Kevin Harvick calls on NASCAR to nix the All-Star Race, offers brilliant alternative

With the NASCAR All-Star Race this week, Kevin Harvick is saying that he wants to see the event scrapped from the schedule. The All-Star Race began as The Winston, in 1985. An exhibition race at Charlotte Motor Speedway for a coveted $200,000 prize.

In 2003, NASCAR raised the prize money all the way to $1,000,000. It has not been changed since, but the race itself has changed quite a bit.

Charlotte Motor Speedway no longer hosts the event. It has been moved to the revived North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Kevin Harvick doesn’t think the race is a necessity anymore. “I say we nix the All-Star Race,” Harvick explained on his "Happy Hour" podcast.

The NASCAR Cup Series champion continued. For him, it’d be better to change things up with the All-Star Race and the Clash.

“I just think that with all the effort and things that go into it,” Harvick explained. “We can’t find a format that everybody likes; I think we should honor our guys. I think we have to figure out how to make the Clash be the Clash and the All-Star Race and make it all work together. I think that North Wilkesboro deserves to be a points race.”

A points race at North Wilkesboro? The Truck Series has done that the last two seasons and will again this week. So, why not the Cup Series one day? Why not a Cup/Xfinity/Truck tripleheader?

“I think it would be a fantastic points event, 400 laps, all the cars on the race track, full weekend,” Harvick said. “I don’t think North Wilkesboro should go anywhere, but I just think the All-Star Race has run its course, personally.”

So, is Kevin Harvick right? Do we need to see the All-Star Race leave the sport all together?

Kevin Harvick is partially right about the All-Star Race

From 1985 to 2003, the NASCAR All-Star Race went from $200,000 to $1,000,000 for the overall winner. That was an 18-year period. It has now been 22 years, and there has been no plans to expand the purse money, which is what the race is all about.

In the year 2025, $1,000,000, especially in professional sports, doesn’t seem like a huge prize. We have seen NASCAR do everything from changing the placement of the numbers on cars to neon underglow lights on cars to moving the venue and even changing the qualifying procedure for the race in such a way that it needs its own infographics. No change in prize money.

Not to pocket watch, but NASCAR has gotten cheap. It is the story of the sport the last five to six years. There is no excuse that the prize money hasn’t gone up. Frankly, it is another sign of stubbornness from the France family in regards to investing in the sport.

Kevin Harvick is right, partially. Things have to change in the All-Star Race. It doesn’t have to be thrown away, though. No need to add all of these rules and processes, and a promoter’s caution(!!!), though. It doesn’t help that immediately after the $1,000,000 race at Wilkesboro, the Cup Series is going to go into a $1,000,000 in-season tournament. So, is it really that unique in what it offers?

Here is my plan to save the All-Star Race: Host it at Rockingham Speedway. Truck and Xfinity points races, maybe even an ARCA race sandwiched between. $2,500,000 on the line, winner-take-all. No gimmicks, straight up qualifying and into a 200 to 250-mile race. That will pull in eyeballs and raise the bar.