NASCAR All-Star Race live updates: Chase Elliott wins the race

For the first time, NASCAR is hosting its annual All-Star Race at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile.” Up to 30,000 fans will fill the Bristol Motor Speedway stands to watch the four-stage main event.

The All-Star Race starts at 8:30 p.m. on FS1 and will be preceded by the All-Star Open, a qualifying race in which the winner of each of the three stages advances to the official race for a chance to compete for the $1 million prize pool. The Open kicks off at 7 p.m. on FS1.

Drivers said they’re expecting aggressive racing, and fans said they are, too.

“This is a million dollars,” longtime NASCAR fan and All-Star race attendee Joel Fraker, 49, said. “No holds barred. No points. No nothing. There might not be a car running at the end of this thing. All-Star, man!”

Tonight’s race will also feature a choose rule for the restarts, underglow lighting, new paint schemes, and lots and lots of masks.

Alex Andrejev is reporting live from the track. Refresh this page for the latest NASCAR 2020 All-Star Race updates. You can also follow Alex on Twitter at @AndrejevAlex.

10:14 p.m., FINAL: Chase Elliott wins the race

Chase Elliott held on the get the victory, followed by Kyle Busch, Harvick, Keselowski and Hamlin.

10:05 p.m., Lap 125: Chase Elliott also wins Stage 3

At the end of Stage 3, Elliott is still out front followed by Blaney, Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Harvick, Hamilin, Jones and Logano. There are only 15 laps in Stage 4 and to the checkered flag.

9:42 p.m., Lap 90: Chase Elliott wins Stage 2

Elliott held a comfortable lead over Harvick through almost the entire first stage. Harvick fell from first place early off the last restart and was unable to pass Elliott at any point. The finishing order for the stage was Elliott, Harvick, Blaney, Keselowski and Bowman. The entire field pits except Blaney. He tells his team he “should have just come.” Teammate Brad Keselowski takes two tires and comes out behind him in second on the restart.

9:30 p.m., Lap 57: Caution for Newman

Two laps after the restart, Ryan Newman gets loose and gets into the inside wall. His No. 6 has slight damage. He gets a penalty for pitting too soon, and heads to the rear of the field after pitting. On the restart, Harvick drops back after leading and Elliott takes the lead. The order is Elliott, Harvick, Blaney.

9:23 p.m., Lap 55: Blaney leads the field

Blaney wins Stage 1 then leads the field to pit road. Blaney earlier told his team his car was loose on entry. Harvick wins the race off pit road, followed by Elliott, Blaney, Jones and Bowman in the top-five. Logano, Keselowski, Almirola, Newman, Kyle Busch round out the top-10 for the restart. Harvick takes the top lane on the restart, as does Elliott. Blaney takes the inside lane for the position advantage.

9:15 p.m., Lap 26: Harvick chasing Blaney

Kevin Harvick moves into second place by Lap 18 and stays on Blaney’s tail in first. Matt DiBenedetto hits the wall after the caution and drops back to last place, but is able to regain some spots a few laps later. Behind Harvick is Bowman, Elliott and Logano in the top-five.

9:05 p.m., Lap 8: Green flag! Then caution. Go figure.

Ryan Blaney gets ahead of Alex Bowman, who starts in first after Martin Truex Jr. drops to the rear (twice failed pre-race inspection). Kurt Busch gets into the Turn 2 wall on Lap 8 after making contact with Brad Keselowski and the caution flag comes out. The pits are open but the cars roll by. Blaney chooses the outside lane on the restart.

8:55 p.m.: Anthem, invocation and lights!

Cars roll out to the starting grid and drivers are introduced. NASCAR’s reigning Most Popular Driver Chase Elliott gets a loud cheer, as does Matt DiBendetto, who raced his way into the All-Star Race with a Stage 3 win. No. 2 driver Brad Keselowski and points leader No. 4 Kevin Harvick also get loud cheers. The invocation is delivered and the national anthem is performed. Fans pull out American flags and at least one Trump 2020 sign during the anthem.

Bryon Byrnes, the son of late FOX NASCAR broadcaster Steve Byrnes, presents the trophy for the sixth annual The Byrnsie Award via Skype to Bubba Wallace. The award celebrates a NASCAR individual who demonstrates “preparation, teamwork and family within the garage area,” according to FOX Sports.

Tennessee governor Bill Lee delivers the command to start engines drivers roll onto the lit-up track. Fans turn on lights from their Bristol Motor Speedway apps as drivers turn on their underglow car lights during pace laps.

8:04 p.m.: Bowyer wins Fan Vote

Clint Bowyer wins the All-Star Fan Vote, FOX Sports announces on the broadcast. Bowyer was the overall winner and also still eligible to race, as his car’s in good shape. When the announcement is made, Bowyer gets a loud cheer from fans at the track.

“Yeah you hate to lean on them,” Bowyer says tells FOX Sports. “...Sure is nice to have fans back.”

7:55 p.m., Lap 70: Matt DiBenedetto wins final stage, advances

Matt DiBenedetto takes and holds the lead in the final stage, putting over a second between him and Clint Bowyer at the finish. The races stays green through the full 15-lap shootout, allowing DiBenedetto to get clean air and keep it.

“We were so loose on entry,” DiBenedetto says after the win, but notes how excited he is to keep racing at Bristol.

7:47 p.m., Lap 70: Byron breezes through Stage 2

The Charlotte native easily captures the Stage 2 win and advances to the All-Star Race. He is followed by DiBenedetto, A. Dillon, Bowyer, Bell, Nemechek, McDowell and Preece at the checkered flag. Bryon has never missed an All-Star race since his Cup Series start.

“Guys did a good job with this car,” Byron tells FOX Sports after the stage win, adding that Bristol is one of his favorite tracks. He says his No. 24 car “needs a little bit of love” on the right-rear corner panel as his team inspects the damage from his earlier contact with Stenhouse Jr.

7:41 p.m., Lap 55: William Byron surging in Stage 2

Byron gets a strong lead over the field and moves ahead of lapped traffic. Christopher Bell briefly runs in second, but falls back. The order is Byron, DiBenedetto, A. Dillon and Boywer and Bell in the top-five in that order.

7:35 p.m., Lap 38: Quick green flag then caution

With Almirola back to the garage, Byron emerges as the new leader for the Stage 2 restart. He takes the top lane on Lap 36, when the race goes green. Two laps later, John Hunter Nemecheck and Ryan Preece spin out around Turn 2 and the caution flag comes back out. Neither car appears to have significant damage. Preece and Stenhouse head to pit road for a quick check.

7:25 p.m., Lap 34: Aric Almirola wins Stage 1

Almirola leads most of the first stage to race his way into the All-Star Race and dash for a million dollar. Following the caution for Wallace’s crash, Almirola leads all laps of the final seven laps when the race goes green. Wallace does an interview with FOX Sports and is not happy about the contact that forced him out of the race.

“Just disrespect, Wallace says. “...People say one of the nicest guys in the garage. I can’t (wait) for the God-fearing text that he is going to send me about preaching and praise and respect. What a joke he is.”

7:13 p.m., Lap 15: Almirola leads, Bubba crashes out

Almirola makes a move to pass McDowell and take the lead. The order is Almirola, McDowell and Stenhouse in the top-three still. Bubba Wallace moves into fourth place in front of William Byron in fifth. McDowell then falls back behind Wallace, who runs to the outside. McDowell’s car taps Wallace’s car from behind, spinning the No. 34 into the Turn 3 wall. Wallace is done for the day. He gets out of his car, giving a thumbs-up walking back to his hauler.

“Just disrespect.” When you get hooked into the wall...I can’t wait for the texts the

“He just turned left right on the straightaway,” Byron says on his radio about McDowell. McDowell’s car takes some damage too.

7:10 p.m.: Green flag for the Open!

Pole-sitter Michael McDowell takes the outside lane. Aric Almirola, in the front row, gets caught early behind McDowell, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gains a position, moving into third place.

7:00 p.m.: Pre-race ceremonies underway

Pre-race ceremonies kick off at the track. Billy Mauldin delivers the pre-race invocation, which is followed by a rendition of “God Bless the U.S.A.” Ed Clark delivers the command to start engines, and cars hit the track for pace laps. The stadium is close to the full capacity it will reach for the night. Fans are seated on both straightaways and around Turn 4.

6:45 p.m.: Truex Jr. and LaJoie starting at the rear

Before the race, NASCAR sends the No. 19 of Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 32 of Corey LaJoie to the rear of the field for the start after their cars fail pre-race inspection twice. Truex Jr. was slated to start on the pole for the main race. LaJoie was already starting last in the Open.

6:30 p.m.: Fans are back and they haven’t missed a beat

NASCAR fans have arrived at the track are filing into the stands. They’re also tailgating as they do best. Chris Brewer, 52, was tailgating outside the fan entrance near Earnhardt Terrace with some friends and his 14-year-old daughter, Carisa. He estimated he’s been to over 20 NASCAR races, and at least five or six at Bristol.

Brewer, a Tennessee resident, said he wasn’t worried about the coronavirus pandemic and that his crew packed lots of heavy-duty hand sanitizer in addition to their usual tailgating supplies of beer and chicken wings.

“We wear the masks in concourse areas, interacting with employees, concessions and coming through the gate,” Brewer said about the covering around his neck. “They ask that you be conscious about that.”

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 6:45 PM.

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