The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race was a
success. It gave an energized crowd an exciting race under the lights. There were
many memorable moments, including pre-race antics by AJ Allmendinger (who did
“the worm” during driver introductions). In addition, there were some surprises, such
as defending winner Jimmie Johnson’s lack luster night. Now that the confetti
has settled and a winner has claimed $1 million, here are some storylines from
the electrifying race.
Jamie McMurray wins All-Star, First for Chip Ganassi
To begin, here is the obvious headline. Jamie McMurray surprises everyone by winning the All-Star race. Early on, the event was mostly dominated by drivers like Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne. Within the third segment, McMurray begin to improve on his position and found himself inside of the top five. As the green flag flew for the final 10-lap shootout, McMurray took part in a close battle with Edwards. He soon took the lead and never looked back.
To begin, here is the obvious headline. Jamie McMurray surprises everyone by winning the All-Star race. Early on, the event was mostly dominated by drivers like Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne. Within the third segment, McMurray begin to improve on his position and found himself inside of the top five. As the green flag flew for the final 10-lap shootout, McMurray took part in a close battle with Edwards. He soon took the lead and never looked back.
“Carl (Edwards) got a little bit of a jump on me on the
restart and I was able to hold onto his quarter panel”, McMurray said in
Victory Lane. “When we kept entering (Turn) 1 and Turn 3, I was like ‘Heck with
it, it’s for one million bucks. If we wreck, it is not that big of a deal’. It
is so cool to come out on top of that.”
What will the Joplin, MO native buy with his large paycheck
first? A train for his three year old son, Carter.
“(Wife) Christy told him ‘Now Carter, if dad wins today what
would you want?’ and he said ‘A train’ so Carter you are going to get a really
cool train, I promise in the next few days”.
Not only is this win a first for the 37 year-old, but also
for team owner Chip Ganassi. McMurray adds this victory alongside the crown jewel
wins of the Daytona 500, Pepsi (now Coke Zero) 400 at Daytona International
Speedway and Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Both driver and team owner have won the Bank of America 500
at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the fall twice. Will the No. 1 team rise up and win
the Coca-Cola 600 this upcoming week? After what happened Saturday night, the
team will certainly be a favorite for the series’ longest race.
Four-time Winner Jimmie Johnson a Non-factor during Race
Coming into the All-Star race, Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team were the prime pick to win the race. Why wouldn’t they? They entered Charlotte as not only the defending winners, but back to back winners.
Coming into the All-Star race, Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team were the prime pick to win the race. Why wouldn’t they? They entered Charlotte as not only the defending winners, but back to back winners.
From the time the green flag flew to the moment the checkered
flag was waved, Johnson was a non-factor. He was barely mentioned in the
television broadcast and hardly ever broke into the top five. It is not that
the team performed badly – they finished sixth. The problem was they didn’t
gain many positions. The team stayed around sixth most of the race.
Not that bad, but not that good.
This comes after much frustration in the No. 48 camp. They
have struggled to place well in the last few races. Johnson and company have
run into bad luck and mechanical issues. When everything is performing well,
like last week at Kansas Speedway, they still aren’t able to make it to the
front.
Knowing the history of team No. 48, this year has been
strikingly odd for them. Time will only tell if they can turn their season
around and capture a win before the Chase.
Pushing It to the Limit for $1 Million Dollars
Some predicted the this year’s All-Star Race would be fairly uneventful. The event in reality was exactly the opposite. From beginning to end drivers battled hard for positions. Unfortunately that resulted in quite a few wrecks. Many drivers taken out of the race were legitimate contenders such as Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Joey Logano.
Some predicted the this year’s All-Star Race would be fairly uneventful. The event in reality was exactly the opposite. From beginning to end drivers battled hard for positions. Unfortunately that resulted in quite a few wrecks. Many drivers taken out of the race were legitimate contenders such as Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Joey Logano.
Indeed each of the drivers were pushing both their car and
their abilities in effort to better their average finish per segment. This
would give them a better position entering pit road before the final 10-lap
shootout.
The hard racing made for a great night under the lights and reminded
everyone how much a driver would push the limits for a chance at $1 million.
