Associated Press

File 2006 Matt Kenseth (right) and Tony Stewart collide in turn 1 during the 2006 All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

CONCORD, N.C. -- There's no need for an explosive pre-race show for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. They'll be enough fireworks ... and tempers ... and grinding sheet metal during a race that pays the winner $1 million.

Three-time race winner Jeff Gordon calls that payday, among the sport's richest, "that carrot out in front of you and makes you go after it that much harder."

Sometimes too hard. Crashes have eliminated 40 cars in the last five all-star races. Doesn't matter if it's newcomers -- Kyle Busch has crashed in both of his appearances -- or former champions -- Tony Stewart has crashed in two of the last three races -- this event penalizes mistakes equally.

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Here's a look at some of the event's most memorable crashes:

1989 Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip battle for the lead heading for the white flag when they make contact. Waltrip spins. Wallace goes on to win. Afterward, Waltrip says "I hope he chokes on the $200,000."

1992 First night race. Kyle Petty taps leader Dale Earnhardt in turn 3 and Earnhardt spins. Petty takes the lead, but Davey Allison catches him and they run side by side across the finish line. They bump just after Allison wins, sending Allison into the wall. He goes to the hospital with a concussion instead of to Victory Lane.

2001 Rain falls as the race begins, creating a multi-car crash that included Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Michael Waltrip. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, NASCAR allowed those teams to race their backup cars. Gordon wins in his backup.

2002 Kurt Busch taps Robby Gordon, sending Gordon into a spin late in the race. Busch concedes he did it to get a yellow to bunch the field. NASCAR later fines Busch $10,000. Earlier in the event, Elliott Sadler crashed. He blamed Ryan Newman and threw his helmet at Newman's car.

2003 Tony Stewart triggers a six-car crash that leaves Bill Elliott with three broken bones in his left foot. Stewart apologizes and then rips the style of racing. "It's starting to become not worth it," he said of driving in the all-star race. "I want to be racing a long time, and I don't want to get wrecked on a non-points race that has turned out to be a hackfest every year."

2004 Kurt Busch runs into the back of teammate Greg Biffle on the frontstretch, triggering a 12-car crash. "Kurt Busch has got his head up his whatever," Biffle said after the incident. Busch apologized and said: "I've got to get myself in check, I guess."

2005 Tony Stewart taps Joe Nemechek, who gets into Kevin Harvick, starting an accident that damages nine cars. Harvick confronts Nemechek and slaps him on the helmet. Harvick says of Nemechek: "He can ... shove it where the sun don't shine." Said Nemechek of Harvick: "He's just being an idiot."

2007 Brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch make contact and crash, the first time the brothers have taken each other out in a Cup race. Said Kurt: "I've been trying to tell him to calm down a little bit and back it off. Instead of running 100 percent maybe he should run at 98. He was at 102 right there."

"ALL-STAR CRASH FEST''

Tony Stewart used that phrase after being eliminated by a crash in the 2006 race (above). He's not the only to suffer that fate. A look at the number of drivers eliminated by crashes in recent all-star races.

YEAR CARS IN FIELD CARS OUT BY CRASH

2007 21 5

2006 20 9

2005 22 10

2004 24 8

2003 24 8

2002 27 7

2001 21 0

2000 20 7

1999 21 7

1998 20 6

BAD LUCK

A look at the active drivers most likely to be in a crash in the all-star race based on their history. Minimum four starts.

DRIVER RACES CRASHES PCT. IN A CRASH

1. Joe Nemechek 6 3 50.0

2. Greg Biffle 4 2 50.0

3. Kasey Kahne 4 2 50.0

4. Tony Stewart 9 4 44.4

5. Dale Jarrett 16 6 37.5

6. Mark Martin 18 6 33.3

7. Ryan Newman 6 2 33.3

8. Kurt Busch 6 2 33.3

9. Bobby Labonte 13 4 30.7

10. Michael Waltrip 14 4 28.5

11. Kevin Harvick 7 2 28.5