NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursdayto get some lessons from the pros on how to lasso his way into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race next week and compete for up to $2 million in winnings.
Playing off the All-Star Race’s Wild West theme, the Roush Fenway Racing driver got lessons in roping, rode a mechanical bull and tried his hand at barrel racing with instruction from FOX Sports/SPEED TV analyst Jeff Hammond and professional rodeo competitor Taylor Earnhardt.
“Ever since they started this All-Star event in 1985, it was no-holds-barred. It was bring what you can bring and get by with it,” said Hammond. “To me, each and every race, the energy picks up. The excitement, the unpredictability of the All-Star event is second to none.”
Stenhouse will have to race his way into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star event with either a win this weekend in Darlington, a top two finish in the Sprint Showdown or as the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote. He’s excited about the prospect of racing for up to $2 million.
“It’s a huge race,” he said. “The regular purse being a million bucks – to win the final segment – that’s a lot of money. To throw in an extra million to win all five segments, it’s crazy. It’s one of those things that you kind of wonder what the drivers are going to do because it’s $2 million. It definitely raises the excitement level.”
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