Five drivers -- Johnson, Harvick, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch -- will compete in the inaugural Pennzoil Burnout Challenge, which will be held at Lowe's Motor Speedway before the qualifying event for the Sprint All-Star Race. In similarly prepared Richard Petty Driving Experience cars repainted in all-star colors, drivers will have to perform a full, drag-racing style burnout between two designated points followed by 360-degree spins. The winner will earn $10,000 for his preferred charity.
Humpy Wheeler, president and general manager of the Charlotte track, sees the burnout contest as a skills challenge comparable to those surrounding other all-star events, such as the slam dunk contest in basketball or the home run derby in baseball. But drivers just seem to dig the idea of burning out in a car that's not their own.
"It's fun to do burnouts," said Biffle, a 12-time race winner on NASCAR's premier circuit. "I think I do a pretty good burnout, but it's a matter of the tire holding together, too. These cars have so much power and control that it's easy to do a burnout, but what happens is, obviously, the tire will come apart and tear the quarterpanels off the car. NASCAR doesn't like that when you're in post-race inspection and the quarterpanels are ripped off it, so you've got to be kind of careful."
No one is going to be worried about being careful Saturday night -- in fact, Bowyer even crashed while attempting a burnout during an event last month to announce the competition.
Labels: Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch
