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The reason?
The winner takes home $1 million.
Jimmie Johnson knows the feeling of competing in and winning the
event featuring NASCAR's top drivers. He will attempt to add to his
record four Sprint All-Star Race wins on Saturday night at Charlotte
Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1).
"It's a very rewarding night, a night the team really enjoys,"
Johnson said. "There's a different atmosphere with the pressure
being off and a million reasons to have fun after."
The six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has won because of
his ability to navigate the All-Star Race's unique format.
This year, there are four 25-lap segments followed by a final 10-lap
shootout. Drivers start the first segment in order of their best
times in an All-Star-specific qualifying format. They will take
three timed laps with one four-tire pit stop included. On the pit
stop, there is no pit road speeding penalty enforced.
Aggregate total time will set the starting lineup for the race.
During the race, there are yellow flag periods between the four
segments. Cars may enter pit road between segments 1 through 4, but
will not retain their running position. The running order at the
completion of the fourth segment will be repositioned based on the
drivers' average finish in the first four segments. Ties in average
finish will be broken by finish in the fourth segment.
Cars must enter pit road for a mandatory four-tire pit stop between
segments 4 and 5, and the leader after 10 green flag laps in segment
5 takes home the $1 million.
"Without a doubt, you know that you beat the best of the best. With
the varying strategies that take place and the segments and how many
laps and all the different things we've had over the years, there
hasn't been one set path to get there," Johnson said.
One of Johnson's main challengers will be his Hendrick Motorsports
teammate, three-time NASCAR Sprint All-Star race-winner Jeff Gordon,
who would love to go out on top in what will likely be his final
appearance in the event. In the three seasons Gordon has won the
All-Star Race -- 1995, 1997 and 2001 -- he also captured the Sprint
Cup championship.
"The All-Star event is just one of those races where you go
all-out," Gordon said. "With no points on the line, it's about pride
and honor and just kind of showing your competitors what you can
do."
Johnson's longtime crew chief, Chad Knaus, echoed Gordon's
sentiments, saying, "If the All-Star Race paid one dollar, I'd still
want to win it."
Rhodes to skip high school graduation ceremony, make Xfinity Series
debut
At this time of year, most high school seniors are looking for prom
dates, reminiscing over their schoolyard days and trying to figure
out whether they want to bag groceries or be a lifeguard over the
summer.
Not Ben Rhodes.
The 18-year-old NASCAR Next alum is skipping his high school
graduation ceremony to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in the
JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet at Sunday's 3M 250 at Iowa Speedway
(2:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1).
Instead of receiving his diploma at Holy Cross High School in
Louisville, Ky., on Friday night, Rhodes, the owner of a 3.98 GPA,
will accept it from high school president Tim Welhe on Iowa
Speedway's stage during Sunday's driver introductions.
"JR Motorsports has given me an unbelievable opportunity with this
car and race team," Rhodes said. "I am surrounded with knowledge and
some of the biggest names in the sport."
Last season, Rhodes dominated the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East,
amassing five wins, 11 top fives, 13 top 10s and six poles en route
to the series championship. He also made four NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series starts, logging one top-five and three top-10 finishes.
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In preparation for his 10-event Xfinity Series schedule, Rhodes has
attended many of the races, learning from members of the No. 88 team
in the garage and on spotter perches.
"By going to the track with the team almost every week, I have
learned a lot about the setup of these Xfinity Series cars and also
how they react and change during runs," Rhodes said. "Our goal for
the rest of the season is to be running near the top five each week
and to hopefully be challenging for a win later in the season."
Last month at his Kentucky Speedway test, JR Motorsports team owner
Dale Earnhardt Jr. had nothing but praise for Rhodes, calling him an
"exceptional young man."
"He has a great opportunity to be successful as a driver but also
represent his partners well," Earnhardt said. "He seems to really
understand the importance of being the whole package.
"He's really doing a lot when it comes to being accountable at the
races, standing around and trying to be a sponge for the information
that's available to him while we're practicing."
Fuel back in the tank: Jones looks to bounce back
Erik Jones dominated a race as much as a driver can without winning
in last Friday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra 250
at Kansas Speedway.
The 18-year-old Michigan native led a track-record 151 of 167 laps
and even opened an 11-second lead at one point before running out of
fuel with seven go-arounds left on the 1.5-mile track.
"We had the fastest truck by far last week at Kansas, but
unfortunately in the end it came down to fuel mileage and we weren't
able to get the win," Jones said.
Jones finished 11th and remained third in the Camping World Truck
Series standings but fell to 18 points behind race-winner Matt
Crafton for the series lead.
The NASCAR Next alum, who has recently drawn an abundance of praise
for his April NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Texas and impressive
Sprint Cup Series debut at Kansas last weekend, makes his next
Trucks start in Friday's NC Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor
Speedway (8:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1).
Jones has never competed on the Queen City track, but turned laps on
the 1.5-mile oval for Kyle Busch Motorsports at a rookie test
earlier in the year.
"I was able to get a feel for the place and what is different about
it compared to other intermediate tracks," Jones said. "KBM has had
a lot of success with Kyle at Charlotte, so hopefully we can carry
some of that over this weekend and get another win."
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