What Can Be Done To Make The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Format Better?

After everything was all said and down, fans were not particularly happy about the conclusion of the All-Star Race, that saw Jimmie Johnson to sandbag his way to a cool and crisp one million dollar payout.

Fans voiced their opinions on social media stating their displeasure for the final segment. They also voiced their displeasure towards Johnson’s ride-in-the-back strategy.

The conclusion notwithstanding, NASCAR did a great job executing out the first four segments. They produced some of the best racing of the season, with new contenders like Dale Earnhardt Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, and Marcos Ambrose all leading laps. The parity was at restrictor plate race levels.

After the first four segments came the infamous final segment, which also included a mandatory pit stop.

Personally, I did not understand the reasoning behind this rule. Everyone knew that the four segment winners were either going to get a splash of gas or stop-and-go.

Even though the race didn’t end the way fans hoped for, changes to the format happen every year (which is good news for the fans who hated this years version). The million dollar question now on everyones mind is this. What format changes are going to be implemented for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race?

I say NASCAR should leave the 4 segments alone The segments were very exciting and very enjoyable. They just need to find a way to make the final segment just as exciting as the first four segments. SB Nation NASCAR Editor Jeff Gluck said that the All-Star Race would be perfect if the segment winners were lined up like this. Segment 4 and 3 winners are the front row, and Segment 2 and 1 winners were in the 2nd row. In other words, Earnhardt Jr and Kesoloweski would make the front row, and Kenseth and Johnson make the 2nd row.
I don’t necessarily disagree with Jeff, but I think NASCAR should make everyone pit for four tires and fuel by having the winner of the 4th segment come in first, 3rd segment winner comes in 2nd, and so on. It should be mandatory that everyone takes 4 tires and fuel. It makes no sense for the segment leaders to come into their pit stalls just to go right back out with no adjustments or anything. It almost cost Dale Earnhardt Jr as he almost hit Ryan Newman and Mark Martin coming out of his pit stall.

Overall, the All-Star Race is good. However, it needs a bit more work added on to make it perfect.

What are your thoughts about the All-Star Race format? What should NASCAR do to make the race better?