Showdown qualifier holds a lot of history behind it

For the past quarter-century, the winner of the currently named Sprint All-Star Race gets all the attention, not to mention a $1 million check. But the Sprint Showdown -- referred to as a consolation race, semi-main, "last-chance" event or even "hooligan race" -- has been around nearly as long and has an interesting history of its own.

Just like Saturday night's main event has evolved and morphed through time, the Winston Open/Nextel Open/Sprint Showdown has undergone a number of changes.

The first consolation race for cars that failed to qualify under the rules for The Winston was the 1986 Atlanta Invitational, a 100-lap event that paid a handsome $75,000 to winner Benny Parsons. Consider that 23 years later, Sam Hornish Jr. only received $51,525 for his 2009 Sprint Showdown victory.

Only 14 cars started, although the field also included Bobby Allison and Richard Petty. And unlike any of the consolation races that would follow, Parsons was not immediately transferred into the The Winston. Instead, he earned a berth in 1987 all-star race.

When The Winston returned to Charlotte in 1987, so did the newly renamed Winston Open, and even though the race distance remained the same -- 100 laps -- the winner's purse of $30,000 was significantly smaller. But the winner also earned the right to race in The Winston. That format remained in place for three seasons, with Buddy Baker (1987) and Sterling Marlin (1988 and 1989) capturing victories.

Marlin perhaps could be considered the all-time champion of the NASCAR consolation races, having won a record four times. He also began an interesting Open precedent of drivers who captured wins in non-points races before they earned their first official victory. In Marlin's case, he had been in Victory Lane three times in the Winston Open before he finally broke through with a win in the 1994 Daytona 500.

The Winston Open was extended to 134 laps, or 200 miles, in 1990, and Dick Trickle scored his lone victory at the Cup level by edging Rob Moroso by 8 inches. The next year, Michael Waltrip reached Victory Lane for the first time, beating Marlin by more than 4 seconds over the full 200 miles, but the most significant difference was the number of cars allowed to advance to The Winston.

For the next six years, The Winston rules required a minimum of 20 cars in the finale, so not only did the winner of the Winston Open advance, but so did as many as six cars from the consolation race. That would play a huge role in Waltrip's future success. (Continued)