Jimmie Johnson reports positive COVID-19 test

Posted on July 3, 2020July 3, 2020 by Staff Report

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has reported a positive COVID-19 test, Hendrick Motorsports announced Friday evening.

The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet was set to compete for his series-best fifth win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Sunday’s race (4 p.m. ET, NBC), but he is no longer cleared to compete. Justin Allgaier will drive the No. 48 Chevrolet on Sunday as his replacement.

NASCAR outlined the steps for Johnson’s return in accordance with the CDC’s current guidelines: Johnson must be symptom free and have two negative COVID-19 test results, at least 24 hours apart. Additionally, NASCAR requires Johnson to be cleared by his physician before returning to racing.

RELATED: Full weekend schedule

“My first priority is the health and safety of my loved ones and my teammates,” Johnson said in a team release. “I’ve never missed a race in my Cup career, but I know it’s going to be very hard to watch from the sidelines when I’m supposed to be out there competing. Although this situation is extremely disappointing, I’m going to come back ready to win races and put ourselves in playoff contention.”

Johnson will not accrue points for races in which he does not compete, but he would be granted a playoff waiver should he qualify for the postseason. The 44-year-old driver, who has said 2020 will be his last year as a full-time driver, currently sits 12th in the points standings. He is 63 points above the playoff cutline.

According to a Hendrick Motorsports statement, Johnson has not experienced symptoms of COVID-19. He was tested upon learning Friday morning that his wife, Chandra, tested positive after experiencing allergy-like symptoms.

Johnson was in constant communication with Hendrick Motorsports before and after being tested for COVID-19. The team immediately informed NASCAR and has been coordinating with the sanctioning body. As a precaution, it has also identified one member of the No. 48 traveling crew to self-quarantine due to close contact with the driver.

“Jimmie has handled this situation like the champion he is,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “We’re relieved he isn’t showing symptoms and that Chani is doing great, and we know he’ll be back and ready to go very soon. It’s going to be difficult for him to be out of the car and away from his team, but it’s the right thing to do for Jimmie and everyone involved.”

NASCAR released this statement on Friday:

“Following the guidelines outlined in the Event Operations Protocols manual, Jimmie Johnson has alerted NASCAR that he has tested positive for COVID-19. NASCAR has outlined the steps for Johnson’s return, in accordance with the CDC’s current guidelines, which includes that Johnson is symptom-free and has two negative COVID-19 test results, at least 24 hours apart. NASCAR requires Johnson to be cleared by his physician before returning to racing. Jimmie is a true battle-tested champion, and we wish him well in his recovery. NASCAR has granted Jimmie a playoff waiver, and we look forward to his return as he races for an eighth NASCAR Cup Series championship.”

Allgaier has driven full time for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since 2016. He has eight wins during that stretch and has finished in the top four of the standings in three of the previous four seasons.

Allgaier tweeted a statement that read, in part, “I … believe we can make Jimmie and this #48 team proud until he’s ready to get back behind the wheel.”

Please read. pic.twitter.com/rrBdcQQm4N

— Justin Allgaier (@J_Allgaier) July 4, 2020

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series is set for its trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this season. Speedway, Indiana, will play host to Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered By Big Machine Records (4 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). This weekend marks the third crown-jewel event in 2020.

As has been the case with other events since the sport’s return after the COVID-19 outbreak, Sunday’s race will be held without practice or qualifying.

The event will tally the 16th NASCAR Cup Series races of the year; the 12th since the coronavirus pause. With plenty of variables in play for the Fourth of July weekend, here’s a primer with helpful information.

TRACK DETAILS

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, also known as the Brickyard, is a 2.5-mile rectangular oval. All four turns have a 9.2-degree bankings and are about 1,320-feet long. The straightaways are flat, with the long ones being 3,300 feet and the shorts one being 660 feet.

The track was built in 1909, making it the third oldest paved oval (Milwaukee Mile, 1903; Nashville Fairgrounds, 1904). Indianapolis hosted its first NASCAR Cup Series event on Aug. 6, 1994. Jeff Gordon won the inaugural Brickyard 400 in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He led a race-high 93 of 160 laps and beat Brett Bodine to the finish line by .53 seconds. Gordon, now a NASCAR Hall of Famer, holds the record for most all-time wins at Indianapolis with five.

The facility is also home to the NTT IndyCar Series, which will have its GMR Grand Prix on Saturday right before the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Pennzoil 150 (3 p.m. ET, NBC, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Between the action Saturday and Sunday, it’ll be the first-ever time that NASCAR’s Cup and Xfinity Series and IndyCar races will be hosted by a single venue.

Sunday’s 400-miler will be the 27th race for NASCAR’s top division at Indianapolis.

STAGE LENGTHS

Stage 1 is set to end at Lap 50, Stage 2 at Lap 100, and the final stage is slated to conclude on Lap 160.

STARTING LINEUP

The NASCAR Cup Series race will be held without practice and qualifying as the sanctioning body tries to limit exposure for on-site personnel to control the spread of coronavirus. Sunday’s starting lineup was determined by a random draw among groups in the team owner standings:

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

Pit-stall selection is based on the finishing order from last Sunday’s event at Pocono Raceway.

RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for intermediate-sized tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 550 horsepower. The cars will use aero ducts in addition to other aerodynamic devices to increase downforce.

GOODYEAR TIRES

The downforce package the NASCAR Cup Series will run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend is hard on tires, with high loads generated down the long straightaways. Search for grip will be important. Teams will have nine sets of tires for Sunday’s race.

Set-up will feature the same right-side tire code as last season but a new left-side code with a construction update — all the same as last weekend at Pocono Raceway.

“Indy is a very tricky place to get right for a stock car,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Last year’s race was run in unseasonably cool temperatures in the low 70s with overcast skies, so there was plenty of grip. This week’s forecast is for 90-degree temperatures and teams will be looking for grip on a hot, slick track and tires will be a key factor. With no practice, and the Xfinity cars running on the road course and not the oval this year, team will have to tread lightly going into this race.”

The NASCAR Xfinity Series, meanwhile, will run the same tire code on all four tire positions. It’ll be the same as the set-up ran last season at Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Teams will have two sets of tires for Friday’s practices and five sets for Saturday’s race. They will also be allowed up to four sets of “wets” (two for practices, two for race) if NASCAR decides weather conditions warrant the switch.

STATS TO KNOW

— Nine drivers won the last 10 races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch (2015-16) is the only repeat winner during that timespan.

— Ford has won the last two races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after failing to win in the prior 18 events. Meanwhile, Chevrolet has won 13 of the last 17 races and only one of the wins was within the past five years.

— The final lead change came with two laps to go in three of the last five races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch passed Joey Logano (finished second) for the win in 2015, Kasey Kahne passed Brad Keselowski (finished second) for the win in 2017, and Keselowski passed Denny Hamlin (finished third) for the win in 2018.

— Hendrick Motorsports has 10 wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while the eight other organizations with wins there have 16 victories combined. HMS has never gone more than three years without winning at the Brickyard. It has been two years since its last win (Kasey Kahne, 2017).

— Jimmie Johnson’s four wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway rank second all time to Jeff Gordon (five), but Johnson also has 11 finishes of 14th or worse there, including five of the last six races.

— Kevin Harvick, who has won three races in 2020, has the longest active top-10 streak at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with six, spanning from 2014-19. Kyle Busch has the all-time longest streak with seven, but it ended in 2016.

Source: NASCAR statistics, Racing Insights

LIVE COVERAGE

Tune in to television coverage Sunday on NBC (4 p.m. ET) or on the NBC Sports App for both events. For full radio coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, listen in to IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on-air.

RELATED: Ways to follow the races

For a more interactive experience, head over to NASCAR.com or the NASCAR app to check out an enhanced Race Center, live Lap-by-Lap coverage, the customizable live leaderboard with Scanner and the return of Drive (featuring in-car cameras).

Be sure to set your lineup in Fantasy Live and make your picks in the NASCAR Finish Line App!

2019 RACE WINNER

Kevin Harvick won the 2019 Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, leading a race-high 118 of 160 laps. The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford took the front spot from Ryan Blaney with 30 laps to go and kept it through the checkered flag. Blaney’s Team Penske teammate, Joey Logano, finished runner-up by 6.118 seconds. Richard Petty Motorsports’ Bubba Wallace came in third.

Last year, the NASCAR Cup Series’ visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway doubled as the regular-season finale. The race was on Sept. 8, 2019. It has since moved to the Fourth of July weekend for 2020.

ACTIVE INDIANAPOLIS WINNERS

Jimmie Johnson (four); Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch (two); Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman (one)

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Terrin Waack

Out of the six rookies in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series field, John Hunter Nemechek is the only one to have finished every race this season in a running car. That means he has also turned the highest percentage of laps through 15 events. He’s not at a 100% completion rate, but a strong 99.66% instead.

Forget the newcomers, that mark is actually good for third best among all his full-time, points-eligible competitors.

“It’s been one of those things where I want to run every lap that I can and gain the most valuable experience that I can when we go to the race track,” Nemechek told NASCAR.com. “I don’t want to put myself in bad spots where we may get wrecked or anything like that.”

Nemechek only trails Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick in laps completed. Hamlin is at 99.76% and has won a series-high four races. Harvick is two laps short of a perfect score at 99.95% with his three wins.

Rank	Driver	Laps completed	Total laps	Percentage
1	Kevin Harvick	4,157	4,159	99.95%
2	Denny Hamlin	4,149	4,159	99.76%
3	John Hunter Nemechek*	4,145	4,159	99.66%
18	Brennan Poole*	3,949	4,159	94.95%
20	Christopher Bell*	3,916	4,159	94.16%
25	Cole Custer*	3,841	4,159	92.35%
27	Tyler Reddick*	3,814	4,159	91.71%
31	Quin Houff*	3,561	4,159	85.62%

*NASCAR Cup Series rookie

The No. 38 Front Row Motorsport Ford hasn’t made it to Victory Lane, but it has placed in the top 10 twice. Nemechek is averaging a 19.3 finish — tied with Tyler Reddick for strongest average among rookies.

“There have been some races that we’ve had really good speed, but we haven’t had the finishes to show it,” Nemechek said. “Just have to get better at closing races and finishing more where we feel like we need to.”

In NASCAR’s first race back after the COVID-19 pause, Nemechek pulled off his first top-10 performance — ninth at Darlington Raceway. A couple days later, he ended up 35th at the same track. Big difference there, and he thought the first production was more reflective of the team’s capabilities.

None of the first-year drivers are within the top 16 when it comes to points right now, which means they are currently outside the NASCAR Playoffs picture just past the halfway mark of the regular season. Reddick is on the bubble in 18th — 26 points behind Erik Jones in the 16th and final transfer spot. Nemechek sits 22nd and trails by 72 points, with hopes of rising above the cutoff line.

“It’s going to be a difficult task to do, but it’s still not out of the question,” Nemechek said. “… Anything can happen, and we’re truly not that far back on points. So hopefully we can push forward, have some really good points day and have a shot to win at some of these short tracks or superspeedway races where I feel like our cars are on the strong side right now.”

Nemechek did register a season-best eighth at Talladega Superspeedway two weeks ago. He also had an 11th-place run in the opening Daytona 500 — his third-best showing this year. All that bodes well for his team considering Daytona International Speedway will host the regular-season finale on Aug. 29 — the final shot to make the postseason.

There are at least eight points-paying races on the schedule before then (not counting postponed races from the spring at Dover and Michigan that have yet to be made up), though, starting with Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered By Big Machine Records at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (4 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). A win and he’s in, but chipping away at his deficit is the goal for now.

“The biggest thing for us this weekend is to make the most out of the situation,” Nemechek said. “Be there and be present. Have a shot to contend for top 15, top 10, top five — whatever it may be. You don’t know how your car is going to run or what speed you’re going to have until you show up at the race track. Just try to get better as the race plays on.”

Posted on July 2, 2020July 3, 2020 by Staff Report

The starting lineup for Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (4 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) has been set.

Joey Logano will start from the pole position, with Kurt Busch joining him on the front row to lead the field to green for the 160-lap, 400-mile race.

The lineup for the race was determined by a random draw, with results airing on FS1’s “Race Hub.” The parameters for the draw were as follows:

Positions 1-12 determined by a random draw from charter teams in those positions in team owner points
Positions 13-24: Random draw among charter teams in those positions in owner points
Positions 25-36: Random draw among charter teams in those positions in owner points
Positions 37-40: will be filled out by open, non-chartered teams in order of owner points

Here is a look at the full lineup:

Starting spot	Driver	Car #	Team
1	Joey Logano	22	Team Penske
2	Kurt Busch	1	Chip Ganassi Racing
3	Alex Bowman	88	Hendrick Motorsports
4	Justin Allgaier*	48	Hendrick Motorsports
5	Aric Almirola	10	Stewart-Haas Racing
6	Denny Hamlin	11	Joe Gibbs Racing
7	Kyle Busch	18	Joe Gibbs Racing
8	Martin Truex Jr.	19	Joe Gibbs Racing
9	Brad Keselowski	2	Team Penske
10	Chase Elliott	9	Hendrick Motorsports
11	Kevin Harvick	4	Stewart-Haas Racing
12	Ryan Blaney	12	Team Penske
13	Tyler Reddick	8	Richard Childress Racing
14	Ryan Newman	6	Roush Fenway Racing
15	Matt DiBenedetto	21	Wood Brothers Racing
16	Austin Dillon	3	Richard Childress Racing
17	Bubba Wallace	43	Richard Petty Motorsports
18	William Byron	24	Hendrick Motorsports
19	John Hunter Nemechek	38	Front Row Motorsports
20	Chris Buescher	17	Roush Fenway Racing
21	Matt Kenseth	42	Chip Ganassi Racing
22	Clint Bowyer	14	Stewart-Haas Racing
23	Erik Jones	20	Joe Gibbs Racing
24	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	47	JTG Daugherty Racing
25	Joey Gase	51	Petty Ware Racing
26	Brennan Poole	15	Premium Motorsports
27	Michael McDowell	34	Front Row Motorsports
28	Garrett Smithley	53	Rick Ware Racing
29	Ty Dillon	13	Germain Racing
30	Cole Custer	41	Stewart-Haas Racing
31	Corey LaJoie	32	Go Fas Racing
32	Ross Chastain	77	Spire Motorsports
33	Quin Houff	00	StarCom Racing
34	JJ Yeley	27	Rick Ware Racing
35	Christopher Bell	95	Leavine Family Racing
36	Ryan Preece	37	JTG Daugherty Racing
37	Daniel Suarez	96	Gaunt Brothers Racing
38	Timmy Hill	66	Motorsports Business Management
39	Johs Bilicki	7	Tommy Baldwin Racing
40	BJ McLeod	78	BJ McLeod Motorsports

*Allgaier is starting in place of Jimmie Johnson, who reported a positive COVID-19 test on Friday.

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020 by Terrin Waack

For the first time in motorsports history, the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NTT IndyCar Series will race at the same track on the same weekend.

The Xfinity Series and the IndyCar Series are set to navigate Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course on Saturday, while the Cup Series has the original oval on Sunday. All of the action will be broadcast on NBC.

Hype surrounding the Fourth of July tripleheader has prompted interest in making this crossover an annual event, specifically hosted in Speedway, Indiana.

“I’m going to just completely kiss butt here and say whatever Roger Penske wants to do, let him do it,” said Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford in the Cup Series. “It’s his track.”

That’s right. Penske officially bought IMS, along with the IndyCar Series and IMS Productions, back in November of 2019.

Penske, of course, also owns Team Penske, which fields both NASCAR and IndyCar entries among other racing entities. The organization has four NASCAR drivers – Keselowski, Joey Logano (No. 22) and Ryan Blaney (No. 12) in Cup; Austin Cindric (No. 22) in Xfinity – and three IndyCar wheelmen – Will Power (No. 12 Chevrolet), Simon Pagenaud (No. 22) and Josef Newgarden (No. 1). All of them have competed at Indianapolis.

“I’ve heard a lot about what he’s been able to do to the facility,” Cindric said. “It’s somewhere I’ve gone pretty much every year of my life – now that I think about it – so I’m excited to see all that as far as from a race fan’s perspective and then obviously a lot of incentive to try to get that first win on the road course for him.”

Saturday does mark the Xfinity Series’ debut on Indianapolis’ 14-turn, 2.439-mile road-course layout. Meanwhile, this will be the Cup Series’ 27th trip around the 2.5-mile oval.

Overall, Team Penske boasts 25 wins at Indianapolis, tying it with Michigan International Speedway for its winningest track. Keselowski alone is responsible for the two NASCAR triumphs with his 2012 Xfinity Series victory and his 2018 Cup Series crown jewel there.

Power claims four IndyCar trophies from Indianapolis. Pagenaud also has four but three with Team Penske.

“I can’t wait to see the place, and it’s just going to continue over the next few years – all the updates,” Power said. “You just know Roger strives for perfection, so there will be nothing in that place that looks out of place when Roger is done.”

Indianapolis, also known as the Brickyard, was built in 1909. It’s the third oldest paved track among NASCAR circuits.

Because of their respective manufacture alliances – Team Penske runs Fords in NASCAR and Chevrolets in IndyCar –drivers cannot double dip in the two leagues this weekend. Penske, though, is the only owner to have drivers in all three events. That means its going to be a busy weekend for the “Captain.”

“No better race track and no better person to put it on,” Cindric said, “than the guy that has an entry in every single series.”

PHOTOS: Every Penske win in the Cup Series | Wins by driver at Team Penske

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020 by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit for Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records (4 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on July 2, 2020 by RJ Kraft

NASCAR Finish Line, a free-to-play gaming app from Penn National Gaming, is back with the resumption of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. Each week, there will be six groups of five drivers for the upcoming race. Users will predict which driver will finish first among each of the six groups and then the overall race winner and second-place finisher for a chance to win $25,000 if all eight scenarios are correctly selected.

RELATED: Download NASCAR Finish Line

The second of six groups for this weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (4 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) consists of Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. Only Keselowski has a victory at the 2.5-mile track.

For a stats look at each driver, NASCAR.com has compiled the career average finish at Indianapolis, the average finish from the last two races at Indianapolis, the percentage of top 10s at Pocono Raceway and the 2020 average finish for non-superspeedway tracks of at least two miles (Auto Club Speedway and both Pocono races). All this has been done to see who is the best play to make in Group 2.

A point system has been assigned, starting with one point for the best finisher and counting up to five points for the worst finisher. Those numbers were then added up. The lowest total signifies the strongest driver (green), and the highest total represents the weakest driver (red).

Driver	Last 2 avg. finishes at Indianapolis	Avg. finish at Indianapolis	Percentage of top 10s at Indianapolis	2020 avg. finish at least 2-mile tracks	Total
Ryan Blaney	9.0 (2)	17.8 (3)	20 percent (1 in 5 starts) (3.5)	17.7 (5)	13.5
Alex Bowman	27.0 (4)	34.2 (5)	0 percent (0 in 4 starts) (5)	12.3 (3)	17
Clint Bowyer	5.0 (1)	13.5 (1)	36 percent (5 in 14 starts) (2)	12.7 (4)	8
Brad Keselowski	19.5 (3)	13.8 (2)	50 percent (5 in 10 starts) (1)	8.3 (1)	7
Martin Truex Jr.	33.5 (5)	21.3 (4)	20 percent (3 in 15 starts) (3.5)	10.0 (2)	14.5

This is a tight battle between Kesselowski and Bowyer for the Group 2 selection. If you are going strictly off of Indianapolis numbers, Bowyer is a better option thanks to his back-to-back top fives at the Brickyard (and comes with the added bonus of he is likely to be a less popular selection than some other drivers in the group). If you go by 2020 stats with Indianapolis stats also factored in, then Keselowski — the 2018 Brickyard winner — is the choice to make. Given how fast he has been over the past month, Blaney’s an intriguing choice to consider as well. He notched his first Indianapolis top 10 in last year’s race.

Make sure to get your picks for all the groups as well as the first- and second-place finishers in the NASCAR Finish Line App before the race at Indianapolis.

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020 by Pat DeCola

There are few things more American than Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

So when the NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to the Brickyard for its inaugural attempt at running the infield road course on July 4 (3 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), well, it’s tough to raise the patriotic bar any higher than that.

Given its prominence at a national level, being able to win at Indianapolis just puts a driver in a certain echelon no matter the style of chassis that surrounds him when he takes the checkers or layout of the track he does it on.

Knowing he might be the preeminent favorite as things stand now given his team’s strong performance in 2020 and his chops as arguably the sport’s last remaining road-course ringer, AJ Allmendinger is already fantasizing about what it’d be like to add his name to the history books alongside some of motorsports’ greats.

“To be completely honest, it has nothing to do with it being the first road course (race) ever for Xfinity at Indy, it’s just the history behind the race track,” Allmendinger said June 17. “There’s very few places … when you go to a race track that has so much history behind it, whether its Indycars, stock cars, whatever it may be, you say the word ‘Indy’ and people that aren’t in motorsports understand what the history is behind that race track and just to pull into Victory Lane or kiss the bricks is something special, I don’t care what car you’re in.”

There’s only one other track in the country that registers at the same national wavelength as Indy — Daytona International Speedway, the longtime former host of July 4 weekend festivities in NASCAR and the only other track able to shoulder that weight.

TURN-BY-TURN ANALYSIS: Breaking down the Indianapolis road course

Winning at Daytona is unlike anything else, as well, and it’s a familiar feeling to Allmendinger.

“I remember this at Daytona. I won in a Skip Barber National series car and I pulled into Victory Lane and that was special to me, because that was Daytona,” said Allmendinger, who won at Watkins Glen International in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014. “It’s the same thing. The Brickyard. All the history and the winners in so many different forms of racing there now, I would love to be a part of that.”

And of course, if he’s part of that? Along with it comes a date with the track’s infamous bricks at the start-finish line.

“I just want to be part of that history and it’d be something special to kiss the bricks, even if we have to do it with the masks on,” he said. “I don’t care, I’ll do it with the masks on.”

Posted on July 1, 2020July 1, 2020 by Staff Report

NASCAR announced Wednesday that the format for the July 15 All-Star Race and All-Star Open at Bristol Motor Speedway will include a choose rule, revealing the change on FOX Sports 1’s Race Hub.

Here’s how the choose rule works: When drivers approach a designated spot on the track, they must commit to the inside or outside lane for the restart. Failure to make a clear choice or changing lanes after the designated spot will result in a tail-of-the-field penalty.

This is different from the current double-file restart system, where only the race leader chooses his lane. Having the rule for the All-Star Race gives every driver the ability to make his own decision, and strategy will come into play in every instance.

The choose rule has been used at short tracks on the grassroots levels of racing, and NASCAR drivers were among those discussing the possibility of trying it in the Cup Series. The sanctioning body decided the All-Star event was the perfect chance to do just that.

“There has already been an incredible amount of buzz around this year’s NASCAR All-Star Race with the move to Bristol Motor Speedway,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “In addition to the thrilling racing we’re used to seeing at Bristol, the choose rule is going to add another dynamic to the race. Drivers and fans have been asking for this change and I can’t think of a better time to try it than the All-Star Race.”

Other highlights of the All-Star format:

— The All-Star Open will have three stages with Stage 1 and Stage 2 being 35 laps apiece and Stage 3 lasting 15 laps. The winner of each stage as well as the winner of the All-Star Fan Vote will advance to the All-Star Race main event. In addition to the Open stage winners and Fan Vote winner, the All-Star Race consists of 2019 and 2020 race winners as well as All-Star winners and active full-time Cup champions.

— The All-Star Race main event will have four stages with Stage 1 lasting 55 laps, Stage 2 and Stage 3 being 35 laps apiece and Stage 4 lasting 15 laps. Only green-flag laps will count in the final stage, and the final stage will end with a checkered flag. If the race is restarted with two or fewer laps remaining, then there will be unlimited attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.

— Car numbers will appear farther back on the side panels of the cars. Instead of being in the center of the door panel, the number will now be more toward the back fender.

— Standard strategy rules apply: Pit road will open under caution and at the stage breaks. Teams may stay out, take two tires, take four tires, etc., per normal race procedures. The lineup after stage breaks or cautions will be cars that stayed out followed by cars in order off pit road.

“This NASCAR All-Star Race under the bright lights of Bristol is setting up to be a memorable event for ages to come,” said Jerry Caldwell,, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “With a million dollar payout and no championship points on the line in this all out high-banked short track clash, it’s surely going to be a race that fans will not want to miss.”

Lineups will be set as follows:

Open:
— Split the entries in half based on owner points
— Random draw for top half of the field: Positions 1-12 (final numbers based off entry list)
— Random draw for bottom half of field: Positions 13-24 (final numbers based off entry list)
— Pit selection inverse of starting position

All-Star main:
— Random draw for entire field
— Pit selection inverse of starting position

Coverage for the July 15 NASCAR All-Star Open and NASCAR All-Star Race will be on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio starting at 7 p.m. ET.

Posted on July 1, 2020July 1, 2020 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 30, 2020) – NASCAR and Bristol Motor Speedway today announced the format for the NASCAR All-Star Race, including the introduction of a ‘choose rule’ that will allow drivers to choose which lane they line up in for restarts.

The rule, which is popular among short track fans, will fittingly make its NASCAR national series debut during the first NASCAR All-Star Race held on a short track. NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports officials had previously announced the race was moving to Bristol from Charlotte Motor Speedway, which had hosted 34 of the race’s 35 previous editions.

As drivers approach a designated spot on the track, they must commit to the inside or outside lane for the restart. The rule adds more strategy than traditional restarts, where drivers line up in the order they come off pit road.

The race will still have four stages, lasting 55 laps, 35 laps, 35 laps and 15 laps. Both green flag and yellow flag laps will count in Stages 1-3 with only green flag laps counting in the Final Stage. In the Final Stage, if the race is restarted with two or less laps remaining, there will be unlimited attempts at a green, white, checkered finish under green flag conditions.

The NASCAR Open will take place prior to the NASCAR All-Star Race and will include three segments (35 laps / 35 Laps / 15 laps). The winner of each segment will earn a spot in the All-Star Race as well as the winner of the Fan Vote.

Technical rules for the cars will remain the same as other NASCAR Cup Series short track races, including the May 31 race at Bristol. The liveries will sport a new look, however, as the car number will move from the door towards the rear wheel in an effort to give more exposure to the teams’ sponsors.

Those eligible for the NASCAR All-Star Race include: drivers who won a points event in either 2019 or 2020; drivers who won a NASCAR All-Star Race and compete full-time; and drivers who won a NASCAR Cup Series championship and compete full time.

Drivers who have already clinched an All-Star Race spot: Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Justin Haley, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr.

Coverage of the NASCAR All-Star Race – which is sponsored by NASCAR’s Premier Partners Busch, Coca-Cola, GEICO and Xfinity – will begin on July 15 at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. The NASCAR Open will air at 7 p.m. and the NASCAR All-Star Race begins at 8:30 p.m. on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Tickets start at $35 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under are on sale at www.bristolmotorspeedway.com. Free parking is available at Speedway Parking located at the corner of White Top Road and Hwy 394 and paid parking options are available at neighboring properties. Shuttles and trams will not be running for this event. A limited number of overnight RV camping spaces are available for purchase. Facial coverings are required in common areas such as entering through the gates, restrooms, concessions, souvenir stands, elevators and concourse areas. Facial coverings may be removed once physically distanced in assigned ticketed seat. Clear bags only (no coolers) will be allowed in for this event. Further details and other requirements can be found on the Bristol Motor Speedway website.