FanHouse SprintAllStarRace

Chalk this one up as a homage to those nitwit NASCAR conspiracy theorists who think every race has a predetermined outcome, that Dale Earnhardt Jr. always gets the biggest restrictor plate and that every good racing story is a carefully scripted work of Daytona Beach's France & Family.

Yep, Lowe's Motor Speedway announced Friday that Hall of Fame wrestler Ric Flair will not only be on hand for the Sprint All-Star Race pre-race activities, but he'll serve as "honorary race director".

Somebody cue the black helicopters.

The Sprint Cup Series wrapped its two-day test session at Lowe's Motor Speedway Tuesday night, and apparently Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended it with a bang.

Driver No. 88 hit the wall hard enough to prevent the damage from being repaired and further participation in the session for the Hendrick Motorsports driver. These was no word on whether Kyle Busch was involved. Grin.

Jamie McMurray paced Tuesday's finish session, but it was Dodge's Elliott Sadler taking fastest lap honors after running a lap of 186.245mph during the Monday night session.

In comparison, the pole speed for last year's Coca-Cola 600 was 185.312mph by Ryan Newman.

Teams were given a choice of six sessions -- three per day -- to test in with each team only allowed a maximum of four sessions. It appears that many teams opted not to test in the 9am-12pm session each day, as only 10 cars hit the track early on Monday and 13 on Tuesday.

I know I've said it before, but I've got to commend NASCAR on giving teams this extra test session. For the good of the sport, at least, teams are going to have a better idea on what they can throw at a race car.

Lowe's Motor Speedway President Humpy Wheeler wanted to add some spice similar to baseball's home run derby to NASCAR's all-star weekend in May at the track.

Consider that mission accomplished.

Wheeler and Clint Bowyer, who managed to hit the pit wall during a demonstration with a Richard Petty Driving School car, announced today that the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will feature a prerace burnout contest.

The festivities started Tuesday, when Wheeler and his staff recruited Bowyer to introduce a new feature to the All-Star race. NASCAR will now showcase a "burnout" competition, in which five drivers will showcase their victory celebrations by spinning their tires, doing two doughnuts and finally slide into Victory Lane in an event scheduled to precede the May 17th race.

Bowyer, who already has agreed to participate in the competition, had planned to demonstrate a burnout for the assembled media in a car loaned to him by the Richard Petty Driving Experience. But he wrecked the car as he returned to pit road.

"It was practice, man," joked Bowyer. "That's what you're here for - to see what to do and what not to do. I had a little disagreement with the wall. It didn't work out so good."

So we know Bowyer will be in the event, but if you were picking, who's filling the four remaining spots?

Kevin Harvick? Kyle Busch? What about a special appearance by NHRA driver John Force?

Regardless, I'm going to be tuning in for it.

It's not too often that NASCAR will change the course of its previously set direction, so Tuesday should be celebrated.

The sanctioning body announced today that it will indeed take up the opportunity Lowe's Motor Speedway has granted to test at the 1.5-mile track on May 5 & 6. Originally, Concord, N.C.-based LMS wasn't on the master plan for the Cup Series to have an official test at the track.

According to the presser, many drivers and teams campaigned heavily for the track time at the venue that is a virtually a hometown to every Sprint Cup team at Phoenix over the weekend:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR announced today the addition of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test session May 5-6 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. On May 5 practice times are set from 9 a.m. – 12 noon; 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.; and 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. On May 6 practice times are set from 9 a.m. – 12 noon and 1 p.m. – 5p.m. Teams may test a maximum of four of those five practice segments. NASCAR visited with the teams this past weekend at Phoenix about the possibility of adding a test to further prepare for the remaining 17 events the series has at intermediate tracks the rest of the season, including next month's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"We received input from the teams last weekend at Phoenix and a vast majority of them were receptive to adding a test next month at Lowe's," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition"

It's a step in the right direction, if nothing else, to help get teams and drivers better acquainted with the next-generation race car, and in turn, to make the racing better.

Kudos, NASCAR.