All Star and Showdown Race Review
On the restart things get a little hairy between the Busch brothers as Kurt gets out front in turns one and two before on the back straightaway Kyle gets ahead and pulls in front of Kurt. However going into turn three Kurt dives down the inside and Kyle tries to push him down the track but it doesn’t work and Kyle bangs into Kurt and slides back up the track. Right behind them Bowyer takes advantage of this and takes to the bottom of the track to take the lead and Edwards comes alongside Kurt for third place. With every place crucial for the final round of pit stops there are battles going on up and down the field and even between team mates as Johnson almost takes out team-mate Kahne as they battle for 6th. Johnson has been on fire in this section as he started in 16th place but has managed to find some fast lines, and as last years winner can never be written off.
May 18, 2013; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Clint Bowyer (15) , Kyle Busch (18) and Carl Edwards (99) during the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
A few laps later the third caution comes out when Mark Martin is sent spinning by Stenhouse Jr who bounces off the wall and straight into the side of the 55. As with earlier the leaders stay out while the cars from 9th back come in for fresh tyres. At the restart Edwards again gives leader Bowyer a push and briefly puts the 15 back in the lead before the 18 is able to make a move on the bottom line and lead the field. Behind him Kurt gets by Edwards for third and Kahne and Johnson resume their battle for 5th. However the 78 is running as well this segment as it did the first one and Edwards is able to close the gap down and make a move to snatch third. But there is no doubting who is the fastest car in this 20 laps as out front by over a second is Kyle Busch and he will be the winner of the second segment as the fourth caution comes out.
This time the leaders do come to pit row but three cars gamble that their old tyres still have enough life left in them as Bowyer, Edwards and Martin all stay out. A great stop by Dale Earnhardt Jr sees him narrowly miss out on winning the race off pit row to Kyle Busch but nevertheless will restart in fifth after entering pit row in tenth. Almost immediately on the restart the 55 goes backwards with his old tyres just not having the grip left in them that the team would have hoped for while Bowyer and Edwards battle for the lead. It is a short-lived battle as Edwards is the next car for his tyres to give up as he too falls back through the field. A lap later Busch comes up on Bowyer and the two run door to door with Johnson getting right up behind the 15. Johnson gets too close and has to lift before he hits Bowyer which gives Kurt Busch the chance to take third away from the 48. Finally it is Bowyer’s turn for his tyres to give up and he quickly gets passed by both Busch’s, Johnson and a few more as the 15 falls back to ninth.
May 18, 2013; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) comes in for a pit stop during the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Up front the 18 gets loose but Kyle is able to stop the car hitting the wall, although it does allow Kurt to close the gap down but the 78 still isn’t close enough to challenge for the lead. A few places back Kahne has caught the battle for fourth between Earnhardt Jr and Joey Logano but as we have seen all too often with the 5 car once he has caught another car he just cannot find a way by. Johnson tries to get second with a run on the inside on the 78 but Kurt is amazingly fast on the high line and despite getting the 48’s nose in front into the corners Busch gets such good drive off the turns that he is just able to keep Johnson at bay. So as the sixth caution comes out for the end of the third segment Kyle is in the lead from Kurt, Johnson, Earnhardt Jr and Logano.