In The Know – NASCAR ALL-STAR
Our racers will be driving for some cold, hard cash on Sunday night at the NASCAR All-Star Race — $1 million, to be exact. We’re breaking down everything you need to know about the race in Texas where stars come out and $1 million is on the line.
The Details
NASCAR Cup Series Overview
● Event: NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points race)
● Time/Date: 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 22
● Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth
● Layout: 1.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 125 laps/187.5 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 25 laps / Stage 3: 25 laps / Final Stage: 50 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
The BROADCAST
Who will cash in this weekend? You can catch all the All-Star action on FS1 .
SHR FAST FACTS
Kevin Harvick:
Harvick has always been an all-star. Since his 2001 NASCAR Cup Series debut, Harvick has been a part of every NASCAR All-Star Race – the only active driver to do so. The driver of the No. 4 #BuschBacon Ford Mustang first earned entry into the All-Star Race by winning in just his third career Cup Series start on March 11, 2001 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth marks the 38th anniversary of the All-Star Race and it will be Harvick’s 22nd straight appearance in the race – the most of any active driver.
Harvick is a two-time winner of the All-Star Race. He won the specialty non-points race for the first time in 2007 by leading the final 20 laps and crossing the stripe .141 of a second ahead of second-place Jimmie Johnson. Harvick scored his second All-Star win in 2019 when he led twice for 36 laps, including the last 11, to take the victory by .325 of a second over Daniel Suárez. Both victories came at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Aric Almirola:
In four NASCAR All-Star Race starts, Almirola has only finished outside of the top-10 once. In seven All-Star Open or Sprint Showdown exhibition races, he has one win, which came last year at Texas, and has only finished outside of the top-10 once.
In 21 NASCAR Cup Series starts on the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval, Almirola has one top-five, five top-10s, and has led 101 laps.
Chase Briscoe:
Briscoe earned his berth in the $1 million-to-win All-Star Race by virtue of his win March 13 at Phoenix Raceway. The win also earned the 27-year-old driver a spot in the 16-driver playoff field. While Briscoe hopes to add a few more victories and further secure his playoff standing, he can be sure of one thing – that he’ll have hometown backing with MVP sponsoring four races during the playoff run – No. 14 on Sept. 11 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas Speedway, Sept. 17 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Oct. 2 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, and Oct. 23 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Cole Custer:
Custer has three points-paying Cup Series outings at the 1.5-mile Texas oval. His best finish there was 14th in November 2020 after an accident ended his day prematurely in the July race. He finished 19th there last November.
Custer was victorious at Texas in the November 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series race, one of his six outings there in that series. He has three other top-five finishes and an eighth-place result in his most recent Xfinity Series visit to Texas in November 2019.
OUR WEEKLY WRAPS
Everything is bigger in Texas, including our paint schemes. Check out the wraps we’re takin’ with us to the All-Star Race.
What Our Drivers are Saying:
Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 #BuschBacon Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
This is your 22nd season in the NASCAR Cup Series and you’ll be making your 22nd straight appearance in the All-Star Race. You’re the only active driver who has been in the All-Star Race every single year of their NASCAR career. We’d call that a testament to your consistency. What would you call it?
“I was fortunate to win the first year and qualify for the All-Star Race and, after that, we were able to win the All-Star Race a couple of times, so we make sure we stay in it every year. Obviously, winning a championship doesn’t hurt with your qualification for that, either. For me, I think as you look at the All-Star Race, it’s fun to be a part of. It’s unique and it’s different and all those things combined, so it’s always been an interesting race.”
Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 #BuschBacon Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What do you think about this weekend’s #BuschBacon promotion?
“Any time we get a chance to give our fans something to root for and something to win is always a cool opportunity. To have partners like Smithfield and Busch who invest in our fan base really helps the entire sport and gives our fans something to engage with during the races. I’m pretty familiar with giving away bacon for life so, hopefully, this collaboration brings us some good luck.”
Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
Is there any relief to not have to race your way into the All-Star Race through the Open this year?
“A little. Mostly, I just don’t have to worry about racing my way in while keeping the car in one piece for a second race. But it’s cool to get to know I’m already locked in. The All-Star Race is one of those races you want to have a chance to compete in when you get to the Cup Series but, if you don’t go into it knowing you’ve already got your spot, you know it’s going to be a pretty big task to earn your spot. Everyone wants to be part of it.”
Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
You’re attempting to make the NASCAR All-Star Race field for the third year in a row. What was your experience like in your first two outings?
“It’s unbelievable to be a part of the All-Star Race and it’s something that you can never take for granted because you never know if you’re going to be in it every single year. So we’re going to go all out to make it for the third year in a row. The chance to go for a million dollars and the possibilities of winning that and how that would change your life is definitely huge. To have that chance is unreal, so we’re not going to hold anything back.”
#BUSCHBACON
Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola have teamed up to deliver a lifetime supply of Busch Beer and Smithfield Bacon to the luckiest fan in the history of sponsor promotions. All fans need to do is tune into FS1’s broadcast of the All-Star Race beginning at 8 p.m. EDT on Sunday and follow @BuschBeer. Then, during the fourth lap and the 10th lap of every stage of the All-Star Race, tweet #BuschBacon for a chance to win the most coveted prize mankind has ever known – Busch Beer and Smithfield Bacon for life. Throughout the All-Star Race, Harvick’s No. 4 #BuschBacon Ford Mustang and Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield #BuschBacon Ford Mustang will drive home the point that crispy Smithfield Bacon is best paired with a crisp Busch Light.
#BUSCHBACON PIT CREW BATTLE
The No. 4 and No. 10 pit crews are embracing #BuschBacon this week with some friendly competition. In the battle of bacon vs beer, who wins? Watch and find out.
WELCOME MAGICAL VACATION PLANNER
We’re excited to welcome Magical Vacation Planner (MVP), an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, as a partner of Chase Briscoe and the No. 14 team.
MVP was founded by Jamie Ane Eubanks alongside her husband JJ, a former professional basketball player, as a storefront travel agency in 2006. Today, it is a company that provides one of the best vacation planning services in the industry. It operates through three branches: MVP Parks, MVP Cruising and MVP Getaways. The company provides its exclusive and personalized, stress-free planning service at no additional expense to its clients, making the extensive array of Disney options and add-ons easy to understand and navigate. MVP actively seeks savings for its clients, monitoring early-morning releases of discounted room or vacation packages while also scouring existing reservations for price drops to where they can modify an existing reservation at the newfound lower price. MVP will also plan a family’s itinerary, expertly navigating Disney’s Genie + and Lighting Lane systems to maximize resort and park times by avoiding long lines while also securing those premium Disney dining experiences that include coveted character meetings.
The FORMAT
This year’s All-Star Race at Texas will be 125 laps and broken into four stages with the starting lineup being determined by a four-round qualifying format featuring head-to-head elimination rounds that highlight the speed and efficiency of each team’s pit crew. Here’s how qualifying will work:
- Opening round is the traditional single-car, one-lap format in reverse order of the current 2022 owner points.
- Fastest eight qualifiers transfer to a three-round, head-to-head elimination bracket.
- Elimination bracket will feature two cars staged in adjacent pit stalls near the end of pit road.
- At the sound of an alert, each pit crew will perform a four-tire stop and, at the drop of the jack, drivers will exit their respective pit stalls and return to the track, with no pit road speed limit.
- First car back to the start/finish line advances to the next round.
- Final pairing competes for the pole.
Once the starting field is set, the 38th edition of the All-Star Race will consist of four stages, with the first three stages 25 laps in length and the fourth and final stage being a 50-lap shootout for the $1 million prize.
- Stage 1 (25 laps): Stage 1 winner will start on the pole in the final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stages 2 and 3.
- Stage 2 (25 laps): Stage 2 winner starts second in final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stage 3.
- Special Stage Break (Pit Stop Competition): Each team must pit and perform a four-tire stop.The team with the shortest time on pit road (pit in/pit out) wins the pit crew award, and the driver will start fourth in the final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stage 3.
- Stage 3 (25 laps): Stage 3 winner starts third in final stage.
- Stage 4 (50 laps): Stage 1 winner starts first, Stage 2 winner starts second, Stage 3 winner starts third, and pit stop competition winner starts fourth. If a caution for an on-track incident or debris happens between laps 15-25 of the final stage, standard race procedures will be in effect. If there is no caution during that time, NASCAR will call a competition caution. Winner of Stage 4 earns $1 million.
