The 2015 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (XXXI) was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on May 16, 2015, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 110 laps, it was the second exhibition race of the 2015 Sprint Cup Series season.
Report
Background
Race winners from the previous season through the 2015 SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway, and all previous All-Star race winners and Sprint Cup champions who had attempted to qualify for every race in 2015 were eligible to compete in the All-Star Race. For the first time since the 2002 All-Star Race, the Sprint Showdown was split into multiple segments, with the winners of each 20-lap segment advancing to compete in the race, as well as the Sprint fan vote winner. The All-Star Race was 110 laps long, separated into five segments: four segments of 25 laps and a final segment of ten laps. A mandatory pit stop was between the final two segments, while pitting between the 25 lap segments was optional. A minimum of 20 drivers took part of the All-Star Race. Seventeen were automatically in the race while three got in via the Showdown. Kyle Busch, who was not expected to return to racing until Independence Day weekend at Daytona International Speedway, announced - via a video on Twitter - that he was coming back for the All-Star Race. Busch had been injured in a support series race in February and had missed the entire season up to that point.
Entry list
Sprint Showdown The entry list for the Sprint Showdown was released on Tuesday, May 12 at 10:04 a.m. Eastern time. Thirty drivers were entered for the race, but Travis Kvapil's entry was withdrawn before the race.
Driver Team Manufacturer 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 23 J. J. Yeley BK Racing Toyota 25 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26 Jeb Burton (R) BK Racing Toyota 30 Jeff Green The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 32 Mike Bliss Go FAS Racing Ford 33 Alex Kennedy (R) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 39 Travis Kvapil Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 40 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 55 David Ragan Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 62 Brendan Gaughan Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 66 Tanner Berryhill Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 83 Matt DiBenedetto (R) BK Racing Toyota 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing FordOfficial Sprint Showdown entry list Key Meaning (R) Rookie
Sprint All-Star Race The entry list for the All-Star Race was released that same day at 11:03 a.m. Seventeen cars were automatically entered for the race. Jeff Gordon started his 22nd and final All-Star Race.
Driver Team Manufacturer 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletOfficial Sprint All-Star Race entry list
Practice
Sprint Showdown practice Austin Dillon was the fastest in the lone Sprint Showdown practice session with a time of 28.528 and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.528 189.288 2 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.585 188.910 3 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 28.602 188.798Official Sprint Showdown practice results
All-Star Race practice Kyle Busch, in his first race since breaking both his right leg and left foot at Daytona in February, was the fastest in the lone Sprint All-Star Race practice session with a time of 28.589 and a speed of . "I was excited to get back in here, see my guys and get the taste of all that again," Busch said. "Everything went according to plan and we had some decent speed in race trim. We're excited and hopefully, we can see that speed again tomorrow night."
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.589 188.884 2 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.663 188.396 3 4 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 28.684 188.258Official Sprint All-Star Race practice results
Qualifying (Showdown)
Paul Menard won the pole for the Sprint Showdown with a time of 28.470 and a speed of .
Qualifying results (Showdown) Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 1 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.434 28.470 2 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.427 28.472 3 55 David Ragan Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.595 28.564 4 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.682 28.678 5 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.777 28.697 6 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.694 28.708 7 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 28.563 28.715 8 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.533 28.724 9 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 28.633 28.880 10 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 28.773 28.895 11 25 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.712 28.982 12 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.521 28.996 13 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.777 — 14 51 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 28.817 — 15 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.857 — 16 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 28.970 — 17 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.997 — 18 32 Mike Bliss Go FAS Racing Ford 29.124 — 19 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Ford 29.164 — 20 40 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 29.191 — 21 83 Matt DiBenedetto (R) BK Racing Toyota 29.208 — 22 26 Jeb Burton (R) BK Racing Toyota 29.239 — 23 35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 29.258 — 24 23 J. J. Yeley BK Racing Toyota 29.561 — 25 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 29.753 — 26 30 Jeff Green The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 29.779 — 27 62 Brendan Gaughan Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 30.122 — 28 33 Alex Kennedy (R) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 30.124 — 29 66 Tanner Berryhill (R) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 30.495 —Withdrew WD 39 Travis Kvapil Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet — —Official Sprint Showdown qualifying results
Sprint Showdown
Segment One The race was scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m., but started at 7:25 p.m. when Paul Menard led the field to the green flag. He didn't get a good start and Greg Biffle easily took the lead. Biffle pulled away from the field on his way to winning the first segment with relative ease. The first caution of the race flew on lap 21 to end the segment. Clint Bowyer assumed the lead with Biffle advancing to the All-Star Race. He lost the lead, however, on pit road to David Ragan.
Segment Two Martin Truex Jr. jumped to the lead with 20 laps to go on the restart. The second caution of the race flew for a one car spin in turn 4. Exiting 4, J. J. Yeley got loose and spun through the grass on the front stretch. Unlike in the first segment, only green flag laps count. Only one car opted to pit under the caution.
The race restarted with 18 laps to go. Kyle Larson matched Truex the whole lap to take the lead off of turn 4. Clint Bowyer went three-wide for the lead with 16 laps to go. Larson got tapped by Sam Hornish Jr. in 3 and about tagged the wall in 4. He saved it, but brought the car down pit with eight laps to go and ending his chance of advancing to the All-Star Race. It was ultimately Clint Bowyer who would win to advance to the All-Star Race. Danica Patrick won the fan vote to advance to the All-Star Race. “I have great fans," Patrick said in a press release. "I know I didn’t make it in last year, but I heard that they voted even more last year than the year before that and so I’m sure that this year was nothing different. I think I got close at the end and they came through. They always come through. I am lucky to have such great fans."
Results
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Segment 1 2 1 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 2 1 40 2 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 3 2 40 3 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 7 3 40 4 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 14 4 40 5 25 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 8 5 40 6 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 6 40 7 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 17 7 40 8 51 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 12 8 40 9 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 10 9 40 10 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 11 10 40 11 55 David Ragan Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 5 11 40 12 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 13 12 40 13 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 18 13 40 14 35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 21 14 40 15 83 Matt DiBenedetto (R) BK Racing Toyota 19 15 40 16 26 Jeb Burton (R) BK Racing Toyota 23 16 40 17 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Ford 17 40 40 18 23 J. J. Yeley BK Racing Toyota 22 18 40 19 30 Jeff Green The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 24 19 40 20 33 Alex Kennedy (R) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 25 20 40 21 66 Tanner Berryhill (R) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 27 21 38 22 62 Brendan Gaughan Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 26 22 38 23 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 9 23 39 24 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 6 24 38 25 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 28 26 34 26 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 15 26 22 27 40 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 16 27 20 28 32 Mike Bliss Go FAS Racing Ford 29 28 6 29 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 1 DNS 20
Qualifying (All-Star Race) Denny Hamlin won the pole for the All-Star Race with a cumulative time of 1:51.227 and a speed of . Like the Kansas race the previous week, the qualifying session started on Fox News Channel, due to a Major League Baseball game running long, the qualifying session went on Fox Sports 1 13 minutes later.
All-Star Race qualifying results