Tag: NASCAR All-Star Race

Bubba Wallace’s damaged bumper from All-Star Race qualifier will raise more than $15k for charity

Bubba Wallace dropped his wrecked bumper off at Michael McDowell’s team hauler after the two made contact during the All-Star Open.

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. was furious after his early exit from the NASCAR All-Star Race Open, the qualifier for the main event, on Wednesday at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Trying to race his way into the exhibition event with a $1 million purse, Wallace slammed into the wall during the Open after Michael McDowell in the No. 34 Ford made contact with the right rear of Wallace’s No. 43 Chevrolet. And the 26-year-old Richard Petty Motorsports driver’s day was done.

Aside from racing in, Wallace could have also qualified for the All-Star Race via the fan vote, and he was in the lead to win that lone spot when NASCAR released the standings while the voting was still open.

But after his wreck with McDowell, even if he won the fan vote, he didn’t have a car to drive.

Afterward, Wallace called McDowell “a joke” while being interviewed by FOX Sports, and he dropped his destroyed bumper off at the No. 34 team’s hauler.

And now that bumper is up for auction.

Front Row Motorsports, McDowell’s team, and The NASCAR Foundation are auctioning the bumper off on eBay. All proceeds will benefit Motor Racing Outreach (MRO), which the foundation described as “providing spiritual support to drivers and their families” and “the center for children who travel with their racing families, providing a safe place to play and learn at the track.”

At the time of this story, the highest bid for the bumper on eBay was $15,300, and the bidding will end July 27.

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Chase Elliott wins NASCAR All-Star Race and $1 million prize: ‘There’s nothing like Bristol’

Chase Elliott held off Kyle Busch to win the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Chase Elliott started first for the final 15-lap shootout of NASCAR’s All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, and no one could catch him — unsurprising given that he also won the second and third stages in a four-stage race.

The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver won his first All-Star Race after holding off Kyle Busch, who finished second, in the final laps of the exhibition event. And with the checkered flag, he also won the $1 million prize.

It was Elliott’s first win at the .533-mile Tennessee short track — even though there are no points attached to this race — and he and his father, Bill Elliott, are now the second father-son duo to win the All-Star Race, following Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

And, as FOX Sports’ Jeff Gordon noted during the race broadcast, the Elliotts have now won the only two All-Star Races not held at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Since the race’s inception in 1985, it’s been held at Charlotte Motor Speedway every year, with the exception of the 1986 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which Bill Elliott won.

As far as points races go, Elliott won the Alsco Uniforms 500 at Charlotte back in May, and that checkered flag automatically qualified him for the 16-driver, 10-race playoffs in the fall.

After the All-Star Race, Elliott seemed speechless for a moment as the crowd of about 20,000 cheered for the reigning most popular driver.

Elliott told FOX Sports:

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it. What a better night to have fans back than tonight. I mean, y’all are awesome. There’s nothing like Bristol, there’s nothing like the lights here, there’s nothing like racing here. Never won here. What a race to do it.

“Just really proud of our team tonight and rebounding. We’ve had a really tough couple of weeks and just felt like we had kind of gotten off base and felt like I was struggling and just trying to hit the reset button this week and came out and put on a great performance, great car.”

About the fans, he continued:

“There’s no feeling like it. Nothing like it. This speaks for itself, and like I said, Bristol is an electric atmosphere that is unlike any other that we go to. So couldn’t be more excited. We’re going to celebrate this one for sure. And we’ll take that million dollars back to Georgia, why don’t we?”

Behind Elliott and Busch, Kevin Harvick finished third, Brad Keselowski was fourth and Denny Hamlin was fifth.

This was also the first All-Star Race at Bristol, on a short track and in the middle of the week.

Unlike regular points races, there is no reward for drivers winning the stages in the All-Star Race, so the final laps of each segment weren’t particularly thrilling. Still, Blaney won the first 55-lap stage, and Elliott won the second and third 35-lap stages.

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Bubba Wallace slams NASCAR driver who wrecked him in All-Star Race qualifier: ‘What a joke he is’

Bubba Wallace was knocked out of the NASCAR All-Star Race qualifying event early.

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. was looking to either race his way into Wednesday’s All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway or qualify for the exhibition event by winning the fan vote.

But after wrecking early in the NASCAR All-Star Open — the qualifying race for some drivers held immediately before the main event — he’ll do neither because he no longer has a car to race.

Just 17 laps into the qualifying event, Michael McDowell in the No. 34 Ford appeared to turn Wallace in the No. 43 Chevrolet into the wall, which totally destroyed the car. Wallace was evaluated and released from the infield care center, but he was furious with McDowell.

Although NASCAR doesn’t announce the winner of the fan vote until after the All-Star Open, the last time it released the fan vote standings, Wallace was in the lead to earn a spot in the All-Star Race and have a shot at the $1 million purse.

Wallace spoke to FOX Sports afterward and slammed McDowell, calling him a joke. When asked what it felt like from his perspective in the car, he said:

“Oh, just disrespect. When you get hooked into the wall — my hair looks terrible. Sorry, Mom. When you get hooked the right rear into the wall — I don’t even need to see a replay. Look at that. Yeah, wow. People say one of the nicest guys in the garage. Can’t wait for the God-fearing text he’s going to send me about preaching and praising respect. What a joke he is.”

Without a drivable car, it doesn’t matter if Wallace technically had the highest tally in the fan vote because he no longer has a car to race.

The NASCAR All-Star Race is immediately following the All-Star Open, where the winners of the three stages will advance to the main event. The All-Star Race is at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

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NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Live Stream, Start Time, TV Channel, NASCAR Starting Lineup

The NASCAR All-Star Open and Race will be held at Bristol and you can stream all the NASCAR action right here.

We have some great NASCAR action tonight NASCAR has All-Star night including the All-Star Open which will determine three of the final four starting spots, with the final spot being voted on by fans. Bubba Wallace was leading in fan voting so far.

The 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race marks the first All-Star race to be held at Bristol Motor Speedway in NASCAR history.

NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol

  • Date: Wednesday, July 15
  • All-Star Open: 7:00 p.m. ET
  • All-Star Race: 8:30 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FS1, FOX Deportes
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

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NASCAR Starting Lineup

  1. Martin Truex Jr. 19, Joe Gibbs Racing
  2. Alex Bowman 88, Hendrick Motorsports
  3. Ryan Blaney 12, Team Penske
  4. Justin Haley 77, Spire Motorsports
  5. Kevin Harvick 4, Stewart-Haas Racing
  6. Matt Kenseth 42, Chip Ganassi Racing
  7. Kurt Busch 1, Chip Ganassi Racing
  8. Cole Custer 41, Stewart-Haas Racing
  9. Brad Keselowski 2, Team Penske
  10. Kyle Busch 18, Joe Gibbs Racing
  11. Ryan Newman 6, Roush Fenway Racing
  12. Joey Logano 22, Team Penske
  13. Chase Elliott 9, Hendrick Motorsports
  14. Jimmie Johnson 48, Hendrick Motorsports
  15. Denny Hamlin 11, Joe Gibbs Racing
  16. Erik Jones 20, Joe Gibbs Racing
  17. Winner of Open Stage 1
  18. Winner of Open Stage 2
  19. Winner of Open Stage 3
  20. Fan Vote winner

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Breaking down 4 major changes to NASCAR’s 2020 All-Star Race

NASCAR’s All-Star Race is going to look quite a bit different this year.

To longtime NASCAR fans — or anyone who’s watched the All-Star Race before — this year’s exhibition event is going to look a little bit different. And it actually has little to do with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has drastically changed the season’s schedule.

The NASCAR All-Star Race is more of a spectacle than a traditional race. It’s not a points race, meaning the winner doesn’t advance in the standings or qualify for the playoffs with a checkered flag, so it’s a little more fun and flashy. And although there are no points on the line, the winner gets $1 million, and that’s not changing.

But there will be some extremely noticeable differences on the track for Wednesday’s All-Star Race (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1), so let’s break them down.

1. The All-Star Race is at Bristol Motor Speedway, not Charlotte Motor Speedway

(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

For obvious reasons, this is the biggest change, by far, to NASCAR’s exhibition race this year. Since the All-Star Race began in 1985, it’s been held at the Charlotte track every single year, with the exception of the 1986 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

However, a spike in COVID-19 cases in North Carolina ignited the switch to Bristol in Tennessee, where up to 30,000 fans will be permitted to attend. And the move is probably a great thing because many NASCAR fans would agree that Bristol’s .533-mile short track produces far better racing than Charlotte.

This is also the first time in the race’s 36-year history that it’s a midweek race, which NASCAR fans will surely love.

2. The underglow lighting

(USA TODAY Network)

Here’s one example of the added pizzazz in the All-Star Race compared with the rest of the schedule. The underglow lights are exactly what they sound like, lighting up beneath the All-Star cars and creating a decidedly ridiculous but awesome look.

They were first used at the end of the 2019 season during Champion’s Week in Nashville for the Burnouts on Broadway event — when drivers literally do doughnuts in the street.

3. The “choose rule”

You may have heard about this one because several drivers (and fans) are super into it.

NASCAR likes to use the All-Star Race to experiment with rules in the exhibition event to see how they might work before implementing them in points races immediately, and this is another example of that.

The choose rule, sometimes known as the choose cone rule, allows drivers to select which lane they’d like to restart from, giving them the option to pick the preferred lane while adding more strategy to restarts. So with the caution flag out, drivers will line up single file, and as they approach a “V” shape painted on the track, they must choose the inside or outside lane.

Currently, NASCAR’s restart rules have only the leader choosing which lane to restart from, but this rule opens that up to the whole field. Short and dirt tracks around the country use this rule often, but this is the first time the Cup Series is trying it out.

Some drivers are pumped about this rule, but at least one thinks it’s being overhyped a little.

4. Moving the cars’ numbers back

For another experiment, NASCAR is testing out a new paint scheme concept with the numbers on the sides of the cars moved back a bit toward the rear tires. According to NASCAR, teams requested this move and “will use the newfound prime real estate for sponsorship integrations.”

Traditionally, the car numbers are more or less centered on the side panels, but moving them back puts more emphasis on whatever sponsor is on the car.

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Clint Bowyer fears NASCAR’s new ‘choose rule’ is being overhyped for the All-Star Race

Clint Bowyer explained why he’s skeptical about the potential impact of NASCAR’s experiment at the All-Star Race.

There are several major storylines relating to NASCAR’s All-Star Race on Wednesday, ranging from the flashy underglow lighting for the cars to the fact that it’s at Bristol Motor Speedway instead of the traditional Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The exhibition event with $1 million on the line for the winner will also introduce the Cup Series to the “choose rule,” also known sometimes as the “choose cone rule,” which will allow each driver to select the lane they want to restart from and adds more strategy to the mix.

As NASCAR explained, for the All-Star Race, as “drivers approach a designated spot on the track, they must commit to the inside or outside lane for the restart.” And it was a big deal last month when NASCAR announced that the choose rule will be tested at this race.

But Clint Bowyer has some concerns about overhyping the potential impact of one rule.

Before Sunday’s Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway, Bowyer spoke with reporters via Zoom and said about the choose rule:

“You hear drivers talk about it and I fear — like I do a lot of times — I don’t want to oversell it. Can it make an impact? Absolutely. But if you oversell it, it will never hold up to the expectations of what people are expecting out of that.

“For the most part, I don’t see that it probably will make a difference past a few rows. I just don’t see people giving up two or three spots to stay on the outside. Possibly if you are on old tires or something like that, that’s where an opportunity like that comes in. … Can it work? Yes. Do I fear that it’s oversold? A little bit.”

The rule is popular in short- and dirt-track races but new to the Cup Series’ exhibition event, which is often seen as a way to experiment with different rules without implementing them in points races right away.

With NASCAR’s current restart rules, only the leader selects which lane they want to restart in, and everyone else has to line up based on their track position at that time. The choose rule opens that up to give drivers the opportunity to select the preferred lane.

And a lot of drivers are really into it. Austin Dillon advocated for it. Jimmie Johnson said it “could be a win-win for everybody” because “a lot of drivers grew up in a series that has choose cones.” Joey Logano joked that if a bunch of 12-year-old racers can figure the rule out, Cup drivers can too.

But, as Bowyer noted, it doesn’t always work out. He said:

“I think just like anything, I think it’s bound to have an issue or two, something blow up, something happen that you just can’t simply foresee ahead of time. We’ve had some dialogue [about] things. I talked to NASCAR.

“And obviously, having late models that race all around the country, as they travel across the country, they travel and run. And [when] they roll into a certain track, they’ll implement their rules a lot of times to appeal to the locals and attract those guys because you need them for car count and to put the show on.

“So I’ve seen it go good and I’ve seen it go bad. Honestly, I don’t want that to be the focal point going into Bristol. It can’t just be about the cone rule.”

The NASCAR All-Star Race is an abbreviated event with 140 laps broken into four stages, including a 15-lap shootout for the checkered flag and $1 million.

But it’s not open to everyone, and Bowyer is among those still looking to qualify, which he can do either by winning the fan vote or by winning the NASCAR All-Star Open immediately before the All-Star Race (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

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NASCAR’s new ‘choose rule’ for the All-Star Race, explained

NASCAR is experimenting with a new rule for the exhibition race, and drivers dig it.

Welcome to FTW Explains: A guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world.

You may have heard people in the NASCAR world talking, especially recently, about something called a “choose cone rule” or “choose rule” for restarts. You also may have heard NASCAR will be implementing it for the All-Star Race, an exhibition event, at Bristol Motor Speedway on July 15, but that doesn’t matter much if you don’t fully know what the rule means.

That’s OK, because we’re here to help and break down the basics of the “choose rule” and what it could mean for the future of NASCAR and restarts.

NASCAR’s current restart rules

When the caution flag is out and drivers are preparing for the restart — when the green flag comes back out to signal they can return to full-speed racing — they line up in two rows, one on the inside of the track and one on the outside.

Currently, only the leader is able to select which lane they’d like to start in, and the other 30-some drivers on the track then have to line up based on their track position going into the restart. Aside from the leader, drivers in odd-number positions restart in the inside lane, while those in even-number positions restart on the outside.

So why does this matter?

Although the preferred lane changes depending on the race track, there is often a consensus among drivers and teams about which lane is best, and they can be at a serious disadvantage potentially restarting from the slower lane — especially if it’s late in the race.

And sometimes that can lead to drivers intentionally sacrificing a position while coming off pit road during the caution in order to start in the lane they want.

(Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

What is the choose rule then?

The choose rule would open up restart positions while adding even more strategy to it. The rule would allow each driver to select which lane to restart in. It’s utilized at race tracks around the country — mostly short and dirt tracks, as noted by Autoweek‘s Matt Weaver, a longtime choose cone rule advocate — but has yet to be used in NASCAR.

But should the governing body adopt it officially, it could off more benefits than the option to restart in a preferred lane.

Hypothetically, if multiple drivers running up front all opt for the same lane, the next driver behind them could fall in line or choose the opposite lane, and, therefore, make up a bunch of positions with just one decision. Whether or not they could maintain that position in the less dominant lane is a different story.

Why is it also called the choose cone rule?

As The Athletic‘s Jeff Gluck explains: “At a short track, drivers go one way or another around a ‘choose cone’ that prompts them to make a decision; in NASCAR, drivers would likely just pick a lane without a cone on the track.”

Announcing the rule for the All-Star Race on Wednesday, NASCAR said it will be a “designated spot on the track,” and as drivers approach it, they will have to choose the inside or outside lane.

What do drivers think about the choose rule?

A few drivers have been asked about the rule in the last several weeks — prior to NASCAR announcing Wednesday the rule for the All-Star Race — and they’re pretty supportive of the rule and NASCAR implementing it.

Jimmie Johnson said it would simplify restarts for drivers, who wouldn’t have to adjust too much to a potential new rule because “a lot of drivers grew up in a series that has choose cones.” He said NASCAR adopting the rule “could be a win-win for everybody.”

Martin Truex Jr. said he was “murdered” by NASCAR’s restart rule at Darlington Raceway because he kept getting stuck in the inside lane, and it was “frustrating” when what he thought was a top-3 car finished 10th.

Ryan Blaney said it would be “really neat,” but added that “maybe you don’t do it everywhere.” And his teammate, Joey Logano, said he’s “been bringing it up for years,” adding:

“I see nothing bad that it can bring. It’s brings another strategy to the table. It’s definitely something to talk about. You don’t have luck coming involved. You see guys hit their brakes at the end of pit road — number one, that’s not real safe.

“But, two, you try to line yourself up sixth and then the car in front of you gets a speeding penalty, and you’re like, ‘I gave up a spot and now I’m on the bottom too. I really blew it.’ That happens out there so many times that everybody is trying to play the game, so just put a cone out there and say, ‘Go left or right.’ … I tell you, if I see a bunch of 12-year-olds do it in the Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway, I’m pretty sure all of us could figure it out.”

So what does it mean that NASCAR is implementing this rule for the All-Star Race at Bristol?

The All-Star Race is not for points in the driver standings, nor does a win lock drivers into the 10-race playoffs in the fall like regular points races. And NASCAR has used the exhibition race to test potential new rules or packages in the past, so this certainly suggests that NASCAR is at least curious about how or if this could work in the Cup Series.

Maybe it will work fabulously, and drivers and fans will push for the rule to officially be adopted. Maybe it will be a total disaster, and NASCAR won’t talk about this rule again for year. Where things go from there is, obviously, still TBD.

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NASCAR at Talladega Live Stream, Start Time, TV Channel, NASCAR Starting Lineup

Watch NASCAR live from Talladega today in the Geico 500, stream all the action here!

NASCAR is back this weekend with the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama on Sunday. Martin Truex and Denny Hamlin have the first and second positions in row one for the race. This should be the most exciting NASCAR event since returning to racing so tune it today!

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Geico 500 at Talladega

  • Date: Sunday, June 21
  • Start time: 3:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FOX, FOX Deportes
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

The starting lineup for the Geico 500 was set by the same procedure that determined the last four Cup Series races. All of those were scheduled without any practice or qualifying races.

Below is the protocol for how the Cup Series field was set at Talladega:

  • Positions 1-12: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 13-24: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 25-36: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 37-40: Open teams in order of owners points

NASCAR at Talladega starting lineup

Row 1

1. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Row 2

3. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

4. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Row 3

5. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

6. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

Row 4

7. Kurt Busch, No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

8. Alex Bowman, No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Row 5

9. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

10. Clint Bowyer, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Row 6

11. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

12. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

Row 7

13. Matt Kenseth, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

14. Ryan Newman, No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford

Row 8

15. Aric Almirola, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

16. Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Row 9

17. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

18. Erik Jones, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Row 10

19. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

Row 11

21. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford

22. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

Row 12

23. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

24. Bubba Wallace, No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet

Row 13

25. Corey LaJoie, No. 32 GO FAS Racing Ford

26. Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

Row 14

27. Brennan Poole, No. 15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet

28. Cole Custer, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Row 15

29. Grey Gaulding, No. 27 Rick Ware Racing Ford

30. BJ McLeod, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Row 16

31. Ryan Preece, No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

32. Quin Houff, No. 00 StarCom Racing Chevrolet

Row 17

33. Ty Dillon, No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet

34. JJ Yeley, No. 53 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet

Row 18

35. Christopher Bell, No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota

36. Joey Gase, No. 51 Petty Ware Racing Ford

Row 19

37. Daniel Suarez, No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota

38. Timmy Hill, No. 66 Motorsports Business Management Toyota

Row 20

39. Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet

40. Garrett Smithley, No. 78 B.J. McLeod Motorsports Chevrolet

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