2014 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

2014 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Location Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance Showdown:
40 laps, 60 mi (96.56 km)
All-Star Race:
90 laps, 135 mi (217.26 km)
Avg Speed Showdown:
117.711 mph (189.437 km/h)
All-Star Race:
100.517 mph (161.766 km/h)
Sprint Showdown
Pole position Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing)
27.747 seconds
Winner Clint Bowyer (Michael Waltrip Racing)
Sprint All-Star Race
Pole position Carl Edwards
1:50.268
Showdown transfers Clint Bowyer (Showdown winner)
A. J. Allmendinger (Showdown runner-up)
Josh Wise (Fan vote)
Most laps led Jamie McMurray (31)
Winner Jamie McMurray
Television
Network Fox Sports 1 & MRN
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds (Television)
Joe Moore and Barney Hall (Booth)
Dave Moody (1 & 2) and Jeff Striegle (3 & 4) (Turns) (Radio)
Nielsen Ratings 2.1/4 (Final)
1.7/3 (Overnight)
3.482 Million viewers
Satellite photo of Charlotte Motor Speedway from 2005.

The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXX (2014) was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on May 17, 2014, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 90 laps, it was the second exhibition race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Report

Race format

The race was 90 laps long, separated into five segments: four segments of 20 laps and a final segment of 10 laps. A mandatory pit stop was utilized between the final two segments, while pitting between the 20 lap segments was optional. Since the inaugural race in 1985, the format has changed ten times. In 2014, the Sprint Showdown was held on Friday –before the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Camping World Truck Seriesrace – instead of being before the All-Star Race.

Entry list

The All-Star Race was open to race winners from the 2013 Daytona 500 through the 2014 5-hour Energy 400 at Kansas Speedway and previous All-Star race winners from the past ten years were eligible to compete in the All-Star Race. The drivers who finished first and second in the Sprint Showdown, a 40-lap preliminary race, were also eligible to compete in the race, as well as the Sprint fan vote winner provided that the fan vote winner finished on the lead lap and a car still in race-able condition (the latter condition also applied to the Showdown winner and runner-up). The All-Star Race had 22 drivers, 19 of which were race winners.

The Showdown had 23 drivers of the 30 drivers eligible. Justin Allgaier chose to skip the All-Star weekend and focus on the following week's Coca-Cola 600.[9] Allgaier, 29th in points, said accidents the previous weekends contributed to the team's decision to skip the non-points event.[10] “For us, being a small independent team, obviously, the points races are the main focus,’’ said Allgaier, who was 29th in points. “With crashing a couple of weeks ago at Talladega and crashing last week at Kansas, it puts a toll on a team and this is going to allow us to really hit the reset button. “It’s crazy to think that you crash like that, jump out, walk to the ambulance and go home and wake up the next day and not even feel like you crashed."[10]

Sprint Showdown entry list

No. Driver Team Manufacturer
3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota
26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
32 Blake Koch Go FAS Racing Ford
33 David Stremme Circle Sport Chevrolet
36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
40 Landon Cassill Circle Sport Chevrolet
42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
44 J. J. Yeley Xxxtreme Motorsports Chevrolet
47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
66 Joe Nemechek (i) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
77 Dave Blaney Randy Humphrey Racing Ford
83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota
98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet
Official Sprint Showdown entry list
Key Meaning
(R) Rookie

Sprint All-Star Race entry list

No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
16 Greg Biffle Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
99 Carl Edwards Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
Official Sprint All-Star Race entry list

Practice

Sprint Showdown practice

Kyle Larson was the fastest in the sole Sprint Showdown practice session with a time of 27.820 and a speed of 194.105 mph (312.382 km/h).

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 27.820 194.105
2 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.061 192.438
3 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.062 192.431
Official Sprint Showdown practice results

Sprint All-Star Race practice

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was the fastest in the sole All-Star Race practice session with a time of 27.898 and a speed of 193.562 mph (311.508 km/h).

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27.898 193.562
2 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 27.924 193.382
3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 27.940 193.271
Official Sprint All-Star Race practice results

Sprint Showdown qualifying

Austin Dillon won the pole for the Showdown with a time of 27.747 and a speed of 194.616 mph (313.204 km/h).

Sprint Showdown qualifying results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time
1 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 27.747
2 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 27.821
3 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 27.833
4 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 27.860
5 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 27.889
6 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 27.961
7 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.009
8 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.034
9 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 28.064
10 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.283
11 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 28.318
12 44 J. J. Yeley Xxxtreme Motorsports Chevrolet 28.369
13 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 28.558
14 77 Dave Blaney Randy Humphrey Racing Ford 28.579
15 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.665
16 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 28.714
17 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 28.831
18 40 Landon Cassill Circle Sport Chevrolet 28.914
19 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 28.940
20 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 29.091
21 66 Joe Nemechek Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 29.153
22 32 Blake Koch Go FAS Racing Ford 29.399
23 33 David Stremme Circle Sport Chevrolet 30.383
Official Sprint Showdown qualifying results

Sprint Showdown

The Showdown started at 7:22 p.m. on Friday. Marcos Ambrose got nicked in the rear by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and spun out to bring out the first caution on lap 3. Clint Bowyer took the lead from A. J. Allmendinger at the end of segment one. Michael Annett stayed out during the caution period and assumed the lead. He spun the tires on the restart and just about took a few cars out. Clint Bowyer took the victory in the Showdown, advancing to the Sprint All-Star Race along with Allmendinger. Josh Wise advanced to the All-Star Race by winning the fan vote. "This is kind of a big deal for our sport," Wise said after the Showdown Friday night. "It's a lot of young kids and people from around the world. I've had the chance to interact with a lot of them, and there's a lot of people who had never watched a NASCAR race who have now watched several, so it's a pretty cool deal."[11]

Sprint Showdown results

Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps
Run		 Segments
1 2
4 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 40 1 1
2 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 40 2 2
9 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 40 6 3
5 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 40 7 4
10 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 40 10 5
3 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 40 8 6
8 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 40 5 7
1 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 40 3 8
6 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 40 4 9
7 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 40 9 10
15 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 40 15 11
11 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 40 12 12
13 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 40 11 13
14 77 Dave Blaney Randy Humphrey Racing Ford 40 21 14
17 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 40 13 15
21 66 Joe Nemechek Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 40 19 16
18 40 Landon Cassill Circle Sport Chevrolet 40 20 17
16 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 40 16 18
19 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 40 17 19
12 44 J. J. Yeley Xxxtreme Motorsports Chevrolet 40 14 20
20 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 40 18 21
22 32 Blake Koch Go FAS Racing Ford 40 23 22
23 33 David Stremme Circle Sport Chevrolet 25 22 23

Sprint All-Star Race qualifying

Carl Edwards won the pole for the second year on a row for the All-Star Race with a cumulative time of 1:50.268 and a speed of 146.915 mph (236.437 km/h).[12] For the first time, the three drivers who transferred from the Showdown participated in All-Star Race qualifying, rather than automatically starting at the rear of the all-star field. They could work on their cars prior to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.[9]

Sprint All-Star Race qualifying

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time
1 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 1:50.268
2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1:51.118
3 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 1:51.294
4 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:51.385
5 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:51.393
6 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:51.639
7 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:51.704
8 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1:51.873
9 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 1:52.244
10 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 1:52.586
11 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 1:52.733
12 78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 1:53.105
13 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 1:53.531
14 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 1:54.064
15 14 Tony Stewart[N 1] Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 1:56.021
16 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 1:56.428
17 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 1:56.719
18 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 1:57.399
19 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 2:01.190
20 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 2:05.878
21 31 Ryan Newman[N 2] Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 2:10.779
22 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 2:11.219
Official Sprint All-Star Race qualifying results

NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

The All-Star Race was scheduled to begin at 9:20 p.m. on Saturday but was pushed back by almost half an hour. In segments one, two and three, all laps were counted, with teams having the option to pit during the breaks. In segment four, all laps were counted, with the running order at the completion of the segment being repositioned, based on the average finish of the first four segments. Running order ties were broken by the finish of the fourth segment. Pit road was open for a mandatory four-tire pit stop, with the order of cars returning to the track determining the starting order of the fifth and final segment. Only green flag laps counted in the final segment.[9]

Segment one

Kyle Busch took the lead from Carl Edwards and kept it through the first segment. During the optional pit stops, everybody but Denny Hamlin pitted.

Segment two

On lap 27, in the second segment, Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer made contact on the backstretch, with Busch hitting the wall and taking out Joey Logano. "Kurt (Busch) got real bottled up on the outside and slowed down so I knew I was clear to go to the bottom and swoop down and try to get underneath Bowyer," Kyle Busch said. "When I did, he blocked me and I hit him and he got squirrely and then I was still under him and it hit me and turned me around the wrong way on the backstretch and got in the outside wall." Logano stated that "they were just crashing in front of me", and that he "thought he was going to stay up by the wall and he started coming down. I was in the wrong spot and I couldn't get low enough quick enough as quick as he was coming down."[13] On lap 31, A. J. Allmendinger was turned by Brian Vickers, who was pushed by Greg Biffle, and hit the inside wall on the backstretch. On lap 37, Hamlin started falling to the rear. Kasey Kahne finished in the lead at the end of segment two; just like the break in the first segment, everybody but four cars pitted. Kahne led at the end of segment three as well, with everybody pitting after the segment.

Segment three

After restarting on lap 61, Jeff Gordon veered up in front of Martin Truex, Jr. and Biffle, and hit the wall to bring out the sixth caution. "Something broke, I'm not exactly sure what," Gordon said. "I was just going down the backstraightaway going into Turn 3 and I just felt something in the front end give. As I got to the corner, the car went straight."[13]

Segment four

With two laps remaining in segment four, Ryan Newman slammed the wall in turn 4. Kevin Harvick led at the end of segment four and Kahne hit the wall. Harvick led the field down pit road since he had the best average finish in the four segments. Kahne had the second best in the four segments and therefore would've entered pit road second but did not because of pitting before pit road was open. Because of this, Jamie McMurray did.

Final segment

In the final, mandatory, four-tire stop, Carl Edwards won the race off pit road. Jamie McMurray took the lead from Carl Edwards with nine laps to go and took the checkered flag. "As a kid, that is what you grew up wanting to do, is have a shootout like that and have a possibility to race for 10 laps," McMurray said. "He got a little bit of a jump on me on the restart and I was able to hang on to his quarter panel, and when we kept entering Turn 1 and 3, I was like, "It is for a million bucks. If we wreck, it's not that big of a deal." It's so cool to come out on top."[14]

Sprint All-Star Race results

Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps
Run		 Segments
1 2 3 4 5
11 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 90 11 10 3 2 1
3 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 90 3 3 3 1 2
8 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 90 9 11 5 7 3
6 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 8 8 7 8 4
1 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 90 5 3 13 10 5
5 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 6 6 6 11 6
9 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 90 7 13 14 9 7
16 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 90 14 9 9 5 8
22 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 90 19 19 12 6 9
13 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 90 13 14 4 3 10
18 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 90 18 5 15 4 11
15 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 90 20 16 17 13 12
20 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 90 21 18 18 14 13
7 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 90 4 1 1 12 14
19 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 90 22 17 19 15 15
21 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 77 15 12 11 16 16
5 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 60 2 7 8 17 17
12 78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 60 17 15 10 18 18
14 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 60 16 4 16 19 19
17 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 30 12 20 20 20 20
2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 25 1 21 21 21 21
10 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 25 10 22 22 22 22

Media

Television

Fox Sports 1
Booth announcersPit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Larry McReynolds
Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip 		Matt Yocum
Steve Byrnes
Krista Voda
Jeff Hammond

Radio

MRN Radio
Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters
Lead announcer: Joe Moore
Announcer: Barney Hall 		Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Turns 3 & 4: Jeff Striegle 		Winston Kelly
Steve Post
Alex Hayden
Woody Cain

Notes

  1. ↑ Tony Stewart started from the rear for unapproved adjustments.
  2. ↑ Ryan Newman started from the rear for unapproved adjustments.

References

  1. ↑ "Charlotte Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Sprint Showdown Entry List". jayski.com. NASCAR Statistics. May 12, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Sprint All-Star Race Entry List". jayski.com. NASCAR Statistics. May 12, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Showdown Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 16, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  5. ↑ "All-Star Race Practice Results". jayski.com. NASCAR Statistics. May 16, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Sprint Showdown Qualifying Results". jayski.com. NASCAR Statistics. May 16, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Sprint Showdown Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 16, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Sprint All-Star Race Qualifying Results". jayski.com. NASCAR Statistics. May 17, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "All-Star Race Format". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 15, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Long, Dustin (May 13, 2014). "Notebook: Allgaier's Team Skipping Showdown". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  11. ↑ Long, Dustin (May 16, 2014). "Bowyer Wins Race, Wise Wins Fan Vote". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  12. ↑ Report, Staff (May 17, 2014). "Edwards repeats as pole winner for All-Star Race". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Long, Dustin (May 17, 2014). "McMurray Wins All-Star Race". MRN.com (Motor Racing Network). Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Jamie McMurray wins All-Star race". ESPN.com. The Associated Press. May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
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2014 5-hour Energy 400		 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
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2014 Coca-Cola 600