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Why the All-Star Open is the most underrated race of the year
By Steve Luvender | Published: June 11, 2021 19
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Streeter Lecka | Getty Images
In short, the All-Star Open doesn’t get the credit it deserves. The unpredictable winners, the spotlight on the underdogs, the fan-vote element, the money on the line — it’s a recipe for one heck of a way to open All-Star Race night. Catch the All-Star Open (and, of course, the All-Star Race) from Texas Motor Speedway starting on Sunday, June 13 at 6 p.m. ET on FS1.
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The bumper was then auctioned off, raising over $20,000 for charity.
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Wallace then made a special delivery to McDowell’s hauler — the No. 43’s mangled front bumper — after his early exit from the race.
Photo: Paul Sutton
Photo: Paul Sutton
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Fireworks flew in the 2020 All-Star Open at Bristol Motor Speedway. There may have been a heart on the hood of Michael McDowell’s car (No. 34), but there wasn’t much love after a crash between him and fan-vote favorite Bubba Wallace (No. 43). (Remember, you need a drivable car in order to advance via the fan vote.)
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Since there are no championship points on the line and it’s all about putting on a good show, the All-Star Race is often a testing ground for new ideas in NASCAR. For instance, the “choose rule” procedure was first tested in the 2020 All-Star Race — and then, shortly after, was implemented in Cup Series championship races. Since the All-Star Open precedes the All-Star Race main event, it means the Open is technically the first race when there’s a competition change.
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Streeter Lecka | Getty Images
…and then made history as the first driver to win the All-Star Race after winning the Open.
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The final stage of the 2019 All-Star Open set up for quite a moment, too. Kyle Larson brought home the Open win…
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… who went on to give one of the best (and stickiest) driver entrances ever.
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It was an emotional moment for Wallace…
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In the second stage, Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez engaged in a full-contact duel to the finish. Wallace got the win over the sideways-spinning Suarez.
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The 2019 running of the All-Star Open was a memorable one. First, William Byron surged past Kyle Larson and won the opening stage — by a bumper over Bubba Wallace — and advanced to the All-Star Race.
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Jeff Zelevansky | Getty Images
Thanks to rabid fans on Reddit, the internet voted Josh Wise to the moon — and into the 2014 running of the All-Star Race, driving the now-famous Dogecoin car — with a shot at a million bucks (or, today, a little over 3 million $DOGE). Much wow.
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Streeter Lecka | Getty Images
Kasey Kahne proved in 2008 that the fan-vote winner isn’t just some popularity contest. While Kahne didn’t get the job done in the Open early in the evening to advance, his fans voted him into the All-Star Race. He went on to win the race and bank a million bucks — the first time in history a fan-voted driver advanced to the All-Star Race and won it.
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In 2005, underdog Mike Bliss looked like he’d advance to the All-Star Race, until second-place Brian Vickers sent Bliss for a spin on the final lap with the finish line in sight. Vickers went on to finish third in the big show, banking nearly $200,000, while Bliss went home heartbroken.
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In short, the All-Star Open is a recipe for fun — all with a promise of racing for serious money against the big dogs. (And who doesn’t like when the underdog gets their day?)
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Getty Images
After the Open, one final driver, voted by fans, is added to the All-Star Race field — assuming the fan-vote winner hasn’t already advanced, and they’ve still got a drivable race car.
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Getty Images
The Open only consists of drivers who didn’t win in the past year or who haven’t otherwise qualified for the All-Star Race, guaranteeing a new winner — probably somebody who’s awfully hungry for a win. Past winners include Scott Riggs, David Ragan, Sam Hornish Jr. and AJ Allmendinger (twice). If you like to watch underdogs, the All-Star Open is like Christmas morning meets your birthday meets the Super Bowl.
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Sean Gardner | Getty images
The All-Star Open is a brief qualifying race held before the main All-Star Race event that gives Cup Series drivers who haven’t qualified into the big show one last opportunity to compete for a million dollars alongside NASCAR’s finest. And the race has got it all.
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While most eyes are on the million-dollar NASCAR All-Star Race (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, FS1), it’s easy to forget one of the best events of the entire season: the All-Star Open (Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, FS1).