NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol: How to watch, starting lineup and predictions

This year’s NASCAR All-Star race will look different. The race is at Bristol. The cars will have glow lights. And the fans will be masked.

Last month, NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports Inc. announced that for the second time in the event’s 35-year history, the All-Star Race would not take place at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Instead, due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in North Carolina, the annual non-points race will be held at the Bristol Motor Speedway short-track on July 15. That day — with up to 30,000 fans expected to be in attendance — is upon NASCAR.

The race takes place Wednesday evening at 8:30 p.m. on FS1.

“Thank goodness!” No. 21 driver Matt DiBenedetto said Tuesday. “All this time’s made us appreciate all the little things and, goodness yeah, we miss that energy.”

DiBenedetto is one of the drivers trying to earn his spot into the main race during the All-Star Open, a qualifying event that takes place just before the All-Star Race Wednesday night. The Open kicks off at 7 p.m. on FS1. Each of the drivers to win a stage of the three-stage Open advances to the final event.

The rest of the lineup includes the 16 drivers who have won a race during the 2019 and 2020 season and/or won a previous All-Star Race, as well as the winner of the NASCAR All-Star Race Fan Vote. No. 34 driver Bubba Wallace was leading the vote as of last week. The Fan Vote winner and Open stage winners will start at the back of the field for the main race.

Once the green flag waves, the race is a four-stage, 140-lap dash to the finish for a $1 million dollar bonus prize. The lineup, half of whom have won previous races at the track, includes Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Cole Custer, Chase Elliott, Justin Haley, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr.

Truex Jr. is starting on the pole, along with Bowman in the front row, by random draw. Driver Kyle Larson, who was dropped by his team for using a racial slur earlier this year, won last year’s All-Star race.

In addition to fewer fans and no Larson, the cars will look different. Car numbers have been shifted further back on the side panels toward the rear wheel following “a special request from teams, who will use the newfound real estate for bigger sponsor integrations,” according to NASCAR. Cars will also be lit up from underneath in order to create a cool effect on the track for the nighttime event.

A choose rule will also be implemented for the race. When drivers approach a designated spot on the track, they must commit to the inside or outside lane for the restart. If they do not make a clear choice or change lanes after the mark, they will start at the rear on the next restart, according to NASCAR.

But even though Wednesday’s race will look different, it will start to sound a little more normal.

“It’s just been so quiet around the racetrack and so different, so it’s gonna be really nice to have some fans, 30,000 fans there cheering us on, having some energy for a big race,” DiBenedetto said. “It really plays a much bigger part than they know.”

LIKELY WINNERS: NO. 4 KEVIN HARVICK AND NO. 2 BRAD KESELOWSKI

Harvick is no stranger to quiet Victory Lane celebrations. The current points leader is favored to win the race in current odds pools. The two-time All-Star race winner has had 39 Cup starts at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” and finished in first twice. His Stewart-Haas Racing team is also on a recent hot-streak when it comes to getting their equipment right off the start. In a short race like this, that matters a lot.

Normally, Kyle Busch Keselowski could be another likely contender, as he’s the active driver with the most race wins at Bristol (eight). But Busch has been struggling lately, and has not yet clinched a win this season. Three-time All-Star Race winner Keselowski won at Bristol earlier this season and is coming off a top-10 finish at Kentucky.

HOW TO WATCH NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE AT BRISTOL

• Distance: 74.62 miles, 140 laps (stages end on laps 55, 90, 125, 140)

• When: Wednesday, 8:30 p.m.

• TV: FS1 (All-Star Open is 45.3 miles, 85 laps and starts at 7 p.m. on FS1)

• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• 2019 Race Winner: Kyle Larson

STARTING LINEUP FOR THE NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE

STARTING LINEUP FOR THE NASCAR ALL-STAR OPEN

*Withdrawn from event

This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 6:00 AM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription