Surprising McMurray Claims All-Star Million

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Jamie McMurray was not on anyone’s short list of potential NASCAR Sprint All-Star winners. 

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver ranked 24^th in championship points coming into the event, with just two Top-10 finishes in 11 starts this season and a best finish of sixth.

But Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, McMurray was NASCAR’s “Million Dollar Man,” moving steadily forward in the race’s four preliminary segments, then executing a testosterone-rich maneuver to squeeze past pole sitter Carl Edwards in the final, 10-lap sprint to claim a lead he would never relinquish.

McMurray started mid-pack Saturday and managed only an 11^th-place finish in the opening 20-lap segment. He was 10^th in Segment Two, then then rolled the dice prior to the start of the third 20-lap session, foregoing a pit stop in favor of improved track position. He overcame those older tires to finish third behind winner Kasey Kahne and runner-up Kevin Harvick, then trailed Harvick to the checkered flag in Segment Four.

His 6.5 average finish earned him an outside-pole starting spot in the decisive, 10-lap finale, and when he squeezed between Edwards and the Turn Two SAFER barrier following the drop of the green flag, he was able to claim the lead and hold it to the finish.

“That’s what you grow up wanting to do, to have a shootout like that,” said McMurray afterward. “Honestly, I wanted Carl to take the outside on the (final) restart, because I thought the inside was the better place. I had restarted on the inside both times before and been able to beat the guy to Turn 1, and when he took the inside, I was like, `Screw it, I don't care. If we drive off into the corner and we all wreck, I don't care. I can see the million bucks.’”

McMurray called the start of the final segment, “three or four of the hardest laps I've ever driven in my racing career. It's one of those memories that I hope I never forget. I have such a clear vision of those laps with the 99 car on the inside of me. That's what we wake up every single day and live for; to get to be put in that exact position. 

“This is just a really awesome moment, said McMurray, whose best finish in seven previous All-Star Races was an eighth last season. “It's so much different than winning the Daytona 500 or the Brickyard 400, because there are no points. The mentality going into that last segment is `all or nothing,’ and that was my thought process.  I was like, `I don't really care if we wreck, I don't care what happens. I'm racing for a million dollars. I'm going to make the most of the restart and everything that goes with it.’”

Team owner Chip Ganassi said he had confidence that his driver would prevail in a final-segment shootout with Edwards.

“I think Jamie likes this place,” he said. “If he gets a sniff of the front, he gets a calm over him. He likes it up there.”

Harvick overhauled Edwards in the late laps to finish second, and later blamed poor pit stops for his inability to challenge for the win.

“We had a really fast race car and we did all the things we needed to do to put ourselves in position on the race track,” he said. “We just couldn’t get it done on pit road tonight. If I could have gotten up front, I could have held on, (but we) ran out of time as we got to the closing laps.”

Matt Kenseth finished third, followed by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Edwards. Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski completed the Top-10.

How Josh Wise Made The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

A spokesperson for the dogecoin and reddit online communities outlined in detail today the techniques used by himself and his fellow members to vote John Wish into the 2014 NASCAR Sprint All Star Race. 

Dogecoin, an online internet currency, sponsored Wise at Talladega Superspeedway three weeks ago, and organized through reddit.com to vote their driver into the All-Star Race, prevailing over presumed favorite Danica Patrick and others. Immediately following last night’s announcement, speculation surfaced that Wise may have benefitted from an automated vote-casting program, or bot, which bypassed online tests designed to prove that voters are actual human beings. These test are referred to as captchas.

A reddit.com user identified by the screen name ihaveabulldoge refuted those charges, saying, “Those saying we used a bot… are incorrect. You need a human to solve those. How did we vote so fast? Skills. 

“(We) read the rules (and) realized we could vote unlimited times with double votes on (Sprint) mobile. I personally was on the slow end and could bang out 2-3 votes per minute on mobile, depending on captcha difficulty. So in one hour of hardcore voting, that is a minimum of 120 votes from just one person. We have over 80k subscribers and a ton more people on reddit to help. 

He revealed that at first, there was no captcha technology on NASCAR’s Fan Vote site. 

“Once we started, NASCAR implemented the captcha,” he wrote. “Instead of discouraging us, it actually helped us, since many fans of dogecoin and Josh Wise are also skilled at the internet. (We) voted quickly by using the back button (to solve) the captcha each vote...instead of re-clicking through 2 other pages. Simply put, instead of using a mouse to slowly click, we used a keyboard shortcut for `go back.'

“We knew our adversary and the awesome fan base we would be up against,” he wrote. “They are a dedicated bunch, so we knew we would have to vote nonstop and whenever we could in order to have a chance. There was no paying for extra votes, or hiring offshore (voters) as some people have theorized. We did NOT use bots, as a bot cannot beat a captcha. It was good ol’ fashioned crowd-sourced voting.

“We had a vested interest in Josh winning,” wrote ihaveabulldoge. “A lot of people donated a lot of dogecoin to get the sponsorship (and) that means that a piece of us -- no matter how small -- was plastered on that car. It was more important for us to win, because we invested real money. Sponsored drivers have a big company behind them, but we had a group of individuals. 

“Community members started streaming their votes live and showing off their speed voting skills.” 

The entire online post may be seen at http://www.reddit.com/r/dogecoin/comments/25sb7j/info_for_news_outlets_and_angry_nascar_fans/

Austin Dillon Wins All Star Showdown Pole

Rookie Austin Dillon will start in the pole for tonight’s NASCAR Sprint All Star Showdown, after claiming the top spot with a fast lap in 27.747 seconds, at an average speed of 194.615 mph.

Dillon won the pole in his first attempt as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. The last driver to win the pole in his first try was Carl Edwards in 2007. AJ Allmendinger will start on the outside of Row One in tonight’s race, followed by rookie Kyle Larson, Clint Bowyer and Marcos Ambrose. Paul Menard, Danica Patrick, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Casey Mears and Aric Almirola completed the Top-10 qualifiers.

Dillon is one of seven drivers making their first career All-Star appearances, joining Larson, Michael Annett, Alex Bowman, Cole Whitt, Blake Koch and Ryan Truex.

The first and second-place finishers will advance to tomorrow night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

Unofficial Starting Line-Up

Start         #              Driver

1                3              Austin Dillon #

2               47             A. J. Allmendinger

3               42             Kyle Larson #

4               15             Clint Bowyer

5                 9             Marcos Ambrose

6               27             Paul Menard

7                10            Danica Patrick

8               17             Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

9               13             Casey Mears

10             43             Aric Almirola

11             26             Cole Whitt #

12             44             J. J. Yeley

13             23             Alex Bowman #

14             77             Dave Blaney

15             38             David Gilliland

16             98             Josh Wise

17             7               Michael Annett #

18             40             Landon Cassill

19             83             Ryan Truex #

20            36              Reed Sorenson

21             66             Joe Nemechek

22            32              Blake Koch

23             33             David Stremme

Earnhardt: All-Star Race Is A Test Session... Unless

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., said he views tomorrow night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race as a well-paid practice session.

Unless he can put himself in a position to win, that is.

“We will use this weekend to see if we can find speed in the car and prepare ourselves for the (Coke) 600,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to be at the race track and get some laps in race condition to give yourself the best opportunity to win the 600-miler. 

“There is a lot of money on the line this weekend, which is basically all we are racing for,” he said.” But there is a lot to be learned, too. So you try and pay attention to what you are doing and feeling in your car, so you can use those notes next week. You try to look at what your teammates are doing… that you might want to do next week. There is a lot to be learned and hopefully we will get our car going pretty quick.”

He admitted, however, that his emphasis on caution and learning could go out the window if he finds himself within striking distance of the checkered flag.

“I think it’s going to depend on how close -- how much within reach -- the million dollars really is,” he said. “If a guy jumps out in that last 10 laps and gets a good lead, what can you do? What are you going to be able to do? (But) if you can run a guy down, it’s going to get interesting. If you can reach out and grab somebody, you will get pretty aggressive for a million dollars. It just depends on if someone is in reach.

“I hope that it will be close, unless I am leading,” he laughed. “And if we are leading, I hope we are leading by a straightaway.  I hope it’s real boring.”

In terms of strategy for Saturday night’s race, Earnhardt said, “You need to be up front at the last re-start. You’re not going to drive through a handful of guys. (Late at) night, at this track, the groove narrows-up. It gets faster and faster on the bottom and there’s no time to be gained in trying to… run the high line like you might during the afternoon. It’s a really fascinating race track in the middle of the day, but as it gets darker and darker, cooler and cooler, the groove really shortens up.

“You need to be in that top three to have a shot at it,” he said. “Unless those guys get bottled up, banging on each other and somebody scoots around on the top on the restart, I don’t know that you’re going to have much of a chance at winning the race.”

He added, however, that those restrictions “make everything in the first several segments count. It makes you really have to hustle in all those segments… to give yourself an opportunity to start as high as you can in the last segment. The way it’s laid out really pushes you to work every lap, every restart and every opportunity you can seize a position.”

Earnhardt also endorsed the idea of moving the All Star Race away from Charlotte Motor Speedway, saying, “the surface here is indestructible. We can’t wear it out, for some reason. But I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take it to Bristol or somewhere (else) and mix it up a little bit. I think you could take it to several tracks and have different results. You could run it at Bristol 10 years in a row and some are going to be awesome and some aren’t. It’s just the same way you have it here.

“I think the venue can make a little bit of a difference. Sometimes it will and sometimes it won’t.”

Despite winning the All-Star Race – then called The Winston – in 2000, Earnhardt joked that he has never held the winner’s check.

“I don’t think I ever saw it,” he laughed. “I was driving for Daddy back then (and) he got all that money (laughs). It was a big deal money-wise, but him being there in Victory Lane and passing him in the last 10 laps like we did (was special).

“Just winning it blew us away. (it was) really one of the most fun Victory Lanes I can remember, aside from the Daytona race this year. It was really just a lot of raw emotion and it just felt great.”

Harraka To Drive For Tri-Star At Dover

TriStar Motorsports has announced the addition of Paulie Harraka to their driver line-up, beginning with the Buckle Up 200 Presented by Click It or Ticket at Dover International Speedway on May 31^st. Harraka will pilot the No.44 Toyota Camry with the Delaware Office of Highway Safety as the primary sponsor. 

Harraka is a graduate of Duke University and an alumnus of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program. With four previous Nationwide Series starts, the Wayne, New Jersey native is looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the No.44 TriStar Motorsports Camry.  

"Dover is about as close to home as it gets for me, so there's no better place to make my debut with TriStar Motorsports," said Harraka. "We have dedicated a lot of time to put this all together, and we want to make the most of it. I'm excited to be working with Mark, Greg and the entire team, and can't wait to hit the racetrack!" 

On board, as the primary sponsor for the No. 44 Toyota Camry at Dover International Speedway will be the Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) and their "Click It or Ticket" campaign. The OHS and the "Click It or Ticket" campaign encourages drivers and passengers to wear their seat belts at all times.  

"The Office of Highway Safety is thrilled to have a new partner in traffic safety with Paulie Harraka and TriStar Motorsports," said Alison Kirk, Community Relations Officer for OHS. "We have a great weekend lined up with Paulie and the team to bring seat belt safety education and outreach to fans at the "Monster Mile".  We appreciate the support that they are giving us to share the Buckle Up message in the racing community and look forward to this new partnership." 

During the Nationwide Series weekend at Dover International Speedway, Paulie will be attending various OHS events and will be attending the Fan Walk on race day. Harraka is excited to represent such a great campaign and promote highway safety.  

"I couldn't be more proud of a partnership than I am of ours with the Delaware Office of Highway Safety," said Harraka. "They have done and continue to do, amazing work to keep drivers and passengers safe, and the statistics show that they are doing a great job of that. I am grateful to be their ambassador in such an important program." 

Motor Racing Network Hits The Road

Motor Racing Network has a busy week ahead with four special broadcasts – on four consecutive days – from locations in and around Charlotte, N.C.

The network’s lineup of on-site programming will kick off Tuesday, May 20, with a special edition of “NASCAR Live” from Tom Johnson Camping Center in Concord, N.C.

On Wednesday, May 21, the debut season of “MRN 360” rolls on as the NASCAR Hall of Fame announces the names of the five individuals who will be enshrined as the Class of 2015.  “MRN 360” is a fast-paced, featured-filled hour airing each week at 7 p.m. (EDT) and streamed live at www.MRN.com.

“Winged Nation,” MRN.com’s weekly review of the World of Outlaws Series and other sprint car action around the country, will then be on location at Kasey Kahne Racing in Mooresville, N.C., to air on a special day – Thursday, May 22, at 11 a.m.  And the following afternoon, the program will originate from The Dirt Track at Charlotte featuring 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser.

“Race weeks in Charlotte are always exciting, especially with a lot of activities for fans visiting from across the country.  The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race always create a lot of fireworks,” said MRN President and Executive Producer David Hyatt.  “But the fans in town for the races also have a lot of opportunities to be part of the racing community by attending some of the events where MRN will be providing live programming.  The announcement of the new Hall of Fame class and the World of Outlaws race are just a couple things our team will cover.  Motor Racing Network will keep fans and listeners abreast of all the latest developments with a variety of special programming and our stellar lineup of broadcast professionals to bring it to them.”

On May 20, Mike Bagley hosts “NASCAR Live” at 7 p.m.  The featured guest will be Sprint Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger from JTG/Daugherty Racing.  He’ll help the MRN team recap Saturday night’s All-Star Race and look ahead to the resumption of the Cup Series point battle.

The May 21 broadcast of “MRN 360” will feature news from the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which will reveal the five individuals making up the Class of 2015 … the Hall’s sixth class of inductees.

Sprint Car racing will then move front-and-center on MRN’s schedule with two special editions of “Winged Nation.” On Thursday, May 22, co-hosts Kendra Jacobs and Steve Post will be at Kasey Kahne Racing in Mooresville for the team’s Fan Appreciation Day.  KKR drivers Cody Darrah, Daryn Pittman and Brad Sweet will be featured guests.  And Kinser, the all-time “King” of sprint cars, will be featured May 23 when the program originates from The Dirt Track at Charlotte, which is hosting the WoO Circle K/NOS Energy Outlaw Showdown that evening.  Justin Marks also will join the show.  He’s the owner of the GoPro Motorplex karting track in Mooresville and co-owner of the Larson Marks Racing sprint car team.

“Winged Nation” is a weekly one-hour program that’s part of MRN’s lineup of exclusive online content.  It’s currently in its fourth season, streamed live each Tuesday from 12 to 1 p.m. (EDT).

Motor Racing Network’s lineup of special programming the week of May 19 is part of the network’s 2014 schedule that features 119 live events from 42 venues including three straight days of racing action during All-Star Weekend May 16-18.  MRN will have exclusive radio coverage of the Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race from Charlotte Motor Speedway, as well as a live broadcast of Sunday’s “Get to Know Newton 250” NASCAR Nationwide Series race from Iowa Speedway.  All programming will be streamed live at MRN.com.

Target Expands Nationwide Program

Target will expand its sponsorship in the NASCAR Nationwide Series to include the up & up brand as primary sponsor on the No. 42 Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro for five races.  The up & up brand will make its debut this weekend during the Get to Know Newton 250 Presented by Sherwin Williams at Iowa Speedway.  

Additionally, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates development driver Dylan Kwasniewski, who is competing full-time this season in the Nationwide Series for Turner Scott, will drive the No. 42 up & up Chevy in place of Kyle Larson in five stand-along races.

Larson currently has the No. 42 Chevy Camaro fourth in the Nationwide Series owner standings, with a win at the AutoClub Speedway in Fontana, CA earlier this year.

COMMENTARY: Proposed NFL Drug Policy Makes NASCAR Look Good

Sometimes, NASCAR looks awfully good when compared to the competition.

ESPN.com reported today that a newly negotiated National Football League drug policy will include a much higher threshold for positive marijuana tests and will reduce the punishment for failing such tests. That policy has been in the renegotiation process since 2011, with the league and NFL Players Association attempting to hammer out a new set of guidelines for the sport.

NASCAR’s substance abuse policy is ironclad by comparison. It expressly prohibits members from “using, having in their system, possessing, purchasing, selling and/or participating in the distribution of any drug that is illegal to possess, use, and/or distribute by the laws of the United States of America and/or any of its 50 states, regardless of the amount, at any time.”

The critical phrase in that policy is “regardless of the amount.” You cannot partake of banned substances – not even a little -- and hope to pass a NASCAR substance abuse test. First-time pot smokers, part-time pill poppers and full-time substance abusers are one and the same in the eyes of NASCAR, where zero tolerance is the law of the land.

Both NASCAR and the NFL enforce their respective policies in similar fashions. NASCAR issues immediate, indefinite and non-appealable suspensions for substance abuse violations. Like NASCAR’s Brian France, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also rules with an iron hand on matters of substance abuse, much to the chagrin of the NFL Players’ Association.

NFLPA president Eric Winston called the current system “un-American” recently, saying Goodell “wants to hold all the cards and be the judge, jury and executioner. We’re not going to go for (that).”

NASCAR has flirted with its own version of a player’s union, on two different occasions. In 1961, Curtis Turner and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters attempted to organize NASCAR drivers. That effort was stifled by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr., who banned Turner for life before eventually relenting after a four-year banishment.

In September of 1969, a group of NASCAR drivers formed the Professional Drivers Association, boycotting a race at Talladega Superspeedway over safety concerns and unhappiness with posted purses. Richard Petty was president of the Association, which included fellow headline drivers Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, Bobby Allison and Buddy Baker. France busted that union, as well, bringing in substitute drivers to run the race at Talladega. While Petty and company were allowed to continue as active NASCAR drivers, there has been no identifiable talk of a drivers’ union ever since.

NASCAR is almost certainly better off without an albatross like the NFLPA around its neck. It allows the sanctioning body to draw a clear line in the sand on matters such as substance abuse and enforce it to the letter, without anyone to argue that a little bit of marijuana is an acceptable pastime for a professional athlete.

As NASCAR fans, we need not worry about our favorite driver smoking “just a little bit” of pot the night before the big race. We can also be assured that if he does, the sanctioning body will not ignore – or worse, cover up – the presence of illicit substances in that driver’s system.

Thank you, NFL. You’re making us look pretty good.

Kligerman Standing By As Busch's Backup

Stewart-Haas Racing has tabbed Parker Kligerman to serve as the backup driver for Kurt Busch in the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS during the May 16-17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the May 22-25 Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

Kligerman has made 10 Sprint Cup starts, 51 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts, 50 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts and 23 ARCA Racing Series starts. The 23-year-old from Westport, Connecticut, earned a Camping World Truck Series victory in 2012 at Talladega Superspeedway and has nine ARCA wins, all of which came in 2009 when he finished second in the championship standings. 

SHR selected Kligerman in the event that Busch, who is attempting to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, is unable to practice, qualify or potentially start his No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet due to a schedule conflict or logistical issue. 

“I’m grateful for the opportunity and want to thank everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing for entrusting me with the Haas Automation Chevy,” said Kligerman, who has competed in eight Sprint Cup races in 2014. “For these next two weeks, my sole focus is to help the No. 41 team compete at a high level, no matter how big or small my role might be.”  

On May 25, Busch will compete in the Indianapolis 500 before getting on a plane and traveling to North Carolina to compete in the Coca-Cola 600. Practice for the Indianapolis 500 began May 11 and continues through May 16, with qualifying May 17 and Pole Day May 18. 

The May 16 practice at Indianapolis conflicts with practice for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. And Indianapolis 500 qualifying on May 17 lasts until 6 p.m. EDT, which makes for a short turnaround time for Busch to be back at Charlotte in time for the 7:10 p.m. qualifying session for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. 

The Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to begin at 12:15 p.m. on May 25, with the Coca-Cola 600 set to get underway at 6 p.m. The Indianapolis 500 should be completed at approximately 3:30 p.m., allowing Busch two-and-a-half hours to get from Indianapolis Motor Speedway to Charlotte before the green flag waves for the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race on the Sprint Cup schedule. 

In the event Busch does not make it back to Charlotte on time, Kligerman will start the Coca-Cola 600. Upon Busch’s arrival, Kligerman will yield the seat of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet to Busch, with Busch finishing the race. 

“Parker and I were teammates a few years ago when we were together at Penske and his feedback was always really good,” Busch said. “Plus, we’re built about the same, and that’s really important as we don’t want to have to adjust seats or pedal positions inside the racecar. I’m confident in Parker’s abilities and know that my Haas Automation Chevrolet is in good hands.” 

Riggs Returns To RBR #92 Ford At Charlotte

Scott Riggs will return to the Ricky Benton Racing Enterprises No. 92 BTS Tire and Wheel Distributors/Goodyear FleetHQ/Wynn's Ford F150 as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series makes its annual stop at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Friday night.

This race marks a return engagement for Riggs with the team. The Bahama, N.C. native drove the No. 92 in seven races in 2013. 

Ross Chastain drove the truck at Daytona and Martinsville. The team did not enter last week's race at Kansas Speedway.

"It's good to be behind the wheel again," said Riggs. "I am very appreciative of the opportunity that Ricky Benton has given me to drive the truck at Charlotte. This team has improved tremendously with the switch to Ford and bringing in (crew chief) Trip (Bruce) during the offseason. I am looking forward to a strong run."

"We have had some success with Scott behind the wheel," said Benton, "and we have made some strides with our program since he was with us last fall. He is a veteran driver and I think he will give us a good idea of where we are in the development of our program."

Kenny "Ace" Bullard

The No. 92 will be carrying a special decal on the hood at Charlotte honoring long-time Black's Tire and RBR employee Kenny "Ace" Bullard, who passed away on May 3 after a battle with cancer. Bullard was well known around local short tracks in North and South Carolina. He served as Southeast Regional Manager for Black's Tire and Auto Service for 25 years.  

"Kenny has been a huge part of what we have done at RBR from the beginning," said Benton, "but more importantly, he was my best friend and part of our family. He helped train my sons, Ricky, Ryan and Jeremy when they came to work at Black's Tire. 

"This week, we are racing to honor his memory." 

Burton To Nationwide At Charlotte

Biagi-DenBeste Racing will have two new names on track for the May 24 History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway: rising-star driver Jeb Burton and new partner Kendall-Jackson AVANT wines. 

The event will be Burton's second in a NASCAR Nationwide Series car and his first in 2014. He will drive the No. 98 Kendall-Jackson AVANT Ford in a first-time partnership between Biagi-DenBeste and the California winery.  

The 21-year-old driver is the son of former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ward Burton and nephew of Sprint Cup driver Jeff Burton.  Still young in his career, Burton has already made his own name for himself, finishing fifth in the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings while capturing his first NASCAR win and seven pole positions over the course of the season.  He has one previous Nationwide Series start, an eighth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway last September. 

"I'm thankful to Fred, Bill, Lori and everybody for the opportunity to come drive the No. 98 car," said Burton. "I think the racing in the Nationwide Series is really good right now, and I'm excited to be a part of it. I'm also looking forward to working with Kendall-Jackson, bringing a new sponsor into the sport and having a good run for them." 

"We're thrilled to have both Jeb Burton and Kendall-Jackson AVANT with us for the first time," said team co-owner Fred Biagi. "Jeb has impressed at every level he's raced, and we're excited to put that talent behind the wheel of our Ford Mustang. And with a name like Kendall-Jackson on the car, that car is going to turn some heads." 

"As part of the launch for our newest line of wines, Kendall-Jackson AVANT, we're excited to partner with Jeb Burton for this race," said John Maxwell, Vice President of Marketing, Kendall-Jackson. "NASCAR is a beloved sport for many Americans and we're looking forward to building awareness with NASCAR racing fans and followers." 

COMMENTARY: Stop Dangling The Charity Carrot

Well, here we go again.

In the last few days, there have been a handful of announcements from various sponsors promising that if their driver gets voted into Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All Star Race, they will make a generous contribution to the charity of their choice.

At first glance, there’s not much to dislike about that. NASCAR fans get to vote for their favorite driver, while also doing something nice for a needy group, organization or cause. Bubbling just beneath the surface, however, lies the disturbing truth.

Read carefully and you’ll see that the charitable contribution is made only after “Driver A” is voted into the NASCAR Sprint All Star Race, providing his/her sponsor with tens of thousands of dollars in free publicity and television airtime.

That’s not charity, my friends. That’s self-enrichment.

Sadly, this whole "Vote for me and I’ll do something nice” idea is nothing new. Sponsors have now been attempting to bolster their driver’s All Star chances in this manner for more than a decade. It’s gotten to the point where drivers now admit – off the record, of course – that a charity based, feel-good campaign is now necessary, if they truly hope to prevail in the annual All Star Fan Vote.

I pray that’s not true. But I fear they may be right.

Should NASCAR’s All-Star selection process really be based upon how much money someone donates to charity? Or should that selection depend simply on a driver’s popularity with the fans, and his/her performance on the race track?

The answer, I think, is pretty obvious.

No matter how they attempt to spin it, the truth is that sponsors who dangle the charity carrot in front of fans do so primarily for their own gain. They attempt to portray themselves as charitable, magnanimous and giving, while enriching mainly themselves.

That’s coercion at best, pure bribery at the worst. And it’s not what the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is supposed to be about.

If sponsors are really serious about doing something good for charity -- with no regard for their own corporate gain -- they can make a donation right now, with no strings attached. Instead, they choose to twist the collective arm of NASCAR Nation by saying, “Give us what we want, and we’ll help out the sick little children.”

That’s unconscionable, in my opinion.

All this week, you can vote for your favorite driver at NASCAR.com. You can also go online and make a contribution to your favorite charity. I encourage you to do both.

Just don’t confuse the two.

Top-10 All-Star Vote Getters Announced

Earlier today, Sprint and NASCAR announced the Sprint Fan Vote top 10 vote-getters in alphabetical order via the @MissSprintCup Twitter feed.   

More than 1.7 million votes have been cast for the eligible drivers – who now have only two remaining options to gain entry into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race field on Saturday night, May 17, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Drivers need to either finish first or second in the Sprint Showdown qualifying race on Friday, May 16, or receive the most votes in the 2014 Sprint Fan Vote.  

As of today, the following drivers represent the Sprint Fan Vote top 10, in alphabetical order: 

·         A.J. Allmendinger

·         Aric Almirola

·         Marcos Ambrose

·         Clint Bowyer

·         Austin Dillon

·         Kyle Larson

·         Casey Mears

·         Danica Patrick

·         Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

·         Josh Wise

Patrick won the 2013 Sprint Fan Vote. 

The driver who wins the Sprint Fan Vote must earn the most votes and finish the Sprint Showdown with a car in “raceable” condition (as determined by NASCAR Competition) to earn a spot in the all-star race field.

Fan voting is open until 7 p.m. (EDT) on May 16, coinciding with the green flag of the Sprint Showdown. Votes can be cast by downloading the NASCAR MOBILE application, visiting NASCAR.com/SprintFanVote, or by visiting The Sprint Experience, located in the midway at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Votes cast on NASCAR MOBILE, an app that is free for Sprint customers, will count twice toward a driver’s total.

For the first time in its history, the Sprint Fan Vote includes a sweepstakes awarding one lucky voter a trip for two to any 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race of his or her choice, among other instant prizes.

Tune in to the Sprint Showdown at 7 p.m. (EDT) Friday, May 16, on FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Then catch NASCAR’s biggest stars in Sprint All-Star Race Qualifying at 7 p.m. (EDT) Saturday, May 17, on FOX Sports 1, and the Sprint All-Star Race immediately following at 9 p.m. (EDT) on FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com. 

Frontstretch tickets for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race are available for purchase and affordably priced at two for $99 (plus taxes and fees). Fans can obtain tickets by calling 1-800-455-FANS or buying online at CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com. 

The 20 drivers (as of May 12) eligible for the Sprint Fan Vote, in alphabetical order, include:

1. A.J. Allmendinger
2. Aric Almirola
3. Marcos Ambrose
4. Michael Annett
5. Dave Blaney
6. Alex Bowman
7. Clint Bowyer
8. Landon Cassill
9. Austin Dillon
10. David Gilliland
11. Kyle Larson
12. Casey Mears
13. Paul Menard
14. Joe Nemechek
15. Danica Patrick
16. Reed Sorenson
17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
18. Ryan Truex
19. Cole Whitt
20. Josh Wise

BREAKING NEWS: Driver Shuffle At Turner Scott Motorsports

Dylan Kwasniewski

Turner Scott Motorsports announced today that the No. 42 car of Kyle Larson will undergo a driver change at the NASCAR Nationwide Series standalone races this season, placing Dylan Kwasniewski behind the wheel of the No. 42 machine in five events. Current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Chase Pistone will replace Kwasniewski at Iowa Speedway in the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro.

Kwasniewski currently drives the No. 31 Rockstar Energy Drink Chevrolet for TSM in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and was recently announced as a Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates developmental driver. The 18-year old is no stranger to Iowa Speedway and has claimed two wins, three Top-5 and five Top-10 finishes at the Midwest track, en route to titles in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West. 

Chase Pistone (L)

"I'm really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the No. 42 car this week in Iowa and for the remaining four standalone races on the Nationwide Series schedule," said Kwasniewski. "I'm confident in all the guys at Turner Scott Motorsports, so it'll be a great learning experience. I've learned a lot from Larson this year and I hope that I can make Turner Scott Motorsports, as well as Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and Target's up & up brand proud." 

Pistone is also no stranger to racing. As a racecar builder of Legends Cars and Super Late Models, Pistone helps develop and field several drivers out of his North Carolina shop, Chase Pistone, Inc. The grandson of "Tiger" Tom Pistone, the 30-year-old driver has one previous NNS start and has competed in both the Pro Cup and ARCA Racing Series, where he claimed a top-10 finish in his ARCA debut at Iowa Speedway. 

"I'm really excited for this opportunity," said Pistone. "Turner Scott Motorsports has some of the best equipment out there and I'm looking forward to working with the No. 31 crew this weekend. I've competed at Iowa Speedway before and we had a good finish during my first run there. I think it will be great to work with a veteran NASCAR crew chief like Pat Tyson and I'm anxious to get out there and learn." 

Although the No. 31 and the No. 42 cars will undergo a driver change at these select events, the TSM crews will remain the same for each car, with Kwasniewski under the direction of crew chief Scott Zipadelli, and Pistone under the direction of Pat Tryson at Iowa Speedway.