TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online
Garage Pass: Race Full Of Stars - And Excitement
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Published: May 14, 2008
It has a wacky format and doesn't count in the standings, yet it pays more to win than any NASCAR race other than the Daytona 500.
The 24th edition of the all-star race - now called simply the Sprint All-Star race - is set for Saturday night at Charlotte. Race winners since the start of the 2007 season, Cup-level champions since 2000 and former all-star race winners are eligible.
Because the top two finishers in a qualifying race advance to the main event and a fan vote will get a third driver in, every full-time driver has a shot heading into the weekend.
Everybody in the top 20 in the standings qualified except David Ragan, Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers and Travis Kvapil.
Bragging rights, a winner's take of more than $1 million and a go-for-broke mentality make the all-star event one of the more entertaining races of the year.
BROTHERS, TEAMMATES
Terry Labonte is coming out of retirement — again — to drive in five races for Petty Enterprises, where he will be a teammate of younger brother Bobby.
The older Labonte, 51, will fill in for Kyle Petty, who is taking one race off for his daughter's wedding and six more to serve as an analyst for TNT. Chad McCumbee will take two races.
The only brothers to win championships at NASCAR's top levels, the Labontes were briefly teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005. Terry's races are in June and July.
"To have him as a teammate again is special for our whole family," Bobby Labonte, 44, said. "It means a lot to me, because I grew up wanting to be just like him."
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