Football has their All-Star Game, and so does basketball, baseball and hockey. NASCAR’s version? It’s Saturday night, Baby!
The NASCAR Sprint All Star Race is this Saturday, May 17, at 9pmEST under the lights at Charlotte on FOX. Oh, and just an FYI – FOX is covering it with 100,000 cameras.
There will be so many cameras that you will be able to see the race from a fan’s view.
According to FOX, “100,000 CAMERAS: THE NASCAR SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE premieres immediately following seven hours of live FOX Sports 1 programming from Charlotte Motor Speedway.”
“Fans everywhere are invited to tell their own NASCAR SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE story by using their cameras and smart/mobile devices to capture the event… whether from the grandstands, on a road trip to the track, while tailgating, watching from home or from a neighborhood bar. Using the hashtag #100KCams and #SprintAllStar,” fans can upload their videos to the social network outlets of the choice.
The voice of the fans will be heard and can be seen next Thursday, May 22nd on FOX Sports 1 at 9:30pmEST on the debuting show “100,000 Cameras: The NASCAR Sprint All Star Race.”
How unique is that idea? NASCAR is on the cutting edge of technology, and they’ve been illustrating that, especially this week.
Not only will they debut the show I mentioned, but they announced this week that in the 2015 NASCAR season, pit road officiating will be done using cameras. Yes, cameras. Not humans.
Steve O’ Donnell, NASCAR Executive VP of Racing Operations, commented, “Innovation helps drive NASCAR, and it is central to the sport’s evolution.” He continued, “There are several examples of it improving the sport, none more recent — and impressive — than Air Titan 2.0. The next wave of NASCAR innovation is the pit road officiating technology, which will increase the overall quality of in-race officiating.”
Not much more is known about exactly HOW NASCAR is going to do this, but it has apparently been tested, perfected, and kept under the radar for some time.
The race winners from last year and this year so far, however, will shine Saturday night while contending for a million dollar pay day – not too shabby.
Who is in the race this year? Jamie McMurray, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, David Regan, Kurt Busch, Brian Vickers, Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Carl Edwards. If your driver isn’t in the list, don’t worry. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Showdown, which will be held tomorrow night, is run in two segments, and offers the other drivers an opportunity to land a spot Saturday night. You can also continue to vote for your driver to help them gain entry in the race at www.nascar.com/sprintfanvote.
So, who do I think will win? I think it’s going to be an ironic night. My pick is JJ. Mr. Six Pack. Jimmie Johnson (who has won the race four times alone, not to mention all the other wins he has a Charlotte in Cup races) will get his first win this season – ironically in a race that points don’t count.
The All-Star race is also unique because it is run in five different segments, with the last consisting of a mere 10 laps.
With all that said, this weekend may not count in terms of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Point System, but it definitely counts for bragging rights, and don’t forget that paycheck – ONE MILLION DOLLARS.