AP The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 18 at Charlotte Motor Speedway will have some new incentives for drivers to do well throughout the event’s five segments.
The running order at the end of Segment 4 will be repositioned behind the caution car according to the average finish for the first four segments before pit road opens for a mandatory four-tire stop — and the order of the cars coming back on track after the stop will be the starting grid for the fifth and final segment.
Considering that the final segment is a 10-lap dash with a $1 million prize going to the winner, NASCAR believes that this tweak to the All-Star format will keep drivers up on the wheel at every turn.
“Having the average finish through the race’s first four segments determine how the cars come down pit road for the last mandatory four-tire pit stop takes the competition to an even higher level,” said NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton in a statement.
There’s also an added challenge for the drivers that could lead to an even bigger payday. If one driver can win all five segments, he’ll bag an additional $1 million bonus on top of the $1 million winner’s purse.
“It’s going to be extremely difficult to win all five,” reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski told NASCAR.com. “But in order to win an extra $1 million, you should have to do something special. And winning all five segments would be something very special.”
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Indianapolis 500 polesitter Ed Carpenter is better than you think
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The weekend roundup: In other news beyond F1, Indy, NASCAR
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