Fans' vote gave Kahne chance to upstage all-stars

There was only one problem with Kasey Kahne winning the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race last Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

He didn't really deserve to be in the race.

While each of the other 23 competitors in the event raced their way into the event one way or another, Kahne didn't. He was voted in by the fans.

As Kahne reveled in the victory and the $1 million prize that went with it, no one seemed to have a problem with this. In fact, fellow driver Carl Edwards, who earned his way in by virtue of three victories in 2007 and three more already in '08, said he thought it was outstanding that Kahne was able to pull it off.

"That's pretty damn neat right there. That's spectacular," Edwards insisted. "I guess now he's in for the next 10 years or whatever. That's good for him. I just told someone that there probably were a lot of female fans that hooked him up right there. He really owes them.

"But that's cool for Kasey. I think it's a good thing. I think it's neat. It empowers the fans, and he showed that he deserved to be in it."

The problem

See, that's just the problem. Now Kahne has earned a 10-year pass to the event by virtue of Saturday's win. (All past winners of the race earn a 10-year exemption from having to qualify via other means, such as actually winning races that count toward the points championship).

One gimmick has led to another and will lead to yet another when still another non-deserving driver is voted into the race again next year. Not to be too much of a stickler here, but isn't this an annual all-star event? Race victories last year and the first part of this year should count toward qualification, and the argument could be made that each year the top 12 drivers in points for the season should automatically qualify, as well as all past points champions still competitively active on a full-time basis and former winners of the event (but maybe trim it down to a five-year exemption).

The Sprint Showdown, formerly the Open, isn't a bad idea, either. Throw all the non-qualifiers into that mix and let the two guys who finish one-two move on to compete in the big race, as they did Saturday -- when A.J. Allmendinger and Sam Hornish Jr. soundly beat Kahne, as a matter of fact. It was, as it turned out, some of the best racing of the night.

But then to let Kahne slide in after all that, just because women think he's cute and he has a massive marketing program behind him (which he also inherited), cheapens the whole event. There were reports after the race of women who voted hundreds upon hundreds of times to get Kahne in.

Kahne, of course, was unapologetic afterward -- and truthfully, he owes no such apology to anyone. What's he supposed to do? Refuse to accept the gift? Or not give it his best shot once he's in?

Asked how he would respond to those who say he didn't deserve to be in the race, Kahne replied: "My response is, I mean, this weekend Sprint and Lowe's Motor Speedway and [LMS president and general manager] Humpy Wheeler, they do a lot with the fans. They make this a fan-friendly weekend. The fan vote started a while back. It's not like this is the first year of it.

"I mean, I want to race my way in. I don't even want to be in the [Showdown]. I want to be in because we won races. But we weren't in that situation."

They weren't in that situation because they hadn't been good enough. And if you're not good enough, you shouldn't be included in an all-star affair.

Valid arguments

Kahne's contention that he was only playing by the current rules is valid and accurate. But his victory should be fodder for thinking about changing the current rules and eliminating the fan vote -- which, of course, is not going to happen.

"It's really cool they give the fans an opportunity to vote," Kahne said. "I mean, they did it. They put us in. Then for some reason, we ended up being the best car. ... That's just the way it is. We took advantage of it and we won the race."

It may have cost his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, second-place finisher Greg Biffle, the first-place prize of $1 million, but Edwards thinks the line of thinking that Kahne didn't deserve to be in is ridiculous.

"It's definitely a way of looking at it. But I mean, you can back that question back up to the beginning of time -- for anything, any subject," Edwards said. "The guy is good; it worked out. I believe for the sport, the idea of this being an All-Star Race -- Kasey has won races before [but not since 2006] -- this is a good thing.

"If I don't win a race next year, I sure as hell want them to vote me in, you know? I don't think you can steal Kasey's female fans, though. I really don't think this is a negative thing. Somebody might, but I don't."

Then Edwards looked this particular reporter right in the eye.

"To hell with it. I mean, he won the race. And that's that. I couldn't beat him," Edwards. "But I'm sure you'll probably write that."

Well, it turns out Edwards was right about that. Somebody had to.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.