2020 NASCAR All-Star Race

The 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race (XXXVI) was a NASCAR Cup Series stock car exhibition race that was originally scheduled to be held on May 16, 2020 and was rescheduled to July 15, 2020, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 140 laps, it was the second exhibition race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. It was the first All-Star Race since the 1986 Winston at Atlanta Motor Speedway to be hosted outside Charlotte Motor Speedway.[11]

2020 NASCAR All-Star Race
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
DateJuly 15, 2020 (2020-07-15)
LocationBristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee
CoursePermanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.858 km)
DistanceOpen:
85 laps, 45.305 mi (72.911 km)
Stage 1: 35 laps
Stage 2: 35 laps
Stage 3: 15 laps[8]
All-Star Race:
140 Laps, 74.62 mi (120.09 km)
Stage 1: 55 laps
Stage 2: 35 laps
Stage 3: 35 laps
Stage 4: 15 laps[9]
Avg SpeedOpen: 57.388 mph (92.357 km/h)
All-Star Race: 65.68 mph (105.70 km/h)
NASCAR All Star Open
PoleMichael McDowell (Front Row Motorsports)
TimeN/A
Winner (segment 1)Aric Almirola (Stewart-Haas Racing)
Winner (segment 2)William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)
Winner (segment 3)Matt DiBenedetto (Wood Brothers Racing)
Fan Vote winnersClint Bowyer (Stewart-Haas Racing)
NASCAR All-Star Race
PoleMartin Truex Jr. (Joe Gibbs Racing)
TimeN/A
Most laps ledRyan Blaney (Team Penske)
Laps led72
WinnerChase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports)
Television
NetworkFS1
AnnouncersMike Joy and Jeff Gordon
Nielsen ratings1.516 million (Open)
2.076 million (All Star)[10]
Radio
NetworkMotor Racing Network
AnnouncersAlex Hayden and Jeff Striegle (Booth)
Dave Moody (1 & 2)
Kyle Rickey (3 & 4) (Turns)
The program cover for the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race.

Report

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Background

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Bristol Motor Speedway

The All-Star Race is open to race winners from last season through the 2020 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, all previous All-Star race winners, NASCAR Cup champions who had attempted to qualify for every race in 2020, the winner of each stage of the All-Star Open, and the winner of the All-Star fan vote are eligible to compete in the All-Star Race.

 
Originally to be held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, this was the program cover anticipating the original date and venue before the pandemic forced NASCAR to move the event to Bristol Motor Speedway at a different date.

As part of scheduling changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and citing a desire to host the race with fans (which was not then possible due to health orders in North Carolina), the All-Star Race was moved from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Bristol Motor Speedway.[12]

While most NASCAR races held during the pandemic had been held behind closed doors with no spectators, the All-Star Race admitted 30,000 spectators with social distancing. Although this was only 20% of the venue's total capacity of 162,000, the All-Star Race hosted the largest number of spectators at a U.S. sporting event since the beginning of pandemic-related restrictions.[13]

A new "choose rule" was used for restarts during the race, where drivers could choose whether they wanted to be in the inside or outside lane.[14] NASCAR experimented with an underglow lighting package on vehicles at the All-Star Race, color-coded by manufacturer (with Chevrolet in orange, Ford in blue, and Toyota in red). This package was featured on the vehicles of all drivers who had automatically qualified for the event.[15][16] At the request of teams, NASCAR also experimented with moving the numbers on the sides of vehicles closer to their rear tires, in order to provide additional room for sponsor logos.[17]

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
NASCAR All Star Open
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No. Driver Team Manufacturer
00 Quin Houff (R) StarCom Racing Chevrolet
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet
14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
15 Brennan Poole (R) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
27 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford
32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
38 John Hunter Nemechek (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
51 Joey Gase (i) Petty Ware Racing Ford
53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
95 Christopher Bell (R) Leavine Family Racing Toyota
96 Daniel Suárez Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota
Official entry list
NASCAR All-Star Race
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No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
41 Cole Custer (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
42 Matt Kenseth Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Official entry list

Qualifying (Open)

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Michael McDowell was awarded the pole for the open as determined by a random draw.

Open Starting Lineup

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
2 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
3 95 Christopher Bell (R) Leavine Family Racing Toyota
4 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
5 8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
6 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
7 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
8 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
9 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
10 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
11 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
12 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
13 27 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford
14 53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
15 15 Brennan Poole (R) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet
16 00 Quin Houff (R) StarCom Racing Chevrolet
17 51 Joey Gase (i) Petty Ware Racing Ford
18 96 Daniel Suárez Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota
19 38 John Hunter Nemechek (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
20 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet
21 32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford
Official Open starting lineup

Qualifying (All-Star Race)

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Martin Truex Jr. was awarded the pole for the race as determined by a random draw.

All-Star Race Starting Lineup

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
3 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
4 77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
5 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
6 42 Matt Kenseth Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
7 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
8 41 Cole Custer (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
9 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
10 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
11 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford
12 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
13 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
14 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
15 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
16 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Official All-Star starting lineup

NASCAR All Star Open

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NASCAR All Star Open results

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Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps
1 10 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 85
2 9 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 85
3 11 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 85
4 8 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 85
5 20 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 85
6 4 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 85
7 1 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 85
8 19 38 John Hunter Nemechek (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 85
9 21 32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford 85
10 5 8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 85
11 3 95 Christopher Bell (R) Leavine Family Racing Toyota 85
12 18 96 Daniel Suárez Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 85
13 12 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 85
14 13 27 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 85
15 15 15 Brennan Poole (R) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 85
16 14 53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 85
17 16 00 Quin Houff (R) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 83
18 17 51 Joey Gase (i) Petty Ware Racing Ford 76
19 7 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 70 a
20 2 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 35 b
21 6 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 17
^a Winner of the second segment.
^b Winner of the first segment.
By rule, when a driver wins a segment, he exits the race and immediately advances to the All-Star Race feature.
Official NASCAR All Star Open race results

All-Star Race

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All-Star Race results

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Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps
1 13 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 140
2 10 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 140
3 5 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 140
4 9 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 140
5 15 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 140
6 3 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 140
7 12 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 140
8 2 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 140
9 17 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 140
10 1* 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 140
11 16 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 140
12 18 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 140
13 19 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 140
14 4 77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 140
15 20 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 140
16 8 41 Cole Custer (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 140
17 14 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 140
18 6 42 Matt Kenseth Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 140
19 11 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 140
20 7 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 140
Official NASCAR All-Star Race results
  • Because of multiple pre-race inspection fails, Martin Truex Jr. was moved to the last starting position during the pace laps.

Media

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Television

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Fox Sports was the television broadcaster of the race in the United States. Lap-by-lap announcer, Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon covered the race from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte. Regan Smith and Matt Yocum reported from pit lane. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte. This was also Fox Sports' last Cup race for their portion of the 2020 season as NBC Sports takes over NASCAR broadcasts for the rest of the season.

FS1 Television
Booth announcers Pit reporters In-race analyst
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon
Regan Smith
Matt Yocum
Larry McReynolds

Radio

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Motor Racing Network (MRN) continued their longstanding relationship with Speedway Motorsports to broadcast the race on radio. The lead announcers for the race's broadcast were Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle. The network also implemented two announcers on each side of the track: Dave Moody in turns 1 and 2 and Kyle Rickey in turns 3 and 4. Winston Kelly and Steve Post were the network's pit lane reporters. The network's broadcast was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

MRN Radio
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey
Winston Kelly
Steve Post

References

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  1. ^ "2020 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 17, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  2. ^ "Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  3. ^ "Open Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  4. ^ "All-Star Race Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  5. ^ "Open & All Star Race Starting Lineups". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  6. ^ "NASCAR All-Star Open Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  7. ^ "NASCAR All-Star Race Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  8. ^ "NASCAR will use 'choose rule' in 2020 All-Star Race format".
  9. ^ "NASCAR will use 'choose rule' in 2020 All-Star Race format".
  10. ^ "NASCAR All-Star Race ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Annual All-Star Race moved to Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  12. ^ "Annual All-Star Race moved to Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. 2020-06-15. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  13. ^ Hembree, Mike. "NASCAR takes small leap into unknown as fans attend All-Star Race at Bristol track". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  14. ^ Martinelli, Michelle R. "NASCAR will debut 'choose rule' for All-Star Race. Many are excited but Clint Bowyer is unsure". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  15. ^ "To glow or not to glow? That is the question for NASCAR". NASCAR Talk. NBC Sports. 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  16. ^ McFadin, Daniel (2020-07-09). "Glow in the dark: Cup cars get new look for All-Star Race". NASCAR Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  17. ^ "NASCAR to move location of car numbers for All-Star Race - NBC Sports". NASCAR Talk. NBC Sports. 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2020-07-17.