Revamped All-Star Format Announced for 2026 Event at Dover Motor Speedway

NASCAR and Dover Motor Speedway announced Wednesday the format for the 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race, as the event moves to "The Monster Mile" this season.

The event, scheduled for Sunday, May 17, introduces a new backdrop for the $1 million-to-win non-points event. The revamped format features a three-segment, 350-lap race. In a shift from past All-Star Races, every driver in the field will start the race, as there will be no All-Star Open for non-qualified drivers.

The full field of NASCAR Cup Series competitors will compete in Segment 1 and Segment 2, which will each last 75 laps. Qualifying on Saturday, May 16 will set the field for Segment 1. The top-26 finishers in that segment will be inverted for Segment 2, while the remainder of the field will line up based on their Segment 1 finishing positions.

The field will be whittled down to 26 drivers for the final, 200-lap segment. Drivers automatically eligible for the final segment include those who have won a points event in 2025 or 2026 and former NASCAR All-Star Race winners and Cup Series champions who are full-time competitors in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The remaining positions will be filled based on combined results from Segment 1 and Segment 2 until the field reaches 25 drivers. The 26th and final position will be reserved for the NASCAR All-Star Fan Vote winner.

Drivers already locked in the All-Star Race include: 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.

The Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge returns for the 2026 All-Star Race weekend, once again as part of All-Star Race qualifying. On Saturday, May 16, drivers will take the green flag, run a full lap at speed, and come to pit road on their second lap. Teams will complete a four-tire pit stop, and drivers will return to the track and race to the checkered flag.

Qualifying time will be the elapsed time from green flag to checkered flag, while the pit crew with the fastest stop during their qualifying attempt without any penalties or infractions will win the Pit Crew Challenge.

The NASCAR All-Star Race will air live on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, with coverage beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 17.

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