Why NASCAR All-Star race is the only All-Star exhibition that matters

- one winner out of 50-60 potential qualifiers

- big prize: million dollars

- always at Lowes Motor Speedway

- intensity of the drivers wanting to win a million

- driven to win or crash trying

- despite the ever-changing format it will always be 90 laps

- only the winners from season before starting after All-Star race and before this year All-Star race and former race winners are automatically in the All-Star race.

- The winner of the All-Star Open will get final spot in the All-Star race field.

Forget about MLB All-Star and their "home-field" advantage. That doesn't matter any more. NBA All-Star? More of a big show off contest. NFL Pro Bowl? It's a Hawaiian vacation for the players. Also player voting is a giant popularity contest.

In the NASCAR All-Star race every driver and team busted their ass hard to preparing the cars to race. They do anything from finding and exploiting loopholes hoping to get a race advantage. It's wreckers or checkers. Out of all sports NASCAR got their All-Star exhibition right.