The All Star weekend has long been an opportunity for professional sporting leagues to showcase the best talent and skills their athletes have to offer. Often featuring events that focus on flair and spectacle, the events are heavy on entertainment and light on competition. The NBA highlights its athlete’s athletic prowess with slam dunk and 3 point shooting contests. The NHL’s all star weekend pits players from the United States against players from the rest of the world. Major League Baseball delights its fans with the ever popular home run derby and the NFL’s pro bowl is always an offense focused spectacle to behold. NASCAR has an all star weekend of its own but it lacks the special events that capture the imagination and create a buzz.

Granted, the $1 million prize for winning the All Star Race leads to a competitive spirit and increased level of risk not normally seen during a NASCAR race, the rest of the weekend, including the Pit Crew Challenge has failed to generate the excitement that is shared by other professional sports all star events. That however, is going to change. NASCAR has acquired the services of several consultants from other professional sports in order to inject a new level of excitement into the All Star Weekend, an effort that NASCAR’s Director of Festivities Clay Zigby describes as “a way to breathe new life into the event.”

“Around these parts we like to think that every weekend is All Star Weekend. We try to put our best foot forward week to week and let the fans see the best drivers in the world perform in the best equipment,” said Zigby. “But let’s be honest here, it ain’t every week where we get to race without all the open wheel guys and Joe Nemechek messing things up. This is our chance to let the best NASCAR has to offer duke it out for a million bucks! We have to make the best of this opportunity and give the fans a show they’ll remember.” Giving the fans a memorable All Star Weekend is exactly what Zigby hopes will come from bringing the best All Star Weekend minds together for a brainstorming session.

“NASCAR about to get crunk,” said NBA All Star consultant Skinny Buck. “Believe that. When I looked at what they had planned it just jumped off the page at me. If you are gonna have an All Star Race, the first thing you need is some All Stars! I looked at the list and saw names like Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Ain’t nobody know who those guys are! First thing I did was make sure they had some stars in that race, big stars like the cast of General Hospital and some kids from the Real World/Road Rules Challenge.” In addition to attracting big name stars to the All Star Race, Buck has suggested a burn out contest and a tire eating competition. “One thing people love is to watch people eat,” Buck continued. “I can sit back and watch a guy eat pies or hotdogs but a man eating a tire? That would make me sit back and say ‘damn, NASCAR ain’t what I thought it was.’ People have this misconception that NASCAR is about driving around in circles, you gotta show ‘em something different.”

NFL Pro Bowl consultant Rock Buford had a different take. “NASCAR is all about danger. It’s about taking yourself right up to the edge and then going one step further. When fans go to the race, they can’t even see their favorite driver. He’s wearing a helmet inside the car. Do I know that’s really Carl Edwards behind the wheel? Of course not. But, you strap Carl to the hood of the car, I can sit there and say ‘oh look, there’s my favorite driver Carl Edwards strapped to the hood.’ Now that’s exciting.”

Zigby admits the initial sessions have yet to yield real results to improve the NASCAR All Star weekend but he says the sessions were not a complete waste of time. “There were a couple of suggestions that I think we should consider. I ain’t never seen a real live human beat box contest but let me tell you, Reed Sorenson has got mad skills. I think that might be something the fans might enjoy. ”