The NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge is one of NASCAR's top showcase events. I can't wait until they use the Car of Tomorrow which has proven so far to provide better, less aero-sensitive racing.
The First Segment
The drivers seemed to be taking it easy during the first twenty lap segment. They spent this time feeling out their cars and preparing for the first round of pit stops. These first twenty laps were completely caution free as Matt Kenseth started on the pole and lead every lap to take the $75,000 segment one payday.
Only Kyle Busch and Mark Martin stayed out while the rest of the field came to pit road. This put Busch and Martin on the front row for the start of the second segment.
The Second Segment
Kyle Busch enjoyed the clean air and jumped out to the lead for the early part of the second segment. Jeff Gordon had his car hooked up for this second segment and quickly climbed to second place. Kyle Busch jumped out to a big lead even with his old tires. NASCAR used the old car for this weekend's race which gives the driver in the lead a huge advantage since clean air greatly affects the handling of these cars.
Today's racing reminds me why I like the Car of Tomorrow. With the old cars being out front is a big advantage while the Car of Tomorrow is less aero-sensitive. This makes for much better racing since the leader doesn't have an additional advantage.
Kyle Busch held on to easily claim the $75,000 for winning the second segment.
The Third Segment
The third segment was another snoozer as these driver seemed to be saving their aggression for the final segment. Matt Kenseth was able to get the lead and coasted home for the win in the third segment. Kenseth rolled home to claim another $75,000 payout over Jeff Gordon.
So far the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge did not live up to the hype.
Drivers were required to pit before the final segment, but they were not required to perform any service. Most of the leaders simply came to a stop and rolled right back out without taking tires or fuel. Matt Kenseth maintained his lead off of pit road over Jeff Gordon but then was caught speeding while leaving the pits. This may have been a million-dollar mistake as he had to restart in the back of the pack.
The Final Segment
The final segment started with Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin making up the top five.
Gordon got a bad start and slid back as Kevin Harvick made it to the front from fourth place to lead lap one.
After a relatively boring NASCAR All-Star Challenge the fourth segment saw a number of fast cars run into trouble. Lap two saw Kyle Busch trying to go three wide for second place. The result of this aggressive move was to take both himself and his brother Kurt out of contention for the $1,000,000. Right after the restart Jeff Gordon had a flat tire and had to give up his shot at another All-Star win. Casey Mears then crashed with Denny Hamlin bringing out yet another caution.
With still 17 of the 20 laps to run Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin lead them back to the green. Jimmie Johnson was very strong and got right to Harvick's back bumper but as is typical with these old cars he was having a hard time finding his way past.
Harvick, Johnson and Martin were nose to tail as the race had just ten laps to go. Jimmie Johnson was stalking Harvick but was not able to find a way around the leader. The old cars are so aero-sensitive that whoever is out front is virtually impossible to pass. I can't wait for the new Car of Tomorrow to let NASCAR get back to great racing.
Top Five
- Kevin Harvick
- Jimmie Johnson
- Mark Martin
- Jeff Burton
- Tony Stewart
Next Week
Next week NASCAR returns to Lowes Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600. 43 drivers will run 600 miles on this same race track. The payout is a lot smaller but the Coca-Cola 600 is one of the biggest races on the NEXTEL Cup schedule. Drivers still bring their best and next Sunday night's race is another of NASCAR's don't miss events.
