmond. The Chevy American Revolution 400 drew a 4.4 rating. That's a 16 percent increase from the same race a year ago.

A rating point represents 1,096,000 homes. A share is the percentage of the households watching television at any given time.

	ALSO •   All-Star Challenge •   Trophy Tour •   Pit Crew Challenge •   All-Star Challenge Contest

Mike Skinner, Shane Hmiel and Kurt Busch are among the guests scheduled for Trackside this week at Charlotte (11 p.m. ET Friday). If you're heading there this weekend, the SPEED Stage truck will be located outside the track behind Turns 3 and 4. The show will be taped at 4:10 p.m.

Tony Stewart will co-host Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on SPEED.

In this week's "Ask the Producer," FOX producer Neil Goldberg answers the age-old question of why viewers are occassionally forced to miss on-track action due to commercials.

"The shorter the track the more difficult it is at times to get back for all the restarts," Goldberg said. "When the caution comes out we must replay the reason for the caution, by that time the cars will be coming into pit.

"Once we have documented that we try to break for commercial. NASCAR has done a really good job of turning around the caution flags and we often get notice for the green with two laps to go.

"Pace laps at the short tracks can run from 50 seconds to 1 minute, 10 seconds where commercials are often 2:30. It is just a matter of math. We have to get the breaks in. We try to balance telling the story while at the same time meeting the networks sales commitments."

NASCAR on FOX producer Neil Goldberg

Goldberg also said that the FOX does break out of commercials every now and then.

"We do break out of commercial for some on-track cautions," Goldberg said. "Of late, many of these have happened just as we were coming back from break. In those cases, it makes more sense to complete the break and come back with a replay.

"Even if we were to cut the break short with a few seconds to go, we would have replay the entire commercial again elsewhere in the show," Goldberg said. "In effect you would be seeing the break twice and taking even more time away from race action.

Goldberg said the other issue is affiliate, or local breaks.

"When we are in an affiliate break, that means your local station is running the commercial and there is not any way for us to get it back," Goldberg said. "That commercial is being run from your local station and they have to make the switch back to the network at the end of their commercial."

In this week's version of "The Rant," Dan McKee of Texas says Dale Earnhardt Jr. is getting too much attention.

Why is Dale Jr. considered the reigning King of NASCAR by you guys? Has he won a championship? No. Is he a contender? Yes, but then so are a dozen other drivers.

Will he be remembered as a great driver? Possibly, but the jury is still out.

EMAIL Send Mark your take for "The Rant" or your question for "Ask The Producer"

I find it perplexing that he's quoted almost weekly, regardless of where he finished the previous race.

I've been a fan for over 40 years, but I've never seen this much adoration on one driver that has a good, but not particularly great record. I say quit dotting on someone with the right name and accent and start concentrating on someone that has the right talent.

By your criteria, shouldn't we be hearing Kyle Petty's thoughts on last week's race?

Dan will be really unhappy to hear that Junior will be featured in "10 Laps with..." on the FOX pre-race show for the next two weeks.

Also on tap Saturday...

• Jeff Gordon visits the Hollywood Hotel
• D.W. looks at all the good luck Roush Racing has had lately

Now to this weekend's schedule:

Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway

• 1.5-mile oval
• 24-degree banking in turns
• 5-degree banking on straights
• Length of frontstretch: 1,290 feet
• Length of backstretch: 860 feet

Race lengths: The open is a 30-lap sprint divided into two segments of 20 and 10 laps. Two Open drivers will transfer to the all-star event, one by winning the Open and the other by winning a fan vote.

Next up is the Nextel All-Star Challenge. The 90-lap / 135-mile event will be divided into 40-, 30- and 20-lap segments and no driver will be eliminated after the first two segments to give the full field a chance to compete in the final segment.

But there is a competitive twist: During the 10-minute pit stop between the first and second segments, a random drawing will determine whether as few as six or as many as 12 cars will be inverted.

TV schedule (All times ET)

Million-dollar battleKenseth outduels Newman to win last year's race Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

• Nextel Cup practice: 1 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• NASCAR Live: 3 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• NASCAR Live: 5:30 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Bud Pole Qualifying: 6 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Trackside: 11 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• NASCAR Performance: Noon Sat., SPEED
• NASCAR Live: 1 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• NASCAR This Morning: 5:30 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• Nextel Open: 7 p.m. Sat., FX
• Nextel All-Star Challenge: 9 p.m. Sat., FX

One year ago, Matt Kenseth moved right to the rear bumper of Ryan Newman -- but never touched him -- and then drove past with four laps left to win the first Nextel All-Star Challenge.

The most recent checkered flag went to Kasey Kahne, who held off Tony Stewart to get his first Nextel Cup Series win Saturday night in the Chevy American Revolution 400.

Keep an eye on Hendrick Motorsports, which leads all teams with five all-star race victories.

Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway

• 1.5-mile oval
• 24-degree banking in turns
• 5-degree banking on straights
• Length of frontstretch: 1,290 feet
• Length of backstretch: 860 feet

Race length: 134 laps/201 miles

TV schedule (All times ET)

• Race: 8:30 p.m. Fri., SPEED

Last-lap passSetzer takes advantage of Edwards' slowdown last year Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

One year ago, Dennis Setzer took the lead when Carl Edwards inexplicably slowed for what he thought was a caution with four laps left, and Setzer held on to win the Infineon 200.

The most recent checkered flag went to Bobby Hamilton, who won for the second time in 2005 after a dominant Ron Hornaday jumped a late restart in the UAW/GM Ohio 250 at Mansfield.

Keep an eye on Rick Crawford, who has an average finish of fifth in his two previous NCTS starts at Lowe's.

Mark Spoor is an interactive producer for NASCAR.COM. The Domino's Viewer's Guide runs each Thursday during race weeks.