The 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race (XXXVII) was a NASCAR Cup Series stock car exhibition race held on June 13, 2021, at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Contested over 100 laps, it was the second exhibition race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | June 13, 2021 |
| Location | Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
| Distance | Open: 50 laps, 75 mi (121 km) Stage 1: 20 laps Stage 2: 20 laps Stage 3: 10 laps All-Star Race: 100 Laps, 150 mi (240 km) Stage 1: 15 laps Stage 2: 15 laps Stage 3: 15 laps Stage 4: 15 laps Stage 5: 30 laps Stage 6: 10 laps[8] |
| Avg Speed | Open: 94.67 mph (152.36 km/h) All-Star Race: 84.919 mph (136.664 km/h) |
| NASCAR All Star Open | |
| Pole | Tyler Reddick (Richard Childress Racing) |
| Time | N/A |
| Winner (segment 1) | Ross Chastain (Chip Ganassi Racing) |
| Winner (segment 2) | Tyler Reddick (Richard Childress Racing) |
| Winner (segment 3) | Aric Almirola (Stewart Haas Racing) |
| Fan Vote winners | Matt DiBenedetto (Wood Brothers Racing) |
| NASCAR All-Star Race | |
| Pole | Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) |
| Time | N/A |
| Most laps led | William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports) |
| Laps led | 30 |
| Winner | Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) |
| Television | |
| Network | FS1 |
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer |
| Radio | |
| Network | Motor Racing Network |
| Announcers | Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle (Booth) Dave Moody (1 & 2) Mike Bagley (3 & 4) (Turns) |
Report
editBackground
edit
The All-Star Race is open to race winners from last season through the 2021 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, all previous All-Star race winners, NASCAR Cup champions who had attempted to qualify for every race in 2021, the winner of each stage of the All-Star Open, and the winner of the All-Star fan vote are eligible to compete in the All-Star Race.
In 2020, the race was moved to Bristol Motor Speedway in July, as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented Charlotte from accommodating fans.[9] The venue changed again in 2021 to Texas Motor Speedway, which replaced its spring date with the All-Star Race.[10]
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
NASCAR All Star Open
editNASCAR All-Star Race
editQualifying (Open)
editTyler Reddick was awarded the pole for the open as it was determined by current driver points.[5]
Open Starting Lineup
editRace recap
editFor pre race ceremonies, Brigadier General Lisa M. Craig would give out the command to start engines. Austin Cindric (multiple inspection failures), Ross Chastain (aero duct not conforming to NASCAR regulations), and David Starr (unapproved adjustments) were forced to start at the back.
On the start of the race, Chris Buescher was found to had jumped the restart over Tyler Reddick, and thus was given a pass through penalty. Austin Cindric was also given a pass through penalty because NASCAR determined he had switched lanes before the start-finish line. 6 laps into the 20 lap Round 1, Bubba Wallace would spin in Turn 2, causing the first caution of the day. On the ensuing restart on lap 10, Stenhouse drifted up high in Turn 3, spinning out Chris Buescher, causing the second caution of the day. Once again, on the restart on lap 14, Erik Jones would spin after hitting Chase Briscoe and spinning out, causing a major stackup within the field. Daniel Suarez would hit Jones, causing major damage to both cars. After a hard fought battle, Ross Chastain would win Round 1.
In Round 2, after a relatively less chaotic race, Tyler Reddick would successfully defend against Aric Almirola to win Round 2.
In the final round, Aric Almirola would redeem himself, pulling away to win Round 3.
Matt DiBenedetto would win the fan vote.
Qualifying (All-Star Race)
editKyle Larson was awarded the pole for the race as determined by a random draw.[5]
All-Star Race Starting Lineup
editRace recap
editFor driver introductions, Jamie Little and Adam Alexander announced each driver in order of the starting lineup, being accompanied by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and music played by local cover band, the Clayton Foghat Band.
For pre race ceremonies, Norm Miller, chairman of Interstate Batteries gave the invocation, and the Side Deal gave an acapella version of the national anthem. Joe Gibbs and Tom Landry, Jr. would give out the command. While cars were doing warm up laps, Sammy Hagar would perform “I Can't Drive 55”.
The race would start with Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson fighting for the lead, but on lap 2 Christopher Bell would lose control of his car in Turn 1, but would save the car. Nevertheless, the first caution was called.
NASCAR All Star Open
editNASCAR All Star Open results
edit| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 50 |
| 2 | 3 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 50 |
| 3 | 2 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 50 |
| 4 | 9 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 50 |
| 5 | 16 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 50 |
| 6 | 6 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 50 |
| 7 | 19 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 8 | 12 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 50 |
| 9 | 4 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 10 | 11 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 11 | 17 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 12 | 18 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 50 |
| 13 | 15 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 50 |
| 14 | 20 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 15 | 13 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 49 |
| 16 | 14 | 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 49 |
| 17 | 21 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 49 |
| 18 | 22 | 13 | David Starr (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 49 |
| 19 | 1 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 40 a |
| 20 | 5 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 20 b |
| 21 | 8 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 13 |
| 22 | 7 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 13 |
| ^a Winner of the second segment. ^b Winner of the first segment. | ||||||
| Official NASCAR All Star Open race results | ||||||
All-Star Race
editIn the main event, Kyle Larson was awarded the pole. Christopher Bell spun on the first lap, but saved the car from hitting anything. The race was broken into six segments with Larson, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, William Byron, and Chase Elliott winning the segments. Elliott's team won the pit road challenge for the final segment. In the first segment, Larson passed and held off Brad Keselowski for the $1 million and his second All-Star Race win.
All-Star Race results
edit| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 |
| 2 | 9 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 100 |
| 3 | 6 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 |
| 4 | 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 100 |
| 5 | 17 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 100 |
| 6 | 15 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 |
| 7 | 8 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 |
| 8 | 20 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 100 |
| 9 | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 100 |
| 10 | 13 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 100 |
| 11 | 3 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 100 |
| 12 | 11 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 100 |
| 13 | 10 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 100 |
| 14 | 4 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 100 |
| 15 | 12 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 100 |
| 16 | 19 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 100 |
| 17 | 21 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 100 |
| 18 | 18 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 100 |
| 19 | 5 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 100 |
| 20 | 14 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 100 |
| 21 | 16 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 100 |
| Official NASCAR All-Star Race results | ||||||
Media
editTelevision
editFox Sports was the television broadcaster of the race in the United States. Lap-by-lap announcer, Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little, Regan Smith and Vince Welch handled pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte. This was also Fox Sports' last Cup race for their portion of the 2021 season as NBC Sports takes over NASCAR broadcasts for the rest of the season.
| FS1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer |
Jamie Little Regan Smith Vince Welch |
Larry McReynolds |
Radio
editMotor Racing Network (MRN) continued their longstanding relationship with Speedway Motorsports to broadcast the race on radio. The lead announcers for the race's broadcast were Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle. The network also implemented two announcers on each side of the track: Dave Moody in turns 1 and 2 and Mike Bagley in turns 3 and 4. Steve Post and Kim Coon were the network's pit lane reporters. The network's broadcast was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle |
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley |
Steve Post Kim Coon |
References
edit- ^ "2021 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- ^ "Texas Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- ^ "Open Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ "All-Star Race Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Open & All Star Race Starting Lineups". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ "NASCAR All-Star Open Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ "NASCAR All-Star Race Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ "NASCAR, Texas Motor Speedway Announce 2021 All Star Race Format". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- ^ "Annual All-Star Race moved to Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ Davison, Drew (September 30, 2020). "Texas Motor Speedway lands 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race. Will it become the permanent home?". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved February 2, 2021.