The NASCAR Sprint Cup series drivers that get to race in the 2015 All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway won’t be worried about points. This race is all about braggin’ rights and $1 million!
There are 17 drivers that are automatically eligible to race in the All-Star Race Saturday night, May 16th. To gain automatic eligibility this year a driver must have been a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup driver in 2014 and won a race in the 2014 season or won a race in the 2015 season as of May 11th. Additionally, any previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion or All-Star Race winner that meets the 2014 Sprint Cup full-time driver requirement is also automatically eligible for the race.
Below are the 17 drivers who are automatically eligible for the All-Star Race with the qualifying event listed by NASCAR.com.
| Driver | Eligibility |
| AJ Allmendinger | Win at Watkins Glen (2014) |
| Aric Almirola | Win at Daytona-2 (2014) |
| Kurt Busch | Win at Martinsville-1 (2014) |
| Kyle Busch | Win at Auto Club (2014) |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Win at Daytona-1 (2014) |
| Carl Edwards | Win at Bristol-1 (2014) |
| Jeff Gordon | Win at Kansas-1 (2014) |
| Denny Hamlin | Win at Talladega-1 (2014) |
| Kevin Harvick | Win at Phoenix-1 (2014) |
| Jimmie Johnson | Win at Charlotte-1 (2014) |
| Kasey Kahne | Win at Atlanta (2014) |
| Matt Kenseth | Win in NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (2004) |
| Brad Keselowski | Win at Las Vegas (2014) |
| Joey Logano | Win at Texas-2 (2014) |
| Jamie McMurray | Win in NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (2014) |
| Ryan Newman | Win in NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (2002) |
| Tony Stewart | Win in NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (2009) |
For those drivers who are not automatically eligible for the All-Star Race, there are two ways to earn a spot in the field.
The first is by racing into the event during the Sprint Showdown Friday night, May 15th. This year the winners of the two 20-lap Sprint Showdown races will advance to the main event Saturday night.
The second way to be included in the field for the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race is by winning the fan vote. The winner of the Sprint Fan Vote will be announced following the completion of the Sprint Showdown Friday night.
Typically this is the time that I look at who has performed the best at the track where the race will take place and speculate which drivers have the best chance at winning. However, since the NASCAR All-Star Race is completely about winning and nothing else, I won’t do that this week.
Every driver will be racing with the attitude of “checkers or wreckers” since coming in second place and on back means absolutely nothing in this race. The drivers will be racing hard, gambling in ways they might not in any other race to claim the win, $1 million payday and be able to brag about the win forever.
This year the format for the NASCAR All-Star Race is a little different. The race will have 20 more laps than last year. The race will be broken into four 25-lap segments followed by a fifth and final 10-lap sprint to the finish.
During the first three segments of the race all laps will be counted with an optional pit stop following each segment. Drivers that chose to pit during these breaks in racing will not retain their spot when they return to the track.
During the fourth segment all laps will also count. However, following this segment the order that the cars will enter pit road for a mandatory four-tire pit stop will be determined by an average of the finishing position of the first four segments. Any ties in position will be broken by the finishing spot of the fourth segment of the race. The order the cars return to the track will determine the starting position for the final segment.
During segment five of the race only green flag laps will be counted and the first car to cross the finish line under green flag conditions will be the winner and claim the trophy and $1 million dollars!
This formula will likely make for a very exciting race for fans to watch Saturday night starting at 6pm central time for the NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
By: Buck Stevens
