NASCAR revamps All-Star race

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR continued to tinker with its races Tuesday by revamping the format of the annual All-Star event to make it more exciting and easier for fans to follow.<br/> <br/>The Nextel

Tuesday, January 23rd 2007, 2:04 pm

By: News On 6

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR continued to tinker with its races Tuesday by revamping the format of the annual All-Star event to make it more exciting and easier for fans to follow.

The Nextel All-Star Challenge will now be run in four 20-lap segments, and the field has been expanded to include at least one more driver.

The announcement came one day after NASCAR tinkered with its title-deciding Chase for the championship system, and the sanctioning body acknowledged that all the changes could initially confuse longtime fans.

"The changes to the Chase, as well as the All-Star event, were a collaborative effort that we put forth to make it easier for the fans to understand," said Steve O'Donnell, vice president of NASCAR's racing operations.

"We know that's going to take some time, as with any change takes some time. But we believe both decisions are headed in the right direction and will make the sport more exciting."

The All-Star event, held annually at Lowe's Motor Speedway, will now be a total of 80 laps with breaks between each segment. There will be an optional pit stop after the first segment, and a 10-minute break after the second segment in which teams will be allowed to work on their cars.

There will be a mandatory pit stop after the third segment, setting up one final 20-lap dash to the $1 million grand prize.

The All-Star race is only open to drivers who have won races in the current and preceding year, past All-Star race winners, Cup champions from the last 10 years and the winner of the Nextel Open, a qualifying event held before the main race.

Now, the field has been expanded to include both the first- and second-place finishers of the Nextel Open, as well as one driver voted in by the fans.

NASCAR also changed the procedure of its Pit Crew Challenge, which will now be seeded similarly to the way the NCAA tournament field is set. Crews will be seeded based on their 2006 season standings, and the top eight teams will have a bye in the first round.

As the competition advances, the final eight teams will be able to choose their opponent for the next round in order of seeding. The final results will be used to set the pit selection order for the All-Star race.

NASCAR, Lowe's officials and Nextel have always been looking at ways to keep the All-Star event fresh. Now that the Hall of Fame is coming to Charlotte, NASCAR is likely looking to tie the race into either induction ceremonies or other Hall events to turn the weekend into a major event -- much like the NBA All-Star game.

The race has been tweaked over the years, and most recently was a 90-lap event that started with a 40-lap segment, followed by a 10-minute break in which teams were allowed to work on their cars. That was followed by a 30-lap run, a yellow-flag pit stop, and a final 20-lap dash for the cash. The field was also inverted during one of the segments, with the fans voting to decide on how many cars to switch. The inversion has now been eliminated.