2007 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge at Lowes Motor Speedway

This Saturday night the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge rolls off with $1,000,000 for the winner. This made for television event features a small field, huge purse and short twenty lap segments. This race was created solely to be exciting and it delivers. The NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge is one of NASCAR's "don't miss" events.

Speedway ticket office (800) 455-FANS or (704) 455-3200

Lowes Motor Speedway is a mile and a half tri-oval with 24 degrees of banking in the turns. The track is fast and even though there is one preferred groove there is still enough room on the top for a faster car to get by.

Lowes Motor Speedway is the home track for NASCAR. The majority of the teams are based within 30 miles of the speedway and everybody brings their best stuff to Lowes because everybody wants the bragging rights of winning their home race.

80 laps = 120 miles in four twenty lap segments

All preceeded by the 20 lap / 40 mile Open qualifing race.

This year the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge will feature 21 drivers.

There are six different ways to qualify for the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge:

1. Race winners from 2006 or 2007 (13 drivers)
2. Winning car owners from 2006 or 2007 with a different driver (1 driver)
3. NEXTEL Cup Champions from the last ten years (2 drivers)
4. Winners of the All-Star race within the last ten years (2 drivers)
5. First and second place finishers in the NEXTEL Open (2 drivers)
6. One driver voted in by the fans (1 driver)

This year the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge features a number of changes to the format.

• Pit selection is based on the results of Wednesday night's pit crew challenge
• The NEXTEL Open will allow the top two drivers to qualify instead of just the winner
• There are four 20 lap segments instead of three varying-length segments
• A mandatory yellow flag pit stop after the third segment will determine the starting lineup for the final segment.

TV: SPEED Saturday, May 19th, 7:00PM Eastern.

Radio: PRN and SIRIUS Satellite

$3,264,364 including the winner's share of $1,011,125

The 2006 All-Star Challenge was quite eventful. This race saw some surprises, too much rain, a big wreck and a fast run for the checkers.

Scott Riggs won the Open and made it through to the All-Star Challenge along with Kyle Petty who was voted in by the fans.

Kyle Busch won the race off pit road after the mandatory green-flag pit stops and then waited out a rain delay to claim the first segment.

Kevin Harvick avoided a big wreck that eliminated nearly half the field to claim segment number two.

The final segment was uneventful as Jimmie Johnson got clear on the restart and drove away with the $1,000,000 win.

Lowes Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler has a tradition of picking the Al-Star winner. Often his predictions come true and this year I think he hit it right on the money. Humpy picked Jimmie Johnson to win the big payday once again.

Johnson won this event last year and has four wins already in the relatively young 2007 NEXTEL Cup season. His Hendrick Motorsports team is on fire in 2007. Add all of that to the fact that Jimmie has dominated Lowes Motor Speedway in recent years and there is no doubt that Jimmie is the man to beat this Saturday night.

Jeff Gordon has won three of the last four races in 2007 and knows his way around Lowes Motor Speedway too. He would make an obvious backup pick but I want to dig a little deeper for my backup selection.

Tony Stewart is winless in 2007 but his Joe Gibbs Racing team has been right there a number of times this year. Tony has had some very fast horses this season including the Atlanta race which is a similar configuration to Lowes Motor Speedway. Tony could get his season on track with a big payday this weekend and makes a strong backup pick for the All-Star race.