​Motorsport photoThe NASCAR All-Star race has suffered a similar fate to that of many All-Star events across major sports.Once seen as a triumph that brought together the best and brightest stars for a special showcase, All-Star events in 2026 are largely exhibitions with professionals walking through the motions. NASCAR actually doesn’t have it as bad as many other sports — the NBA has shuffled its format a ton in recent years with hopes of inspiring more effort out of players, and the NFL decided to lean in to the silliness and switch to flag football.NASCAR drivers are still pushing at the All-Star race, but the event itself is tough to distinguish from any other race on the schedule, aside from the fact that it doesn’t count for points.Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith has an idea to change that. Smith recently appeared as a guest on The Dale Jr. Download, and defended the existence of the All-Star race and pitched a new twist that could make keep the event engaging.Smith began by noting that the All-Star race has long been an opportunity for innovation in the sport. “Look at everything that has come out of the All-Star race,” Smith said. “Simple things we take for granted every single week on the schedule — side-by-side restarts, didn’t have that. The All-Star race did it. … Stage racing came out of the All-Star race. Racing under the lights. … The All-Star race has done so many great things for the sport, creating these opportunities to showcase bold ideas, and now it’s every weekend.”So what’s Smith’s big idea to spark fresh life into the race? Let’s put those wets to work.”Why not run on a wet track?” Smith asked. “Run rain tires for a race. Actually make the track wet. I was so hoping that we’d get a passing shower for Wilkesboro.””Let’s take the whole field in the All-Star race. It could be any track — Wilkesboro, it could be Dover, it could be New Hampshire — and have a full field race in the wet and let’s see what it’s like.”Later on in the conversation, the prospect of wet racing was raised once again, with Earnhardt noting that the chaos and unpredictability of the weather is part of what makes it so thrilling.”The rain is compelling when the track is in a state of getting wetter or getting drier,” he said. The solution? “What would be good is if you turned on your sprinklers, and then you turned them off. And then a half hour later, you turn [them] back on again.”it could work! And it’s hard to think anyone would have a problem with Dale Jr. being the one holding the sprinkler button.Whatever the format of next year’s All-Star race, there’s clearly energy behind shaking things up. Why not make a real splash?To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.