Statistical Advance: Analyzing the NASCAR All-Star Race & Open

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers in the NASCAR All-Star Race. This season’s event is on Sunday, June 13 on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio with the NASCAR Open starting at 6:00 p.m. ET and the NASCAR All-Star Race at 8:00 p.m. ET.

2021 NASCAR All-Star Race Entry List

Four additional positions will be added to the NASCAR All-Star Race field following the NASCAR Open:

• NASCAR Open Stage 1 Winner
• NASCAR Open Stage 2 Winner
• NASCAR Open Race Winner
• Fan Vote Winner

2021 NASCAR Open and NASCAR All-Star Race Formats:

NASCAR and Texas Motor Speedway earlier this season announced the format, technical elements, eligibility and pre-race festivities for the 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race. The event, which moves to TMS for the first time in its 36-race history, will have a Fort Worth feel as the pre-race festivities will feature an Old Western theme during driver introductions.

The NASCAR All-Star race format is as follows:

• The race will feature six rounds, totaling 100 laps.
• Starting lineup for Round 1 will be determined via random draw.
• Rounds 1 through 4 will be 15 laps each; Round 5 will be 30 laps; the Final Round will feature a 10-lap shootout.
• At the beginning of Round 2, the field will be inverted via random draw (minimum of eight/maximum of 12) live on FS1.
• The round 2 random draw will also be seen live by fans attending the race on Big Hoss TV.
• Before the start of Round 3, the entire field will be inverted.
• At the beginning of Round 4, the field will be inverted via random draw (minimum of eight/maximum of 12).
• Starting positions for Round 5 will consist of the cumulative finish from Rounds 1-4. The lowest cumulative finisher starts on the pole, second-lowest starts second, and so forth. All cars must enter pit road for a mandatory four-tire pit stop during Round 5.
• The starting positions in the Final Round are set by finishing positions of Round 5.
• Only green flag laps will count in the NASCAR All-Star race.
• The fastest team on pit road during the mandatory pit stop will earn $100,000.
• The race winner will be awarded $1,000,000.

From a technical side, all elements of the car remain the same except for the tapered spacer which will be 57/64ths.

NASCAR Open format is as follows:

• The NASCAR Open will run immediately prior to the NASCAR All-Star Race and will include three segments (20 laps / 20 laps / 10 laps).
• The winner of each segment will earn a spot in the All-Star Race as well as the winner of the Fan Vote. Fans may vote for their favorite driver by visiting www.NASCAR.com for details.

ALL-STAR SPECIFIC STATISTICS

The stats below consider the All-Star races at Atlanta, Charlotte, and Bristol.

ALL-STAR & OPEN SPECIFIC STATISTICS

The stats below consider the All-Star races at Atlanta, Charlotte, and Bristol.

Texas Motor Speedway Data

Track Size: 1.5-mile

Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 20 degrees

Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees

Frontstretch Length: 2,250 feet

Backstretch Length: 1,330 feet

NASCAR All-Star Race & Open:

HISTORY

• There have been 36 NASCAR All-Star Races – 34 have been held at Charlotte Motor Speedway (1985, 1987-2019), one was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway (1986) and last season’s event was at Bristol Motor Speedway (2020).
• The first NASCAR All-Star Race was held on May 25, 1985, at Charlotte Motor Speedway; the non-points event was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip with crew chief Jeff Hammond. Waltrip was driving a Junior Johnson & Associates’ Buick.
• In 1986, the event was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and won by Bill Elliott (Ford) with crew chief Ernie Elliott driving for Melling Racing.
• The 1986 season was also the first year for what is now known as the NASCAR Open. There have been 38 Open events, one per year since 1986; except in 2000, 2001 and 2002 it was held as two events with both of the winners moving on to the All-Star Race. Starting in 2015, the Open was broken up into segments and then in 2017 stages and each winner of the segments or the stages earned a spot in the All-Star race.
• This season marks the first time the NASCAR All-Star Race and Open will be held at Texas Motor Speedway.

STARTS

• A total of 106 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR All-Star Race; 88 different drivers have competed in more than one.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin leads the series in NASCAR All-Star Race appearances with 24 starts.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in NASCAR All-Star Race appearances with 20 starts.
• The NASCAR All-Star Race has featured a field that has ranged from 10 drivers in 1986 to 27 in 2002. Last season’s field at Bristol had 20 participants and this weekend’s event is anticipating 17 participants.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Davey Allison leads the series in average starting position in the NASCAR All-Star Race with a 3.857 in seven starts
• Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in average starting position in the NASCAR All-Star Race with a 5.667 in 15 starts.

Top Five in Average Starting Position in the NASCAR All-Star Race (All-Time & Active)

POLES

• A total of 20 different drivers have won the pole for the NASCAR All-Star Race; four of the 20 are active this weekend – Kyle Busch (three), Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr and Kyle Larson (each have one) prior to this weekend.
• Kyle Larson will start from the pole this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR All-Star Race by virtue of random draw. This weekend’s pole will be the second of his career.
• Terry Labonte won the inaugural pole for the NASCAR All-Star Race in 1985 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Bill Elliott leads the series in NASCAR All-Star Race poles with four (1987, 1997, 1998 and 2000).
• Kyle Busch (2008, 2011 and 2012) leads all active drivers in NASCAR All-Star Race poles with three.
• Four drivers have won consecutive poles for the NASCAR All-Star Race: Davey Allison (1991, 1992) Bill Elliott (1997, 1998), Kyle Busch (2011, 2012) and Carl Edwards (2013, 2014).
• Three drivers started from the first starting position but did not win the pole due to Qualifying being cancelled: Bill Elliott (2003), Kurt Busch (2010) and Kevin Harvick (2016).

WINS

• A total of 25 different drivers have won the NASCAR All-Star Race all-time (1985-Present).
• Eight of the 25 NASCAR All-Star Race winners are active this weekend:

• NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip won the inaugural NASCAR All-Star Race in 1985 at an average speed of 161.184 mph at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Seven of 25 NASCAR All-Star Race winners have multiple victories; led by Jimmie Johnson with four wins (2003, 2006, 2012 and 2013).
• Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990 and 1993) and Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997 and 2001) are three-time winners of the NASCAR All-Star Race.
• Davey Allison (1991 and 1992), Terry Labonte (1988 and 1999), Mark Martin (1998 and 2005) and Kevin Harvick (2007, 2018) are the only other drivers to post multiple victories in the NASCAR All-Star Race.
• Davey Allison (1991, 1992) and Jimmie Johnson (2012, 2013) are the only drivers to ever win consecutive NASCAR All-Star Races.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) and Ryan Newman (2002) are the only two drivers to win the NASCAR All-Star Race in their rookie season.
• Jeff Gordon is the youngest winner of the NASCAR All-Star Race at 23 years, 9 months and 18 days (1995).
• Mark Martin is the oldest NASCAR All-Star Race winner at 46 years, 4 months and 12 days (2005).
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the only driver to win the NASCAR All-Star Race (2000), the NASCAR Open (2012) and the Fan Vote (2011). If Martin Truex Jr. wins the NASCAR All-Star race this season he will become the second driver to accomplish all three – Truex won the Open in 2010 and 2007 and won the Fan Vote in 2005.
• Kasey Kahne is the only driver to win the Fan Vote and go on to win the All-Star race in the same season (2008).
• Ryan Newman (2002) and Kyle Larson (2019) are the only two drivers to win a NASCAR Open event and go on to win the NASCAR All-Star Race in the same season.
• Six drivers have won the NASCAR All-Star Race and the NASCAR Cup Series championship in the same year; it has occurred 11 times: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990, 1993), Rusty Wallace (1989), Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997, 2001), Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2013) and Chase Elliott (2020).
• The NASCAR All-Star Race has been won from the first starting position five times; the first three came in consecutive years: Dale Earnhardt (1990), Davey Allison (1991 and 1992), Kurt Busch (2010) and Denny Hamlin (2015) – Four of the five wins were from the pole, Kurt Busch won from the first starting position in 2010, but Qualifying was cancelled for that event due to weather.
• The first, second and fourth starting positions are the three most proficient starting positions in the field, producing more winners (five winners each) than any other starting positions in the NASCAR All-Star Race – most recent was Kevin Harvick’s victory in 2018 from the fourth starting position.

NASCAR All-Star Race Wins by Starting Positions

• The deepest in the field a NASCAR All-Star race winner has started was 27th, by Ryan Newman in 2002.
• Nine of the 17 drivers who are qualified for the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race are looking for their first win in the event: Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Cole Custer, Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell and Martin Truex Jr.
• A total of 15 different organizations have won the NASCAR All-Star Race.
• Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in NASCAR All-Star Race wins with 10: Jimmie Johnson (four: 2003, 2006, 2012, 2013), Jeff Gordon (three: 1995, 1997, 2001), Terry Labonte (two: 1999, 1988), Chase Elliott (2020).
• Five different manufacturers have won a NASCAR All-Star Race; led by Chevrolet with 19 victories; followed by Ford (12), Toyota (two), Dodge (two) and Pontiac (one).

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

• A total of 25 different drivers have finished runner-up in the NASCAR All-Star Race.
• Kevin Harvick (2006, 2014, 2015, 2019) leads the series in NASCAR All-Star Race runner-up finishes with four.

Top-Five Finishes:

• A total of 50 different drivers have finished in the top-five in the NASCAR All-Star Race; 38 have posted multiple top fives in the NASCAR All-Star race.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson lead the series in top-five finishes in the NASCAR All-Star Race with nine each.
• Kurt Busch leads all active drivers in top-five finishes in the NASCAR All-Star Race with eight.

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 82 different drivers have finished in the top-10 in the NASCAR All-Star Race; 57 have posted multiple top 10s in the NASCAR All-Star Race.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-10 finishes in the NASCAR All-Star Race with 14.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active series drivers in top-10 finishes in the NASCAR All-Star Race with 13.

Average Finishing Positions:

• Tim Richmond (two starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series (all-time) in average finishing position in the NASCAR All-Star Race with a 4.0.
• Kyle Larson (four starts) leads all active drivers in the series in average finishing position in the NASCAR All-Star Race with a 6.5; followed by Chase Elliott (five starts) with a 6.6.

Top 10 in Average Finishing Positions in the NASCAR All-Star Race (All-time & Active)

LAP LEADERS

• In total, 51 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR All-Star Race; 13 of the 51 lap leaders are active this weekend.
• Kyle Busch leads the series in NASCAR All-Star Race laps led with 271 laps led in 15 starts.
• The most laps led in a NASCAR All-Star Race by a driver that won the race is 82 of the scheduled 83 laps (98.8%) by NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott in 1986 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He started the event in the second starting position.
• The most laps led in a NASCAR All-Star Race by a driver that did not win is 121 of the scheduled 135 laps (89.6%) by NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott in 1987 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He started the event first but finished 14th.
• Two of the 36 NASCAR All-Star Races were led by a single driver from flag-to-flag – in 1990 Dale Earnhardt led all 70 laps and in 1991 Davey Allison also led all 70 laps (100%). Both instances hold the event’s record for highest percentage of laps led.
• The fewest laps led by the eventual winner of the NASCAR All-Star Race is two laps and it has happened three times: 1993 (Dale Earnhardt), 2000 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), 2009 (Tony Stewart).

Top 20 Lap Leaders in the NASCAR All-Star Race (All-Time)

Active Lap Leaders in the NASCAR All-Star Race This Weekend

EVENT SPECIFIC STATS

The following statistics take into account the NASCAR All-Star Races at Charlotte, Atlanta and Bristol.

FAN VOTE

• The NASAR All-Star Fan Vote was introduced to the format in 2004. The first Fan Vote winner was Ken Schrader, driving for BAM Racing.
• In 2008, Kasey Kahne became the first driver to get into the NASCAR All-Star Race by the Fan Vote and go on to win the event. Kahne started 24th in the All-Star race and won.
• Danica Patrick became the first driver to win more than one Fan Vote into the NASCAR All-Star Race (2013, 2015).
• Chase Elliott became the first driver to win it in consecutive seasons (2016, 2017, 2018), and also the first driver to win it three times.
• Chase Elliott, Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano and Carl Edwards are the only five drivers who have won the NASCAR All-Star Race and the Fan Vote.  Kahne won both in 2008, Earnhardt Jr. won the race in 2000 and the Fan Vote in 2011. Logano won the Fan Vote in 2009 and the All-Star race in 2016. Edwards won the Fan Vote in 2010 and the All-Star Race in 2011.

 NASCAR OPEN

• The NASCAR Open was first introduced into the All-Star format in 1986 at Atlanta Motor Speedway – the first event was won by Benny Parsons, but it did not grant him entry to the All-Star race; that started the following season.
• A total of 28 different drivers have won the NASCAR Open from 1986-2020; four are active this weekend and only two are entered in the Open – Matt DiBenedetto and Daniel Suarez.

• Sterling Marlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series in NASCAR Open wins with four victories (1988, 1989, 1993 and 2004).
• Eight of the 28 NASCAR Open winners have multiple wins – Sterling Marlin (four), AJ Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Jeremy Mayfield, Martin Truex Jr., Michael Waltrip, Kyle Larson and Todd Bodine each have two victories.
• Three drivers have won consecutive NASCAR Opens – Sterling Marlin (1988-89), Michael Waltrip (1991-92) and Clint Bowyer (2014-15).
• Ryan Newman (2002) and Kyle Larson (2019) are the only two drivers to win the NASCAR Open and the All-Star Race in the same weekend.

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