NASCAR revealed the format for the 42nd All-Star Race, scheduled for May 17th at Dover Motor Speedway. The race will be 350 laps divided into three segments with the entire Cup Series field on track from the start, which eliminates the traditional All-Star Open from the program. Only 26 drivers will advance to the final 200-lap segment where the one million dollars will be contested.
New Format
Last year's edition at North Wilkesboro was simpler to follow because it separated everything into two races. A 100-lap Open for ineligible drivers to race for their spot, and a 250-lap main race reserved for qualified drivers. Two races, each with a clear purpose. That model has been discarded.
At Dover, all Cup Series drivers will start together from the first lap with Segments 1 and 2 being 75 laps each. Qualifying on Saturday, May 16th, will determine the grid for the first segment. For the second segment, the top 26 from Segment 1 will have their starting lineup inverted, and the rest of the group will line up according to their result in the first session. Up to that point, no one is eliminated.
The cut comes between Segment 2 and the final, when NASCAR will reduce the field to 26 drivers for the last 200 laps which are the ones that count for the million dollars. Eligibility works the same as in previous years. Race winners in points-paying races in 2025 and 2026 enter directly, as do former champions and past All-Star Race winners who compete full-time. Remaining spots will be filled with the best combined results from both segments until reaching 25 cars, and the 26th position will go to the Fan Vote winner.
The important detail is that drivers with automatic eligibility will also have to run those first 150 laps. In the previous format, they didn't run any risk because they entered directly into the main race, but now a crash or mechanical issue in Segments 1 or 2 could leave them out even if they have their spot guaranteed. Eligibility reserves them a seat among the 26, but if the car can't continue running, there's no rule that saves them.
NASCAR scheduled a competition caution around lap 225 that will force teams to recalculate their tire and fuel strategy in the decisive stretch. The 17 drivers with confirmed eligibility as of today are William Byron, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Josh Berry, Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Shane van Gisbergen, Bubba Wallace, and Kyle Busch, and that list will grow as winners are added during the remainder of the 2026 season.
Qualifying with Integrated Pit Stop
That entire starting order depends on what happens on Saturday, and the qualifying session also brings new features. Each driver will take one flying lap at full speed and on the second lap will enter one of two pit boxes designated by NASCAR for a four-tire change without refueling. The clock will run from green flag to checkered flag, and that total time will establish the starting position for Segment 1. The crew with the fastest stop and no penalties will win the Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge, whose results will determine the pit stall selection order for Sunday.
Photo By Getty Images - Nascar
What to Expect from the All-Star Race at Dover
"The Monster Mile" is the first one-mile track and the first Northeast venue to host the All-Star Race, and its concrete oval with high-banked turns will present very different conditions from the short, flat oval of North Wilkesboro, where the event was run the previous three editions. That Wilkes County track, in turn, will host its first Cup Series points race in 30 years on July 19th. North Wilkesboro hosted the All-Star Race from 2023 and now transitions to having a date on the regular championship calendar. The last points race there was won by Jeff Gordon in 1996.
Photo By Getty Images - Nascar
At Dover, the weekend will encompass three national series between May 15th and 17th, with the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series on Friday (ECOSAVE 200), the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series on Saturday (BETRIVERS 200), and the All-Star Race on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Upcoming Races
Drivers Standings 2026
| POS | PILOTO | PTS | ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Reddick | 186 | |
| 2 | Bubba Wallace | 116 | |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | 114 | |
| 4 | Ryan Blaney | 100 | arrow_up4 |
| 5 | Shane van Gisbergen | 90 | arrow_up11 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | 90 | |
| 7 | Daniel Suarez | 87 | |
| 8 | AJ Allmendinger | 86 | arrow_up10 |
Reddick wins at COTA and takes his Cup Series start to 3-0
Van Gisbergen wins Focused Health 250 at COTA
Layne Riggs wins the first Trucks street race in St. Pete
Reddick wins in Atlanta and scores two consecutive victories in NASCAR Cup
Sheldon Creed wins for the first time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series
Kyle Busch wins for the ninth time in Atlanta in the Truck Series
Daytona 500 ends with Reddick victory on final lap
Logano and Elliott win the Duels at Daytona
Kyle Busch qualified first for the Daytona 500
Corey Heim will not have a full-time seat in 2026
Ryan Preece wins the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray
