|| *Comments on the 2010 Sprint All-Star Challenge:* View the most recent comment <#37> | Post a comment <#post> 1. I Seize the Day posted: 05.23.2010 - 12:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 1st and last segments were really exciting....hope johnson has some competiton next week or it will be a long 600 2. loomer posted: 05.23.2010 - 12:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The media is really going to milk this Denny-Kyle story to the max. I guess they still haven't realized this is who Kyle is. A really emotional driver with world class talent, but his held back by the former 3. Eric posted: 05.23.2010 - 12:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tonight proved that there never was a new Kyle Busch. It was a creation by the media. 4. Smokefan05 posted: 05.23.2010 - 12:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) So how did Kurt wins this race? Thank the COT. Say what you want about it but Kurt whacked it off the wall twice and still won the race. With the old car his night would have been done. Denny did what any good driver would have done, block. It's for a million bucks. Teammates go out the window when it's the last 10 laps. Denny did what i would have done, Kyle is just a jerk. Marty Truex came very close too winning this thing but couldn't catch the #2 in the end. Congrats too Kurt on a hard earned victory and cooooooool million to boot. 5. 18fan posted: 05.23.2010 - 1:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt proves that he can still wheel a race car as he runs up through the field and takes the win. 6. Critic posted: 05.23.2010 - 3:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) In contrast to my decisive self, I was rather apathetic about this event despite moments of genuine excitement throughout the night. The Open was enjoyable, including the laughable Allmendinger guarantee that predictably went no where and Truex recovering from the qualifying rain out to advance with a nuanced drive. But after the mandatory stop during the first segment of the Challenge, my attention fell away and I have little to contribute regarding the subsequent 25, 20 and 20 lap periods. At least in the past -- 2003 and before -- we had the spice of inversion and, briefly, elimination to make the race's staggered nature meaningful; now I think it's just an excuse for extended sponsor exposure, because the two intervening segments are irrelevant, and they turn what should be a concise and explosive affair into a protracted one. A format change would do a lot to refresh my interest. It was refreshing to see Johnson make an error for the second event in a row, but anyone implying that the spoiler change has had a serious impact on his performance or that this means anything in the long term is sorely mistaken. I nearly lost it when one of FOX's resident nonintellectuals, Larry McReynolds, chidingly reminded us that "he still hasn't won a race with [it]" after the spin. As if Darlington was a result of his inability to drive with the spoiler; and the 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th, and Johnson's imperious form at Dover all occurred in some parallel universe I'm not aware of. Next time, Larry, confine yourself to the boundaries of your expertise, although I suspect even that crew chief knowledge is becoming out of date by now. At first, I thought Kyle Busch had a right to be angry with Hamlin. But his tantrum after the race was completely uncalled for, and let's be honest, what would he have done in Hamlin's position? It's the pot calling the kettle black, and as with Hamlin and Bowyer at Dover, Busch the lesser and Hamlin deserve each other. 7. bduddy posted: 05.23.2010 - 3:43 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is it just me, or would this race probably have been a lot more interesting if it was just 100 laps? 8. leothedrummer posted: 05.23.2010 - 5:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Most punishing race ever. 9. Dodge posted: 05.23.2010 - 6:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) If I was Kyle and Denny came up on me, Denny woulda been eating concrete. 10. DaleSrFanForever posted: 05.23.2010 - 12:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You guys know me, I am a certified member of the I Hate Denny Hamlin Club. I have been through and passed all the orientations and initiations. But with that being said, the Denny/Kyle incident off Turn 2 was IN NO WAY Denny's fault. The roof camera from Kyle's car shows it best. Yes Denny moved up the track and crowded Kyle. But he still left him a lane between his car and the wall. Kyle just lost the nose and hit the wall. For Kyle to be so upset is bullshit. Like has been said before me, he is still as immature, spoiled, and petulant as ever. He is mad at Denny for RACING him. He just expects that everyone will roll over for him because he is the great and almighty Kyle Busch. He really believes his own press. Like Vickers said last year (good to see him at intros BTW), he thinks it is The Kyle Busch Show. And THAT is why he is so disliked. The "new" Kyle Busch was just an illusion as was also mentioned earlier. Of course he hadn't been as tempermental lately, JGR has been running great. But, as I suspected, the first little "bump" in the road, and Kyle goes off the handle. This is what is going to hold Kyle and Denny back in their quest to unseat the 48. They need to settle this and NOW if they have any chance of being the champions they are capable of being based on their talent and equipment (I hope it doesn't happen cause I can't stand either of them). Luckily they have Joe Gibbs himself around to try and defuse this. But I don't know if even he is capable of getting those two to act like adults, especially Kyle. And how crappy was that of them to ruin what should have been a great night for the Gibbs family. Little Taylor Gibbs is now cancer free after a long battle (Thank God) and then delivered the best pre-race prayer ever, and they are having a huge celebration for him today at the drag strip. If they are going to beat the 48 in the final 10 races, they better get personality transplants. 11. DaleSrFanForever posted: 05.23.2010 - 1:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Speaking of the 48, the Jimmie Johnson Mental Blunder Tour continues. One of the safest bets ever to not make a mistake during a race has now made 5 (Texas, Talladega, Darlington, Dover, and this race) in the last 6 weeks. I wonder if something is affecting him right now. It could be a) the impending birth of his first child b) mental exaustion from being right in the thick of the championship hunt for the last SIX years ('04 to present) and having the bullseye on his shoulders for so long or c) having his good friend Jeff Gordon distance himself from him. Or is it a combination of all three? I still think he'll be in top mental shape for the cha$e and easily win his fifth in a row. I'm not pulling for that to happen, I'm just calling it like I see it. One thing I have noticed though: Although JJ and the 48 team are as fast as ever (if not faster) with the spoiler, the wing was a lot more forgiving to a race car that got loose. If it snapped loose on exit, the wing pretty much straightened the car right back up. I think JJ is still relying on that with the spoiler even though it doesn't work that way. At Darlington and this race we saw him get the back out of shape, and then loose it. He still needs to get used to that. 12. Dion posted: 05.23.2010 - 1:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I really wasn't digging the first 90 laps, to me only the last 10 were any good. The first 90 laps it was follow the leader, mostly jimmie, then they actually started to go with it the last 10 laps. I think they should have something to make the first 90 laps more exciting. it is an ALL STAR race, if you want to see follow the leader watch formula 1. They are going for ONE MILLION DOLLARS and they were lollygagging for a long time. They say these cars were just for the race so why not go crazy like they were talking about. They need to find something to give them more of an incentive or something because it seemed some guys were just riding around. I know it isnt for points, so shouldnt that mean you go balls to the wall for a win? I absolutely loved the last 10 laps, but the first 90 almost put me to sleep. The most exciting thing was the 2 car tapping the wall. I could watch darlington for that. Not saying it has to be a wreck fest but there could be more bumping and actual racing not just one leader gets out and pulls away and then everyone gives themselves a lot of space to ride around. 13. RLewis9 posted: 05.23.2010 - 2:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I thought Kurt was done after smacking the wall, he dropped back like a rock, he was 11th with ten to go. 14. Frank posted: 05.23.2010 - 5:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, shame on me for sleeping deeply despite alarm! But it looks like good tradition continues - when I miss a race Kurt succeed in it. By the way, with no caution laps counting in last segments actually we have no need in GWC and this thing could go forever. Despite I think Kyle Busch will be in the Hall of Fame sometime and Denny could be on the Carl Edwards' career downfall I realized that 11 just defended from 18 the way it should be on final segment of the race for 1 million. I'm sure "new Kyle Busch" isn't a journalists duck, just don't call it "the whole new". Lots of things can make him mad but look how far he gone from Chicago'09 to Darlington'10. Awesome invocation from Taylor, arguably the most touching. Can someone write transcript of it or where it could be? English is not my native and his speech worth to be known exactly. Finally, can anyone imagine HOW MUCH Aflac payed NA$CAR for moving 99???? Man, I was nearly drop watching after this and only Gibbs and Junior who barely steals the Command from so-called King stopped me. 15. Bronco posted: 05.23.2010 - 6:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Shrub is an idiot for acting the way he did. He in no way had the race won, and his on board camera shows that he drove the car into the wall without help. Unless he wins the fan vote or pulls of a Talladega miracle, this will be Bobby Labonte's final All-Star race, as he has hit the 10 year mark since his Cup championship. This is also the 2nd and final time that Dale Jr will be able to use his past All-Star win as a provisional to get in; he has 36 races to win once or to use the fan vote to get in the show for 2011. I was so happy that all my voting paid off when Carl Edwards was voted in - shame he never cracked the top 10 and finished last. A boring race overall, I personally liked the 30-30-10 format with the inversion. 16. Critic posted: 05.23.2010 - 7:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If I were suddenly put in charge of Charlotte Motor Speedway, I'd make serious modifications to the complexion of this event. I am a proponent of the elimination format, so my first change would be to increase the field size so we have a legitimate reason to pare it down before the final segment. I'd inform Sprint I have no interest in continuing the fan vote, which is susceptible to manipulation (Logano?), and start a minimum of 22 in the Challenge. Last night, that would have meant four transitioning in from the Open, which some may claim is too many, but three do now, so I fail to see the difference. I would grant a five-year exemption for winning the All-Star, so there's no danger of someone winning the race and then having to qualify in next year, but the championship in the last decade category would go -- Labonte contributed nothing to the race and this is a meritocracy, so success in 2000 should have no bearing on today. The race would be broken down into three segments: thirty, twenty and ten, reducing the field to sixteen after the opening stanza and ten before the final run. An inversion would take place during the last break (and after the first segment?); given a choice, we know the audience will vote for a full switch every time, so it'd have to be the result of a random draw. The Winston had it right with top-five, top-ten or none, so no one can safely wait for the inversion ala Johnson in 2004. Cautions would not count during the concluding segment, or else we might only have a lap or two of green flag racing. Lastly, I'd double the first place prize, so the All-Star is suddenly the richest race on the schedule, similar to the traditional Volvo World Matchplay Championship in golf -- before that great tournament was butchered when it left Wentworth. I think something resembling the above would go a long way to assuaging our concerns over the continued relevance of this event. Bruton, call me. I may not be an executive, but give me just one day in Marcus Smith's office and I'll rectify the problem. 17. 18fan posted: 05.23.2010 - 9:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Carl Edwards has never struck me as a guy that more people like than Jeff Burton. I would have been certain that Burton would've won it, but Edwards has to have his horrible runs in every single race, so he takes up space on the racetrack. Kasey Kahne was slow and bounced off the wall and was still outrunning Carl. Also, what is it with Jeff Gordon bouncing off the wall in the early stags of Charlotte races lately. He did on lap 2 of the 2008 fall race and did on lap 1 of this race. 18. 18fan posted: 05.23.2010 - 9:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) All but one car that wrecked was wrecked in an accident started by a Gibbs car. The one car was Casey Mears. 19. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 05.23.2010 - 10:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If this doesn't show that Kyle hasn't changed, I don't know what to tell you. For him to get so upset over a simple racing incident says a lot; he reacted in a similar way last August after the Nationwide race at Michigan. All of Joe Gibbs Racing has been looking pretty damn stout, but feuds like this won't help them. It would be best for Denny and Kyle to work this out immediately. Brad Keselowski and Bobby Labonte get their first top-10 finish of the year... in a non-points race. 20. Ivan Balakhonov posted: 05.24.2010 - 6:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR continues to play dumb jokes with its audience... Carl Edwards won fan vote? You're kidding me! At least this loser got some booos while introduction. 21. Smokefan05 posted: 05.24.2010 - 12:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Critic everyone i've seen on a forum thinks they can fix everything if "they" were in charge. On the SPEED boards it's called being a "monday morning quater back." But whatever, you have the right to say what you want. "Carl Edwards has never struck me as a guy that more people like than Jeff Burton. I would have been certain that Burton would've won it, but Edwards has to have his horrible runs in every single race, so he takes up space on the racetrack. Kasey Kahne was slow and bounced off the wall and was still outrunning Carl." And Kasey as worse equipment than Carl does, it has to say something. But it was funny when he got booed. "NASCAR continues to play dumb jokes with its audience... Carl Edwards won fan vote? You're kidding me! At least this loser got some booos while introduction." Dumb jokes? Really? Ok. Yeah Carl won the fan vote because the fans voted him in and he sucked in this race. Don't blame NASCAR, blame the people who voted him in. 22. Ivan Balakhonov posted: 05.24.2010 - 12:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Few minutes before the race SPEED have shown top-5 vote getters. Carl was fourth, Dinger, Burton and Ambrose were ahead of him. And thousands of Edwards fans gave him a strong push in the last hour of voting? I don't take this. 23. I Seize the Day posted: 05.24.2010 - 1:03 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Few minutes before the race SPEED have shown top-5 vote getters. Carl was fourth, Dinger, Burton and Ambrose were ahead of him. And thousands of Edwards fans gave him a strong push in the last hour of voting? I don't take this." This is because it was in alphabetical order knucklehead! But I am surprised he got more votes than Burton. 24. RaceFanX posted: 05.24.2010 - 7:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Carl has a lot of the Ford fans voting for him simply because he's one of the better drivers with a Ford, that could have helped 25. Talon64 posted: 05.25.2010 - 4:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Carl has a lot of the Ford fans voting for him simply because he's one of the better drivers with a Ford, that could have helped" If Ford fans wanted drivers good enough to have a shot in All Star race they would've voted for Biffle or even Allmendinger. I was pissed that Carl won the fan vote but it turned out for the best, Carl ran dead last amongst his teammates in the Showdown (Biffle 2nd and actually racing his way in, Ragan screwing up and hitting the wall and STILL finishing 6th, Edwards in 10th) and did so again in the main race behind Kenseth and Biffle until he had his accident. Edwards was easily the worst of the 4 Roush drivers so it made my night. Christ, for that matter he was 6th best Ford in the Showdown since Menard finished 4th, Allmendinger 8th after damage of his own and Travis Kvapil finished 9th! At least Kahne and Logano finished top five and had a shot at racing their way in through the Showdown the last couple years when they won the fan vote. So Carl did a bang-up job with his sponsor-driven fan vote win in further proving how shitty he's running lately. 26. Talon64 posted: 05.25.2010 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is Kurt Busch's first All Star win, and the 2nd straight year a former Cup champion has finally broken through in this race. It's Penske Racing's 2nd All Star win. Ryan Newman won in 2002. Martin Truex Jr. had his best weekend to date with MWR; he won the Showdown and finished 2nd in the main race. Brad Keselowski's 7th is his best finish to date with Penske in Cup. It's not a points race, but he was running in the top five at one point. Greg Biffle finished 9th after transfering through to the main race with a 2nd place finish in the Showdown. Carl Edwards won the fan vote but DNF'd and finished 21st. Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray and Jeff Gordon (12 of the 21 drivers in the field) are already eligible for the 2011 All Star race. Everyone else has 36 races to win a race or the last 24 races of 2010 to win the championship to become eligible. 27. potatosalad48 posted: 05.26.2010 - 8:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I liked the all orange paint scheme on Joey Logano's car. It brought back memories of the Tony Stewart/Home Depot days. 28. CarlEdwards99 posted: 05.26.2010 - 9:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I personally liked the 30-30-10 format with the inversion" I agree. 4 segments is one to many, to much just logging laps the first segment. The inversion brought a level of intrigue and flavor to the race and more importantly, to the preliminary segments. NASCAR got it right with making the last segment 10 laps again, but they have screwed up the preliminary segments with the changes these last 3 years. 29. CarlEdwards99 posted: 05.26.2010 - 9:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like it's plan B for Ford, the F-9 engine isn't the silver bullet they thought it was. 30. Cooper posted: 05.26.2010 - 3:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm surprised no one has mentioned Keselowski's problem with the car. In the third segment, Brad restarted 8th and flew into the 4th position in less than ten laps. He was running down the top 3 but his power steering box kept overheating after ten laps, forcing the car to handle terribly. At this point FOX interviewed him and it looked like he had been fighting a bear inside his car. Brad was lucky enough to hold the 4th position going into the final segment in which his pit crew lost him three spots. Restarting 7th, he got right front damage in the wreck with Logano. He was actually the one that nudged Logano into Martin after Logano got in the grass. He was able to fly on the restarts, but because of the All-Star rule he was stuck in the back as the first green flag laps didn't count, and he eventually went on to finish 7th. Awesome run from him and... The #12 team is bringing a brand new chassis to the track, that is very similar but lighter than the one he ran in this race. I'll make my prediction here, that Brad will get his first top 10 this year in the Coca Cola 600. 31. Rocky posted: 05.31.2010 - 9:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's a joke this race was won by a guy who had no business being in the race. 32. Anonymous posted: 09.12.2010 - 11:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "It's a joke this race was won by a guy who had no business being in the race." Kurt Busch won the spring Atlanta and fall Texas races along with the 2004 championship making him eligible already. 33. ii posted: 09.22.2010 - 3:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Does anyone think that the All-star weekend should include Nationwide and Truck races? 34. RaceFanX posted: 06.07.2011 - 2:18 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) A year later Edwards went from worst to first in that event. And Ford's FR9 did turn out to somewhat of a silver bullet after it was finally out of R&D. 35. RaceFanX posted: 04.22.2012 - 10:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Owners: #2 Kurt Busch- Roger Penske #56 Martin Truex, Jr.- Michael Waltrip #20 Joey Logano- Joe Gibbs #11 Denny Hamlin- Joe Gibbs #14 Tony Stewart- Stewart Haas Racing #29 Kevin Harvick- Richard Childress #12 Brad Keselowski- Roger Penske #17 Matt Kenseth- Jack Roush #16 Greg Biffle- Jack Roush #71 Bobby Labonte- Kevin Buckler #39 Ryan Newman- Stewart Haas Racing #88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.- Rick Hendrick #48 Jimmie Johnson- Rick Hendrick #18 Kyle Busch- Joe Gibbs #9 Kasey Kahne- Richard Petty Motorsports #83 Casey Mears- Dietrich Mateschitz #5 Mark Martin- Rick Hendrick #1 Jamie McMurray- Earnhardt Ganassi Racing #00 David Reutimann- Michael Waltrip #24 Jeff Gordon- Rick Hendrick #99 Carl Edwards- Jack Roush 36. Braindead Zombie posted: 03.24.2016 - 12:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "EE PUT EEM EEN DA WAAALLLL!!!" 37. Braindead Zombie posted: 04.24.2016 - 9:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Keep me away from Denny Hamlin after this (expletive) race. I swear I'm going to kill that (expletive). We had this race won. It was WON!!!" - Kyle Busch ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: