1. The NASCAR All-Star Race Is the Best All-Star Event of Any Sports League
The concept of an all-star game is one that’s familiar to any North American sports fan and seems like a no-brainer. Who wouldn’t enjoy seeing the very best of the best compete against each other all in one place?
In reality, all-star games have been the bane of the biggest leagues’ existence for some time. The leagues love the idea of them because of the money and attention involved. But for significant and understandable reasons, none of the athletes selected really want to play in them, primarily because there’s a risk of serious injury in a game that doesn’t even count.
As a result, several all-star games have evolved into logical, but depressing forms. NFL stars play touch football and the NHL’s best skate 3-on-3. The NBA plays a weird parody with scores that are double that of a normal game. Only the MLB All-Star Game resembles an actual honest-to-goodness contest that just happens to feature the greatest players from every team.
Consider all of this the next time you question the existence of the NASCAR All-Star Race, because as silly as it seems on the surface to have a non-points race in the middle of the season, it’s not any more ridiculous than what any other major sports league puts on. And on top of that, NASCAR uses its midseason showcase in ways that no other major sport is trying.
Namely, the All-Star Race is a testing ground for rules and procedures that often work their way into regular season races down the road. Race-long double-file restarts and the choose rule are just two examples, and the choice between option and prime tires in the 2024 edition was the latest experiment.
MLB uses the minor leagues to do similar evaluations of new rules, and as noted, the NFL and NHL can’t use their all-star games to tinker because they aren’t close enough to the real thing. NASCAR can and does make the best possible use of its event, trying out new things and even visiting tracks that don’t host points-paying races.
Put more simply, the All-Star Race has a purpose, and that not only makes it unique, it more than makes up for any and all hand-wringing about the format, field or venue.
2. You Won’t See Fists Flying at Any Other All-Star Event
Not to pick on the NBA, but it’s useful to highlight another positive, if seemingly counterintuitive aspect of the NASCAR All-Star Race. The NBA could have an all-star game…
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