Beyond the Flag
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Fans Confused Over NASCAR All-Star Race Format

By Alex Herbst

May 21, 2016; Concord, NC, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) gets past the collision between Tony Stewart (14) and Kasey Kahne (5) during the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
May 21, 2016; Concord, NC, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) gets past the collision between Tony Stewart (14) and Kasey Kahne (5) during the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /
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Were you confused about the new rules during the 2016 NASCAR All-Star Race? Well, you were not alone.

The eyes of the American motorsports world turned to NASCAR on a Saturday night for the Sprint All-Star Race, a race where almost anything goes. And with new rules in place for the 2016 edition of the NASCAR All-Star race, would there be more excitement or just sheer confusion that fans would experience. It turns out, it would be a bit of both by the end of the day.

On a weekend where rain already wreaked havoc on NASCAR’s schedule of events, it wasn’t long before some fans turned to social media to question priorities in the control tower. In all fairness to NASCAR, however, the downpours of rain put a stop to qualifying, and time would not allow for that session to be delayed.

Of course, qualifying was not the only reason people were tuning in to FS1 on Saturday night. There was a race to be run for one million dollars. But the rules even at the start seemed hazy to some…

The drama on social media only ratcheted up more following the confusion around Matt Kenseth’s pit stop and a caution flag jumbling up the grid:

But even after that confusion was over and the wreck involving many cars cleaned up, fans continued with their frustration with the new format for 2016, even with the random draw at the end of the second segment, meant to create varying tire strategies:

At the end of the night, while the final thirteen laps created some thrilling racing, and a close battle for the win (ultimately won by Joey Logano), there were certainly signs on Twitter saying that fans may be calling for another new format in 2017:

Even though the race may have been confusing for some, the racing action that was seen on the track was praised, with many thanks going to NASCAR’s new lower downforce package:

Related Story: NASCAR: Drivers Confused Over All-Star Format

What did you think of this years NASCAR All-Star race format? What would you change? What would you keep the same? Give us your ideal format for the all-star race here in our comments section or on social media. You can follow us on Twitter at @Beyond_The_Flag.

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