January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
All-star race is for the fans
Nobody knows that better than Kasey Kahne.
Kahne became the first driver voted into the All-Star Race field to win the event, when he took home the $1 million first prize last year, thrilling the legion of fans who helped get him in the field.
"To get voted in by the fans - it wasn't against all the drivers, but it was against a good group of drivers that weren't in the race - that felt good," said Kahne, who now receives an automatic entry in the event each year as a former winner.
"It was kind of a turning point to our season last year, as far as excitement and momentum and confidence between myself and the team. We went on to win the 600 and win at Pocono. It got us on a roll."
Kahne said he didn't give much thought to the fan vote because he honestly believed he had a chance to race his way into the all-star field through the Sprint Showdown preliminary race.
"It ended up that we couldn't do that. But I had the fan vote in the back of my mind and in previous years I would always wonder, 'Who will the fans put in?' " he said.
"When the time came, I hoped we had the fans that it took to get us in."
Bigger fan role
Race fans will be offered an even greater role in Saturday night's edition of the race.
Sprint will broadcast the pre-race drivers meeting (audio only) on the phone and on its Sprint FanView devices, providing fans the first opportunity in NASCAR's 61-year history to listen to a complete drivers meeting.
With a guaranteed entry in the field this year, Kahne is hoping for another springboard to success. In his brief five-plus season Cup career, Lowe's Motor Speedway has been his most productive track.
Three of his nine Cup wins have come at the track, including a sweep of both Cup races in 2006. He almost replicated the feat last year, finishing second in the October race after winning the 600 in May.
Even with the all-star win coupled with victories in the 600 and at Pocono last year, Kahne failed to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the second consecutive season. He finished 14th in series points.
So far this season, Kahne is again off to a slow start, with two top-10 finishes in the first 11 races. He is 16th in the series standings.
As he prepares to defend his title on the 25th anniversary of Lowe's hosting the all-star race, Kahne said the circumstances of his win last season left him with a fresh perspective on the weekend ahead.
"The fans - that's what I think this weekend is all about," he said. "There were some people who didn't like us winning it and thought it was wrong. But it's not a points race. It has nothing to do with points.
"All it is, is about putting on a show for the fans, having fun and winning money at the end of it. That's all that Charlotte does. They wouldn't have a 10-lap shootout at the end if this race wasn't for the fans.
"So, I say bring the fans, let them be part of it."
Take it from one who knows first-hand the benefits it can produce.[[In-content Ad]]
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