Posted on by Adam Fenwick

SEEKONK, Mass. – It had been nearly four years – 1,387 days to be exact – since Jon McKennedy last won a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race.

That win, which came at Claremont Motorsports Park, was the only triumph of McKennedy’s 2022 championship season that also doubled as his most recent full season with the series.

McKennedy’s winless drought officially ended on Saturday night when he stormed past Stephen Kopcik on the outside to win the J&R Precast 150 at Seekonk Speedway.

“We just had a really good car to be honest,” McKennedy said. “As the race went on it seemed like the top got better and my car was definitely better on top.”

RELATED: Complete J&R Precast 150 results

Starting sixth after the redraw, McKennedy methodically worked his way to the front in barnburner of a race that took just 38 minutes and 49 seconds to complete.

McKennedy was running second when the second and final caution flag of the race waved for a spin by Trevor Catalano on Lap 92. When the race resumed McKennedy hounded Kopcik on the bottom before shifting gears and going to the top.

The top lane was exactly what the doctor ordered for McKennedy, who powered past Kopcik on the outside on Lap 129 after a multi-lap fight.

Seekonk Speedway
Jon McKennedy ended a nearly four year winless drought with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on Saturday night. (Photo: Jaiden Tripi/NASCAR)

“When I ran the bottom, I was too loose in and at times it was a handful,” McKennedy said. “I could Stephen there at the end, it looked like he was getting real tight. A few times I tried to like work the outside and sneak under him and give him a little trick there, but he was good enough to know what I was doing.

“I was finally able to just keep rolling the top and once I got a wheel on him, he gave me all the room I needed.”

Kopcik, who was attempting to become the first driver in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour history to win his first three series events in consecutive races, led a race-high 81 laps but had to settle for second.

Despite the runner-up result, Kopcik was able to pad his Modified Tour championship lead. He now holds an 11-point advantage on reigning champion Austin Beers through four events.

RELATED: Hear from Jon McKennedy after his victory

“We were pretty good. Started maybe a little too tight,” Kopcik said. “This is all new to us, racing on this tire on a bullring track like this. All in all, couldn’t be happier with our performance. Three in a row really would have been something, but Jon just turned the middle a little better than me.

“Towards the end of the run there that’s what it comes down to. It’s a fine line between being too free and still being able to turn the middle.”

Chase Dowling came from 10th to finish third and Austin Beers overcame an early spin to finish fourth and keep his now 34-race top 10 streak alive.

Tommy Catalano, Patrick Emerling, Teddy Hodgdon, Jayden Harman, Doug Coby and Andrew Molleur were fifth through 10th, respectively.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to action in two weeks with the running of the Miller Lite Salutes Don Howe 200 at Riverhead Raceway on Saturday, May 30. The action gets underway live at 8 p.m. ET exclusively on FloRacing.

Posted on by Staff Report

J&R Precast 150

Seekonk Speedway

  • Race results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Laps Diff
1 79 Jon McKennedy Stuarts Automotive; Christophers Towing; Levasseur HVAC; Leone’s Landscaping; Hillsboro Inc.; Central Mass Tree 150  —
2 21 Stephen Kopcik Wanick Construction Inc.; Newtown Pools 150 1.606
3 44 Chase Dowling S&S Paving; Harshaw Paving 150 2.1
4 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply; Fastrack Electric; Lumiere Electrical; AP Marquadt & Sons; Dell Electric; Andrew James Interiors; Hugh 150 3.439
5 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara; USNE Power 150 4.836
6 1 Patrick Emerling USNE Power 150 4.941
7 05 Teddy Hodgdon* Business Time Motorsports; The Landau Team of Re/Max; Montanari Fuel 150 5.042
8 9 Jayden Harman* Wanick Construction; Harman Funeral Home 150 5.2
9 28 Doug Coby Nucar 150 5.883
10 82 Andrew Molleur Horton Ave Materials LLC 150 5.913
11 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. 150 7.413
12 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 150 7.557
13 89 Matt Swanson Ceravolos Auto; Swanson GMC 150 8.572
14 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 150 9.023
15 73 Paulie Hartwig III* Jersey Shore Contracting; Velocita USA 150 10.344
16 31 Mike Christopher Jr. Elite Towing; Elite Racing; Baker Racing 150 10.673
17 15 Joey Cipriano III J&R Pre-Cast Inc.; Dependable Energy; The Bass Plating Company 150 11.44
18 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing; Riverhead Building Supply 150 12.683
19 22 Kyle Bonsignore ChawLew; MTT; Munn’s Auto; Penngrade Oil 150 12.693
20 60 Matt Hirschman Bar Harbor Bank & Trust; Pee Dee Motorsports; Bristol Toyota 150 12.938
21 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine; Future Homes 149 1 Lap
22 3 Tyler Rypkema J & R Pre-Cast; Northeast Drilling; SYP 149 1 Lap
23 36 David Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises; Eastport Feeds 148 2 Laps
24 95 Cory Plummer* Tucker’s Metal Fabrication & Welding; Apex Racecars; Croteau Machine; Shiny Rhino 148 2 Laps
25 8 John-Michael Shenette USNE Power Charlotte; Eighty-Two Services; Heintz Performance 148 2 Laps
26 18 Ken Heagy Merkel Racing Engines 148 2 Laps

 

Posted on by John Crane

DOVER, Del. — Some results sting more than others.

And Justin Allgaier got one on Saturday in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Dover Motor Speedway, finishing second at the “Monster Mile” after he was unable to hold off a resurgent Corey Day with three laps remaining. The result is Allgaier’s 38th career runner-up finish in O’Reilly Series action.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Dover

“Obviously, Corey was doing a great job there,” Allgaier said after getting out of the car. “Probably ran the bottom just a little bit too long and got the right front a little harder than I wanted, and ultimately just got beat by a lap car today. He went left and went right and went left again, and then left the top open after I went to his inside. Just super frustrating, but you know, that’s how it goes.”

He continued, “We’ve won plenty that probably we shouldn’t have won, and we’ve lost plenty like today that probably we should have won. So again, hats off to Corey. He drove a great race, and to stick on the outside like that, you know, it was the move of the race. So, we’ll go back, I’ll watch the race again. And look, this is probably one of the hardest Dovers I’ve ever seen. I hope tomorrow’s better.”

The strategy shifted during a Lap 126 restart. Allgaier, who finished 10th and eighth in Stages 1 and 2, respectively, cycled to the race lead, and Day moved into the top five. As the laps wound down, Day’s No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet began working a higher lane to challenge the 17-year O’Reilly Series veteran.

Allgaier attempted to build a gap between his No. 7 Chevrolet and Day but ran into issues with lapped traffic, notably Blake Lothian and the No. 55 Joey Gase Motorsports Toyota. The maneuvering by Lothian led Allgaier to speak with the 23-year-old driver post-race about the final laps.

“Blake’s learning. He’s a good kid, really good kid,” Allgaier said. “We got a lot of conversations … My big thing was, he went left, then he went right, then he went left. I think that’s the hardest part. When you’re into the corner at 170 miles an hour, 160 miles an hour, whatever it is, you’re making split-second decisions, and when you’re watching the guy in front of you move all over, and you’re not really sure which lane he’s gonna go to, sometimes you know the guy behind is at an advantage, right? You’re able to see the lane open up, and that’s what he was able to do.”

Despite the lapped traffic, the 2024 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion clearly understands the talent Day has, not to mention the growth the 20-year-old has shown in his rookie O’Reilly campaign. To Allgaier, Day has adapted to the stock-car grind in more ways than one, especially compared with earlier in the season when the young driver had run-ins with others in the field.

Allgaier, who exits Dover 175 points clear of Sheldon Creed atop the driver standings, recognizes Day’s hard-fought win and that, sometimes, you have to move on to the next one. The O’Reilly Series field will next race at Charlotte Motor Speedway next Saturday (5 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings | 2026 schedule

“Corey is ultra-aggressive — in a good way — and I thought he raced super good today,” Allgaier said. “You know, like at the beginning of the year, we had a lot of conversations about how to harness some of the energy, and I think he’s done a really good job with that. That 17 team, they’re doing a great job, and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, they always do a great job. Corey is ultra-talented. He’s just trying to get his feet wet and figure out the stock-car thing, and he’s doing a pretty darn good job of it.”

He added, “I’m disappointed to lose to him, but at the same time, you watch what he was doing out there. I mean, obviously, he was running a heck of a race, and it was gonna be hard to hold him off, even if the lap car wasn’t there. So we’ll go back and reboot, figure out what we could have done better, but ultimately it just wasn’t our day.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

DOVER, Del. — Twenty-year-old Californian Corey Day took the lead from veteran Justin Allgaier with four laps remaining to claim his second career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory Saturday in the BetRivers 200 in his first Dover Motor Speedway start.

Allgaier, a three-time winner already this season and the current championship leader, looked poised to add yet another trophy at Dover’s famed “Monster Mile,” but ultimately Day was able to run up high against the outside wall — he and Allgaier splitting Blake Lothian’s lapped car — with Day pulling ahead of the three cars and driving away from Allgaier down the stretch.

It was enough momentum to propel Day’s No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a 0.461-second victory over Allgaier, who led a race-high 71 of the 200 laps, and it follows Day’s career first victory at the series’ largest track, Talladega Superspeedway coming only three weeks ago.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“Man, I was hoping that’s how it would play out, I saved so hard there early in the last run once we put on tires and the yellow came out and I thought, aww, this is just going to be a caution-fest and it was all for nothing, but oh man, it all just worked out good,” said an elated Day, who screamed congratulations to his crew on the cool-down lap. His “mentor” reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, sitting in the pit stand, was all smiles watching the outcome.

“This one feels really, really good,” said Day, who only led the final four laps. “The Talladega one [win] was unexpected at a superspeedway, but we earned this one.”

Saturday’s effort from Allgaier, already a series-best three-race winner this season, boosted his championship points advantage to an amazing 175 points over Haas Factory Team’s Sheldon Creed, who finished 18th.

Allgaier acknowledged he was disappointed — perhaps frustrated — with a lapped competitor playing such a crucial role in deciding Saturday’s outcome.

“Good teaching moment,” Allgaier said after speaking with Lothian on pit road post-race. “He kind of made a move to inside then back outside and I just didn’t know which lane he was going to go in. And unfortunately, it allowed the 17 (Day) to get to my outside.

“But hats off to Corey and that whole 17 team. He was running me down there at the end. Proud of our team. It wasn’t the day we wanted early on, but the team worked really hard all day long. Just disappointed to walk out of here with a second after leading that many laps at the end, but hats off to Corey and everyone on that team.”

The race featured nine caution periods and a lot of short-run strategy.

MORE: Weekend schedule: Dover | O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings

Creed’s Haas Factory teammate Sam Mayer finished third. Joe Gibbs Racing’s William Sawalich was fourth and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill claimed fifth place – the perennial championship contender’s best finish since a runner-up showing on the Circuit of The Americas road course back in March.

JGR’s Brandon Jones won the first stage and NASCAR Cup Series regular Ross Chastain won the second stage after pacing the field four different times for a combined 68 laps. Chastain’s shot at a trophy ended just past race’s midpoint when he and JGR’s Taylor Gray collided and spun out.

JR Motorsports’ Carson Kvapil finished seventh and extended the team’s top-10 streak to an amazing 71 races. Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith and Anthony Alfredo rounded out the top 10.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series moves to the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway for next Saturday’s Charbroil 300 (5 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: Post-race inspection was completed in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series garage, confirming Corey Day as the winner. The Nos. 39 and 41 each had one lug nut not safe and secure and will lose pit-stall selection at Charlotte next week. The No. 07 team had two lug nuts not safe and secure and will be fined $5,000. Crew member Cory Selig will be suspended for the Charlotte O’Reilly race.

Posted on by Staff Report

J&R Precast 150

Seekonk Speedway

  • Qualifying results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. 12.106 99.114 2 2  —
2 79 Jon McKennedy Stuarts Automotive; Christophers Towing; Levasseur HVAC; Leone’s Landscaping; Hillsboro Inc.; Central Mass Tree 12.178 98.528 2 2 0.072
3 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply; Fastrack Electric; Lumiere Electrical; AP Marquadt & Sons; Dell Electric; Andrew James Interiors; Hugh 12.219 98.198 2 2 0.113
4 44 Chase Dowling S&S Paving; Harshaw Paving 12.225 98.15 2 2 0.119
5 82 Andrew Molleur Horton Ave Materials LLC 12.245 97.989 1 2 0.139
6 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine; Future Homes 12.257 97.893 2 2 0.151
7 21 Stephen Kopcik Wanick Construction Inc.; Newtown Pools 12.279 97.718 2 2 0.173
8 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 12.28 97.71 2 2 0.174
9 31 Mike Christopher Jr. Elite Towing; Elite Racing; Baker Racing 12.298 97.567 2 2 0.192
10 3 Tyler Rypkema J & R Pre-Cast; Northeast Drilling; SYP 12.302 97.535 2 2 0.196
11 1 Patrick Emerling USNE Power 12.303 97.527 2 2 0.197
12 22 Kyle Bonsignore ChawLew; MTT; Munn’s Auto; Penngrade Oil 12.317 97.417 2 2 0.211
13 60 Matt Hirschman Bar Harbor Bank & Trust; Pee Dee Motorsports; Bristol Toyota 12.335 97.274 1 2 0.229
14 73 Paulie Hartwig* Jersey Shore Contracting; Velocita USA 12.37 96.999 2 2 0.264
15 89 Matt Swanson Ceravolos Auto; Swanson GMC 12.372 96.984 2 2 0.266
16 15 Joey Cipriano III J&R Pre-Cast Inc.; Dependable Energy; The Bass Plating Company 12.39 96.843 2 2 0.284
17 05 Teddy Hodgdon* Business Time Motorsports; The Landau Team of Re/Max; Montanari Fuel 12.396 96.796 2 2 0.29
18 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 12.426 96.562 1 2 0.32
19 28 Doug Coby Nucar 12.448 96.391 1 2 0.342
20 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing; Riverhead Building Supply 12.478 96.16 2 2 0.372
21 9 Jayden Harman* Wanick Construction; Harman Funeral Home 12.534 95.73 2 2 0.428
22 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises; Eastport Feeds 12.602 95.213 2 2 0.496
23 8 John-Michael Shenette USNE Power Charlotte; Eighty-Two Services; Heintz Performance 12.638 94.942 2 2 0.532
24 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara; USNE Power 12.676 94.658 1 2 0.57
25 18 Ken Heagy Merkel Racing Engines 12.68 94.628 2 2 0.574
26 95 Cory Plummer* Tucker’s Metal Fabrication & Welding; Apex Racecars; Croteau Machine; Shiny Rhino 12.722 94.315 2 2 0.616

 

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR stays north for a tripleheader weekend at Dover Motor Speedway, starting with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series before the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series duke it out Sunday in the All-Star Race. Bookmark this page for everything you need, including qualifying orders, practice speeds, race results and more.

RELATED: Full weekend schedule | TV listings

NASCAR Cup Series

Race day: Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on FS1. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

MORE: All-Star race format

Tires: Ten sets for the weekend (six for the race, two for qualifying/pit-crew challenge and two for practice).

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Qualifying Results
Pit Stalls
Starting Lineup
Race Results

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series

Race day: Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on The CW. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Tires: Five sets for the weekend (three new for the race, one for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and one for practice).

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Starting Lineup
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Race day: Friday at 5 p.m. ET on FS1. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Tires: Five sets for the weekend (three new for the race, one for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and one for practice).

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Qualifying Results
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

Posted on by Staff Report

J&R Precast 150

Seekonk Speedway

  • Final practice results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. 12.14 98.837 4 35  —
2 73 Paulie Hartwig III* Jersey Shore Contracting; Velocita USA 12.144 98.804 20 22 0.004
3 79 Jon McKennedy Stuarts Automotive; Christophers Towing; Levasseur HVAC; Leone’s Landscaping; Hillsboro Inc.; Central Mass Tree 12.147 98.78 18 31 0.007
4 15 Joey Cipriano III J&R Pre-Cast Inc.; Dependable Energy; The Bass Plating Company 12.162 98.658 11 18 0.022
5 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply; Fastrack Electric; Lumiere Electrical; AP Marquadt & Sons; Dell Electric; Andrew James Interiors; Hugh 12.188 98.448 14 34 0.048
6 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 12.2 98.351 10 41 0.06
7 28 Doug Coby Nucar 12.214 98.238 17 22 0.074
8 21 Stephen Kopcik Wanick Construction Inc.; Newtown Pools 12.214 98.238 12 23 0.074
9 60 Matt Hirschman Bar Harbor Bank & Trust; Pee Dee Motorsports 12.224 98.158 19 22 0.084
10 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine; Future Homes 12.23 98.11 8 22 0.09
11 22 Kyle Bonsignore ChawLew; MTT; Munn’s Auto; Penngrade Oil 12.239 98.037 8 11 0.099
12 44 Chase Dowling S&S Paving; Harshaw Paving 12.243 98.005 8 42 0.103
13 31 Mike Christopher Jr. Elite Towing; Elite Racing; Baker Racing 12.262 97.854 20 27 0.122
14 3 Tyler Rypkema J & R Pre-Cast; Northeast Drilling; SYP 12.263 97.846 29 42 0.123
15 82 Andrew Molleur Horton Ave Materials LLC 12.279 97.718 3 15 0.139
16 05 Teddy Hodgdon* Business Time Motorsports; The Landau Team of Re/Max; Montanari Fuel 12.283 97.686 16 28 0.143
17 89 Matt Swanson Ceravolos Auto 12.295 97.591 10 35 0.155
18 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 12.307 97.496 10 18 0.167
19 1 Patrick Emerling USNE Power 12.354 97.125 3 17 0.214
20 9 Jayden Harman* Wanick Construction; Harman Funeral Home 12.364 97.046 8 12 0.224
21 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing; Riverhead Building Supply 12.365 97.038 23 44 0.225
22 18 Ken Heagy Merkel Racing Engines 12.386 96.874 20 31 0.246
23 95 Cory Plummer* Tucker’s Metal Fabrication & Welding; Apex Racecars; Croteau Machine; Shiny Rhino 12.404 96.733 28 51 0.264
24 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara; USNE Power 12.422 96.593 20 23 0.282
25 8 John-Michael Shenette USNE Power Charlotte; Eighty-Two Services; Heintz Performance 12.456 96.329 14 24 0.316
26 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises; Eastport Feeds 12.491 96.06 19 34 0.351

 

Posted on by Staff Report

J&R Precast 150

Seekonk Speedway

  • Practice results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 60 Matt Hirschman Bar Harbor Bank & Trust; Pee Dee Motorsports 12.182 98.496 30 31  —
2 21 Stephen Kopcik Wanick Construction Inc.; Newtown Pools 12.233 98.086 34 45 0.051
3 73 Paulie Hartwig III Jersey Shore Contracting; Velocita USA 12.255 97.909 25 43 0.073
4 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine; Future Homes 12.265 97.83 20 47 0.083
5 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply; Fastrack Electric; Lumiere Electrical; AP Marquadt & Sons; Dell Electric; Andrew James Interiors; Hugh 12.267 97.814 21 38 0.085
6 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing; Riverhead Building Supply 12.271 97.782 13 43 0.089
7 3 Tyler Rypkema J & R Pre-Cast; Northeast Drilling; SYP 12.273 97.766 31 39 0.091
8 22 Kyle Bonsignore ChawLew; MTT; Munn’s Auto; Penngrade Oil 12.282 97.694 13 38 0.1
9 79 Jon McKennedy Stuarts Automotive; Christophers Towing; Levasseur HVAC; Leone’s Landscaping; Hillsboro Inc.; Central Mass Tree 12.29 97.631 27 49 0.108
10 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc. 12.299 97.559 22 51 0.117
11 15 Joey Cipriano III J&R Pre-Cast Inc.; Dependable Energy; The Bass Plating Company 12.31 97.472 31 68 0.128
12 44 Chase Dowling S&S Paving; Harshaw Paving 12.355 97.117 38 44 0.173
13 05 Teddy Hodgdon Business Time Motorsports; The Landau Team of Re/Max; Montanari Fuel 12.363 97.054 38 39 0.181
14 82 Andrew Molleur Horton Ave Materials LLC 12.371 96.991 28 46 0.189
15 28 Doug Coby Nucar 12.399 96.772 14 28 0.217
16 9 Jayden Harman Wanick Construction; Harman Funeral Home 12.426 96.562 31 44 0.244
17 1 Patrick Emerling USNE Power 12.433 96.508 20 69 0.251
18 89 Matt Swanson Ceravolos Auto 12.437 96.477 11 52 0.255
19 31 Mike Christopher Jr. Elite Towing; Elite Racing; Baker Racing 12.485 96.106 36 39 0.303
20 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 12.49 96.067 40 59 0.308
21 8 John-Michael Shenette USNE Power Charlotte; Eighty-Two Services; Heintz Performance 12.531 95.753 29 56 0.349
22 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 12.542 95.669 19 21 0.36
23 18 Ken Heagy Merkel Racing Engines 12.548 95.623 16 32 0.366
24 95 Cory Plummer Tucker’s Metal Fabrication & Welding; Apex Racecars; Croteau Machine; Shiny Rhino 12.597 95.251 45 54 0.415
25 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara; USNE Power 12.647 94.875 44 81 0.465
26 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises; Eastport Feeds 12.685 94.59 45 69 0.503

 

Posted on by John Crane

Track: Dover Motor Speedway
Location: Dover, Del.
Track length: 1 mile
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where to tune in: FS1, FOX One, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Race purse: $3,093,000
Race distance: 350 laps | 350 miles
Segments: 75 | 75 | 200
Sunday’s starting lineup | Cup Series pit stall assignments

Battle for $1 million hits Delaware … with plenty of potential standouts

DOVER, Del. — Welcome to the club, Dover Motor Speedway. The 42nd All-Star Race will call Delaware’s concrete confines home, with the “Monster Mile” becoming the sixth venue to host the exhibition (Charlotte, North Wilkesboro, Texas, Atlanta, Bristol).

The new venue for the exhibition contest will also have a fresh format for the 36-car field to navigate. Sunday’s race will encompass 350 laps, split into three segments; the first two will be 75 laps each, and the final segment will be 200 laps. Each segment will be treated as a new race, with Segment 1’s lineup determined by Saturday’s qualifying. Segment 2’s lineup will be the inverse of the top 26 drivers from Segment 1’s results, while the final segment’s field — encompassing 26 drivers — will be determined by the best average finish across the first two segments.

Nineteen drivers — spanning 2025 or 2026 race winners, past All-Star Race victors and former NASCAR Cup Series champions — have already clinched a berth in the final segment, meaning six drivers (plus a Fan Vote winner) have yet to cement their position and will have 150 laps to leave their mark in the best of ways to battle for the $1 million grand prize.

MORE: How 2026 All-Star Race works 

A format tweak to the non-points-paying event isn’t a new development; since the inaugural 1985 All-Star Race, there have been 24 formats (excluding this year’s), ranging from differing lap and segment totals to mandatory stops. And through all of the tweaks, continuous themes have still emerged.

Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won the All-Star Race in three of the last six years, and the team’s 11 All-Star Race victories lead all teams; the next closest is Team Penske (five), which has won the event in two of the last four seasons. Hendrick’s 11 All-Star wins are split among five drivers. NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson has four All-Star Race triumphs, leading all wheelmen.

Hendrick driver Kyle Larson, however, is knocking on Johnson’s door. Larson’s three All-Star Race triumphs are tied with Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon for the second most, but in Larson’s case, all three All-Star Race wins have come at a different venue (2019, Charlotte; 2021, Texas; 2023, North Wilkesboro), giving the 34-year-old the honor of being the only driver to win an All-Star Race at three different tracks.

“It would mean a lot, and to add another race track to it would be pretty cool,” Larson said. “All my All-Star wins have come at different tracks, I believe, so I mean, they weren’t as fortunate. I don’t think they raced in at many tracks for the All-Star Race, but yeah, I think just to add another track would mean just as much as you’re just adding in another one.”

MORE: Weekend schedule | At-track photos

In terms of past points-race history at Dover, Hendrick has also excelled, with 22 wins to its ledger, second-most among all NASCAR tracks. That said, another organization — Joe Gibbs Racing — has thrived here, too. JGR has 12 Dover wins, second only to Hendrick, including each of the last three points-paying races.

For Denny Hamlin, who is locked into the main event and is looking to continue his recent success at the 1-miler, the mindset in tackling this season’s All-Star Race format will not be complex.

“I think it’s pretty simple from my standpoint: Go get all the spots that you can,” said Hamlin, who has won back-to-back Dover points races. “So it is pretty straightforward in the sense that there is no laying back in any one of the 75 [lap] segments. My job is to get every spot that I can, and the math will work itself out, and certainly I think if I can put myself somewhere in the top four to five, within that to get to the last segment, I think I’ll be in a good spot.”

With such a unique format separate from the usual points-paying contests, perhaps a different team emerges as a wild card. With fresh resin applied to the top and bottom of each corner, the variables are wide-ranging, and with a $1 million payday on the line instead of points, the on-track possibilities are endless.

In the details …

No matter the venue, NASCAR’s premier stars have stood out, and the All-Star Race is no exception. Spanning multiple eras, a slew of NASCAR’s top names have excelled in the All-Star Race, from current superstars to NASCAR Hall of Famers from the past.

Among those with a minimum of four All-Star Race starts, here are the 13 drivers with the best average finish in the exhibition:

DriverAverage FinishStarts
Joey Logano5.8015
Ken Schrader6.138
Davey Allison6.147
Dale Earnhardt7.1316
Bubba Wallace7.254
Chase Elliott7.7010
Jimmie Johnson7.7919
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 8.3918
Bill Elliott 8.4418
Matt Kenseth8.5319
Kyle Larson8.569
Alex Bowman8.836
Ryan Blaney9.009

Speed reads

Race-day essentials:

• Dover hub: Key information, pit stalls, additional results | Read more
• Sunday Setup: Differing opinions on resin entering exhibition| Read more
• Elite club: A look at drivers to win All-Star Race, title in same season | View gallery
• Paint Scheme Preview: Liveries slated for concrete showdown | View gallery
• Hauler Talk: NASCAR developing system to expedite crash data | Listen now
• Power Rankings: Is Bell ready to turn the page, go back-to-back in All-Star Race? | This week’s ranks
• NASCAR Classics: Inside the video vault from Dover | Watch now

Posted on by Dustin Albino

DOVER, Del. — NASCAR Cup Series teams were alerted earlier in the week that the Dover Motor Speedway track preparation crew was going to splatter resin throughout all four corners from the apron all the way to the SAFER barrier for Sunday’s All-Star Race (1 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Having resin applied from corner entry to corner exit across the full width of a specific venue is not a one-off occurrence. Nashville Superspeedway, another concrete surface, has had it applied several times with the goal of widening the racing groove and helping tire wear.

Crew chiefs within the Cup garage had a variety of opinions on how the resin would impact racing. Before Friday’s lengthy 90-minute session, Tyler Allen, crew chief of the No. 54 Toyota for Ty Gibbs, didn’t anticipate much of a difference from prior Dover trips.

RELATED: Starting lineup | At-track photos

“I don’t think there’s going to be too many surprises,” Allen stated. “I think the hope is we don’t burn through that first set of tires so quick and be a little gentler on those.

“I don’t expect it to be much different, honestly. As rubber lays down, guys will chase the gray, the top might start to come in. There might be a little bit of movement, but expecting a typical Dover [race].”

Blake Harris, crew chief of Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet, which is not locked into the main event, noticed an immediate difference. He observed drivers maneuvering up the track and diamonding the corners a mere 15 to 20 laps into a run. In prior years, that took upwards of 100 laps, Harris pointed out.

“I think at least, according to the drivers, they felt like the racing line got in a lot quicker,” Harris stated. “Typically, when we come here, especially after any other series, we just feel the rubber off immediately and shred our tires. Tire wear seemed to be a little bit better. Some of the guys were able to move up and find some grip. Typically, that’s 100 to 200 laps into the race before we see that. So for those guys to be able to move up in practice and get a look at that, hopefully that resin will widen the track out a little bit quicker.”

The application of the resin was before the weekend began, and it won’t be touched before the scheduled green flag on Sunday. After thousands of laps turned by drivers across all three national touring divisions, the chances of the resin wearing out are high. But even if it does, drivers will be chasing to find that extra grip, which could lead to a higher racing line.

Like most Dover events, track position is expected to be of the utmost importance. And with this year’s All-Star format opening with a pair of 75-lap segments (an inversion from 26th at the end of the first stint) before a 200-lap dash to the finish, having a good starting position is crucial.

RELATED: Friday recap | Mechanix Pit Crew Challenge recap

Harris added: “You certainly want to qualify well so you get one of those first stints under your belt and get a good finish and not have to rely on passing a bunch of cars in the event that becomes difficult. Definitely think having a good, clean, solid lap [on Saturday], along with a good qualifying spot, will make or break how we are on Sunday.”

The increase to 750 horsepower is another factor. Gibbs, who has consecutive Dover top 10s in points-paying races, could be one of the beneficiaries, having won at the Monster Mile’s sister track, Bristol Motor Speedway, last month.

“It suits him well. It’s a hammer-down race track,” Allen added. “He loves to go fast. A lot of ties to Bristol with the track surface. We’re all pretty excited. Sim went well. There’s a lot of variables: new tire, new aero and 750 horsepower.”

Meanwhile, Bowman is a former Dover winner (2021) and has five straight finishes of eighth or better.