DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — After five successful fall runnings of the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, the race will move to Jan. 23-24 and be held for the sixth time at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
The race includes protected starting spots for the champions of each of the NASCAR Developmental Series. The move of the race from the fall to January allows for increased preparation and provides greater exposure for the teams and drivers.
“This is the weekend that launches major U.S. motorsports each year,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations. “This move represents a tremendous opportunity to build upon the successes of past NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdowns, broaden the scope of potential participants and allow competitors additional time to gear up for this huge event.”
In addition, the all-star weekend will include a pair of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series races: The 150-lap super-late-model race and, new this year, a 75-lap late-model race that will be run under common West Coast rules.
Last season’s NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown featured Joey Logano, a rising star for Joe Gibbs Racing, holding off the challenge of another top young driver, Peyton Sellers, in a green-white-checkered finish.
The NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown weekend features two nights of live coverage on Speed, which has broadcast the event in each of its first five years. It will be part of a packed weekend on Speed that includes the Rolex 24 at Daytona sports-car event.
The NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown main event — contested in NASCAR Camping World Series cars — is open to any driver approved to drive on a half-mile or longer track in the NASCAR Camping World Series.
Each race winner during the 2008 NASCAR Camping World Series season will become eligible for a protected starting spot in the sixth running of the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.
The 2008 series champions of NASCAR’s regional touring series — the NASCAR Camping World Series East, NASCAR Camping World Series West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and NASCAR Mexico Series — and the 2008 national champion for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series are also eligible for protected starting spots.