NASCAR reverts to a good All-Star end, so leave it be

CONCORD, N.C. -- There have been ping pong balls, huge spinning wheels of chance, field inversions, fan votes and all kinds of funky rules.

This time, maybe the folks at NASCAR have gotten it right.

The problem is that if it has, they'll have to fight the urge to change it yet again this time next year -- which has become something of an unwelcome tradition when it comes to the All-Star Race. The format of this event changes so frequently that its participants often show up to run it and need a refresher course to formulate their strategy right before the green flag drops.

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Then, events within the event can change everything yet again. That is the essence of racing -- but ping pong balls, wheels of chance and field inversions are not.

The latest All-Star format was unveiled during a news conference Wednesday at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Oh, wait. Before we get to the meat of that, it's officially the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXV, set to be run at LMS on May 16.

The two Xs and a V add up to 25, for those who aren't up to snuff on their Roman Numerals these days. This is the 25th running of the All-Star extravaganza, and that in itself is well worth celebrating.

Something for everyone

"There is something here for the die-hard fan and for the casual fan," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, and he's right.

"It's the absolute best race for a first-time fan," added Marcus Smith, president of LMS, and he's right, too.

For the hard-core fan, the All-Star event always provides hard driving and often produces memorable finishes as the competitors vie to claim what has swelled through the years to a $1 million prize for finishing first.

For the first-timers, the race is cut up into segments that -- this time, at least -- are easy to understand. There are smaller races within the race, so to speak, and plenty of time in between segments to figure out what's happening and grab a cold one, if that's what moves you.

So what exactly is the format this time around?

It will be made up of four segments. The first will be 50 laps with a mandatory green-flag pit stop on Lap 25, at which time all teams must take four tires. Following the end of the first segment, the caution flag will fly -- providing opportunities for optional pit stops. (Continued)