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Charlotte Motor Speedway kicked off its season on Wednesday with a press/advertising event for the Sprint All Star race at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Whiskey River bar in Uptown Charlotte.

Speedway President Marcus Smith said during the event no changes would be made to the format (selection or otherwise) before the race in May.

I for one was thrilled. Seeing the constant rules changes with the All Star race (and Bud Shootout) has been maddening. Who can keep them straight?

Do you realize since 1985 (the first year of The Winston) there have been 10 different formats? Six of those have been in the last 10 years. That’s completely insane.

We finally have a couple of seasons of consistency with this race.

The bad news for some of you is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has lost his eligibility. That 10 year exemption he had as a winner of the event came and went last year. Never fear though, NASCAR’s most popular driver has an ace in his pocket. Remember the fan vote? He’s all but a lock to win it.

Though I’m happy to see the status quo maintained momentarily, I can’t help but think there’s something to the whole fan voting thing. Dale Jr. fan or not, at least you have some say in who gets that last slot into the show.

NASCAR runs the All-Star race as an exhibition for the fans, but the fans don’t have much of a voice. I think there’s a strong case to be made for changing that.

Consider the fan involvement of some other major sporting bodies’ All Star games. Major League Baseball allows fans to select 17 of 66 players for its All Star game rosters and the National Basketball Association lets fans choose the starting players for both teams in its All Star game. Now isn’t that the way it should be?

I don’t think fans should a say over the entire field for the All-Star race, but I think it’s important for them to have a greater voice. Readjusting the selection format to more closely mirror that of other sporting bodies would also eliminate the constant need to adjust the process so there’s a decent field – or, so your most popular drivers are in the field.

So I’m happy things are staying the same for the moment, but realize there needs to be a better, more permanent solution for selecting our All-Stars. I’m not holding my breath though. What do you think?

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Leading up to the start of the season, NASCAR officially announced last week who is eligible for the 2011 Budweiser Shootout.  In case you didn’t see, the entry list will consist of the 12 Chase drivers, past champions, past Daytona (500 & 400) winners, and the ten most recent rookies of the year.  The announcement has caused quite a bit of discussion, especially since some not so big name drivers can compete.  It got me wondering, do you actually enjoy and look forward to races like the Bud Shootout and Sprint All Star race?

The Bud Shootout (and previously the Busch Clash) was originally intended for only pole winners from the past season and any past winners of the race.  It was always a good event, and was something that rewarded those pole winners.  But when Coors took over sponsorship of NASCAR’s pole award, the format of the race leading up to Speedweeks changed.  Since then, we’ve had so many different sets of eligibility rules, I couldn’t possibly remember them all, let alone list them here.  In essence though, what it has now become is a second All Star race.

Races like this can be fun, because with nothing on the line but a trophy and some money, often times drivers will take chances they wouldn’t normally take.  It also gives the eligible teams the chance to knock off a little rust before the season starts.  But they do create extra work, as cars must be built and prepared, and there is always a good chance that equipment will get torn up.

I do like the Shootout and the All Star race, for mostly the reasons I listed above.  The Shooutout is always fun too, because it means the season has officially arrived.  I just wish we could find an actual purpose for the race, similar to how it used to be.  Let it be a reward for a specific set of drivers, and not just some mish mash that turns it into another All Star event.  The confusion over the eligibility and the fact that it changes every year certainly takes something away from the race.

So, will you be watching?  Do you enjoy these races?  Do you like the current formats, or do you wish for the old days like me?

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