NASCAR teams suggest format changes for future All-Star Races

CONCORD, N.C. -- Jimmie Johnson won the Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but several drivers were not happy with how the event played out.

Despite a slight alteration in the format from last year, the result was largely the same, with the lead driver (Johnson) using track position and clean air to immediately drive away from the rest of the field during the final 10-lap shootout.

The common consensus from drivers after the race is that the current Gen-6 race car is unable to pass in dirty air and that more than 10 laps were needed to chase down the leading car once it pulled away.

Kasey Kahne restarted on the front row and fought alongside Johnson but knew the race was over as soon as the No. 48 got out front. Passing conditions were made even worse, according to Kahne, when considering the nighttime setting and grip level of the Gen-6.

“It’s just really hard,” Kahne said. “There is so much grip and whoever broke away from the side-by-side battle was going to win. And we knew it going into the weekend, that with a 10-lap segment, whoever got the lead first was going to win.”

Kahne said it was fun to battle side-by-side for the first few laps off the restart but added that the action was largely irrelevant if it were deeper in the field.

“You need long runs with these cars and that’s the only way you’re going to pass,” Kahne said. “You’re not going to pass in 10 lap runs. You just get in line and go. When you’re running here at night, with this much grip, you’re just not going to pass.”

Even Johnson, the winner of the race, agreed with Kahne but doesn’t really know how to fix it. He began to suggest a final pit stop with multiple tire options but concluded that every team will choose the same strategy no matter what.

“If you’re allowed to put two on, why would you take four,” Johnson said. “Everybody is going to do the same thing. I think you’re pinned in on a mile-and-a-half track with a 10-lap shootout -- your options to create multiple passes for the win are limited.”

Chad Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief, suggested something out of open-wheel with two tire types available for the All-Star Race. The choices would be the standard Goodyear and a super soft option that would provide additional speed but at a quicker rate of falling off.

“Once you have super softs, you know they are only going to last 20 laps as opposed to the set that’s going to last 60,” Knaus said. “You can strategize and when those tires fall off, that’s when you’re going to see some passing.

“And in a 20-lap or 10-lap final segment, I think it could be very exciting to see who plays what tire strategy.”

Ultimately, Knaus doesn’t see that happening because Goodyear has a commitment to making durable tires from a marketing perspective but believes the idea could enhance the product for the All-Star Race. Beyond that, other options for the event include eliminations, inverts and longer final segments.