Three teams entered in the Indianapolis 500 were penalized by IndyCar following qualification technical inspections.

• Ryan Briscoe's car was fined $5,000 for an improper height with the mainplane trailing edge, Graham Rahal's entry was fined $10,000 for not complying with a rule regarding cooling forms outside of the assigned garage and Michel Jourdain Jr.'s entry was fined $1,000 for a bodywork infraction involving underwing parts.

  All three entries are able to contest the penalties if they desire.

Charlotte Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith is considering moving the October race from

• Charlotte to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, according to multiple reports.

  Because he's chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., Smith can ask NASCAR to move a race from one of his tracks to another one of his tracks.

  Smith said "there is a 70 percent chance" that he'll request to move the October race in to Las Vegas. SMI owns eight tracks that have Sprint Cup points races -- Atlanta, Bristol, Charlotte, Kentucky, Las Vegas, New Hampshire, Sonoma and Texas.

  No official request has been made.

  "Tracks have the ability to request realignment," NASCAR Senior Vice President of Operations Steve O'Donnell said in a statement. "We review and always decide based on the best interest of the entire sport of NASCAR. We're beginning the 2014 process now and have not had any formal requests to realign."

  Smith said Las Vegas official have offered incentives.

  "Someone once said, 'Follow the money,'" Smith told television station WBTV on Monday. "Well, if we do this, we will be following the money because, here again, there's a lot of money in Las Vegas. "And if it gets to be strong enough, I imagine we might do something like that."

  Smith remarks came as he sues local civic leaders in the North Carolina Court of Appeals for more than $80 million in incentives he feels he's owed. In 2007, he and Cabarrus (N.C.) County officials agreed to a deal where SMI would help fund infrastructure improvements that would be repaid through state contributions and tax incentives.

Distributed by The Sports Xchange

• 18: The number of cars running at the end if the inaugural Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway—out of a starting field of 60 on June 19, 1960. Joe Lee Johnson won the first event Charlotte in what is now the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as attrition and disqualifications took care of most of the field. Both Lee Petty and Richard Petty were among six drivers disqualified for cutting through the infield grass to get to pit road. The starting field of 60 drivers is a record for NASCAR’s longest race.

Charlotte Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith said in a radio interview that Charlotte might lose one of its two spots on NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series schedule to Las Vegas.

• Smith told Charlotte television station WBTV on Monday there is a "70 percent chance" he will move the October Charlotte race to Las Vegas.

  Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. owns both the Charlotte and Las Vegas facilities. Las Vegas currently hosts one Spring Cup Series race each March.

  Smith said he's visited Las Vegas several times to discuss a possible move and "they've made me offers to move one."

  "When the game is over, it'll be money, money, money," Smith told WBTV. "Money will move it."

  NASCAR owns all race dates and would have to approve the move.

  Senior vice president of race operations Steve O'Donnell told ESPN.com there have been no "formal requests to re-align" for 2014.

  Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials said any comment on this situation will have to come directly from Smith, who was not available for additional comment, according to the ESPN.com report.

  Charlotte Motor Speedway is the site of this weekend's Coca-Cola 600.

  Smith owns eight tracks that host NASCAR Sprint Cup events, and he has tried to get a second race date in Las Vegas for several years with no success.

INDIANAPOLIS - Results of qualifying Sunday for the 97th Indianapolis 500 (Rank, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, time and speed in parentheses)

• 1. (20) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Chevy 02:37.3689 ( 228.762)

  2. (26) Carlos Munoz, Dallara-Chevy 02:37.6581 ( 228.342)

  3. (25) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Chevy 02:37.7139 ( 228.261)

  4. (5) EJ Viso, Dallara-Chevy 02:37.7907 ( 228.150)

  5. (2) AJ Allmendinger, Dallara-Chevy 02:37.8264 ( 228.099)

  6. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Chevy 02:37.8342 ( 228.087)

  7. (1) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Chevy 02:37.9614 ( 227.904)

  8. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Chevy 02:38.0596 ( 227.762)

  9. (27) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Chevy 02:38.5411 ( 227.070)

  10. (4) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Chevy, 02:38.2830 (227.441)

  11. (98) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 02:38.3209 (227.386)

  12. (11) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Chevy, 02:38.6260 (226.949)

  13. (22) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Chevy, 02:38.7206 (226.814)

  14. (19) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.0318 (226.370)

  15. (7) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Chevy, 02:39.1543 (226.196)

  16. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.1808 (226.158)

  17. (10) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.2434 (226.069)

  18. (14) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.3681 (225.892)

  19. (83) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.3768 (225.880)

  20. (16) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.4268 (225.809)

  21. (77) Simon Pagenaud, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.5219 (225.674)

  22. (60) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Chevy, 02:39.5438 (225.643)

  23. (8) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.8117 (225.265)

  24. (78) Simona De Silvestro, Dallara-Chevy, 02:39.8398 (225.226)

  25. (21) Josef Newgarden, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.4816 (225.731)

  26. (15) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.9948 (225.007)

  27. (6) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Chevy, 02:40.0503 (224.929)

  28. (55) Tristan Vautier, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.0907 (224.873)

  29. (18) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.5823 (224.184)

  30. (63) Pippa Mann, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.7109 (224.005)

  31. (41) Conor Daly, Dallara-Honda, 02:41.0145 (223.582)

  32. (91) Buddy Lazier, Dallara-Chevy, 02:41.1158 (223.442)

  33. (81) Katherine Legge, Dallara-Honda, 02:41.3079 (223.176)

Nine more drivers qualified for spots in the Indiapolis 500 on Sunday, led by Josef Newgarden and Graham Rahal.

• All nine drivers who attempted to qualify on Bump Day made it into the field of 33 drivers for the May 26 Indy 500.

  Only one of the 10 drivers who arrived Sunday hoping to qualify failed to do so. . That was Michel Jourdain, who couldn't turn in a lap quicker than 219.843 mph in practice, and never made a qualifying attempt.

  Newgarden posted the fastest four-lap average on Sunday, with his qualifying run of 225.731 mph landing him in the 25th spot in the grid.

  Rahal will be next to him after qualifying at 225.007.

  Also qualifying Sunday were Sebastian Saavedra (224.929 mph), Tristan Vautier (224.873), Ana Beatriz (224.184), Pippa Mann (224.005), Conor Daly (223.582), Buddy Lazier (223.442) and Katherine Legge (223.176).

  Ed Carpenter had earned the pole position on Saturday.

By Reid Spencer

• NASCAR Wire Service

  Distributed by The Sports Xchange

  A cursory glance at Jimmie Johnson's racing resume will tell you that the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is a lock to make the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

  But Johnson is still writing history, and in Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he added another gaudy tile to his mosaic of accomplishment.

  Johnson now owns the record for most All-Star Race wins with four, breaking a tie with Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jeff Gordon.

  Johnson is the only driver in the history of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to win five-straight championships, the last one coming in 2010. In fact, no other driver had ever won more than three straight, and only one driver -- Cale Yarborough -- had accomplished that trifecta before Johnson came along.

  A winner of 62 Cup points races in 410 starts, Johnson already is eighth on the all-time list. Remember, this is a man who got a relatively late start, by modern standards, to his career at NASCAR's highest level.

  He was 26 when he finished his first full season of Cup racing in fifth place in the standings. In the 10 seasons since then, he has won the title five times, finished second twice, third once, fifth once and sixth once.

  This year, he tops the standings again through 11 races, with a massive 44-point lead over second-place Carl Edwards. And where four-time champion Gordon, the man who lobbied for Johnson's hiring at Hendrick, is talking about losing a step at age 41, Johnson, who is just four years younger, is still exploring the depth of his talent.

  Yet we don't appreciate Johnson as much as we should, in part because he makes what he does seem so effortless. It is also in part because he's a legitimate threat to the iconic records of drivers who are revered throughout the NASCAR fan base -- specifically the record seven championships of Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

  Self-effacing, non-controversial and businesslike, Johnson doesn't have the larger-than-life presence that Petty and Earnhardt exuded in their heydays. Nevertheless, there's an enormity to Johnson's accomplishments.

  There are those who discount Johnson's record, citing the importance of crew chief Chad Knaus to the equation. It's true that Knaus is essential to Johnson's success, but the same could be said of the driver/crew chief relationships of other icons of the sport, relationships that were necessary to form the critical mass that produced greatness.

  Petty had his Dale Inman. Earnhardt had his Kirk Shelmerdine. David Pearson had his Leonard Wood. Gordon had his Ray Evernham.

  There's justifiable pride, but no braggadocio, in Johnson. He'd prefer to let his record do the talking, and it will. Asked about his legacy after Saturday's race, Johnson's reply was predictably modest.

  "Truthfully I don't think it's a question that I'm to answer," he said. "I still have a lot of years left in my career, and that's something that the public, the mass ... that's what other people come up with. I don't think it's right for me to sit here and say, 'Hey, I'm this guy, I'm the guy or anything in-between.

  "Very proud of what I've accomplished, but I still feel like there's a lot left I can do in this sport, and I'll work hard to do that. When I'm old, sitting in a rocking chair, hopefully people think highly of what I've done and give me a tip of the hat."

  In all probability, Johnson won't have to wait that long. If the major story of 2013 is the introduction NASCAR's new Gen-6 race car, the focus of 2014 is likely to be Johnson's quest for a record-tying seventh Sprint Cup title.

  The King and the Intimidator may have to make room for Jimmie.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Powerful stuff Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as Ed Carpenter, whose family owns the track, won the pole for next weekend's Indianapolis 500.

• Carpenter posted a four-lap average of 228.762 mph and watched it hold up as four other IndyCar drivers took a shot at him in the rain-delayed Fast Nine Shootout.

  Carpenter, the 32-year-old stepson of Indy Racing League founder Tony George, has spent most of his life in Indiana, moving to Indianapolis when he was 8 years old. He owns the small team that bears his name (Ed Carpenter Racing).

  But he stressed that he won't lose focus on the big prize, which will be there to win May 26.

  "A little bit (of celebrating), but I love the race a whole lot more than qualifying," he said. "I really want to send a message and make sure I lead by example to the team and make sure we don't forget why we're really here.

  "This is fun, and it's huge for our team, I don't want (people) to think that it's not. But the pole won't mean much if we don't go out and perform on race day."

  Carpenter led a 10-car Chevrolet brigade that dusted the Hondas. But that was only part of the story.

  A rookie, Carlos Munoz, grabbed the second starting spot for the May 26 race with a qualifying effort of 228.342 mph. Andretti Autosport teammate Marco Andretti will start third at 228.261 mph.

  Munoz, the points leader of IndyCar's junior series, known as Firestone Indy Lights, has the highest starting position for a rookie since another Colombian, Juan Pablo Montoya, in 2000. Montoya won that race.

  The second row will have EJ Viso, A.J. Allmendinger and Will Power, who entered the Fast Nine Shootout with the quickest time. But like the other top four, Power's second qualifying run was slower than the one posted in the afternoon.

  The third row for the 500 will be reigning IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, three-time race winner Helio Castroneves and James Hinchcliffe.

  Carpenter won $100,000 for the pole, but the publicity his team will get will be worth more than that.

  Carpenter will be losing his team manager, Derrick Walker, to a senior position with IndyCar after the race. Walker will become president of operations and competition.

  Twenty-four drivers secured positions, with the fastest 10 powered by Chevrolet. The first Honda was Alex Tagliani in the 11th spot for Barracuda Racing.

  Dario Franchitti, who won last year's race, was part of Ganassi Racing's struggle with Honda. Franchitti will go for his record-tying fourth 500 victory from the 17th starting position. That's one spot deeper than he started from a year ago. His first two wins came from the third position.

  Franchitti's teammates will start 16th (Scott Dixon), 19th (Charlie Kimball) and 23rd (Ryan Briscoe). Briscoe won the pole last year for Team Penske. Dixon won the 2008 500 from the pole.

  | Given the competitiveness of IndyCar, Carpenter said there will be a lot of contenders for the 97th driver spot on the BorgWarner Trophy.

  "This track and race mean a lot to the other 32 guys that are going to start the race, too," he said. "I don't think it's just special to me."

  Drivers will fight for positions for positions at the rear of the starting grid in Sunday's qualifying sessions. Among that group are 1996 500 winner Buddy Lazier and projected contender Graham Rahal, Ana Beatriz, Pippa Mann, Josef Newgarden, Michel Jourdain Jr., Katherine Legge, Sebastian Saavedra and rookies Conor Daly and Tristan Vautier.

  Legge is the latest driver to join the field. She picked up a ride on Saturday morning; the No. 81 of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, which has Pagenaud in the field and Vautier trying to get there. She has not turned a lap this month.

  Daly, the son of former driver Derek Daly, lost a cylinder in his Honda engine during a qualifying run, a continuation of a difficult month for the Indianapolis native. He crashed Thursday in Turn 1, forcing the A.J. Foyt Racing crew to rebuild his car.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Powerful stuff at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday as Ed Carpenter, whose family owns the track, won the pole for next weekend's Indianapolis 500.

• Carpenter posted a four-lap average of 228.762 mph and watched it hold up as four other IndyCar drivers took a shot at him in the rain-delayed Fast Nine Shootout.

  Carpenter, the stepson of Indy Racing League founder Tony George, has spent most of his life in Indiana. He owns the small team that bears his name (Ed Carpenter Racing).

  Carpenter led a 10-car Chevrolet brigade that dusted the Hondas. But that was only part of the story.

  A rookie, Carlos Munoz, grabbed the second starting spot for the May 26 race with a qualifying effort of 228.342 mph. Andretti Autosport teammate Marco Andretti will start third at 228.261 mph.

  The second row will have EJ Viso, A.J. Allmendinger and Will Power, who entered the Fast Nine Shootout with the quickest time. But like the other top four, Power's second qualifying run was slower than the one posted in the afternoon.

  The third row for the 500 will be reigning IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, three-time race winner Helio Castroneves and James Hinchcliffe.

  Carpenter won $100,000 for the pole, but the publicity his team will get will be worth more than that.

  Carpenter will be losing his team manager, Derrick Walker, to a senior position with IndyCar after the race. Walker will become president of operations and competition.

  Twenty-four drivers secured starting positions, with the fastest 10 powered by Chevrolet. The first Honda was Alex Tagliani in the 11th spot for Barracuda Racing.

  Dario Franchitti, who won last year's race, was part of Ganassi Racing's struggle with Honda. Franchitti will go for his record-tying fourth 500 win from the 17th starting position. That's one position deeper than he started from a year ago. His first two wins came from the third position.

  Franchitti's teammates will start 16th (Scott Dixon), 19th (Charlie Kimball) and 23rd (Ryan Briscoe). Briscoe won the pole last year for Team Penske. Dixon won the 2008 500 from the pole.

  The battle to fill the back portion of the field will come in Sunday's qualifying sessions. Drivers in that group include 1996 500 winner Buddy Lazier and projected contender Graham Rahal. Also forced to go again Sunday after not making the top 24 were Ana Beatriz, Pippa Mann, Josef Newgarden, Michel Jourdain Jr., Katherine Legge, Sebastian Saavedra and rookies Conor Daly and Tristan Vautier.

  Legge is the latest driver to join the field. She received a ride on Saturday morning; the No. 81 of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, which has Pagenaud in the field and Vautier trying to get there. She has not turned a lap this month.

  Daly, the son of former driver Derek Daly, lost a cylinder in his Honda engine during a qualifying run, a continuation of a difficult month for the Indianapolis native. He crashed Thursday in Turn 1, forcing the A.J. Foyt Racing crew to rebuild his car.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kyle Busch knows the Sprint All-Star race Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the perfect opportunity for Kasey Kahne to pay him back for Busch wrecking Kahne three times in 2013.

• With no points on the line and most of the drivers in the field expressing the opinion "you want to either win it or bring back just the steering wheel in your hands," it wouldn't come as a surprise if a driver decides the All-Star race is the time for retaliation.

  Yet Busch doesn't expect Kahne to take advantage of the situation.

  "I don't think Kasey is that kind of guy," said Busch, "but if it happens, I'll understand."

  Busch added that he had talked with Kahne since their latest run-in at Darlington.

  "The first two instances were a mistake, just misjudgment," Busch said. "Kasey admitted he had to get on the brakes in Daytona and checked up a little bit and I ran over him. Last week (at Darlington) was just hard racing. He pulled a huge slide job on me in turn three and I got back to his inside and I had been running down there on the flat all night.

  "I didn't think there was going to be a problem and when I got down there (turn one) I just got tight and pushed up a little bit. Whether or not we touched, I think that's insignificant because I'm not racing to wreck Kasey Kahne, but Kasey Kahne did crash because of me so it's a part of hard racing at the end of the race and I hate that it keeps being the same guy.

  "I don't know why it keeps happening the way it's happened and I hate that it is, but last week was just hard racing (for the lead) and it certainly became unfortunate. It does look a little redundant so I get that part of it, too."

  Busch noted that "racing up front, racing hard I'm sure there could be a moment where it could come back on me and I expect it; it's fine. I just told Kasey, I said, 'Just don't make it hurt too bad.' "

  MARTIN 'BROKEN-HEARTED' ABOUT TRICKLE

  While Busch's latest confrontation with Kahne was a major part of the conversation this weekend, the shocking suicide death of short-track legend Dick Trickle, 71, on Thursday dominated every discussion in the garage area.

  Mark Martin, who raced against Trickle during the early portion of his illustrious career, called Trickle "a really, really good dude. He raced us real hard on the race track, but off the race track, he was very free with parts or advice -- he gave freely.

  "He was the winningest driver in the country. Probably bar none. He raced five nights a week and he won a lot of them (reportedly more than 1,000). He had a real special personality. He was tough, but he was fun. He was just a very unique person. I'm broken-hearted about what happened."

  Added Matt Kenseth, "Man, Dick was a legend, especially up in Wisconsin short track racing where I grew up. Last time I saw him was at Slinger (Speedway in Wis.) last year. We won the Nationals. We talked for two hours and he always had a lot of -- he had a unique way of looking at things, he had a ton of common sense and he was really smart and always had a really funny way of putting things. I'm still in shock.

  "He's just a racer's racer. That's all he cared about and all he worked on and that was all he did."

  Defending Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski called Trickle "the superstar of that style, of that genre and era. It's very sad to see him go, and obviously, difficult with the way it went."

  EDWARDS HONORS TRICKLE

  Carl Edwards, who won the pole for the All-Star race, paid Trickle the ultimate compliment by putting Trickle's name above the driver's door. He also shared the No. 99 with him.

  "Greg Emmar, one of the mechanics, texted me and then we talked with Randy Fuller and all the guys (on the 99 team)," Edwards said. "There were so many guys from up there in Wisconsin where Dick Trickle is a hero. (Crew chief) Jimmy (Fennig) worked with him.

  "So they came up with the idea since we are the 99 car and there are so many guys from Wisconsin, to try to honor him in some way and putting his name above the door was their idea."

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

• Distributed by The Sports Xchange

  CONCORD, N.C.- Winless in his last seven starts in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series, Kyle Busch broke what was for him a major drought with a victory in Friday night's North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

  Busch, who owns his own truck, charged from the back of the field after a pit road penalty to win in the series for the first time since Sept. 24, 2011 at New Hampshire. The victory was Busch's fifth at Charlotte and the 31st of his career in 107 starts.

  Brendan Gaughan ran second, .468 seconds behind Busch, with the race decided in an eight-lap green-flag run to the finish after the eighth caution of the night. Max Gresham finished a career-best third, followed by series leader Matt Crafton and Ty Dillon.

  "It was an eternity-the starts were spread over a year and half," Busch said of his seven-race winless streak. "It certainly was frustrating last year that (crew chief) Eric (Phillips) and I weren't able to get to Victory Lane. We only ran three starts, and in all of those three starts, we were a really good truck and had a shot to win in all three of those...

  "We've been fast. These guys do a good job, (crew chief) Rudy (Fugle) here, taking over for my stuff on the No. 51with a smaller team-it's only him and a couple of other guys that are full-time for it... These guys do a lot of work for being so small and just coming out here trying to knock out some wins."

  Busch had led 66 laps by the time Tyler Young's spin caused the fourth caution of the race on Lap 82. On a fuel-only pit stop under yellow on Lap 84, Busch drew a penalty for dragging his gas can out of the pit stall and restarted on Lap 88 at the rear of the field.

  Undeterred-and using the penalty as an opportunity to take four fresh tires--Busch carved his way through the field and had just taken over the seventh position when hard contact between the trucks of Ron Hornaday Jr. and Jake Crum-after Hornaday cut his right front tire--brought out the fifth caution on Lap 94.

  After a spate of cautions, Busch finally regained the lead, passing Miguel Paludo for the top spot a lap before a pair of simultaneous wrecks caused caution No. 8 on Lap 122. A crash near the front of the field eliminated Darrell Wallace Jr. and damaged the truck of Brad Keselowski.

  Note: The victory was the first as a crew chief for Fugle...Busch now has 113 wins in NASCAR's top three series combined...Gaughan scored his third straight top-five finish and climbed three spots to fourth in points... Crafton leads in the series standings by 22 points over polesitter Jeb Burton, who finished 13th.

  NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race - North Carolina Education Lottery 200

  Charlotte Motor Speedway

  Concord, North Carolina

  Friday, May 17, 2013

  1. (4) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 134, $39660.

  2. (23) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 134, $27875.

  3. (21) Max Gresham, Chevrolet, 134, $22420.

  4. (14) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 134, $16860.

  5. (2) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 134, $15035.

  6. (12) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 134, $13335.

  7. (5) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 134, $11825.

  8. (18) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 134, $11725.

  9. (7) Ross Chastain, Ford, 134, $11600.

  10. (6) Justin Lofton, Chevrolet, 134, $12775.

  11. (24) Scott Riggs(i), Chevrolet, 134, $8825.

  12. (8) Dakoda Armstrong, Chevrolet, 134, $10900.

  13. (1) Jeb Burton #, Chevrolet, 134, $14075.

  14. (19) Brad Keselowski(i), Ford, 134, $8425.

  15. (20) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 134, $11650.

  16. (11) Tim George Jr., Chevrolet, 134, $10475.

  17. (32) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 134, $10425.

  18. (15) Brennan Newberry #, Chevrolet, 134, $8125.

  19. (35) Blake Koch(i), Chevrolet, 133, $8075.

  20. (34) Danny Efland(i), Chevrolet, 133, $8650.

  21. (28) Jeff Agnew, Chevrolet, 133, $10205.

  22. (33) Chris Cockrum, Chevrolet, 133, $10150.

  23. (30) David Starr, Toyota, 132, $10125.

  24. (36) Mike Harmon(i), Chevrolet, 132, $7850.

  25. (9) Ryan Blaney #, Ford, 131, $10200.

  26. (3) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 122, $8775.

  27. (13) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Toyota, Accident, 121, $8750.

  28. (16) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, Accident, 115, $7725.

  29. (26) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, Accident, 104, $7675.

  30. (22) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 104, $7650.

  31. (25) Jake Crum, Chevrolet, Accident, 93, $8125.

  32. (17) Joey Coulter, Toyota, 90, $7575.

  33. (27) Caleb Holman, Chevrolet, Accident, 20, $7550.

  34. (31) Bryan Silas, Ford, Accident, 13, $7525.

  35. (10) German Quiroga #, Toyota, Accident, 9, $7495.

  36. (29) Chris Jones, Chevrolet, Clutch, 4, $7473.

  Average Speed of Race Winner: 105.882 mph.

  Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 53 Mins, 54 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.468 Seconds.

  Caution Flags: 8 for 40 laps.

  Lead Changes: 7 among 5 drivers.

  Lap Leaders: 0; T. Dillon 1-3; K. Busch(i) 4-17; B. Gaughan 18-32; K. Busch(i) 33-84; M. Gresham 85-87; M. Paludo 88-120; K. Busch(i) 121-134.

  Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch(i) 3 times for 80 laps; M. Paludo 1 time for 33 laps; B. Gaughan 1 time for 15 laps; M. Gresham 1 time for 3 laps; T. Dillon 1 time for 3 laps.

  Top 10 in Points: M. Crafton - 202; J. Burton # - 180; T. Dillon - 175; B. Gaughan - 171; J. Buescher - 171; J. Sauter - 165; R. Blaney # - 160; D. Armstrong - 153; M. Paludo - 150; D. Wallace Jr. # - 144.

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

• Distributed by The Sports Xchange

  CONCORD, N.C.- Winless in his last seven starts in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series, Kyle Busch broke what was for him a major drought with a victory in Friday night's North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

  Busch charged from the back of the field after a pit road penalty to win in the series for the first time since Sept. 24, 2011 at New Hampshire. The victory was Busch's fifth at Charlotte and the 31st of his career in 107 starts.

  Brendan Gaughan ran second, .468 seconds behind Busch, with the race decided in an eight-lap green-flag run to the finish after the eighth caution of the night. Max Gresham finished a career-best third, followed by series leader Matt Crafton and Ty Dillon.

  Busch had led 66 laps by the time Tyler Young's spin caused the fourth caution of the race on Lap 82. On a fuel-only pit stop under yellow on Lap 84, Busch drew a penalty for dragging his gas can out of the pit stall and restarted on Lap 88 at the rear of the field.

  Undeterred, Busch carved his way through the field and had just taken over the seventh position when hard contact between the trucks of Ron Hornaday Jr. and Jake Crum-after Hornaday cut his right front tire--brought out the fifth caution on Lap 94.

  After a spate of cautions, Busch finally regained the lead, passing Miguel Paludo for the top spot a lap before a pair of simultaneous wrecks caused caution No. 8 on Lap 122. A crash near the front of the field eliminated Darrell Wallace Jr. and damaged the truck of Brad Keselowski.

Former race-car driver Dick Trickle was in severe pain before he died, which may be why he committed suicide, his brother told ESPN.com on Friday.

• Trickle, 71, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Thursday in the same cemetery where his granddaughter is buried in Boger City, N.C.

  His brother, Chuck Trickle, said Dick Trickle had gone to Duke University on Wednesday for more tests to try to determine the cause of the pain under his left breast.

  "Last week he told me, 'I don't know how much longer I can put up with this,'" Chuck Trickle, 68, told ESPN.com. "They were going to put something in him to help with the pain. It was a five-step process. I don't know how far along he was.

  "He must have just decided the pain was too high, because he would have never done it for any other reason."

  The Lincoln County Communications Center received a call, apparently from Trickle, that "there would be a dead body and it would be his."

  Emergency units found Trickle's body near his pickup truck when they arrived.

  A private ceremony for family members is being planned for Monday, Chuck said.

By Reid Spencer

• NASCAR Wire Service

  Distributed by The Sports Xchange

  CONCORD, N.C. -- Carl Edwards loved the new qualifying format for Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race.

  Benefiting from a high-speed trip down pit road and a quick pit stop during the unique three-lap regimen in Friday's time trials, Edwards won the pole for the 29th running of NASCAR's non-points all-star event.

  With the pit road speed limit waived for the qualifying session, Edwards ran three laps, including a mandatory four-tire stop, in 1 minute, 51.297 seconds, averaging 145.556 mph.

  The 15th of 19 drivers to make a qualifying attempt, Edwards knocked Kurt Busch (144.398 mph) off the provisional pole. Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted the second fastest average speed (144.398 mph) but drew a five-second penalty for a loose lug nut and will start 13th, leaving Busch on the front row beside Edwards.

  Greg Biffle will start third, followed by Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, in an event that pays $1 million to the winner -- and another potential $1 million to a driver who can win all five segments. The event will be contested in segments of 20, 20, 20, 20 and 10 laps.

  "This is so unbelievable because we tried so hard," Edwards said. "This is such an exciting qualifying format. There's so much pressure, and to get the pole -- it's spectacular. Our car was fast. Our pit crew was fast. It was awesome.

  "This is the way we want to start this weekend. We want to win this thing. We want to win all $2 million, all the segments. It's part of our plan. ... I vote we did this at every racetrack. It's so cool. It's a lot of fun."

  Defending race winner Jimmie Johnson was fourth out and first to blow the pit stop. Johnson screamed down pit road, but his No. 48 Chevrolet slid through his pit stall, forcing Johnson to back up before his crew could begin its work.

  With a stop of more than 20 seconds, Johnson averaged 135.608 mph. A penalty for a loose lug nut added five seconds to his time and cut his average speed to 130.160 mph. Johnson will start 18th on Saturday night.

  Kevin Harvick also slid through his pit stall and had his time disallowed because his crew started service before the No. 29 Chevy was back in the box. But the miscue didn't matter, given that an engine change after Friday's practice will send Harvick to the rear of the field for the start of the race.

  In a conventional two-lap qualifying session that preceded the Sprint All-Star Race time trials, Martin Truex Jr. won the pole for Saturday's Sprint Showdown at 193.424 mph (27.918 seconds), edging Jamie McMurray (192.699 mph) for the top starting spot.

  The top two finishers in the Showdown, which features a field of 23 cars this year, will transfer into the main event. Winless since 2007, Truex is a veteran of the Showdown, and he confessed to being envious of those who were exempt into the All-Star Race.

  "I'm definitely jealous that I'm not out there tonight," Truex said after winning the pole. "For an event like this, it's neat to see them mix it up and do something different because it's an all-star race. There's not points here. You don't have to go by the book.

  "This is the weekend where you want to throw out the rules and make new stuff up, which generally they like to do."

E.J. Viso recorded the fastest practice lap at Indianapolis since 2003 on Friday.

• His quest for a 230 mph lap fell just short, but the Andretti Autosport driver recorded a lap of 229.537 mph in the No. 5 Chevrolet before rain ended the seventh day of practice for the May 26 Indianapolis 500.

  Viso's teammates, Marco Andretti (228.754 mph) and rookie Carlos Munoz (228.520), recorded the next fastest laps.

  Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car was fourth (228.401) and JR Hildebrand (227.529) was fifth in the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing car.

  Thirty-two drivers logged 707 laps in the session without incident.

  Saturday is Pole Day, the first day of qualifying, with 24 positions to be filled.

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

• Distributed by The Sports Xchange

  CONCORD, N.C.-Kyle Busch calls it a 300-to-1 shot.

  Jimmie Johnson, on the other hand, doesn't discount the prospect of winning Bruton's Big Bonus nearly that much.

  Track owner Bruton Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., has offered a $1-million bonus to any driver who can win all five segments of Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That's in addition to the $1-million top prize already on the line for the winner of the non-points NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

  "I think there's a chance, (but) I think it's a long shot," said Johnson, who won last year's exhibition event. "With the competition that exists in the All-Star Race, it's going to be a long shot, but it's worth it, and it will bring some excitement.

  "If somebody does ring that bell, it will be a hell of a party."

  Busch facetiously took credit for a rule change that should motivate drivers to race hard in each of the four 20-lap segments leading up to the final 10-lap shootout. Last year, Johnson won the first segment and, knowing he would be first to pit road before the final 10 laps, ran in the back during segments 2, 3 and 4.

  This year, drivers will enter pit road for a mandatory four-tire stop based on best average finish in the four segments combined.

  "I don't know if you have my transcript from last year, but I said the rules were stupid and they need to change it to this year's rules, so I take full credit and responsibility for them changing the rules," Busch said. "I think the rules are right this year.

  "(This year), you have to run each segment as hard as you can. You have to stay up front to keep your average finish as good as you can. There's going to be a lot of things playing out in between the segments with pit stops, tire strategy--do you take two (tires), do you stay out, do you come in and get four if there's a yellow in the middle of a segment? Do you pit then and get yourself ready for the next segment?

  "There's a whole bunch of different things that could certainly lie in the race, and I think it's going to make it a lot more fun not only for the fans, but for the crew chiefs as well. I say fun, but I'm sure they will have some headaches after it, too. I think this year is going to be a heck of a lot better."

  Though the prospect of winning Bruton's Big Bonus will enliven the action, too, Busch thinks it will be extremely difficult for one driver to win all five segments.

  "Realistically, winning all the segments, if I were a sports bookie, I would put a 300-to-1 on it."

  NO PAYBACK FOR KAHNE?

  Characterizing last week's on-track fracas with Kasey Kahne at Darlington as a racing incident, Kyle Busch says he doesn't expect Kahne to exact revenge.

  That doesn't mean Busch will be surprised if payback comes his way.

  Busch and Kahne we racing hard side by side after a restart with 30 laps left in last Saturday's Bojangles' Southern 500. Neither driver gave ground as the cars entered Turn 1 at breakneck pace, battling for the lead. Busch's Toyota, which was on the inside, slipped up toward Kahne's Chevrolet.

  Though there was no apparent contact between the cars, Kahne slapped the outside wall and lost his chance to win the race. Busch later cut a tire and faded to sixth at the finish.

  That was the third incident of the year involving Kahne and Busch, the first two coming at Daytona and Talladega. Kahne got the short end of the stick on all three occasions.

  "The first two instances were a mistake, just misjudgment," Busch said Friday before Sprint All-Star Race practice at Charlotte. "Kasey admitted it, he had to get on the brakes in Daytona and checked up a little bit and I ran over him... (Talladega) I just misjudged. I wanted to pull out and thought last second that I was going to stay in line and push Kasey. I turned him sideways when I was coming back in line.

  "Last week was just hard racing. You're in the last (30) laps, and you're past the last pit stop, and it's all about track position. For us, we were racing as hard as we could. He pulled a huge slide job on me in Turn 3, and I got back to his inside, and I had been running down there on the flat all night and had been passing lapped cars down there, and some of my restarts were even that low on the race track.

  "I didn't think there was going to be a problem, and when I got down there I just got tight and pushed up a little bit. Whether or not we touched, I think that's insignificant because I'm not racing to wreck Kasey Kahne, but Kasey Kahne did crash because of me so it's a part of hard racing at the end of the race. I hate that it keeps being the same guy, but if it were a Matt Kenseth on a Tony Stewart we probably wouldn't see a story."

  Busch has his fingers crossed that Kahne won't take out his frustration on the track.

  "I just told Kasey, I said, 'Just don't make it hurt too bad,'" Busch joked. "I don't think Kasey is that kind of guy, but if it happens, I'll understand."

  REMEMBERING DICK TRICKLE

  Mark Martin says he and other Sprint Cup stars likely wouldn't have achieved the success they have, if it weren't for the guidance of Dick Trickle.

  Trickle died Thursday at age 71 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but Martin prefers to remember the talented, ebullient driver who was a prolific winner at short tracks in the Midwest before embarking on his NASCAR career.

  "Dick made himself a mentor to many--Rusty (Wallace), myself, Alan Kulwicki," Martin said Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "We wouldn't have been the racers that we were when we got here had we not come under his influence. Of course, you have to change; after a while you have to adapt to circumstances as well. I was proud of who we were and the racers we were.

  "For the influence that he had on us and the etiquette and the way he raced--he raced us real hard on the race track, but off the race track, he was very free with parts or advice--he gave freely. Really, really good dude. I'm confused and brokenhearted about what happened."

Richard "Dick" Trickle died Thursday at the age of 71 from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

• Trickle called authorities to tell them "there would be a dead body and it would be his," according to reports citing the Lincoln County Communications Center.

  The Charlotte Observer first reported that Lincoln County (North Carolina) deputies found Trickle dead next to his pickup truck around noon ET. The truck was parked at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Boger City.

Distributed by The Sports Xchange

• 135: The greatest number of laps ever run in NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. It happened three times, in 1987, 1988 and 1989, when the all-star race was contested in segments of 75, 50 and 10 laps, with only green-flag laps counting in the final segment. The 1987 race also was notable for 1) the return to Charlotte as its permanent home after a one-shot visit to Atlanta; 2) the move of the all-star race to a new date, the weekend before the Coca-Cola 600; and 3) the establishment of a last-chance qualifier for the main event, now known as the Sprint Showdown. In 1990, the length of the race was trimmed drastically, to 70 laps, run in segments of 50 and 20 laps. This year, drivers will run a total of 90 laps, contested in segments of 20, 20, 20, 20 and 10 laps.

Distributed by The Sports Xchange

• May 16, 2013: Weekend Preview

  No matter how you slice it, this year's running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (7:30 p.m. ET, SPEED) at Charlotte Motor Speedway promises plenty of action and unbridled speed as 22 drivers vie for the checkers and a payout that could have them singing a merry tune all the way to the bank.

  The annual non-points race is known for its non-stop action and the mad dash to the checkered flag. Of course, that is fueled by the $1 million payout the victor receives.

  However, that's not all the winner could potentially take to the bank. This year, Bruton Smith, the CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., and Charlotte Motor Speedway have added a special incentive for drivers to run at the front of the pack the entire race. If a driver wins all five segments of the all-star race, he or she will take home an additional $1 million.

  Although the race doesn't have any direct implications on the points standings, the possible $2 million payout is just one of many reasons drivers find the event enticing.

  "[The race] means a lot. Now, it's got a million more reasons if you're able to win all the segments," said Jimmie Johnson, last year's race winner and one of only three drivers to win the event three times. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt are the other two.

  Though it's probably not the primary thought going through most drivers' minds while circling the track, the evening race should allow teams to better gauge how their car's setup will handle the Charlotte track and evening temperatures during the Coca-Cola 600 the following week and make adjustments.

  "It's fun to race without points and that sets you up for a nice Memorial (Day) weekend and a good starting point with your race car," said Johnson.

  Johnson and Gordon, both of whom will be in the starting field, will be joined by 20 other drivers. Seventeen of their competitors have already been determined: Marcos Ambrose, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, David Ragan and Tony Stewart.

  In order to qualify for the race a driver must have won a NASCAR Sprint Cup points race in 2012 or 2013, have won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in the last 10 years, have won the championship in the last 10 years, finish in the top two in the 40-lap Sprint Showdown or receive the most Sprint Fan Votes.

  The Sprint Showdown will be run immediately prior to the all-star race on Saturday night with the top-two finishers transferring over to the main event. The final entrant in the race, the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote who finished the Showdown with a car deemed "raceable," won't be known until he or she is announced during driver introductions. Only drivers that haven't already qualified for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race are eligible to receive votes and participate in the Showdown.

  Drivers who have yet to qualify for the all-star event include Jeff Burton, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr. and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

  In 2008, Kahne became the only driver in the event's history to make the field via fan vote and go on to win the race. To make the story even better, Kahne and his team used the knowledge they gathered during the all-star race to put the car back in Victory Lane one week later in the Coca-Cola 600.

  The meaning of being voted into the event by fans isn't lost on the drivers.

  "Obviously our sport revolves around the fans. We talk about it all the time. Without them, there would be no NASCAR," said Truex, who was voted into the race by the fans in 2005. "To get voted in by the fans was one of the coolest things I've ever had happen to me in my whole career."

  Unfortunately, he wasn't as successful in his race as Kahne was -- he finished 16th out of 22.

  The number of laps and breakdown of segments remain unchanged from last year, when it was changed to a 90-lap affair with five segments. The first four segments are 20 laps each, with a final 10-lap dash to the cash.

  How the cars line up for the final segment, however, has changed. Last year the winners of the first four segments were guaranteed to start in the first four positions for the final 10 laps, regardless of how they finished the penultimate segment.

  This year, there will a mandatory four-tire pit stop between the fourth and fifth segments. Prior to entering pit road for the stops, the cars will be repositioned based on the average finishing position in the first four segments, thus further amplifying the importance of running near the front of the pack throughout the race. The order in which the cars return to the track after their four-tire pit stops will determine how they line up for the fifth and final segment.

  The new rules should provide more quality on-track action with drivers fighting throughout the race to stay at the front or near the front of the pack, as well as making pit road strategy more integral to the overall outcome of the race.

  "[NASCAR] did a good job at coming up with a format this year that is going to be more conducive to better racing," said Joey Logano, who won last June's Pocono race to qualify for the all-star event. "This year, the big question will be pit strategy and when to come in, when you take tires and such."

  CRAFTON EXCITED FOR CHARLOTTE, REST

  The last time we saw the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was Saturday, April 20 at Kansas Speedway.

  In that race, Matt Crafton passed Darrell Wallace Jr. with 30 laps to go and held on to the lead the rest of the way for the win. He celebrated with family, fans and teammates in Victory Lane, but six days later his life changed.

  On April 26, his life was turned upside down and yet it was probably one of the best days of his life. He and his wife Ashley celebrated the arrival of their first child Elladee.

  Sleep has evaded him since.

  Aside from the normal adrenaline rush drivers get when heading to the race track for a race, when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series arrives at Charlotte Motor Speedway for Friday night's North Carolina Education Lottery 200 (8:00 p.m. ET, SPEED), Crafton will be looking forward to more than just getting back on the track.

  "I need to get back to racing, so I can get some rest," said Crafton, who took over first place in points from Johnny Sauter after his Kansas win. "I'm always excited to go to the race track -- but usually you go to the race track and you don't get much sleep because you're worried about everything, the night before the race -- you think about everything. This week, I'm excited to get to the race track so I can get some sleep."

  In his ninth year with ThorSport Racing, Crafton is one of only two drivers this season to finish in the top 10 in each of the first four races. The other driver is Sauter. Aside from his win in the last race, he has a runner-up finish (Martinsville) and sixth- and ninth-place finishes.

  Crafton has won three times, finished in the top five 58 times and in the top 10 160 times in 298 races. His best season was 2009, when he finished a career-best second in the points to Ron Hornaday Jr. Although he didn't find Victory Lane that year, he set career highs in top fives (11) and top 10s (21).

  He's experienced success at Charlotte, where he won at in 2008. In 10 visits to the track, he's landed in the top 10 seven times and in the top 15 nine times. His only finish outside the top 15 was in 2011 when a three-car accident left him 26th at the end of the race.

  His success at the 1.5-mile track is just one other reason why he's looking forward to getting back to racing.

  "I'm super-excited about this Charlotte race -- even more than I usually am," said Crafton. "With all the momentum that the team's carrying into this race, I know the guys are still on cloud nine from the Kansas win and I'm up there with them, from the win and having our child. So I'm super-stoked about it."

Capsules for the top 20 drivers in the Sprint Cup stands, plus five additional drivers of note.

• By Jerry Bonkowski and Bob Moore

  48 JIMMIE JOHNSON, Chevrolet

  Team: Hendrick Motorsports

  WHERE HE STANDS: Jimmie Johnson remained in first place for the sixth straight week after Darlington. He leads second-ranked Carl Edwards by 44 points and third-ranked Matt Kenseth by 59 points.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: 11 career starts, 3 wins, 7 top-5s, 7 top-10s, 1 pole. Best career finish: first in 2003, 2006 and 2012 races. Finished first in last year's race.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Johnson is tied with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon and the late Dale Earnhardt for most All-Star wins, including last year's win. Johnson comes into the race with the third-best driver ranking of the field, behind Marcos Ambrose and Kyle Busch. Here's Johnson's thoughts on Saturday night's race, particularly with the $1 million bonus put up by track owner Bruton Smith to potentially go along with the $1 million prize for winning the All-Star Race: "It means a lot now, it's got a million more reasons if you are able to win all the segments. It's a huge payday. It's fun to race without points and that sets you up for a nice Memorial (Day) weekend and a good starting point with your race car."

  LOOKING BACK: Johnson won last year's All-Star race to tie Jeff Gordon and the late Dale Earnhardt for most wins in the exhibition event (three wins each). Johnson wound up winning $1,071,340 for the triumph.

  ETC.: Johnson's average start in the All-Star Race is 9.1 and his average finish is an outstanding 6.6.

  99 CARL EDWARDS, Ford

  Team: Roush Fenway Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: Carl Edwards remained in second place for the third consecutive week after Darlington. He trails points leader Jimmie Johnson by 44 points and is 15 points ahead of third-ranked Matt Kenseth.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: 7 career starts, 1 win, 6 top-fives, 9 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: First in 2011. Finished 23rd (last) in last year's race.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Edwards went from winning the 2011 All-Star Race to dead last (23rd) in the 2012 event after suffering engine problems after just 25 laps. It was a bitter disappointment in a season that mirrored that disappointment. In a sense, everything that went good for Edwards in 2011, when he missed winning the Cup championship by a tie-breaker, went totally bad in 2012. Given the bounce back he's made in the standings this season, look for Edwards to have a big race Saturday night.

  LOOKING BACK: Edwards came into last year's All-Star Race thinking he'd have a great race, coming in very optimistic. Unfortunately, his day ended just over a fourth of the way through when his engine suffered failure, ending his race after just 25 of the scheduled 90 laps.

  ETC.: Edwards career average starting spot in the All-Star Race is 13.0 and average finish is 11.3.

  20 MATT KENSETH, Toyota

  Team: Joe Gibbs Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: After having most of the points he had lost due to penalty after his controversial win at Kansas reinstated upon appeal last week, Kenseth moved up one spot in the standings, from fourth to third after Darlington. He trails series leader Jimmie Johnson by 59 points, is 15 points behind second-ranked Carl Edwards and leads fourth-ranked Dale Earnhardt Jr. by five points.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: 12 career starts, 1 win, 5 top-fives, 9 top-10s, 2 poles. Best career finish: First in 2004. Finished 3rd in last year's race.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Kenseth has been one of the hottest drivers during the first 11 races of the Sprint Cup season, including a series-leading three wins, most recently this past Saturday at Darlington. He comes into this Saturday's All-Star Race looking for not only the win, but also to win all five segments to collect the $1 million bonus put up by track owner Bruton Smith. Here's Kenseth's thoughts on the success he and his team have enjoyed thus far this season: "I think the goal of a race team and an organization is to never peak. I think it's to continue to keep getting better. That's one thing I've seen over there pretty much from day one. They're not standing still. They're always trying to build a better car. TRD (Toyota Racing Development) is trying to build a better engine. We're always trying to do that -- working on the future. I think that's how racing is. No, I don't have any concern. I really feel like with this team, driving this car, I feel like the sky's the limit. This stuff has been incredibly fast. Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and I have a special bond right away -- with the whole team. Gosh, I couldn't feel much better about our year so far."

  LOOKING BACK: Kenseth had a strong run in last year's race, finishing third. He challenged for the lead, but Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski finished ahead of him.

  ETC.: Kenseth's career average starting spot in the All-Star Race is 9.3 and average finish is an outstanding 6.3.

  88 DALE EARNHARDT JR., Chevrolet

  Team: Hendrick Motorsports

  WHERE HE STANDS: Dale Earnhardt Jr. dropped one spot, from third to fourth, after Darlington. He trails points leader Jimmie Johnson by 64 points, is 5 points behind third-ranked Matt Kenseth and leads fifth-ranked Clint Bowyer by 10 points.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: 13 career starts, 1 win, 4 top-fives, 10 top-10s and 0 poles. Best career finish: First in 2000. Finished fifth in last year's race.

  LOOKING AHEAD: It's been 13 years since Earnhardt won the All-Star Race (then known as The Winston), in his first try at it, no less, in 2000. While he's done well since, with a total of 10 top-10 finishes in 13 career starts, he's never been able to repeat that win from 2000. Could Saturday finally be the year he does so? "The All-Star weekend is a great weekend," Earnhardt said. "It's just a lot of fun. It's just an awesome race. It's got a lot of great stories and a lot of history. We'd like to be a part of that this weekend and win the race, so we're going to work really hard. I'm looking forward to getting in the car and seeing what kind of speed we've got and what kind of race car we've got."

  LOOKING BACK: Earnhardt had a strong car in last year's race and challenged for the win. Unfortunately, the triumph went to teammate Jimmie Johnson, while Earnhardt finished fifth.

  ETC.: Earnhardt's average career start in the All-Star Race is 14.2 and his average finish is an excellent 8.4.

  15 CLINT BOWYER, Toyota

  Team: Michael Waltrip Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: Clint Bowyer remained in fifth place for the second straight week after Darlington (and after most of Matt Kenseth's points were returned to him on appeal). Bowyer is 74 points behind series leader Jimmie Johnson, trails fourth-ranked Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10 points and leads sixth-ranked Brad Keselowski by 23 points.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: 4 career starts, 0 wins, 0 top-fives, 0 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: 12th in 2009. Was 14th in last year's race.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Bowyer has struggled in all four of his previous appearances in the All-Star Race, something he hopes to change this Saturday. Said Bowyer, "The Sprint All-Star race is such a great event for everyone involved - it normally brings out great racing, tempers and a mad dash to the finish. It's different than the races each weekend in about every way. You have to win a race to get invited. It's a pure money event - points don't mean a thing. The format changes a little each year, but the only thing you have to remember is the guy that finishes first in the last 10 laps segment is walking home with a lot of cash. And I love cash! And so do all the other guys and we'll do about anything we can to get to that finish line first. There is over $1 million on the line - and two million if you win every segment. It is going to be crazy from start to finish. It's going to be one heck of a show for the fans and I hope to be standing there with a mountain of cash at the end."

  LOOKING BACK: Bowyer was 14th in last year's race and never was really much of a threat.

  ETC.: Bowyer is ranked an ignominious 18th of the 19 drivers in the All-Star Race field (not including the two drivers that will transfer from the Sprint Showdown or the one driver that wins the fans' vote), just ahead of Talladega winner David Ragan. Bowyer's career average start in the All-Star Race is 10.0 and average finish is 15.0.

  2 BRAD KESELOWSKI, Ford

  Team: Penske Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: After Matt Kenseth's points were reinstated on appeal, Keselowski dropped one spot from fifth to sixth, which is where he remained after Darlington. Only now he's tied for sixth with Kasey Kahne, who moved up one spot and into a tie with Keselowski. Both drivers trail points leader Jimmie Johnson by 97 points, fifth-ranked Clint Bowyer by 23 points and lead eighth-ranked Kyle Busch by one point.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: 4 career starts, 0 wins, 1 top-fives, 2 top-10s and 0 poles. Best career finish: Second in 2012. Finished second in last year's race.

  LOOKING AHEAD: While Keselowski has been competitive this season, he's not really had the kind of big splash that a defending Sprint Cup champion should have. He hasn't even won a race yet. That's why winning Saturday night's race is so important to him, with the potential of momentum that could carry over to the regular season points-paying races that are to follow. "The All-Star Race, to me, is one of the marquee races of the year, a chance to prove you're the best against the best. That race really sticks out and it pays a lot of money too. I think we have a good chance to win it."

  LOOKING BACK: Keselowski came so close to winning last year's All-Star Race, finishing second to winner Jimmie Johnson. However, while he wound up runner-up, Keselowski can somewhat point to his finish in last year's All-Star Race as part of the linchpin that launched him towards eventually winning the Sprint Cup championship at season's end.

  ETC.: Keselowski's career average start in the All-Star Race is 13.0 and his average finish is 11.0.

  5 KASEY KAHNE, Chevrolet

  Team: Hendrick Motorsports

  WHERE HE STANDS: Kasey Kahne climbed one spot, from seventh to a tie for sixth in the standings with Brad Keselowski. Both drivers trail points leader Jimmie Johnson by 97 points, fifth-ranked Clint Bowyer by 23 points and lead eighth-ranked Kyle Busch by 1 point.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: 9 career starts, 1 win, 1 top-five, 3 top-10s, 1 pole. Best career finish: First in 2008. Finished ninth in last year's race.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Even though he won in 2008, Kahne has not had an overall great record in the All-Star Race. He's looking forward to Saturday's race and had this to say: "One of my favorite (memories) was being voted into the All-Star Race by the fans in 2008 and going on to win the race. If it wasn't for the fans, I wouldn't have even made the race, so that victory was all about the fans."

  LOOKING BACK: Kahne challenged for a while in last year's All-Star Race but faded near the end to an eventual ninth-place finish.

  ETC.: Kahne has a career average start in the All-Star Race of 12.0 and an average finish of 12.3.

  18 KYLE BUSCH, Toyota

  Team: Joe Gibbs Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: Kyle Busch climbed two spots, from 10th to eighth, after Darlington. He trails points leader Jimmie Johnson by 98 points, is one point behind the sixth-place tie between Brad Keselowski and Kasey Kahne, and leads ninth-ranked Aric Almirola by eight points.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: 7 career starts, 0 wins, 2 top-fives, 3 top-10s, 3 poles. Best career finish: Second in 2011. Finished fourth in last year's race.

  LOOKING AHEAD: The All-Star Race has been frustrating for Busch over the years. He came so close in 2011, only to lose a tight finish to Carl Edwards. Busch wants an All-Star win bad, and Saturday night may just be his best opportunity yet. Here are Busch's thoughts on the race: "Being an all-star and being in the All-Star Race is one of the most fun things we get to do each year. ... It's an exciting night and there's a lot of energy there. Charlotte does a great job. I think it's an awesome venue for that race. ... You're giving it all you've got every single lap. You're definitely up on top of the wheel and your guys do the best they can to give you a good car."

  LOOKING BACK: Busch ran near the front for most of last year's All-Star Race, but ultimately trailed off at the end to finish fourth to winner Jimmie Johnson.

  ETC.: Busch's driver rating is No. 2 in the overall All-Star performance among this year's field. He has a career average start in the All-Star Race of 5.3 and an average finish of 12.4.

  43 ARIC ALMIROLA, Ford

  Team: Richard Petty Motorsports

  WHERE HE STANDS: Aric Almirola dropped one spot, from eighth to ninth, after Darlington. He trails points leader Jimmie Johnson by 106 points, is 8 points behind eighth-ranked Kyle Busch and leads 10th-ranked Kevin Harvick by two points.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: 0 career starts, 0 wins, 0 top-fives, 0 top-10s, 0 poles. Has never been in the All-Star Race, but finished seventh in his only appearance in the Sprint Showdown (last season). Almirola is hoping to be one of the top-2 drivers (along with the fan vote winner) in Saturday night's Showdown to transfer into the All-Star Race main event later that same night.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Almirola started fifth and finished seventh in last year's Sprint Showdown, the preliminary qualifying event for the Sprint All-Star Race. He'll again try to race his way into this year's All-Star Race via the Showdown. Almirola is very confident he can do it, particularly given the great start to the season he's had thus far. Here are his thoughts on Saturday: "I'm really excited for All-Star weekend. Our team, both the 43 and 9 (Marcus Ambrose), have been fast at Charlotte. We had an all RPM front row last spring. We tested there in January and were the fastest car, so I have a lot of confidence that we will be fast this weekend. Our mile-and-a-half program has been strong since Todd (Parrott) and I teamed up last season. Our goal is to win the Sprint Showdown and race for the win in the All-Star Race."

  LOOKING BEHIND: Almirola has competed in just one Sprint Showdown. He started fifth and finished seventh in last year's Showdown and did not transfer into the All-Star Race main event.

  ETC.: Almirola is still looking for his first career start in the All-Star Race. His average start in the preliminary event, the Sprint Showdown, is fifth, while his average finish is seventh, both of those marks coming in last year's Showdown.

  29 KEVIN HARVICK, Chevrolet

  Team: Richard Childress Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: Kevin Harvick climbed two spots and back into the top-10 from 12th after Darlington, tied with Paul Menard. Both drivers trail points leader Jimmie Johnson by 108 points, is 2 points behind ninth-ranked Aric Almirola and lead the 12th-ranked tied pair of Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle by four points each.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: 12 career starts, 1 win, 2 top-fives, 7 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish in All-Star Race: First in 2007. Finished sixth in last year's race.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Harvick considers the All-Star Race one of his favorite races. And the incentive is ratcheted up this year with a potential $1 million bonus on top of the $1 million prize for first place. Here's Harvick's thoughts on Saturday's race: "Anytime they put that much money in front of anybody it's going to cause things to rise to another level. Take the points away from that and you really have some unique scenarios that come up. I think adding the bonus for winning all five segments is really going to add a twist to the event as well, especially for the driver who wins the first segment. They're going to be giving it all they have to try and win the remaining segments to collect the additional $1 million bonus. It's always fun when you know there is really nothing on the line but to win. If you do, then usually there is a big check waiting for you at the end so that gives you some bragging rights and a lot of money."

  LOOKING BACK: Harvick had a strong car in last year's All-Star Race but couldn't catch frontrunners Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth at the end, ultimately finishing sixth.

  ETC.: Harvick's average start in the All-Star Race is 8.6 and average finish is 10.5

  27 PAUL MENARD, Chevrolet

  Team: Richard Childress Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: Tied for 10th. Lost two spots last week.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: Finished 16th a year ago in his only appearance in the special event.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Menard must finish in the top two in the Sprint Showdown to qualify for the All-Star Race. "The great thing about this weekend is there are no points on the line," said Menard. "We can just go out there, race hard and have fun. It's a fun night also because with the race being in Charlotte, a lot of the crew guys can have their families come out and watch. Hopefully we can put on a good show for them."

  LOOKING BACK: Menard finished 19th at Darlington. "It was a tough night for the 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards crew," said Menard. "We struggled with handling issues for the majority of the day, and I put us behind late with a pit-road penalty. Slugger (Labbe, crew chief) made adjustments all night, and we were able to catch a break at the end with those caution flags. But we didn't get the finish we thought we would when the night began."

  ETC.: Menard knows the key to running well in the Showdown is "start up front and stay up front. You don't have a lot of time to get to the front if you don't qualify well." The race consists of two 20-lap segments. Teams can elect to pit after the first segment or can decide to stay out as Dale Earnhardt Jr. did a year ago in leading all 40 laps.

  24 JEFF GORDON, Chevrolet

  Team: Hendrick Motorsports

  WHERE HE STANDS: 12th, only four points out of the top 10. Gained two spots last week.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: Three wins and nine top-10 finishes including six top-five's in 19 starts. His three wins ties him for the top spot in this special event.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Gordon points out "The All-Star race is kind of a 'win-or-nothing scenario, and that's not the case on other race weekends. I've always approached it being as aggressive as I possibly can. We push hard trying to win every race, and this weekend is no different. The only difference is there are no points on the line. I really enjoy this event and I love the energy from the crowd. Those last 10 laps should be exciting for them. And us."

  LOOKING BACK: Gordon made his 700th career start a special one as he finished third, his 300th top-five finish. Only three other drivers - Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison, all members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame - have accomplished this feat. "The last run was the best the car had been," said Gordon. "We got a good restart. Very happy - a great result for us. We had good pit stops, the last one being a great one. Great calls by Alan (Gustafson, crew chief), staying out when we needed to stay out, coming in when we needed to come in. Just a great battle by this team."

  ETC.: Gordon has decided to sell his New York condo. According to the New York Times, Gordon's Central Park condo is "an inventively embellished three-bedroom condominium at the reigning superstar of Manhattan's trophy residences." Gordon brought the condo in 2007 for $9.67 million. Gordon listed the condo at $30 million after his neighbors sold their condo for $32.5 million in December.

  16 GREG BIFFLE, Ford

  Team: Roush Fenway Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: 13th, only four points out of the top 10. Lost two spots last week.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: Three top-10 finishes including a second in 2008 in nine starts.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Biffle said he is "looking forward to the All-Star race" for several reasons. "We've struggled some this year, so it will be nice to have a non-points race and try to learn some things for the Coca-Cola 600 next weekend," added Biffle. "Charlotte has been good to us in the past and a win would help us gain momentum going into this summer stretch."

  LOOKING BACK: Biffle finished 13th at Darlington. "It's a little disappointing," said Biffle. "I know it's different being out front. The car will drive a lot different, but we still don't have the grip we need. We're missing it ever since the season started with this (new Gen-6) car. We've got to figure it out. We've tested and practiced and are still struggling, so it's something you can't really fix on a pit stop. We'll just have to keep working and try to figure it out."

  ETC.: Crew chief Matt Puccia said "the All-Star race is a fun non-points race where you can let it all hang out and take some chances. But you can also learn some things to apply to the 600. It's just a fun weekend where you can do some gambling and maybe hit on something that will be a big help the following week."

  56 MARTIN TRUEX, JR., Toyota

  Team: Michael Waltrip Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: 14th, 14 points out of the top 10. Lost one spot last week.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: Two top-10 finishes in four starts including a second in 2010.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Truex really likes the new format for the All-Star race. "I think you're going to see all-out racing all night long, which is a great thing," said Truex before adding, "Obviously, we hope to be a part of that." To accomplish that goal, Truex must finish in the top two in the Sprint Showdown or win the fans' vote. Truex won the Showdown in 2007 and 2010.

  LOOKING BACK: Truex ran in the top 10 during the first half of the race, but ran into handling problems during the late portions of the event as he finished 12th. "I am disappointed," said Truex. "I don't know how we missed it tonight. I really thought we were going to have a shot at the win. It didn't work out. We'll regroup and get ready for Charlotte race weeks."

  ETC.: Michael Waltrip Racing has decided to move its annual Fan Fest to October. The event at MWR's headquarters has traditionally been held in May, but the race shop is undergoing some capital improvements to future enhance the visitor and employee experience. The organization began construction of a new 7,500-square-foot training facility earlier this month. "We can't wait to showcase our upgrades," said Waltrip.

  1 JAMIE MCMURRAY, Chevrolet

  Team: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

  WHERE HE STANDS: 15th, 20 points out of the top 10.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: One top-10 finish in six starts.

  LOOKING AHEAD: McMurray is another driver that needs to finish in the top two in the Sprint Showdown to qualify for the All-Star race. But he also is looking at the Showdown "as a bit of test for our team for the 600 the following week. That's not to say we aren't going to race hard and try to make the transfer to the 'main event.' We just feel we can accomplish a lot of goals in the Showdown."

  LOOKING BACK: McMurray rallied in the final 60 laps to finish 16th at Darlington. "We had a tough time with the handling of the car tonight," said McMurray. "I wish we could have seen a few more cautions earlier to make adjustments on the car, but our guys worked hard on this McDonald's Chevy and we caught a few breaks there in the end to get back on the lead lap and bring home a 16th-place finish."

  ETC.: McMurray calls this weekend "a real fun one for the fans. The new format for the All-Star race is really going to add to their excitement. It is more of a winner-take-all deal than it has even been with a driver having a chance at winning an extra million dollars if he can sweep all five segments."

  17 RICKY STENHOUSE, JR., Ford

  Team: Roush Fenway Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: 16th, 33 points out of the top 10.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: As a rookie on the Sprint Cup Series, Stenhouse will need to finish in the top two in the Sprint Showdown to qualify for the All-Star race or win the fan vote.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Stenhouse said, "I feel confident that we can race our number 17 Best Buy Ford into the All-Star race, but if not we have another chance by winning the fan vote. We tested at Charlotte earlier this season so I feel we learned a lot that will be beneficial to our organization the next two weekends."

  LOOKING BACK: Stenhouse finished 18th in his first Darlington race. "Well I earned my Darlington stripe," said Stenhouse. "Our Zest Ford was just too tight overall. We couldn't turn in the corner to give us the drive off (the corner) we needed. I'm very proud of the 17 team because we fought all day. We will take a solid 18th-place finish here at the track known as 'Too Tough to Tame'."

  ETC.: Stenhouse and Danica Patrick, his girlfriend, are expected to be among the vote getters that will determine the final spot in the All-Star Race. Stenhouse is quick to take every opportunity to ask his fans to boost his chances of winning the last starting position. "If you haven't voted, go vote at BestBuy.com/Racing," said Stenhouse. "You can vote right up to Saturday."

  39 RYAN NEWMAN, Chevrolet

  Team: Stewart-Haas Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: 17th, 39 points out of the top 10.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: Won the race in his rookie season (2002). Overall has one win and seven top-10 finishes in 11 starts including two 10th-places finishes in the last two years.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Newman said, "When push comes to shove in the All-Star Race, you do what you have to do to win. This race is about the glory and the big prize ($1,000,000). There are no points on the line, so the way I see it, you want to either win it or bring back the steering wheel in your hands, knowing you did everything you could to be the best of the best that night."

  LOOKING BACK: As Newman said, "that was a really good comeback by our Quicken Loans team. Our race car was loose pretty much all night until that last run. Matt (Borland, crew chief) and the guys kept working on it. They didn't give up and we ended up with a top-10 finish (tenth). I'm really proud of how hard these guys battled tonight."

  ETC.: Newman continues to express his unhappiness with cars becoming airborne, especially at Daytona and Talladega. "My issue has and always has been because I seem to be the reciprocate of what airborne disease we have in NASCAR," said Newman. "Either someone lands on me or I land on somebody. It's happened three times I think in the last eight or nine (restrictor-plate) races. We've proven it's not safe for the fans. I said that in part of my interview (at Talladega earlier this month). It's frustrating and I think I've voiced my frustration very fairly. I took a pretty high road."

  78 KURT BUSCH, Chevrolet

  Team: Furniture Row Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: 18th, 53 points out of the top 10. Gained two spots last week.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: One win and six top-10 finishes including an eighth last year.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Busch said, "The Sprint All-Star race is always one of the highlights of the season. We feel confident that our 78 car could be the magic piece to take home the million bucks. You have to act like it's qualifying for those last 10 laps and you have to ignore the other cars on the track because you have to get all the speed you can get out of your car."

  LOOKING BACK: After winning the pole at a record speed of 181.918 miles per hour at Darlington, Busch led 69 of the first 73 laps before running in major handling problems. "We were wicked free and could not keep up with the changing conditions of the track," said Busch after his 14th-place finish. "We made a number of chassis and air pressure adjustments but couldn't get the car hooked up." When asked how loose it was, Busch replied, "On a scale of one to 10, it's an 11. We let it slip away and that's disappointing. But we won the pole, led laps, ran up front for a good portion of the race and came away with a respectable finish." Busch has now led 108 laps in 11 races this season. Prior to the 2013 season, Furniture Row Racing had led a total of 48 laps in 199 races.

  ETC.: Busch could race in this year's Indianapolis 500 after completing all three phases of the rookie orientation at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last week. But Busch said any thoughts of competing in the 500 are at least a year away. "I need to get more comfortable in the Indy Car because a day like today, I'm white-knuckled, my hands were tense and firm and that was only after 10 laps," said Busch following his test with Andretti Autosport. He ran 83 laps with a top lap of 218.210 miles per hour.

  22 JOEY LOGANO, Ford

  Team: Penske Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: 19th, 56 points out of the top 10. Lost one spot last week.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: Two top-eight finishes in two starts.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Logano has high hopes for this weekend. "The last few times we've been at Charlotte we've run good," said Logano. "And we've had a couple good runs in the last couple of All-Star races. So I feel good about Saturday night. This is a fun weekend without a lot of pressure. You just go out and try to win and not worry about the big picture (making the Chase for the Championship)."

  LOOKING BACK: Logano ran into overheating problems late in the race and had to make several trips down pit road to cool the engine down enough where he could finish the race. As a result, he ended up 22nd. "It's frustrating because you know you have a car that is probably an eighth to tenth-place car based on the cars you are passing during the race," said Logano.

  ETC.: Steve Reis will be acting crew chief again this weekend. Reis is filling in while Todd Gordon serves his suspension. Again this weekend Greg Erwin, who is Sam Hornish's crew chief on the Nationwide Series, will assist Reis on race day. "Everybody did a real good job at Darlington," said Logano. "They gave me a good car, we just have some bad luck or we could have had a good day."

  31 JEFF BURTON, Chevrolet

  Team: Richard Childress Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: 20th, 57 points out of the top 10. Lost one spot last week.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: Five top-10 finishes in 12 starts.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Burton won the Sprint Showdown in 2003. He needs a repeat win on Saturday night if he wants to qualify for the All-Star Race. Yet Burton plans to go "big-picture racing" this weekend. "Obviously, we want to win the Sprint Showdown, qualify for the All-Star Race and win it too, but every practice session and qualifying run we make this weekend gives us the opportunity to learn more about our 1.5-mile program," said Burton.

  LOOKING BACK: Burton finished 21st at Darlington. "That was a tough night for the 31 Caterpillar team," said Burton. "We definitely didn't get the rotation we wanted to in the middle of the turns which pretty much set the tone for the evening. These guys never gave up and we were able to play strategy and gain some positions in the end. But it wasn't the night we had hoped for."

  ETC.: Burton said he does not race any differently in a non-points race than he does in regular Cup event. "I race the same way no matter what the situation is," said Burton. "Typically the rules have been set by how they (the other drivers) have raced me to this point. You have to be who you normally are. When you try to get out of character, I think it does more harm than good."

  14 TONY STEWART, Chevrolet

  Team: Stewart-Haas Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: 21st, 62 points out of the top 10. Gained one spot last week.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: One win and nine top-10 finishes including eight top-five's in 14 starts.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Stewart said the All-Star race is "an event for the fans. But there's also a lot of bragging rights, too. Charlotte is an area where 95 percent of the Cup teams are based, so when you go there, you want to run well. You do it for the fans, but at the same time, you do it for your organization and your team. That's why the All-Star race is important."

  LOOKING BACK: Stewart was running eighth on a restart with 59 laps to go, but he brushed the wall moments after the green flag was waved again. This led to a number of pit stops during the final 50 laps as he ended the night in 15th place. Late in the race, Stewart told his crew the car was feeling like a "soapy dishrag."

  ETC.: While Stewart wants to win the All-Star race, he plans to use this weekend as a test session to figure out what the team is missing in its quest to run up front with the new Gen-6 car. Stewart has only one top-10 finish in the first 11 races of 2013. "The hard part is trying to figure out what you're missing when you're off," said Stewart. "That's the frustrating part."

  42 JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, Chevrolet

  Team: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

  WHERE HE STANDS: 22nd, 77 points out of the top 10. Gained three spots last week.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: Has finished 12th and 14th in his two starts.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Montoya points out "It's been awhile since we've competed in the All-Star race so I'm hopeful we can race our way in during the Showdown. We tested at Charlotte earlier this year and our Target Chevy was really good so I think we have a legitimate shot of getting into the All-Star race and winning some money."

  LOOKING BACK: Montoya finished eighth for his second top-10 finish in the last three races. "We didn't unload as good as we wanted, but we got it where it was really good," said Montoya. "We did a really good job. We have been running like this all year, but only in the last couple of weeks have been gotten the results we deserve."

  ETC.: After a slow, slow start to the season, Montoya believes the team is now headed in the right direction. "We've had good cars all year, but we've just had all kinds of mistakes (on pit road) and other things (mechanical) go wrong. I keep telling the guys we have got to execute. If every person here does their best we are going to be looking like heroes here. Tonight (Darlington) is a good example of that."

  9 MARCOS AMBROSE, Ford

  Team: Richard Petty Motorsports

  WHERE HE STANDS: 23rd, 80 points out of the top 10. Lost two spots last week.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: Finished seventh a year ago in his first All-Star appearance.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Ambrose said, "There is a heightened excitement around this race (the Sprint All-Star race). We have shown a lot of speed on the mile-and-a-half tracks this year, and I'm thrilled to have a race where we just go for the win. We had a lot of fun in last year's event and raced up there with the best of them. We plan on being up front again this weekend and contending for the million-dollar prize."

  LOOKING BACK: Ambrose struggled all night as he finished 34th at Darlington. "We'll have to go back and take a look at the car in the shop," said Ambrose. "We struggled with it yesterday, and tonight, it wasn't much better. Very early in the race, we knew it was going to be a long night. It just didn't react to anything and Drew (Blickensderfer, crew chief) threw a lot at it. "

  ETC: Car owner Richard Petty and Ambrose will play host to Make-A-Wish child Jacob from Sumter, Ga. Jacob wanted to watch a race and meet Petty and his race team. Jacob will meet with both Petty and Ambrose and be a VIP guest of the 9 team on race day.

  55 MARK MARTIN, Toyota

  Team: Michael Waltrip Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: 24th, 89 points out of the top 10. Lost one spot last week.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: Two wins and 10 top-10 finishes in 23 starts.

  LOOKING AHEAD: Martin calls the All-Star race "one of the highlights of the season. It's just a great event for the fans and the drivers. In this race you run for a big trophy and a big check (one million dollars). The All-Star Race is a break from counting points. That also makes it fun. I'd love to win that big trophy and some of Bruton's (Smith, the track owner) money Saturday night."

  LOOKING BACK: It was a long, long night for Martin as he finished 25th, four laps back of winner Matt Kenseth. "That was a tough night for us," said Martin. "The Aaron's Dream Machine was pretty loose so I needed the whole race track to drive it. I couldn't get near anyone on the track. Because of those long green-flag runs we didn't get a chance to work on it. We'll bounce back at Charlotte next weekend."

  ETC.: Martin had been in more All-Star races than any other driver - 23. "I've enjoyed every one," said Martin. "I've been fortunate to work with a whole lot of great people, teams and organization over the years. It's a great event. This race creates memories."

  11 DENNY HAMLIN, Toyota

  Team: Joe Gibbs Racing

  WHERE HE STANDS: 27th, 118 points out of the top 10. Gained four spots last week.

  ALL-STAR RECORD: Three top-seven finishes including two fourth-place finishes in six starts.

  LOOKING AHEAD: One of the most surprising stats about the Sprint All-Star race is that no Joe Gibbs Racing driver has ever won the special event. Hamlin hopes to become the first. "Charlotte has been one of our better tracks, but we can't seem to get the win," said Hamlin. "But JGR has been really strong this year (with five wins in 11 races). So all of us feel this could be our weekend."

  LOOKING BACK: After missing four races and most of another because of a compressed fracture in his back, Hamlin returned in grand style as he finished second at Darlington. "We ran good," said Hamlin. "We were kind of mired in fifth to eighth for most of the day. We kept grinding away. The pit crew picked us up some spots throughout the night. It was one of those days where we got our car better, pit crew picked us up positions, took us to the most optimum spot we could get to and that was second."

  ETC.: Following the Darlington race, Hamlin said, "My back held up good. I'm more sore - shoulders, neck, things like that. I got to get back in racing shape. It will take time to get back to where I need to be. Really it's like starting your season over with. To start it back over at Darlington for 500 miles - there's some muscles that have gotten weak. I'm pretty sore and tired - mentally tired as well. We'll have a couple of weeks really to rest until the next long event (the Coca-Cola 600, the longest stock car race of the year) and we'll be good to go then."

Distributed by The Sports Xchange

• 1,521: The combined number of laps led by Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch through 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this season. That’s 42.86 percent of all laps run in the series this year, a measure of how dominant JGR has been. Kenseth, who has won three times, has led 781 laps and Busch, a two-time winner, has led 740. When you add the 156 laps Denny Hamlin has led (despite missing four races), JGR Cup drivers have led 1,677 laps in 2013—47.25 percent of a possible 3,549 laps.

Former team owner Derrick Walker was named President, Operations & Competition of IndyCar. The new head of competition will begin his new role May 27, the day after the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to be run.

• "We're pleased to welcome Derrick Walker to this vital role," said Mark Miles, chief executive officer, Hulman & Company, the parent company of IndyCar. "We spoke with many of our constituents about an ideal person for this job, and Derrick's name emerged early and often.

  "After speaking with many talented candidates, Derrick stood out because his decades of experience in North American open-wheel racing blend ownership and management for his own race teams and other teams. He understands how to balance the technical and financial operations of our sport, and his confident leadership will provide a firm, clear direction for long-term IndyCar operations and competition."

  Walker, 68, is a native of Scotland who comes to IndyCar after serving as general manager for the one-car Ed Carpenter Racing team in the IZOD IndyCar Series, and he has more than 40 years of experience in motorsports. His role will entail improving communication with team owners and suppliers in a wide-ranging role from cost management to developing plans for future technical platforms.

  "I know I'm not going to please everybody every day," Walker said. "There are going to be some days when some people will think I'm a jerk and there will be some days where I probably will be a jerk. I just hope there's more good days than jerk days."

  Walker mentioned containing costs and improving safety as two main areas of focus - which requires walking a fine line with fans who want to see increased speeds.

  He does have vast experience to pull from, as Walker is a former chief mechanic who was well known for working with the likes of Graham Hill, Rick Mears, Roger Penske, and Al and Bobby Unser.

  Job No. 1: bringing more fans to the race venues.

  "We need to reduce the inflationary aspect of it because owners don't just get (hit with) it, the fans get it because the costs get passed on to them in the form of ticket prices," Walker said.

By Reid Spencer

• NASCAR Wire Service

  Distributed by The Sports Xchange

  DARLINGTON, S.C. -- When Matt Kenseth and his Joe Gibbs Racing team won a significant reduction of penalties on appeal, the benefits for Kenseth were obvious.

  But the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel's ruling also helped Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, who needs every edge he can find in a long-shot attempt to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

  Where Kenseth is concerned, the reduction of his points penalty from 50 to 12 vaulted the driver of the No. 20 Toyota to fourth in the Cup standings, solidly in a Chase-eligible position. The original 50-point penalty -- the result of an underweight connecting rod NASCAR discovered in Kenseth's race-winning car after the Apr. 21 event at Kansas -- had knocked Kenseth outside the top 10.

  Hamlin missed four races after suffering a compression fracture of his first lumbar vertebra in a last-lap crash at Fontana, Calif., in late March. Last week at Talladega, he gave way to relief driver Brian Vickers after 23 laps and earned 10 points after Vickers finished 34th.

  That left Hamlin 31st in the points, needing to win at least one race and improve 11 positions in the standings to compete for a Wild Card spot in the Chase.

  If Kenseth, who has won twice, remains in the top 10, that's one potential Wild Card driver Hamlin won't have to beat. (The two Wild Card positions in the Chase go to the two drivers in positions 11-20 in the standings with the most victories. If drivers have an equal number of wins, the tiebreaker is position in the standings.)

  In Hamlin's view, the reduction of Kenseth's points penalty opened up a Wild Card spot.

  "It now put him (Kenseth) solidly inside the top-10, so that was big," Hamlin told the NASCAR Wire Service on Friday at Darlington Raceway. "Honestly, until I win races, I've got to root on all the frontrunners to win the next few weeks at least until the Chase starts to not occupy Chase spots. "So it was big for us because Matt has had a win on record, and he was outside the top 10, so that was big. The rescinding really helped us a ton also."

  STAYING PUT

  Paul Menard says he's close to a contract extension with Richard Childress Racing and hopes to have an announcement to that effect shortly.

  "We don't have anything to announce yet," Menard told FoxSports.com on Friday at Darlington. "I haven't signed anything. Hopefully, we do that soon. We're just going to work hard to get the deal done, and when we do, we'll let you know."

  Menard's crew chief, Richard "Slugger" Labbe, already has signed an extension with RCR, and he and Menard have been an inseparable and successful pair for the past four seasons, the past three with Childress.

  Since coming to RCR with Labbe in 2011, Menard has enjoyed his three most productive seasons. Though 10 races this year he's ninth in the standings and happy to be with the Childress organization.

  "It's a great place," Menard said. "We're making a lot of improvements also. When I came in we were running real good. It seemed like last year we took a step back, but Richard has invested a lot in making the company better, and we're seeing that right now. It's a very exciting place to be."

  EYE ON A RECORD?

  Saturday night's Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington marked Jeff Gordon's 700th start in the Sprint Cup Series, all consecutive.

  That's the longest consecutive streak in any of the major sports, but Gordon isn't ready to contemplate breaking Ricky Rudd's Cup mark of 788 -- not yet. Assuming a 36-event schedule and no break in action for Gordon, the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet would break Rudd's record in the 28th race of 2015.

  "Never say never, but that to me is like David Pearson's 105 wins," said Gordon, who with 87 Cup victories is third behind Pearson on the all-time list. "It's too far out there. You have to get closer before you can think realistically about those things. I never dreamed I'd make 700 consecutive starts.

  "It's just an amazing thing for me to try to swallow right now, because it's been an amazing run of great teams and cars and going from like 28 races my first year now to 36. So a lot of things happened over the years. I'm just enjoying the moment right now of those 700 and not thinking ahead too much."

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- The hottest driver heading into Saturday night's Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway isn't Jimmie Johnson or Brad Keselowski or even Matt Kenseth. It is Aric Almirola.

• Almirola, in his second season with Richard Petty Motorsports, will be seeking his fifth straight top-10 finish at Darlington.

  He has climbed from 16th to eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings and is now a major player in the chase to determine the 12 drivers that will make up this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

  "We're not as surprised as everybody else is," Almirola said. "We feel like at the end of last year we were running really strong (after two top-10 finishes in the last four races) and we were a little disappointed at Homestead (where he finished seventh) because we didn't want the season to end because we were running so well. The beginning of this season has kind of picked up where we left off last year and I'm proud of that."

  Almirola's biggest goal now is "to get that 43 car back in victory lane. I want that bad. It's been 13 or 14 years since it's been to victory lane and I'd like nothing more than to be the guy to get that done and get the 43 (and Petty) back to victory lane."

  HAMLIN GLAD TO BE BACK

  While Almirola is enjoying his "new-found" fame, Denny Hamlin is just glad to be a full-time driver again.

  Hamlin, who missed four races because of a compressed fracture in his back, plans on going the distance in the 500-miler at Darlington.

  "I don't think there's any doubt we'll go the whole day," Hamlin said after practice on Friday. "I'm pretty comfortable I can make it the three or three-and-a-half hours that it's going to take to run the race."

  Hamlin, who has been part of the Championship Chase for five straight years and almost won the championship in 2010, knows the odds are against him in his bid to make it six in a row. He stands 31st in the standings as the series headed to Darlington.

  But he is ready for the challenge.

  "I love the fact that it's going to be all on my shoulders to make the run towards the Chase," Hamlin said. "But there's nothing that wins can't fix. That's the bottom line. If we put ourselves in position and win a race here and there, more than likely if we win a couple of races then we're going to be in the top-20 in points and be a wild card."

  GORDON LOOKS TO GET IN CHASE

  The top 10 in the point standings after 26 races make the Chase. The final two "wild card" spots go to the two drivers with the most wins who rank between 11th and 20th in the standings.

  Hamlin has 16 races to accomplish his mission.

  Jeff Gordon is another driver who needs a win or two to make the Chase. And he is at one of his favorite tracks this weekend in his quest to get back to victory lane.

  Gordon, who is making his 700th career start Saturday night, has won seven times at Darlington.

  KENSETH, JGR WIN APPEAL

  Kenseth, who has already won twice this season and is almost a lock to make the Chase, is all smiles for another reason -- he and car owner Joe Gibbs "won" their appeal of the penalties assessed by NASCAR after one of the team's eight connecting rods on their engine was light in the postrace inspection after Kenseth's win at Kansas.

  A three-member panel voted unanimously Wednesday to reduce the 50-point penalty to 12 and Kenseth was given credit for the Kansas win and will receive the three-point bonus for the win if he makes the Chase.

  "I still feel bad we were in that spot to start with to even have a penalty, but I think these penalties are way more in line with what I initially thought that it would be," Kenseth said.

  TRD (Toyota Racing Development) provides the engines for all of Joe Gibbs Racing cars and they admitted they were the ones at fault. But NASCAR held the team responsible for the infraction.

  Kenseth said, "I was pleasantly surprised it was reduced that much. I had a pretty good feeling, but I didn't know if we would've got that kind of reduction."

  As a result, Kenseth jumped from 11th to fourth in the standings.

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

• Distributed by The Sports Xchange

  DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Kyle Busch kept it simple Friday night at Darlington Raceway.

  The strategy was basic -- win the pole, stay out front and win the race with the strongest car, and Busch did an admirable job in every category. He dusted the rest of the field at the venerable track in the South Carolina sandhills, pulling away to win the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 by .935 over Elliott Sadler, who recovered from an early spin to finish second.

  Brian Vickers came home third, followed by Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth. With cars in first, second, third and fifth, Joe Gibbs Racing became the first organization to place four cars in the top five of a Nationwide Series race.

  Rookie Kyle Larson ran sixth, followed by Regan Smith, who extended his series lead by 28 points over eighth-place finisher Sam Hornish Jr.

  The victory was Busch's fifth in eight NNS starts this season. Busch, who led 107 of 147 laps, extended his career win record in the series to 56. Busch scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0, his 16th perfect rating since NASCAR started keeping the statistic in 2005.

  Busch won the race on a track that has started to regain the abrasive characteristic of the racing surface that was a hallmark of the Darlington before a repaving project in 2008. Realizing that, Busch insisted on a four-tire stop on lap 121, even though his tires were only eight laps old, and that move helped win the race.

  Busch also was able to pull away from his rivals trough Turns 1 and 2, the wider end of the egg-shaped track.

  "You want to be good at both ends here, but there's a lot of speed in 1 and 2, so you're going to have to take advantage of that as best you can," Busch said. "Three and 4 is an end where-I'm not going to say slower is faster-but maintaining a minimum speed is faster down there.

  "But it seems like it's a little easier to do than not having a good-handling car in 1 and 2. There's a littler margin of error in Turn 1 and 2."

  Sadler found that out the hard way when he spun in that corner while trying to keep up with Busch. Sadler explained that he simply misjudged the corner and got loose.

  "I was pushing it, trying to keep up with the 54 (Busch)," Sadler said. "I wanted to get up there and try to lead some laps and just went in there too hard and got loose and had to make a decision whether to spin out or try to correct it, and I overcorrected and spun out.

  "Lady Luck helped me from not hitting anything."

  About the only thing that could slow Busch's progress was an issue on pit road. Busch came out sixth after a slow stop on Lap 51 under yellow for Sadler's spin.

  Charging forward after the restart, Busch was on Kenseth's bumper, challenging for the lead by the time the race reached Lap 74, just past halfway.

  For the next eight laps, Busch hounded Kenseth, finally clearing his teammate for the lead on Lap 82. Busch held the top spot until a caution on Lap 119 for Kyle Fowler's wreck changed the running order again.

  Logano and Austin Dillon stayed out on old tires and led the field to a Lap 125 restart. Sadler restarted third after a two-tire stop, while Busch took the green in fourth on four fresh tires.

  Busch made short work of the drivers on older rubber and passed Logano for the lead on Lap 130. Game over.

  NASCAR Nationwide Series Race - VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200

  Friday, May 10, 2013

  1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 147, $44965.

  2. (2) Elliott Sadler, Toyota, 147, $33600.

  3. (4) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 147, $25400.

  4. (14) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 147, $17450.

  5. (3) Matt Kenseth(i), Toyota, 147, $16025.

  6. (7) Kyle Larson #, Chevrolet, 147, $24675.

  7. (11) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 147, $20410.

  8. (9) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 147, $19270.

  9. (6) Kasey Kahne(i), Chevrolet, 147, $12975.

  10. (5) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 147, $19925.

  11. (8) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 147, $18525.

  12. (18) Chris Buescher, Ford, 147, $12450.

  13. (15) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 147, $18400.

  14. (26) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 147, $18350.

  15. (12) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 147, $19475.

  16. (21) Nelson Piquet Jr. #, Chevrolet, 147, $18175.

  17. (13) Alex Bowman #, Toyota, 147, $18125.

  18. (16) Reed Sorenson, Ford, 147, $18075.

  19. (19) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 146, $18025.

  20. (27) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 146, $18625.

  21. (22) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 146, $17900.

  22. (24) Blake Koch, Toyota, 146, $17850.

  23. (20) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 146, $17800.

  24. (28) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 146, $17750.

  25. (25) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 146, $18155.

  26. (37) Eric McClure, Toyota, 144, $17625.

  27. (38) Danny Efland, Chevrolet, 144, $17575.

  28. (17) Travis Pastrana, Ford, 144, $17500.

  29. (34) Hal Martin #, Toyota, 143, $17465.

  30. (30) Dexter Stacey #, Ford, 142, $17725.

  31. (35) Harrison Rhodes(i), Ford, 141, $17375.

  32. (10) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 139, $17345.

  33. (39) Tony Raines, Toyota, 139, $17315.

  34. (33) Kyle Fowler, Ford, Accident, 108, $17285.

  35. (40) Kevin Lepage, Toyota, Rear Gear, 27, $11229.

  36. (36) Bryan Silas(i), Toyota, Accident, 21, $16520.

  37. (31) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 16, $10500.

  38. (23) JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 7, $10426.

  39. (32) Chase Miller, Chevrolet, Overheating, 4, $10315.

  40. (29) Tanner Berryhill, Toyota, Rear Gear, 3, $10290.

  Average Speed of Race Winner: 130.816 mph.

  Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 32 Mins, 06 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.935 Seconds.

  Caution Flags: 4 for 17 laps.

  Lead Changes: 10 among 8 drivers.

  Lap Leaders: K. Busch(i) 1-24; L. Cassill(i) 25; J. Clements 26; K. Busch(i) 27-51; H. Martin # 52; T. Raines 53; K. Kahne(i) 54; M. Kenseth(i) 55-81; K. Busch(i) 82-121; J. Logano(i) 122-129; K. Busch(i) 130-147.

  Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch(i) 4 times for 107 laps; M. Kenseth(i) 1 time for 27 laps; J. Logano(i) 1 time for 8 laps; L. Cassill(i) 1 time for 1 lap; H. Martin # 1 time for 1 lap; K. Kahne(i) 1 time for 1 lap; J. Clements 1 time for 1 lap; T. Raines 1 time for 1 lap.

  Top 10 in Points: R. Smith - 342; S. Hornish Jr. - 314; E. Sadler - 300; J. Allgaier - 299; B. Vickers - 293; A. Dillon - 290; P. Kligerman - 287; B. Scott - 284; A. Bowman # - 258; K. Larson # - 248.