Gluck: Changes could recharge stagnant All-Star Race
A format change announced Friday afternoon could be the kick in the pants the stagnant All-Star Race needed.
The last few years, the race has been a snoozefest and the format has been in dire need of a big shakeup. In the past five All-Star Races, there’s only been one lead change within the final segment - which is supposed to be the most exciting part.
Last year’s race seemed typical of many recent editions: The race had no cautions (aside from the segment breaks) and Denny Hamlin led every lap of the final segment.
But under the new format, the final segment is virtually guaranteed to see an increase in passing.
Here’s how it will work for the May 21 event:
--Depending on a draw, the top nine to 11 cars will be required to make a mandatory pit stop before the final segment (13 laps).
--Meanwhile, the rest of the field will be forced to stay on the track while the fastest cars throughout the night line up behind them with fresh tires. The cars at the front will have at least 15 laps on their tires.
--That will give slower cars on older tires the preferred track position but potentially leave them as sitting ducks, depending how quickly the tires are wearing on the Charlotte Motor Speedway surface (and that could be the deciding factor, along with any cautions that would bunch up the field).
So, NASCAR’s top drivers that night will have 13 laps - a mad scramble - to race their way through a minefield of slower cars. Fans will hardly know where to look. Will they watch the race leaders or the cars coming quickly toward the front?
The intriguing concepts are the brainchild of Brad Keselowski, whose unique thinking sometimes has put him outside the box compared to other drivers. He thinks that way, lives that way, races that way – often to varied results.
But in this case, the results look pretty good.
NASCAR asked drivers for format ideas, and Keselowski’s concepts represented what became the framework of the final version. The new structure should please both avid followers of NASCAR – there’s a juicy bit of strategy and complexity for fans to sink their teeth into – and casual observers, who might not understand the rules but could be thrilled by the racing toward the end.
The success of Keselowski’s format isn’t a certainty. But there’s no doubt there will be more drama than in the past when a driver would take the lead heading into Turn 1 of the final segment and simply check out. It’s an inversion with a twist.
Keselowski tweeted Friday he wanted the format “to be the ‘must watch race of the year’ if I was a fan in the stands.” That might be optimistic, but at least the potential is there.
Either way, it’s a tremendous positive someone was thinking like a fan when considering the format, and it’s just as positive that NASCAR was willing to take a chance on the concept.
Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck
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