2020 NASCAR All-Star Race
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | July 15, 2020 |
| Location | Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 0.533 mi (0.858 km) |
| Distance | Open: 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 Speed | Open: 57.388 mph (92.357 km/h) All-Star Race: 65.68 mph (105.70 km/h) |
| NASCAR All Star Open | |
| Pole | Michael McDowell (Front Row Motorsports) |
| Time | N/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 winners | Clint Bowyer (Stewart-Haas Racing) |
| NASCAR All-Star Race | |
| Pole | Martin Truex Jr. (Joe Gibbs Racing) |
| Time | N/A |
| Most laps led | Ryan Blaney (Team Penske) |
| Laps led | 72 |
| Winner | Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) |
| Television | |
| Network | FS1 |
| Announcers | Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon |
| Nielsen ratings | 1.516 million (Open) 2.076 million (All Star)[10] |
| Radio | |
| Network | Motor Racing Network |
| Announcers | Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle (Booth) Dave Moody (1 & 2) Kyle Rickey (3 & 4) (Turns) |
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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]
Report
[edit]Background
[edit]
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.
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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
[edit]- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
NASCAR All Star Open
[edit]NASCAR All-Star Race
[edit]Qualifying (Open)
[edit]Michael McDowell was awarded the pole for the open as determined by a random draw.
Open Starting Lineup
[edit]Qualifying (All-Star Race)
[edit]Martin Truex Jr. was awarded the pole for the race as determined by a random draw.
All-Star Race Starting Lineup
[edit]| 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
[edit]NASCAR All Star Open results
[edit]| 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
[edit]All-Star Race results
[edit]| 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
[edit]Television
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ "2020 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 17, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ "Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ "Open Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ "All-Star Race Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ "Open & All Star Race Starting Lineups". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR All-Star Open Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR All-Star Race Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR will use 'choose rule' in 2020 All-Star Race format".
- ^ "NASCAR will use 'choose rule' in 2020 All-Star Race format".
- ^ "NASCAR All-Star Race ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
- ^ "Annual All-Star Race moved to Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ "Annual All-Star Race moved to Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. 2020-06-15. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- ^ Hembree, Mike. "NASCAR takes small leap into unknown as fans attend All-Star Race at Bristol track". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "To glow or not to glow? That is the question for NASCAR". NASCAR Talk. NBC Sports. 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "NASCAR to move location of car numbers for All-Star Race - NBC Sports". NASCAR Talk. NBC Sports. 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2020-07-17.