Press Release: "All or nothing" format suits some, not others

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race format – short segments, all-or-nothing racing – fits some driving styles perfectly. Like past winners Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, or the naturally aggressive Kyle Busch, for instance.

But, the format isn't always so kind to others.

Three drivers who usually top the statistical charts have struggled recently at the All-Star race: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin.

Below is a rundown of All-Star experiences for those three drivers:

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt's All-Star race stats tell an interesting story about his strategy. Earnhardt, known for running fast laps (he ranks third in Fastest Laps Run this season with 274), has taken a more patient approach during the All-Star race – at least that's what the stats suggest.

Over the past three races, Earnhardt has an Average Running Position of 12.7 (which ranks 18th), a Driver Rating of 76.4 (21st) and has run zero fastest laps.

BUT … because he has avoided trouble, his average finish over the past three races is a solid 9.3.

Denny Hamlin

On the other hand, Hamlin and Truex have been caught up in the inevitable – the accident that usually occurs when drivers are racing only for the win.

Hamlin has competed in just one NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, last season. The experience was not all that enjoyable.

Hamlin, who finished 17th in a field of 21 cars, had a Driver Rating of 47.7, an Average Running Position of 12.5 and zero Fastest Laps Run.

BUT … until a Lap 63 accident, Hamlin ran a solid race. He had spent all but two Laps in the Top 15 and had 27 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), which was fifth-most in the race.

Martin Truex Jr.

Truex, in his first trip to the All-Star race (2005), suffered a similar fate as Hamlin in 2007. In 2005, Truex finished last among 22 cars and completed only 35 of the 90 laps. The culprit – a 10-car accident that ended the night for seven drivers.

But last season, Truex took a page out of then-teammate Earnhardt's playbook. A patient Truex finished 10th, but had a low Driver Rating of 57.7 and an Average Running Position of 12.7.

A potential "wild card" in the All-Star race: Elliott Sadler. Sadler, who is not locked into the race, needs to either "race his way in" by finishing first or second in the Sprint Showdown, or win the fan vote. If he does, he could pose a real threat.

In his last All-Star race, in 2005, Sadler finished second and racked up some single-race stats that haven't been eclipsed in the two years since: a Driver Rating of 135.7 and 32 Fastest Laps Run.

— Source: NASCAR

Vote for the All-Star Race

Go here to vote for who you want to race in the All-Star Race on May 17th at Lowe's Motor Speedway. After registering on NASCAR.com you can vote as many times as you like.

Who did you vote for? I voted for David Ragan because he's proven to be a real threat and as a young guy he could use a cool million bucks. Well, maybe not as much as I could.

Fantasy Report: Dodge Challenger 500

This week NASCAR heads to Darlington for race 11 on the Sprint Cup circuit. Fantasy selections for the “Lady in Black” might be tough to tame but with a little research your drivers might be headed to victory lane. Lets get to the picks …

Erik's picks: Denny Hamlin✔, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle✔, Mark Martin✔, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, Travis Kvapil✔ and Paul Menard.

Brandon's picks: Jeff Gordon✔, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, David Ragan✔, Martin Truex Jr.✔, David Reutimann✔ and Regan Smith.

DRIVER TO PICK: Every week I try to make an educated guess on what driver will finish at the top. For the past few weeks my drivers have been running in the top five only to have some unfortunate event knock them back in the pack. As an experiment this week I am not giving any advice. When I finish ahead of Brandon I may have him write the fantasy advice. Best of luck!

Randy Moss to start truck team

Randy Moss has become the latest NFL personality to announce his intention of getting involved in racing.

Moss, a wide receiver for the New England Patriots, announced the formation of Moss Motorsports LLC on Tuesday and said he hopes to have a team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series by the end of this year.

He said his goal is for the team to debut at selected races in the second half of the 2008 season, with a full-time schedule in 2009. Currently, the team has no driver, manufacturer or sponsors lined up.

— Source: kansascity.com

Fantasy Report: The Dan Lowry 400

With Talladega behind us and everything here at the Star back to normal it's time to look ahead to Virginia for your NASCAR fix this weekend. The second Saturday night race of the season, the Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400, is sure to be exciting. Richmond is favored by many of the drivers because the ¾-mile short track is similar to superspeedways due to the speeds and track configuration.

Here are our drivers:

Brandon's picks: Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin✔, Kyle Busch✔, Mark Martin✔, Ryan Newman, David Ragan, Brian Vickers and Michael Waltrip✔.

Erik's picks: Jimmie Johnson✔, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch✔, Kasey Kahne✔, Greg Biffle, Eliott Sadler, Paul Menard✔ and Travis Kvapil.

Heavy hitters: Jimmie Johnson tops the list. You might say, "Brandon, you mention him every week and he's only won one race." I would retort: "While that is true, his season is turning around and he won both Richmond races last year." One of those wins was from the pole as well. He definitely knows his way around this track and barring unforeseen circumstances you can bet he'll be a big factor. Another driver that comes to mind is Denny Hamlin. This kid was built for tracks like these — and he's shown it with an average finish of 4.5 last year. Just the fact that he's a Virginian can guarantee he'll be more than eager to take the checkered flag. If you haven't used Hamlin much this year consider him this weekend. It was tough for me to choose between him and his teammate Tony Stewart (who has 3 wins at Richmond) but I'll know soon enough if I picked the right Toyota. Of course I'll have the gut-wrenching decision of whether to put Johnson or Hamlin in this weekend — I'm leaning toward whoever has the best qualifying time. However, that can be very deceiving. Finally, keep an eye on Kyle Busch. Need I say more?

Sleepers: Mark Martin and Ryan Newman could also be decent picks. Both have set the pole here and while only Newman has a win there Martin has had 6 top 5 finishes. Sometimes you have to know when to not go for the wins every week and put someone in you haven't used much and hope for a decent finish. That is what I have in mind with Martin. It is hard to avoid putting in the really big names each week but you need to save a few of those starts for later in the season.

Note: Don't forget that this is an impound race. They're racing with what they qualify with just as they did last weekend.

"The Big One" during the Aaron's 499

Not quite as big as some in the past but it took out some top contenders including Tony Stewart.

Kyle Busch wins the Aaron's 499; Read the live blog

Read the Star contributor's thoughts on the Aaron's 499

Read about the race:

Kyle Busch wins under caution at Talladega