There is a first time for everything, and that was shown Saturday night when Kasey Kahne received the fan's vote to get into the All-Star Race, and then went on to win the whole thing. Kahne is only the third transfer driver to win the All Star Race, with the others being Ryan Newman (2002) and Michael Waltrip (1996). This year was the first time Kahne had to make the All-Star Race, and his win was thanks to the fans.

"I thank them so much. I can't believe it. The car was mediocre in the open and the fans voted me in," Kahne said, who finished 5th in the Sprint Showdown.

Kahne and crew chief Kenny Francis used pit strategy after the conclusion of the 3rd segment to get track position, putting only fuel into his car to get up front with Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson, who also took fuel only, and just in front of Greg Biffle, who had won the third segment and taken two tires.

"We took our time, got in the right place and Kenny made the right call of no tires at the end," Kahne said. "I didn't think we needed them. The car was exceptional. I was just making sure I didn't make any stupid mistakes and lose the race."

Hamlin was in front of Kahne when he had an engine failure, and fell from contention. When it was all said and done, Kahne ran away from Greg Biffle, who couldn't make a charge for the win with a car that was just too tight.

"We put two tires on, he said he didn't change anything. We'll have to see if (Kahne's) got a little mouse in the bag," Biffle said. "In the end, I thought it was going to be just easy, a Saturday night drive. It's kind of crazy to think if I had just stayed out ... I would have won. But I thought two tires was the call."

Early in the night, it looked as though it was going to be another easy victory for Kyle Busch, who won segment one and was running away from the field in segment two when his motor went flat. Busch ran around the track for the remaining laps of the second segment, getting passed from cars on either side, and brought the car in to the attention of his pit crew.

The crew worked diligently to find the issue, hoping it was a minor problem like a plug wire or a rocker arm, but the diagnosed condition was a race-ending one, as Busch's Toyota had dropped a cylinder.

Tony Stewart, the remaining Joe Gibbs driver, was able to last the entire race, but engine problems also plagued him. In practice Stewart's car had an engine issue, but the crew was able to replace the motor and Stewart came from the back to finish 5th.

This was also the final race for 1999 series champion Dale Jarrett, who's storied career came to an end as he finished 21st before hanging up the helmet. Jarrett won't leave Nascar, though, as he'll follow his father's footsteps into the broadcasting booth for ESPN.

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As of right now, 21 drivers are eligible to race in the Sprint All-Star Race on May 17th, with one race left for a driver to win and become eligible for the star-studded field. Three drivers will transfer from the Sprint Showdown, consisting of two 20 lap segments for a total of 40 laps or 60 miles, into the big show, the top two finishers and then a driver selected by fan vote.

At least 24 cars will be in the All-Star race itself, and they will race for 20 more laps than they did in 2007, totaling 100 for 150 miles, consisting of four 25 lap segments. Yellow flag laps will be counted in each of the first three sessions, but the final session will only count green flag laps. Restarts will again be double file with the free-pass available throughout the event. A record purse of $3,308,251, with the winner guaranteed at least $1,012,975 for winning the Saturday night showdown.

Rumors are spreading that Martin Truex Jr. may be departing Dale Earnhardt Inc. to join Penske racing in a fourth car, with a possible sponsor being UPS, according to Jayski.com.

There are also rumors spreading about where Tony Stewart will be driving next year, with the increasing implication that he will be departing Joe Gibbs Racing. There has been no official word from either side, but rumor says that Stewart will indeed start his own racing team, under the Hendrick umbrella, similar to what Ginn Racing did using Hendrick supplied chassis and engines. A possible sponsor for Stewart: Bass Pro Shops, the current sponsor of Truex Jr. Should Stewart depart JGR, it will leave Gibbs looking for a replacement, which could be the highly talented Joey Logano, who dominated Sunday's ARCA race from the pole in his first start.

Finally, the last thing Nascar needs is another name change. In the course of five years, the Cup series has changed from the Winston, Nextel, and this year Sprint Cup Series, with The Grand National Series also changing from Busch Beer to Nationwide Insurance.

However, the Cup series may have another name change in it's future, as Deutsche Telekom, one of the nation's largest banking firms and owner of T-Mobile, may consider acquiring Overland Park-based Sprint to avoid a price war in the mobile phone industry. As Sprint continues to struggle in the US, the likelihood of Sprint lowering prices even further to attract customers is increasing. T-Mobile makes it's business as being the cheaper alternative to the top-5 cellular companies, and if Sprint lowers it's prices it could take sales away from T-Mobile, according to analysts for Merrill ####. And recent media reports indicate that a bid for Sprint will be coming, but it could be several weeks or months away.

However, the reality is that Nascar's top series will likely face another name change, the T-Mobile Cup Series. And I was just getting used to calling it the Sprint Cup Series....