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The All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway may not affect the NASCAR Cup Series standings, but the winner will bag a $1 million cash prize and bragging rights.
The All-Star Race qualifying won't be as straight-forward as it seems. Drivers will still race a single lap, with vehicles starting in reverse order of the owner's points. However, the top eight drivers will compete in a head-to-head tournament to determine the pole winner this weekend.
The cars will line up side by side in matching pit stalls at the end of the pit road under the bracket layout. The pit crew will complete a four-tire stop before the drivers speed off pit road and onto the track for a one-lap race. The first driver to return to the start finish line will progress to the next round.
The winner will start on pole for the All-Star Race. The runner-up will take the starting position. Drivers that fail in the semi-finals will finish third or fourth in terms of speed. Drivers eliminated in the first round are ranked fifth through eighth based on their speed off the pit road. The rest of the field will be ranked according to their single-lap time.
There isn't much difference between this year's All-Star Open and previous year's races. The winners of the three stages will advance to the All-Star Race. Online fan voting will determine the final driver in the All-Star Race field. According to NASCAR, if the fan vote winner also wins a stage in the All-Star Open, the fan voting runner-up will qualify for the All-Star Race.
This is how the new format works in NASCAR All-Star Race
Last month, NASCAR announced that a new format would be followed during the All-Star Race, wherein the 125 laps would be be divided into three 25-lap stages and a 50-lap final stage. If the winner finishes 15th or better in Stages 1, 2 and 3, then they will start on pole for the final stage.
If the driver finishes 15th or better in Stage 3, the winner of Stage 2 will start second in the final stage, and the winner of Stage 3 will start third in the final stage.
According to Fox Sports, NASCAR will not place a second-place finisher in the first two rows. Similarly, a driver who finishes second will not be able to replace a driver who wins more than one of the first three stages.
The pit-stop competition will follow Stage 2, where the teams must do a four-tire stop. The team with the shortest pit stop will win $100,000, and the driver will start the final stage in fourth place if they finish 15th or better in Stage 3.
If there is no natural caution between the 15th and 25th laps, they will call for a competitive caution in the final stage. The driver who takes the checkered flag will collect the $1 million winner-take-all reward.
The new format will ensure that the race at the Texas Motor Speedway is sure to be action-packed.
