The Sprint Showdown is the perfect appetizer to the perfect all-star event. Just look at the names on the entry list: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Martin Truex Jr., AJ Allmendinger, Brian Vickers, Joey Logano. In the annual NASCARMedia.com preseason poll, all of the above names were either selected to make this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup or contend for a berth. Stakes are high in this short  and thrilling  event. The winner and runner-up will each earn a spot in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The current preliminary entry list shows 28 cars entered. The format: two 20-lap segments. Only green-flag laps will count in the second segment. There’s another piece to watch. In actuality, three drivers participating in the Sprint Showdown will move onto the all-star race. The third comes from the Sprint Fan Vote. Here’s the catch with that one: The Fan Vote winner must finish on the lead lap of the Sprint Showdown. In 2008, Kasey Kahne won the Sprint Fan Vote, and went on to win the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. He is the only driver to accomplish the feat.(NASCAR)(5-19-2011)
