Expect Unexpected at All-Star Race

Although NASCAR banned all test sessions across the board this season, expect to see 100 laps of disguised "testing" Saturday night in the 25th running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway (7PM ET on SPEED).

Even when testing was permissible, the All-Star Race traditionally has been a time when teams think outside the box and employ aggressive tactics with their chassis setups to evaluate potential benefits for them in the following week's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The All-Star Race can be a thrill-packed, high-paying, no points test session where almost anything goes and usually does.

Teams are willing to deviate from the norm because they're seeking an advantage over the competition and oftentimes have to step over the line to find it. If the "science project" on which they're working doesn't pan out Saturday, they haven't sacrificed any points in determining so - just a shot at the $1 million winner's purse. Plus, they'll know exactly what not to do next week in the 600.

A perfect example of this theory was the engine package the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas implemented in last year's All-Star Race. Kyle Busch and the No. 18 team were the class of the field and I doubt anyone could have beaten them had their engine not blown up. However, I guarantee the team learned something for the Coca-Cola 600 and beyond regarding how aggressively they could push the engine combination so the All-Star disappointment was worth it.

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In 1997, crew chief Ray Evernham and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team took to the All-Star Race an innovative chassis they dubbed "T-Rex," but it was so experimental and dominant that NASCAR ordered them never to bring it back. That just goes to show how teams can hit on something when they go the unconventional route. Jeff Gordon said that was the best car he had ever driven in any series. Although they weren't allowed to run that car again, the No. 24 team left Charlotte with a pile of notes they could incorporate into future chassis and setups.

In the 1992 All-Star Race, the first under the lights, I was serving as the crew chief for Davey Allison when he won wrecking at the start/finish line. While many teams nowadays don't take their 600 car to the All-Star race for fear of tearing it up, we raced ours because we realized the All-Star Race would be the best possible test session for the following week's event. I'm pretty certain the engine under that hood wasn't one that Robert and Doug Yates would have been comfortable running in the 600, but we wanted the best opportunity to put ourselves in contention when we rolled back into the track a week later.

Teams will venture onto the more unconventional and varied side with their setups and strategies because they aren't concerned with long runs and can make adjustments more often by virtue of the shorter segments that comprise the All-Star Race, increasing the potential for an even more exciting night.

But what's underneath the cars and hoods won't be the only aggressive components of the race. NASCAR and Sprint have reinstituted this year the final 10-lap shootout that has produced some of the most memorable finishes in the race's history. When NASCAR waves the green flag for those final 10 laps, I want to see the drivers get both hands and feet up on the wheel and go for it. One million dollars is up for grabs and there are no points at stake, a supreme combination for the 10 most exciting laps of the entire season.

Additionally, past All-Star winners not qualified to participate this year must race their way in via the Sprint Showdown. A two-time All-Star Race winner myself, I can attest to how disappointing it is to watch the event instead of competing in it. The drivers who have previously won All-Star, or at least participated in it, have even more incentive to be aggressive, throw caution to the wind and race their guts out for another shot at the bragging rights that come with winning the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

So, when you throw a bunch of hungry, competitive drivers into cars that may be teetering on the edge of conventional, and dangle $1 million in front of their faces, you have the perfect recipe for a thrilling race under the lights ... and one for the history books.

Larry McReynolds is a renowned former crew chief in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series who led drivers that included Dale Earnhardt and Davey Allison. McReynolds now serves as a NASCAR analyst for SPEED and FOX Sports on race broadcasts and several programs, including Trackside Live and NASCAR Performance on SPEED. He earned 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories, 21 pole positions, 122 top-five and 209 top-10 finishes in 457 starts. McReynolds was awarded the 1998 UAW-GM Teamwork Award of Excellence and was named the Copenhagen/Skoal All Pro Crew Chief in 1991-1995, and was a founding member of the Crew Chief Club. For more information on McReynolds or SPEED's programming schedule, please visit www.speedtv.com.