Nascar's All-Star Event.

Football has it's Pro Bowl. Baseball and Basketball it's All-Star Games. In May, on the the weekend preceding the Coca-Cola 600, Lowe's Motor Speedway hosts the made-for-show All-Star $2 Million dollar showdown for Winston Cup's elite.

To be invited as one of the twenty participants and have a chance of winning the $500,000 first place prize, a driver must meet the following criteria:

• Driver or current driver of car owners who have won races in the current year or preceding year

• Active Driver who has won a Winston Cup Championship

• A Winston winner from the previous five years

• The Winner of the Winston Open (30 lap preliminary race that includes all other active drivers.)

• The winner of the No Bull Sprint (Remaining lead lap cars of the Winston Open in a 16 lap Sprint race)

This year's Winston, its 16th running, was a direct descendant of the most traditional form of stock car racing. Hell-bent, all-out, sparks flying, tire rubbing, slam-bam short sprints Saturday night racing. The Winston is only 70 laps, 105 miles, raced in three segments. Two 30 lappers, where the top twelve finishers may or may not be inverted at the conclusion of the first segment, followed by a ten lap shootout. This year the field was inverted, and Bill Elliot won both segments.

Each year, H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president of Lowe's Motor Speedway predicts a winner. He has been right 8 times in the past 12 years. This year, "Humpy" stated he may be going out on a limb, but he predicted rookie contender, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. as the man to beat. Wheeler stated before the race. "The Winston is the type of race that was made for Earnhardt Jr. It's a no-holds barred stand-on-the-gas race that fits perfectly with his mentality and his driving style."

Little "E" did not disappoint Humpy, or the 170,000 fans attending the wild event.