The 36th running of the NASCAR All-Star Race will move from Charlotte Motor Speedway to the World’s Fastest Half-Mile, aka Bristol Motor Speedway or even aka The Last Great Colosseum. The July 15 prime-time race will also include 30,000 fans in attendance for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The NASCAR All-Star Race is an event known for making history, and we will enhance that legacy by hosting the event at Bristol Motor Speedway,” said Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith.
The NASCAR all-star event to take place for the first time at a short track as NASCAR’s best battle for a $1 million winner-take-all prize. The NASCAR All-Star Open and NASCAR All-Star Race will be telecast live in prime time on FS1 and the FOX Sports app at 7:00 p.m.
Bristol joins Atlanta Motor Speedway (1986) to be the only other facility other than Charlotte Motor Speedway to host the event.
“Bristol Motor Speedway puts on classic short-track action every time we race there, and we’re anticipating an elevated level of intensity for the NASCAR All-Star Race. We appreciate the great collaboration with Marcus Smith and his team, and all the race teams, in making this move. We look forward to bringing this thrilling race to a short track for the first time, and we hope our fans enjoy this special event, under the lights.” said NASCAR Executive Vice President of Racing Development Steve O’Donnell.
The All-start event is usually a thriller where drivers compete at the highest level without worrying about series points and just the payout and prestige of winning. At times it can be like if you were to play roulette online at Vegas as to whom might take the victory home.
Driver eligibility requirements:
- Full-time drivers must have: won a 2019 or 2020 Cup Series race
- Won a previous All-Star Race or be a former Cup Series champion.
The two stage winners, winner from the All-Star Open and the winner of the All-Star Fan Vote set the final four spots. You can vote at www.nascar.com/fanvote until Tuesday, July 14 at 12 p.m. ET.
Currently 15 drivers currently are eligible and they include: Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliot, Justin Haley, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr.
The format for this year’s All-Star Race will be announced at a later date.