Keep it simple, NASCAR

   Simpler always seems to work better in racing.

   Anytime issues in NASCAR get bogged down in the wording and interpretation of rules and regulations, generally confusion reigns and competition gets lost in the shuffle.

   The new rules unveiled for this season’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, unfortunately, seem headed in that direction.

   The motivation behind the change is a good one – encourage drivers to have to reason to win one of the four 20-lap segments by offering to those who do a “reward” heading into the final 10-lap segment, which decides the winner of the $1 million payout.

   The method chosen for the reward – making segment winners the first four cars to pit prior to the last segment – doesn’t sound bad on the surface, but in effect has the potential for complications.

   The new rule works great if four different people win the first four segments. But how often does that really happen? Answer: Rarely.

   Then comes the tricky part. If the winner of Segment No. 2 is the same as Segment No. 1, the runner-up in Segment No. 2 gets the pit reward. If the same driver wins all four segments, you end up with one true segment “winner” and three other runner-ups getting the reward.

   Please don’t ask what happens if in the above mentioned scenario the Segment 2 runner-up ends up winning Segment 3 or 4. Is that driver now a "true" segment winner or does he remain locked into his runner-up "win" from Segment No. 2? 

   Who can follow that from the stands? Who can follow that watching on TV? Oh, but Charlotte Motor Speedway will have it all spelled out on its giant HDTV.

   That begs an even bigger question: Should events like the All-Star Race have to come with a follow-along instruction booklet?

   Again, I think the concept here was laudable: Reward winning. The easiest way to do that would be to say if you win any of the first four segments, you move to the front in the final segment (regardless of pit stop and only true ‘winners’ of the segments).

   One additional benefit this year is the elimination of the 10-minute break prior to the start of the final 10-lap showdown.

   That’s great. Hopefully that time will not now be spent figuring out who starts where to win the $1 million.

Help your favorite driver make the NASCAR All-Star Race

    As the date of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race approaches, Sprint is asking fans to again help determine the starting lineup for what is one of the most highly anticipated events of the season.

   Through the annual Sprint Fan Vote, under way now, fans can cast ballots for their favorite eligible driver. The driver receiving the highest number of votes will earn a spot in the prestigious Sprint All-Star Race on May 19 and a shot at the $1 million payday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Last year, fans cast more than 2.4 million votes, a record number.

   Fans can vote by using the NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile Android application on their Sprint phone, or by texting “VOTE” to 229466 on any wireless carrier (standard text messaging and data rates apply). Voting is also open at NASCAR.com/AllStar or by visiting the Sprint Experience, located in the midway at all Cup races. Voting will continue until 5 p.m. Eastern on May 19.

   As an added customer benefit, votes submitted from a Sprint, Boost, Nextel or Virgin Mobile device count double toward an individual driver’s total.

   Winners of the Sprint Fan Vote include: Ken Schrader (2004), Martin Truex Jr. (2005), Kyle Petty (2006), Kenny Wallace (2007), Kasey Kahne (2008), Joey Logano (2009), Carl Edwards (2010) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2011).

Ticket holders for Rockingham Truck race get a bonus

   Race fans attending next month's inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Rockingham Speedway will get an extra bonus with their ticket.

   The NASCAR Hall of Fame will offer a 20-percent discount on admission to anyone presenting a ticket from the April 15 race. 

   "The NASCAR Hall of Fame is committed to preserving and honoring the history of our great sport," said NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley, "and Rockingham Speedway is an important part of that history. Considering that, it was a natural fit for the Hall to partner with Rockingham to offer this benefit for race fans."

   For more information on the Good Sam 200 Truck race, contact the speedway at (910) 205-8800 or visit online at www.rockinghamspeedway.com. For more information on the NASCAR Hall of Fame, visit them online at www.nascarhall.com.

Travis Pastrana running RallyCross with Dodge

   X Games star and part-time NASCAR driver Travis Pastrana will run a full schedule in the new Global RallyCross Championship Series this season with Dodge, driving its new Dodge Dart.

   Pastrana, 28, is a four-time Rally America champion and owner of multiple supercross and motorcross championships. He also owns Nitro Circus, an empire that includes a television show, live tours and 3D feature film project.

   “When I first heard about GRC, I was really interested, and after watching some of the rounds last year and then actually competing at X Games I was hooked!” said Pastrana. “Now to be able to partner with Dodge to field my own program this year is a dream come true."

    Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of Street and Racing Technology Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC, called Pastrana a natural fit for its program.

   “Travis is a living example of what action sports activities are all about, so he fits in perfectly with the youthfulness and passion for performance of the Dodge brand,” he said. “He’s proven that he can handle just about anything with wheels."

   Global RallyCross is a spin-off of the X Games rally races. It combines the skill of rally racing with the excitement of X Games. The series consists of seven racing events in closed-course rally tracks and incorporates bumper-to-bumper competition among 600 horsepower all-wheel drive vehicles. The series begins May 26 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and concludes September 29 in Las Vegas.

Race halted in Fontana

FONTANA, Calif. - No fire but plenty of Smoke in California.

Sunday's Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway has been red-flagged after 130 of the scheduled 200 laps, with Tony Stewart in the lead.

Since more than half the distance has been covered, if the race is not restarted, the race – and the win by Stewart – will count as official.

Kyle Busch is currently second, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is third, Kevin Harvick fourth and Carl Edwards fifth.

Harvick: Appeal ruling "like watching O.J. go free."

   You can always count on Kevin Harvick to offer up a fresh perspective on issues in NASCAR.

   On Friday at Auto Club Speedway, Harvick was asked about the NASCAR appeals process in light of this week's decision by NASCAR's chief appellate officer to rescind the points penalties and crew suspensions issued to Hendrick Motorsports' No. 48 team.

   "It’s a platform for everybody to state your case, and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose just like in the court of law. It’s really no different than that. It’s no different than watching a case like OJ (Simpson), and watching OJ go free. Watching that case, there’s no way you thought that was going to happen. Then you see the verdict, and then it happens. It’s very similar to that," Harvick said.

   "Sometimes you think something is cut and dry, and you think this is going to be the verdict, and the next thing you know it’s not. You move on and you go to the next one. But there is a platform for the teams to present their cases to a board, and obviously to the last step they took this time to present it again. I’ve been involved in it before from the team ownership side, and you prepare no different than you would going to a court case. It’s literally the exact same process.”

Townley placed on probation by NASCAR through Dec. 31

   NASCAR on Thursday placed John Wes Townley, a driver in the Camping World Truck Series, on probation until Dec. 31 as a result of his arrest last month on drunk driving charges in Georgia.

   At the time of the incident, Townley was indefinitely suspended by his RAB Racing team and did not compete in the series opener at Daytona.

   According to the statement issued by NASCAR, in addition to the steps already underway by RAB Racing, Townley will be evaluated by a certified substance abuse professional at NASCAR’s discretion and will be subject to random alcohol and drug testing.

   The Athens Banner-Herald reported that Townley was disoriented, seemed intoxicated and was bleeding from his feet at the time of his accident. His car, a 2012 BMW, had run off the roadway and hit a telephone pole, the newspaper reported.

   RAB Racing said it would welcome Townley back to the team "at the appropriate time."