NASCAR loves making things confusing, and its All-Star Race is no exception.
Qualifying drivers will compete $1 million Sunday night at Texas Motor Speedway. But who will compete in the NASCAR All-Star Race?
Let’s break it down.
First of all, Cup Series drivers automatically qualify if they meet any of the following criteria: won a race last this season or last; full-time driver who previously was an All-Star; full-time driver who has won a Cup Series championship. The following 17 drivers earned a spot in the race:
— Alex Bowman
— Austin Dillon
— Brad Keselowski
— Chase Elliott
— Cole Custer
— Denny Hamlin
— Joey Logano
— Kevin Harvick
— Kurt Busch
— Kyle Busch
— Martin Truex Jr.
— Ryan Blaney
— William Byron
— Michael McDowell
— Christopher Bell
— Kyle Larson
— Ryan Newman
(Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick are the only drivers currently in the top 16 in the standings who did not automatically qualify for the All-Star Race.)
Additionally, the stage winners and overall race winner from the All-Star Open, which will take place two hours before the All-Star race, will qualify. You can click here for the All-Star Open entry list, or view it in the tweet below.
Finally, the winner of the fan vote, revealed after the Open, will join the field for the All-Star Race.
Here are the top 10 vote-getters as of Tuesday afternoon:
The top 17 spots in the lineup will be determined via random drawing Tuesday night. The fan vote and Open results will be responsible for the final four spots.
As for the format, it’s complicated. There will be six rounds and multiple line reshufflings.
Round 1: 15 laps. Afterward, the field will be inverted starting anywhere from eight through 12 positions, with a random drawing.
Round 2: 15 laps, entire field inverted afterward.
Round 3: Same as first round.
Round 4: 15 laps.
Round 5: 30 laps, with lineup determined by cumulative finish from first four rounds. The round will include a mandatory four-tire pit stop, with the fastest crew earning $100,000.
Round 6: 10 laps, with lineup determined by finishing positions from previous round.
Got all that? Good.
The All-Star Open is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET with the All-Star Race starting around 8 p.m.
The winner earns $1 million, while the runner-up doesn’t receive anything. This will be the first All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.
