Studs and Duds: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
It was a crazy weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where intermittent rains resulted in three races being run in one day, with Joey Logano the big winner in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
Here's the weekend's list of studs and duds:
STUD: KYLE LARSON -- Without question, the star of the show on Saturday was Larson, who made a bold move to win the third and final segment of the Sprint Showdown and nearly won the All-Star race, too.
DUD: MATT KENSETH -- By not making a green-flag pit stop in the first segment, as the rules require, Kenseth inadvertently triggered a confusing scoring mess that left everyone with a huge case of WTH?
STUD: TREVOR BAYNE -- The most impressive move of the weekend came when Bayne split Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott, going three-wide to win the first segment of the Showdown. Bayne went on to finish a decent seventh in the All-Star race.
DUD: HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS-- Sure, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished a respectable third. But at its home track and in a race where the team has eight past victories, Hendrick Motorsports' four drivers failed to lead even a single lap.
STUD: TEAM PENSKE -- In a year so far dominated by Joe Gibbs Racing, the Penske Fords of Logano and Brad Keselowski finished 1-2, combining to lead 51 of 113 laps in the big event. You can't do better than sweeping the top two spots.
DUD: THE FORMAT-- Let's be honest here: The racing in the All-Star event was the best it's been in years, with a thrilling battle between Logano and Larson to determine the winner. But the format left fans and drivers alike confused, angry and utterly baffled.
