That is the only mainstay of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, the non-points event for recent winners in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (2011-2012), as well as past All-Star Race victors and former series champions held annually at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

This year’s edition totals 90 laps around the 1.5-mile oval, and it’s broken into four, 20 lap segments and then a final 10-lap shootout that’s kicked-off by a pit stop where teams will need to decide if they want to take fuel only or grab two or four fresh tires.

Ask Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/National Wild Turkey Federation Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), if he’s familiar with any of the various tweaks to the 28-year-old event, such as the winners of the first four segments being guaranteed to enter the pits in the top-four starting spots prior to the 10-lap dash to the finish (provided their cars are on the lead lap), and he’ll simply shrug his shoulders and say, “Suuurrrrrrrrrrre.” The format is of little matter to Stewart, for as long as there’s a checkered flag at the end, he knows what to do, as evidenced by his win in the 2009 All-Star Race.

Stewart led only once for two laps in that event, but they were the most important ones. He paced the final two circuits after getting by Matt Kenseth for the lead on lap 98 of the 100-lap contest. Stewart’s margin of victory over the 2003 Sprint Cup champion was .971 of a second.

It was Stewart’s first victory as a driver/owner with SHR, the team he co-owns with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation, the largest CNC machine tool builder in the western world. The win made Stewart the first driver/owner to win a Sprint Cup-sanctioned event since Ricky Rudd won a point-paying race in October 1998 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. It was also the first All-Star Race win for Stewart, who had six top-10 finishes in 10 previous starts in the event. Stewart became the second driver/owner to win the All-Star Race, joining Geoff Bodine, who accomplished the feat in 1994.

The victory was Stewart’s first in 11 tries, and the soon-to-be-41-year-old – his birthday is May 20 – has been a part of the All-Star Race since his rookie year in 1999. Way back in what used to be known as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Stewart advanced into The Winston – the event we currently call the All-Star Race – by winning The Winston Open (now known as the Sprint Showdown). Stewart used the promotion for all it was worth, as he came from his last-place starting spot to finish second to winner Terry Labonte.

Since Stewart has won at least one race in every season he’s competed in the Sprint Cup Series, he’s always been a member of the elite All-Star Race. Back in the All-Star Race for a 14^th straight season, Stewart is looking to grab another All-Star win and pick up his fourth NASCAR-sanctioned checkered flag to add to the ones he earned in the Gatorade Duel at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

For obvious reasons, a win would be ideal. But if victory isn’t in the cards, 90 laps of track time at night is a precious commodity.

NASCAR has a testing ban at all tracks that host its top-three national touring series – Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck. As such, time on the track in actual race conditions is impossible to come by, with the lone exception being Saturday night’s All-Star Race.

While winning is at the forefront of each driver’s mind, gaining valuable information for how their car will react in the following weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 is just as important. With 400 laps being run on the same track, what’s learned in the All-Star Race’s 90 laps is applicable to what drivers will face in the longest race on the Sprint Cup schedule.

The All-Star Race literally provides a win-win scenario for drivers and their teams. The drivers get to vie for a $1 million victory with no points on the line, and the teams they’re racing for get a sneak peek at what they’ll experience in one of the biggest races of the Memorial Day weekend.

For Stewart and his No. 14 team, they’re going all in to this year’s All-Star Race, all over again.

TONY STEWART, Driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/National Wild Turkey Federation Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Are you familiar with the format of this year’s All-Star Race?

“It’s not hard to figure out. I know that it’s a no-holds-barred 90 laps and you could swear that we’re short-track racing on a big mile-and-a-half track.

“It doesn’t matter to me what they do with the format. Whatever it is, the goal is still to win it. So, whether it’s 10 laps, 40 laps, two-tire pit stop, four-tire pit stop – it doesn’t matter to us. The important thing is that it puts on a good show for our fans. At the same time, you’ll figure it out. Whatever the format is, these teams figure out what’s the best way to accomplish that goal.

“I like the individual segments. I think it’s going to add a lot of excitement. I think it’s going to make it to where the class of the field will be up front where they belong. And, those four guys that win those four segments will be the four guys to watch at the end of this thing. It’s going to put an emphasis on each segment on trying to get into those first two rows.”

Because the All-Star Race is a non-points event, does it take on the same kind of importance as a regular, point-paying race?

“It’s an event for the fans and that’s something that’s very important to us, but there’s a lot of bragging rights, too. Charlotte is an area where 95 percent of the Cup teams are based, so when you go there, you want to run well. You’re able to have guys come from the shop that don’t get a chance to travel. They don’t get a chance to come to the racetrack very often and see the fruits of their labor, so for them to come to the All-Star Race and see their cars run, especially when you have a good night, it really pumps up your organization. You do it for your fans, but at the same time, you do it for your organization and your team. That’s why the All-Star Race is important.”

The 2009 season was your 11^th in Sprint Cup, but your first as a driver/owner. How much of your win in the All-Star race was a sense of relief and how much of it was a sense of exhilaration?

“Well, we’d been running well before the All-Star Race, but I don’t think any of us had an expectation of when we thought we’d win a race. I felt in my heart that the team was capable of winning a race in the first year at some point, but I never would’ve dreamed it was going to be one of the biggest races of the year, especially in our backyard. I think that’s really what made it so big – that it happened much sooner than a lot of people anticipated. There were a lot of people that didn’t know what to think about what we were trying to do. I think it really sent a message about how dedicated our organization is to being successful. It kind of quieted a lot of the naysayers and a lot of people that were on the fence trying to decide if I’d made a good decision or not (to become a team owner). I think standing there on the stage and getting the check was a pretty good statement.”

What stood out the most about your win in the All-Star Race?

“Probably the best part was the fact that it was the first chance that Gene (Haas) had gotten to come and watch the team run. For him to come to the track and the first night out, go to victory lane – that was a pretty cool welcome back party for him. That made it a huge night for the organization to be able to have everybody there and not feel like somebody got left out. Everybody was there and present for it. Guys that don’t get a chance to come to the track, get to come to the track that weekend. So, it was cool to get guys in victory lane for the first time.”

What’s the best thing about winning the All-Star Race?

“Well, the greatest thing about it is, if you win the thing from a car owner’s standpoint, which I know very well, now, it’s a great way to pay bills. It helps that out quite a bit. This weekend’s a fun event. It’s not a typical Cup race, by any means. The format is strictly set up for an exciting finish for the fans. It’s cool. It’s a big deal when we come to Charlotte and it’s not because of anything more than the fact that the guys who work at the shop everyday and don’t get a chance to go to the racetrack, they get a chance to go to Charlotte. They get to come see their racecars that they work on during the week. Instead of just watching them on TV, they get to be there, they get to see what the road crews are doing, and they get to be there first-hand. And that’s a big sense of pride if you have a good night. And to be able to celebrate with guys who never get to go to the track, if you can win a race at Charlotte, it’s big. This weekend, we’re racing for $1 million. That’s definitely nothing to pass off lightly.”

Can the All-Star Race be used as a test session for the Coca-Cola 600?

“Absolutely. It always is. If your car is driving well, you’re running for $1 million. But if your car isn’t driving well, you’re learning from that and applying it to the 600 instead. I’ve always looked at it as however your car is driving in the All-Star Race is relatively true to how your car is going to drive in the 600. It’s a really good test because it’s really the only time we have to run at night in race conditions.

“At the same time, the style of racing is very different. Guys that run well in the All-Star Race will run well in the Coke 600, but they’re not going to beat and bang like they might in the All-Star Race.”

TONY STEWART’S NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE PERFORMANCE PROFILE

It takes a flawless performance from an ensemble cast (the driver and the pit crew), and it even takes a little help from the extras (the other competitors on the racetrack and their respective pit crews) to capture the victory and bring home the top prize.

It was 10 years ago Friday night that Ryan Newman and his team had an impressive performance at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, when they earned the title of NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winners.

The year was 2002 and it was Newman, the eventual Rookie of the Year winner, and his No. 12 Penske Racing team who earned their first-ever victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ranks, although it came in the non-points-paying All-Star Race.

On that night, Newman wasn’t even qualified in the main event at the start of the night but raced his way into the main event, which was then called The Winston, by winning the 16-lap No-Bull Sprint.

After that already amazing feat, Newman and his rookie team had nothing to lose. After all, they weren’t even supposed to be part of the show. The team strategized, Newman was able to drive his race, and he benefited when fans voted to invert the field for the final 20 laps. He took the lead with 17 laps to go and never looked back.

With that win, Newman and his team proved that a new kid on the circuit had what it took to come out on top. He became only the second rookie in series history to win the All-Star Race.

This weekend, the South Bend, Ind., native and now-Sprint Cup veteran is ready to earn his second All-Star title.

So far this season, Newman has one win, two top-five finishes and three top-10s. He currently sits 14th in points. And after disappointing finishes in the last few races, Newman & Company are looking forward to a chance to regroup at this Saturday night’s non-points-paying event.

Unlike any other race, the All-Star Race is about the fame, the glory and a cool $1 million. And with no points on the line, Newman and his crew can go off-script, using their improvisation skills to really do what it takes to earn that top prize in this unique event.

After all, as Newman says, this race is all about winning or bringing home nothing but the steering wheel.

So, for Newman and his No. 39 Tornados Chevy team for Stewart-Haas Racing, this weekend’s All-Star Race is a chance to showcase their skills and prove their performance is worthy.

And if things work out for Newman, he’ll be able to hoist the trophy and perhaps even earn the praises of one of his favorite TV personalities – Joan Rivers, most recently of Oscar Night Red Carpet fame – for his bold moves and stylish performance while on NASCAR’s version of the Red Carpet – victory lane at the Sprint All-Star Race.

RYAN NEWMAN, Driver of the No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What makes the All-Star Race so different from any other race?

“When push comes to shove in the All-Star Race on Saturday night, you do what you have to do to win. This race is about the glory and the big prize. There are no points on the line so, the way I see it, you want to either win it or bring back just the steering wheel in your hands, knowing you did everything you could to be the best of the best that night.”

What is it about the All-Star Race that you like so much as a driver?

“I think one of the coolest things about the All-Star Race for us is that it’s a short race. It’s kind of like the races we all grew up racing. It’s a make your move and make it now kind of thing. It’s a unique layout, and to me that’s what makes it fun. You have the different segments and the rules, and the strategy changes each and every lap. The All-Star Race is huge in our eyes because it’s the All-Star Race, and it’s in our backyard, everybody’s backyard. It’s all about bragging rights. We’re all about beating each other at our own game at our home field, I guess you would say. It’s definitely a challenging race but it’s a lot of fun. Everyone wants to come out on top not just for the $1 million, but also for the bragging rights. ”

This weekend, so much focus is put on the pit crews of each team. There’s the pit crew competition on Thursday night and then, on Friday night, the pit crew is actually part of qualifying because it has to perform a four-tire stop. Talk about what that means.

“So much emphasis in this sport is put on the driver, but what people don’t understand is that this is truly a team sport. How well our pit crews do in the pits for any given stop can truly make or break us during the course of the race. I rely on them to get me out of the pits quickly, and they rely on me to be solid on the racetrack. I really like the format for qualifying because it shows the importance of the entire team, and it really puts our guys in the spotlight. I know it would mean a lot to them to win the pit crew challenge on Thursday, or for us to get the pole on Friday night.”

In 2002, you got your first-ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in the non-points-paying All-Star Race. Talk a little bit about that All-Star win and what it meant to you.

“Honestly, until I won the Daytona 500 in 2008, the win in the All-Star Race was my greatest win, I thought, as a driver and as a team. What we did and what we achieved that night, it’s all for the glory. Obviously, there’s some money on the line, but you’re in your own backyard and you’re in everybody’s backyard. When you win on the home field and it’s the race that’s the All-Star Race, it meant a lot to me. We weren’t even expected to be in it and that’s why it was even sweeter, yet, because we had to race our way in. I mean, we raced our way into the race and got the invert and walked away with it for a while, there. It was a close finish at the end, with (Dale) Earnhardt Jr. It was just a great team victory and that’s what we’re here for as a team and as an organization – to put those events together – and it always doesn’t happen like that. In an All-Star Race, it’s that much more pride.”

What is your favorite moment at Charlotte Motor Speedway?

“My All-Star win was really my only one. I won an ARCA race there. We led every lap. And I won a Nationwide race there. That was a lot of fun. But the All-Star Race, when we raced our way into the race and then started last, made the cut, then got the invert and had a fast racecar, that was really cool because nobody expected us to even be in the race. When you race your way in then beat the best, in my opinion, that was a true All-Star moment.”

I think people would be surprised to know that you like Joan Rivers. Is that true?

“Oh yeah. I watch that show, ‘Fashion Police.’ I think she is hysterical. I sit there and just laugh. She’s bold, she’s brash. I love that she says exactly what’s on her mind, and she doesn’t hold back.”

RYAN NEWMAN’S NASCAR SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE PERFORMANCE PROFILE

NASCAR has also fined Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 51 car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, $50,000 and placed him on NASCAR probation until July 25 for his actions during the race.

Kurt Busch violated Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; reckless driving on pit road during the race; involved in an altercation with another competitor after the completion of the race) of the 2012 NASCAR Rule Book. Additionally, Craig Strickler, a crew member for the No. 51 team, has been fined $5,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for violating Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; interfering with a member of the broadcast media).

Eldora Speedway will once again play host to the all-star dirt Late Model race featuring more than 25 world renowned drivers as they battle for dirt supremacy on the half-mile clay oval where HBO Pay-Per-View® will present the event LIVE in high-definition to the entire nation. Net proceeds from the telecast will support Feed The Children, a U.S.-based charity that domestically has helped more than 365,000 families since 2009 through its Americans Feeding Americans Caravan.

The eighth annual Prelude To The Dream joins racing luminaries from all disciplines at one track, on one night as they pilot 2,300-pound dirt Late Model stock cars capable of putting out more than 800 horsepower. It is One Perfect Night.

Tony Kanaan of the IZOD IndyCar Series will again compete against Danica Patrick, who in 2012 has made the full transition from IndyCar to NASCAR. They’ll rub fenders with straight-liners Ron Capps and Cruz Pedregon of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Dirt regulars Steve Kinser and Donny Schatz, who have collectively won 24 World of Outlaws championships, will race for the first time in dirt Late Models. All will join NASCAR stars such as Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte and many others, including a band of brothers: the Busch brothers – Kurt and Kyle – and the Dillon brothers – Austin and Ty.

The live, commercial-free, high-definition broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT) with an immediate replay. The Prelude To The Dream has a suggested retail price of $24.95 and is available to more than 92 million pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming in the pay-per-view industry. Ordering information and up-to-the minute racing information is available at either www.PreludeToTheDream.org or www.HBO.com. Updates can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PreludeToDream and on Twitter at twitter.com/PreludeToDream (@PreludeToDream).

The 2012 edition of the Prelude To The Dream includes hot laps, qualifying, heat races and a 40-lap feature with double-file “shootout style” restarts. New participants include Patrick, Kinser, Schatz and Ty Dillon, who will join Stewart, Capps, Kenny Wallace and Kenny Schrader as drivers who have participated in every Prelude To The Dream since 2005, where Wallace was the inaugural winner.

“We have the most diverse group of drivers we’ve ever had for the Prelude, and for the first time, the Prelude will be broadcast in high-definition,” said Stewart, owner of Eldora Speedway and a three-time winner of the Prelude To The Dream. “This year’s event is going to be a can’t-miss show. We’ve added 10 laps to the feature and partnered with a great charity in Feed The Children. You’re going to see some intense racing by everyone, including some drivers completely out of their comfort zone. We’ll all be racing for a trophy, but also to make an impact with the more than 16 million children who are at risk of going hungry right here in America.”

For the top-10 finishers in the Prelude To The Dream, Feed The Children will send a food truck to each driver’s hometown or city of their choice.

“This is an excellent opportunity to bring attention to the nationwide problem of child hunger by working with these world-class drivers,” said Rick England, chairman, Feed The Children board of directors. “Their efforts will allow more families to put food on the table and help us provide a solution to those hard hit by the current economy.”

The seven previous Prelude To The Dream events have collectively raised more than $3.5 million. With each year’s event gaining significant stature and mainstream interest, Stewart’s ultimate goal is to have the 2012 Prelude To The Dream raise $1 million, with the proceeds benefitting Feed The Children.

“It’s an ambitious goal,” admits Stewart, “but if we don’t set the bar high, we’re not pushing ourselves the way we should. That’s our goal, and me and everybody else associated with this event is going to do everything we can to meet that goal. Now, we just need everyone out there to purchase the event, enjoy all the action going on at Eldora, and know that their dollars are going to a very worthy cause.”

“Each year we are thrilled to bring the exciting live action from Eldora into living rooms across the country,” said Tammy Ross, Vice President, HBO Pay-Per-View & Sports. “This year’s benefitting organization, Feed The Children charities’ mission is that no child should go to bed hungry, and the HBO Pay-Per-View team is thrilled to bring the Prelude To The Dream to fans everywhere to help further that mission.”

With no points and no pressure, the Prelude To The Dream is a throwback race, allowing drivers to step back in time and compete for the reasons they all went racing in the first place – pride and a trophy. And they’ll do it on the same surface racing legends A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti competed on nearly 50 years ago.

For those who want to see the Prelude To The Dream in person, tickets are available online at www.EldoraSpeedway.com or by calling the track office (937) 338-3815. Act fast – the race has sold out in previous years.

The third-place effort equaled Stewart’s best career Sprint Cup finish at the venerable 1.366-mile oval, as the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) finished third in the 2009 Southern 500.

“I broke the clutch with about 85 (laps) to go there,” said Stewart, who now has 11 top-10 finishes in 20 career Sprint Cup starts at Darlington. “Our guys did an awesome job of getting us out of the pits. It didn’t affect us on restarts. It just affected us on the pit stops. So once we got through with that last stop, we were fine.”

The last pit stop came on lap 301 while under caution when Stewart topped off with fuel. Crew chief Steve Addington knew that the balky clutch the team attempted to repair two laps earlier would not serve them well if they had to pit again. Going the rest of the race distance on fuel with no more pit stops was the team’s only hope of securing a strong finish, for the extended pit stop on lap 298 – when the team changed four tires, added fuel and inspected the transmission before pushing Stewart off pit road – dropped Stewart to 16th.

“We just got better as the night went on,” said Stewart, who rocketed up from eighth to fifth after a restart on lap 312. “We weren’t good enough to win the race, but track position was so important. The biggest thing was to get the track position when we could and just try to save the tires. I’m really proud of Steve Addington and all these guy on this Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy. They did an awesome job tonight.”

While Stewart may have felt he wasn’t good enough to win the race, he and the No. 14 team at least put themselves in position to win the race. Stewart lined up second next to eventual race winner Jimmie Johnson on the last restart as part of the green-white-checkered finish, which extended the race to 368 laps, one lap past its scheduled distance.

“The fuel pressure light was blinking when we got the one-to-go signal,” Stewart explained. “So, I had to go down to the apron. It caught on the backstretch, but then we got past the center of (turns) three and four and the pressure was down to 20 pounds again. It laid down all the way down the frontstretch and we lost second because of it. Still, pretty happy to come out of here with a third tonight.”

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 WIX Filters Chevrolet for SHR, finished 23rd.

SHR driver Danica Patrick finished 31st in just her second career Sprint Cup race. Patrick drives the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing via a collaborative agreement with SHR. Her next race as part of her 10-race Sprint Cup schedule for 2012 is the Coca-Cola 600 May 27 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

“I’m ecstatic with the results,” said Stewart of Patrick’s performance. “She ran good lap times tonight. There was a period of the race where she said her balance was at her best, she was within a 10th (of a second) of the leaders at that point in the race. Really, really proud of her. This is a hard place to learn. First time I came here, about the fourth time I crashed, I finally was glad they couldn’t fix it because I’d had enough for the night. I’m pretty proud as a car owner of what she did.”

Johnson’s Southern 500 win marked his 56th career Sprint Cup victory and his third at Darlington. It also brought Hendrick Motorsports its milestone 200th Sprint Cup win.

“Really proud of Rick Hendrick and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. They really deserve this 200th,” said Stewart from pit road as Johnson did burnouts on the frontstretch.

Denny Hamlin finished .781 of a second behind Johnson in the runner-up spot, while Stewart, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., rounded out the top-five. Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Marcos Ambrose and Joey Logano comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 38 laps, with seven drivers failing to finish.

With round 11 of 36 complete, Stewart leads the SHR contingent in the championship point standings. He is seventh with 369 points, 42 behind series leader Greg Biffle. Newman is 14th with 307 points, 104 out of first.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday, May 19 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The non-point-paying event begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by SPEED beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m. SPEED’s “RaceDay” will begin at 4 p.m.

Newman fought an ill-handling racecar for much of the evening but was still in pursuit of a top-15 result with five laps to go. However, an incident involving Newman, Kurt Busch and Aric Almirola pushed Newman back to 23rd once the checkered flag fell.

“We were chasing it for much of the night,” Newman said. “With that said, we were in good shape to finish 15th or so. But Busch spun in front of me coming around turn four, and when I checked up Almirola just got into the back of me. It’s unfortunate the night had to end that way.”

After starting fourth, Newman had his racecar go from being too tight to too loose to too tight throughout the race.

“For some reason, we couldn’t get the balance right,” Newman said. “We certainly tried a lot of things, but it seemed that when we got it good on one end of the track, the other end wasn’t good.”

At one point, just past halfway, Newman was two laps down to the leader, but he was able to grab the “Lucky Dog” and return to the lead lap where he rode until his late-race meeting with Busch and Almirola.

“We got ourselves back in position to mix it up a little with the guys up front,” Newman said. “But it all went bad there at the end. We’ll just try to get back to where we need to be the next couple of weeks in Charlotte.”

Newman’s teammate and team co-owner, Tony Stewart, finished third in the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala for SHR.

Jimmie Johnson won the Southern 500, marking the 56th Sprint Cup victory of his career and his third at Darlington. It also brought Hendrick Motorsports its milestone 200th Sprint Cup win.

Denny Hamlin finished .781 of second behind Johnson in the runner-up spot, while Stewart, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top-five. Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Marcos Ambrose and Joey Logano comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 38 laps, with seven drivers failing to finish the 368-lap race, which was extended one lap by a green-white-checkered finish.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race Saturday, May 19 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The non-point-paying event begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT, with live coverage provided by SPEED beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m. SPEED’s RaceDay” will begin at 4 p.m.

Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) via a collaborative agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), had never seen the 1.336-mile oval until last Thursday. But she had heard plenty of stories about the treacherous egg-shaped oval and its knack for being difficult for even the most veteran drivers.

The goals for her were to simply finish the race and log as many laps as possible in just her second Sprint Cup Series start. While she finished six laps behind the leaders, she exceeded even her own expectations.

“I know I didn’t have a great result,” Patrick said. “But I accomplished all the things I wanted to accomplish. Things went good on the Nationwide side. Here on the (Sprint) Cup side, my goals were to be respectable out there. I think I held my own all right. And the other one was to finish, and both of those things happened. So, overall, good night. I will be much less worried coming back to this place.

“I definitely got a feel for all the elements. Starts, restarts and pitting, and all that stuff. Just how to get runs on cars. What to do when the car feels a certain way. Which lines to take, and to accommodate for the car and how it feels. We started out really loose, and then we kind of struggled. Then it was really good when Zippy (Greg Zipadelli, crew chief) fixed it. Then it was kind of tight the rest of the night. Just me working with that. I’d rather be a little tight than loose, especially here at Darlington. I earned my stripes anyway. But anyway, good night for the whole GoDaddy crew. Appreciate everyone’s support, especially GoDaddy.”

Her race strategist, Greg Zipadelli, was happy with Patrick’s maiden voyage to Darlington.

“She did a great job,” Zipadelli said. “I was impressed with her all weekend. The goal was just to finish and get as many laps as she could, and she did that. She was great getting on and off pit road tonight and just overall did a really good job. I’m very pleased with how she did tonight. The more laps she gets, the better, and tonight was a great learning experience for her.”

Jimmie Johnson won the Southern 500, marking the 56th Sprint Cup victory of his career, his first of the season and his third at Darlington. It also brought Hendrick Motorsports its milestone 200th Sprint Cup win.

Denny Hamlin finished .781 of a second behind Johnson in the runner-up spot, while Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top-five. Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Marcos Ambrose and Joey Logano comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 38 laps, with seven drivers failing to finish the 368-lap race, which was extended one lap by a green-white-checkered finish.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Saturday, May 19 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The non-point-paying event begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT, with live coverage provided by SPEED beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m. SPEED’s “RaceDay” will begin at 4 p.m.

Patrick’s next Sprint Cup Series start will come in the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday, May 27 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

“It was a good lap for the WIX Filters Chevrolet,” said Newman, who qualified on the pole for the 2003 Southern 500 at Darlington. “I was a little loose in (turns) one and two and the car got a bit sideways, but it hooked up the rest of the way and we ended up with a good spot for the race.”

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, will start 17th after turning a lap of 27.515 seconds at 178.724 mph.

“We’re a lot better than what that lap showed,” said Stewart, who won the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington but has just three top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 19 career Sprint Cup starts at the venerable track. “I left some speed on table up there in (turns) one and two. We’ve got a good Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy for tomorrow night.”

SHR driver Danica Patrick, who is driving the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing via a collaborative agreement with SHR, qualified 38th with a lap of 28.021 seconds at175.497 mph.

“It’s the best lap I’ve turned all day in the Cup car, so that’s a positive,” said Patrick, who will make her first Sprint Cup start at Darlington and just the second of her career when she takes the green flag for the Southern 500. “We were three-quarters of a second quicker, so for me that’s good. I don’t necessarily find a lot in qualifying from practice. I’m a pretty methodical driver, so that was good. And it shows that the Go Daddy crew did a good job of giving me a good car. It shows me what these Cup guys can do when it comes time to put it on the board. I know the starting spot won’t be great, but it was a step forward for me and those are the things I’m looking for along the way.”

Greg Biffle captured his 11th career Sprint Cup pole, his second of the season and his second at Darlington by posting a lap of 27.281 seconds at 180.257 mph.

Jimmie Johnson will start on the outside of row one as he timed in at 27.386 seconds at 179.566 mph, while Kasey Kahne was third at an identical time and speed of 27.386 seconds at 179.566 mph. Johnson was awarded the second position because he is higher in points than Kahne. Newman and Kyle Busch (27.404 seconds at 179.448 mph) rounded out the top five.

Forty-seven drivers attempted to qualify for the Southern 500. Those not making the cut in the 43-car field were Scott Riggs, Michael McDowell, Stephen Leicht and Mike Bliss.

As far as manufacturers went, Ford took the top spot via Biffle’s pole run. Chevrolet was next best at the hands of Johnson, while Toyota was the third-fastest make thanks to Busch. Fifteenth-quick Brad Keselowski (27.500 seconds at 178.822 mph) carried the flag for Dodge.

The Southern 500 gets underway at 7 p.m. EDT on Saturday with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with a pre-race show at 6:30 p.m.

HOW WAS YOUR PRACTICE SESSION?

“I think we are alright.  We definitely have a different balance than what I had here last year for sure.  I know we came with a different package than what we had here last year.  We are trying to tune on it, but I think when it cools off its going to be a pretty good package I think.”

YOU’VE BEEN WORKING A LOT TODAY WITH DANICA.  IS THERE STUFF YOU CAN HELP HER WITH?

“I was talking to Mike Helton earlier.  I told him it reminded me of the first time I came here in 1999.  The comments that she had are very similar even though the track was a lot more worn out then.  This is a hard place.  That is why we picked this as one of the 10 races for her.  It’s not an easy track.  It’s one that just the more laps you can get the better.  It’s going to be a long weekend for her.  It’s like I told her, I said ‘you are going to hate me by the end of tomorrow night’.  She goes ‘yeah, but I’m going to love you next year when we come back and run this full-time.’ She understands the value of why we picked this as one of the races.  I think she is keeping the big picture in mind.  I think she is doing a really good job of taking it all in stride and not letting her position on the time sheet get her down and realizing that the whole weekend in a learning experience and trying to just get that time.  We are just trying to be there to where she says ‘what can I do to help myself here?’ It’s stuff that we have already had to go through.  That is part of having two teammates that have ran here a long time.  It’s just being there to be able to try to help her with the information of stuff that we have done to try to help shorten that learning curve for her.”

IS THE GOAL FOR HER TO COMPLETE AS MANY LAPS AS POSSIBLE OR DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE FROM HER?

“I want her to just as run as many laps as possible.  The more time she can spend on track the more experience she is going to get.  The good thing running both divisions she is getting a ton of track time both practices, already to this point of the day she had got a lot of laps under her belt.  If she has a good race tonight and good night tomorrow night and can run the whole day and not have too many problems then it’s a lot of valuable experience that when we come back here next year doing it full time should be very valuable when we come back.”

YOU SAID SHE IS NOT GETTING CAUGHT UP IN THE SPEEDS TODAY.  COULD SHE GET FRUSTRATED TOMORROW?

“Sure, anytime you go somewhere new it’s hard.  The races that we picked this year were not meant to be easier races.  They are all harder races that we think are valuable for different reasons.  It’s very easy that this weekend could be a frustrating weekend but it’s all a part of a bigger plan.  I think that is part of what will keep it from being frustrating is that she knows that this is set out to be a tough weekend.  It’s with a bigger picture in mind and a bigger goal in mind at the end of the day.”

ISN’T THERE A RISK IN THAT?  IF THINGS DON’T GO WELL THAT CONFIDENCE STRUGGLES WILL ENSUE?

“I honestly don’t think so.  That’s a valid point.  I think when you don’t set your expectation high right off the bat I think it’s easier to keep that from happening.  She knows this is a tough place.  All you have to do, I think it’s easy for her because she has walked down through the garage and Jimmie Johnson has the right side about half knocked off.  There are a bunch of guys that are veterans here that already got big stripes just like she has on the side.  She realizes this isn’t an easy place.  I think in her head she is smart enough to know that this is supposed to be a hard weekend.  This is going to be one of the tougher places next year too that is why it has been put on the schedule.”

IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN TELL HER ABOUT HOW TO DRIVE HERE?

“There are a lot of things.  Bobby Labonte taught me a lot of things when I came here the first time because he was my teammate.  It’s part of passing that information down.  The good thing is she has Ryan’s (Newman) information, my information and the time in the Nationwide car.  It’s nice to be able to answer questions when you have those in your mind and you don’t necessarily know what’s the right answer, having teammates to go to that have been through it and can point you in the right direction helps out a lot.”

IS IT AS SIMPLE AS JUST SHOWING HER THE LINE?

“I think a lot of it is what to do on the throttle, on the brake.  How much brake pressure.  Its things that coming from an indy car to these cars it’s different.  It’s just trying to guide her.  Everybody is going to have their own driving style and techniques.  She will have to find what works best for her.  Ryan (Newman) does use his brake pressure different than I do.  We keep reminding her that there is no set way of doing it. It is do what feels best to you.  It’s helping her find a base.  Once we get her on a base then she can fine tune it to what her driving style is like and her techniques that work for her.”

WHAT DID JIM HUNTER MEAN TO YOU?  “He’s (Jim Hunter) somebody who has been around the sport a long time and he’s very knowledgeable about it.  I think all of his peers and all of us in the garage area — we all have a lot of respect for him.  I think it’s well deserved.”

WHAT WERE YOU LIKE TO RAISE AS A CHILD?  “She’s still raising me — I’m still not raised yet I don’t think.  I was a handful.  My sister was a handful too.  My sister and I were like watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon.  You can imagine being the mother of that.”

DO YOU THINK YOU DELIVERED A MESSAGE LAST WEEK AT TALLADEGA? “I wasn’t trying to deliver a message.  The good thing is that I’m in Darlington this week and I’m happy to be in Darlington this week.  I haven’t won a Southern 500 yet so I’m excited with getting Vegas under our belt earlier this year — this is a big week for us and I’m glad to be focusing on it.”

DO YOU THINK ANY CHANGES WILL COME FROM WHAT YOU SAID AT TALLADEGA?  “I don’t know and I didn’t say anything to try to get them to make changes.”

WHY HAS THIS TRACK BEEN TOUGH FOR YOU TO WIN AT IN THE CUP SERIES? “It’s not a big list of races that we haven’t won at.  I’m not ashamed of it by any means.  For some reason, I just haven’t figured out how to win one yet so hopefully this year will be the year.”

IS THERE LUCK IN WINNING AT DARLINGTON?  “I don’t think so.  There are some tracks that have been easier tracks for me and then there are tracks that have been tougher.  This one — not getting a victory here that is proof this is a tougher track for me.  It’s one that I like and the good news is that I’m pretty happy with my race balance right now so I’m hoping it’s going to be a good weekend.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BRING MORE FANS TO THE RACE TRACK?  “I have no clue.  I honestly have no idea.”

DO YOU THINK IF DALE EARNHARDT JR. WON THAT WOULD BRING MORE FANS TO THE TRACK?  “I don’t know — do you think it is?”

ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT PEOPLE ARE QUESTIONING THE RACING IN NASCAR AFTER THE HIGH THE SPORT WAS ON AT THE END OF LAST SEASON?  “I still think it’s on a high.  The racing has been awesome this year.  The races have been, you look at the whole Richmond weekend, the whole Richmond weekend the races were great.  From K&N to the Nationwide race, the Cup race — they were exciting races.  I think it’s proof that the sport is still on a high right now.  I don’t think that’s stopped since last year.”

ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT SOME FANS STILL DON’T SEEM HAPPY WITH THE RACING?  “Yeah, but when has that not happened?  It’s always been that way.  I don’t think that trend has stopped either.  I don’t think it’s any different now than it’s always been.”

HOW DID PRACTICE GO?  “It’s been a busy day so far running the Nationwide car and the Cup car.  I think everything in the Nationwide car felt pretty decent.  Went out there and I felt got up to speed pretty quickly.  Felt pretty comfortable — we kind of did a big circle with the setup of the car.  I’m sure Tony (Eury) Jr. (crew chief) is back there thinking hard about how he wants to set it up for the race tonight.  Then come over and jump in the Cup car and it’s definitely different.  This is a tough place and everything they said about it is true.  This lady in black is very intimidating.  I’m just trying to get comfortable with what the car needs me to do.  Where to brake, how heavy to brake and those kinds of things.  I’ve got my Darlington stripes officially.  It’s all the way down the right side of the car.  We got that one over with.  Tony Stewart has been very helpful coming over and giving me advice and helping me out and giving me a few tips that helped.  I’m very appreciative that Chip Ganassi let Tab Boyd come over and spot for me for this Cup race.  That’s a big help because he’s got a lot of knowledge.  I’ve got everything in my corner, I just need time.  I just need to get comfortable.  It’s definitely not going to be an easy, breezy night.  Like Tony said, I’m probably going to hate him by the end of the weekend.  Come the future, I’m going to be glad for it.”

DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW BIG YOU BEING AT DARLINGTON IS FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FOR THE SPORT?  “That’s very nice of you to say, but there’s a heck of a lot of big name drivers here.  Quite honestly, it’s my honor to finally be here at a place like Darlington with so much history and tradition.  I think I heard it was the first paved track.  Is that true?  And that’s why it’s called the lady in black because it finally got paved.  I’m learning my history and it’s good to be here.  I had a lot of respect for this place coming in, but having finally hit the track in both the cars, I’ve got even more now.”

IS THE TRACK AS BAD AS YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE OR IS IT WORSE?  “I don’t think bad is the right word to say.  I think it’s a challenging track, it’s a unique track and it’s obvious why NASCAR keeps coming back to it because it has those interesting characteristics.  This is not a cookie-cutter track by any means.  That’s the challenge.  I can only imagine that once I finally get a good grip on it, I’m going to be much more confident out there and maybe the lady in black and I will become friends one day.”

DO YOU HAVE DIFFERING EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS WEEKEND NOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN ON THE TRACK?  “I believe my expectations across the board are pretty tempered.  Even in the Nationwide car, I understand that it’s going to be difficult.  It’s a unique style of racing with the way that the passing happens.  I definitely think getting through the night with a respectable night is what I’m hoping for in the Nationwide car and as far as the Cup car — I just want to finish.  I just want to finish, which is going to be a challenge I think.  The cars definitely move around quite a bit and you’re carrying a lot of speed through these corners and there’s going to be a lot of other guys that are around you running really hard.  It’s a narrow track.  Let’s face it, it’s got great big straightaways, but there’s one lane going in and out.  Just getting to the end of the Cup race is going to be the accomplishment for me.  It’s also going to be the best for experience.”

WHERE DID YOU HIT THE WALL THE FIRST TIME?  “I hit the wall a few times out there.  The first time I hit the wall was my first run in the Nationwide car.  I clipped it with the right rear on the exit of turn two.  Then in the Cup car, I hit it entering three and then the next time I hit it flat in three and four in the middle of the corner.  And oh yeah, right before that I hit the entry to three wall again.  I’ve hit it four times now.  Getting pretty cozy with it.”

WHAT DID THAT DO TO YOUR CONFIDENCE?  “Honestly, I feel glad I’ve got the stripes.  I think, honestly, I went and asked them after the practice, I asked Zippy (Greg Zipadelli) after the practice if that was the type of hit that was going to make me get a tire rub and have to pit or was that okay?  He said, ‘I think you would have been just fine, we would have just pulled the fender out when you came in for a pit stop.’  That’s good knowledge for me.  Instead of panicking or worrying and thinking I need to pit for the car being broken, I can just keep going and not worry about it.  It’s going to happen in the race, it’s inevitable.  It’s going to happen.  I hope not.  I hope everything goes so well it’s doesn’t, but it probably will and it’s good for it to happen and then jump right back into the lap and not let it bother me.  I’m getting more and more comfortable with it.”

DID YOU LOOK AT WHERE YOU WERE ON THE SPEED CHART?  “Oh yeah.  I think I was pretty pleased with how it went in the Nationwide car.  I felt like we had some decent speed for the very first run and never being here before.  Then going out in the Cup car, obviously I’m not super-fast.  I didn’t expect to be very fast.  I expected to just get experience out there and would I like to be higher up the chart?  Absolutely.  Every driver wants to be as high up as possible.  There’s a lot of really, really good drivers out there throughout the whole field.  I’m not coming in thinking I should be anywhere in particular based on my extreme lack of experience and knowledge of this place.  Just to reiterate again, Darlington was chosen as a track to come to in a Cup car because of how difficult it is and because of how much track time it takes to get comfortable.  We’re starting that difficult and exciting process.”

HOW MUCH OF A CHALLENGE WAS IT TO TRY TO GET HIGH AGAINST THE WALL IN PRACTICE?  “As a driver, my comfort level with the wall is definitely medium.  I don’t think that even in IndyCar I liked being up by the wall.  There are drivers definitely more comfortable than I was.  Coming into these stock cars, I definitely got more comfortable getting up higher and higher, but here at Darlington, you’re riding the wall.  You’re not kind of using it as a reference, you’re riding the wall.  It’s a whole new level of getting comfortable with it.  You’re definitely as a driver threading the needle out here.  Every driver that’s out here deserves definite credit for running well and if they have a good weekend, they’re darn good drivers because this is definitely tough.”