The NASCAR All-Star Race arrives at Dover Motor Speedway on May 17, marking the first time in its 42-year history that it will be held in the Northeast. The one-mile concrete oval known as the Monster Mile hosts the sport’s premier non-points exhibition with a $1 million prize on the line, airing on FS1 from 1:00 PM ET.
It is also the last event on FOX before the 2026 NASCAR schedule shifts to Prime for the summer stretch. One-third of the Cup regular season is complete, and the All-Star Race lands at a moment when the Chase positions are taking shape.
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The 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover introduces a revised format that removes the traditional All-Star Open entirely and instead places every driver in the field for all three segments of the 350-lap event. It makes the race more straightforward to follow from previous years, and some explanation helps.
2026 NASCAR All-Star Race: Format
Qualifying and Pit Crew Challenge – May 16
Qualifying for the NASCAR All-Star Race is not a standard one-lap time run. Each driver takes the green flag, completes one full lap at speed, and then on the second lap pulls into one of two NASCAR-designated pit stalls for a four-tire stop with no fuel.
When the stop is complete, the car exits pit road and races back to the start-finish line. The total time from green flag to checkered flag is the qualifying time. Pole position goes to the fastest combined time.
Simultaneously, the pit crew that executes the fastest stop without a penalty wins the Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge. That result determines pit selection order for the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday.
The 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover – May 17
The 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover runs 350 laps in three segments. Segment 1 runs 75 laps, with the grid set by Saturday’s qualifying results. All drivers compete. Segment 2 runs 75 laps. The top 26 finishers from Segment 1 are inverted for the restart, with the remaining drivers lined up behind them in order of their Segment 1 finishing positions. Again, all drivers compete.
Segment 3 is the final 200-lap segment and is where the NASCAR All-Star Race winner is decided. Only 26 drivers advance. 25 of those drivers are race winners in 2025 or 2026, former NASCAR All-Star Race winners who compete full-time, former Cup Series champions who compete full-time, and remaining positions filled by the best combined finishing positions across Segments 1 and 2.
Drivers already locked into the 2026 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, Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs, and Carson Hocevar.
The 26th and final spot goes to the NASCAR All-Star Fan Vote winner. There are no cautions in the race. A competition break is scheduled on Lap 75 of the final segment, adding one more strategic element.
The 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race fan vote
Of the 26 drivers who advance to Segment 3, 25 come through qualifying results, race wins, and champion eligibility. The 26th spot belongs to the fan vote winner.
Noah Gragson has won the fan vote in each of the last three seasons – 2023, 2024, and 2025. That run of three consecutive fan vote wins matches a record held only by Chase Elliott in the event’s history. Only Kasey Kahne, in 2008, has won the fan vote and gone on to win the All-Star Race.
As of the latest update on May 11, the top five vote-getters are:
- Alex Bowman
- Chris Buescher
- Noah Gragson
- Ryan Preece
- Connor Zilisch
The voting period closes on May 17 at 9:00 AM ET. Fans can vote up to five times per day using a unique email address, with NASCAR Fan Rewards members receiving a one-time 25-point bonus for their first vote.
2026 NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover: Full weekend schedule
The weather through the weekend looks favorable. Friday in the 70s with a 10% chance of rain. Saturday and Sunday are both in the 80s with just a 5% probability of rain.
On the tire front, Goodyear brings a tested combination to Dover. The left-side tire debuted at Bristol in April, while the right-side rubber is the same compound that ran in Dover’s 400-miler last July. Each Cup team receives 10 total sets for the weekend: six new sets for the race, two for qualifying and the Pit Crew Challenge, and two for practice.
Edited by Pranay Bhagi