# 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race

The 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race (XXXVI) was a NASCAR Cup Series stock car exhibition race that was originally scheduled to be held on May 16, 2020 and was rescheduled to July 15, 2020, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 140 laps, it was the second exhibition race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. It was the first All-Star Race since the 1986 Winston at Atlanta Motor Speedway to be hosted outside Charlotte Motor Speedway.

## Report
### Background

The All-Star Race is open to race winners from last season through the 2020 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, all previous All-Star race winners, NASCAR Cup champions who had attempted to qualify for every race in 2020, 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.
As part of scheduling changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and citing a desire to host the race with fans (which was not then possible due to health orders in North Carolina), the All-Star Race was moved from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Bristol Motor Speedway.
While most NASCAR races held during the pandemic had been held behind closed doors with no spectators, the All-Star Race admitted 30,000 spectators with social distancing. Although this was only 20% of the venue's total capacity of 162,000, the All-Star Race hosted the largest number of spectators at a U.S. sporting event since the beginning of pandemic-related restrictions.
A new "choose rule" was used for restarts during the race, where drivers could choose whether they wanted to be in the inside or outside lane. NASCAR experimented with an underglow lighting package on vehicles at the All-Star Race, color-coded by manufacturer (with Chevrolet in orange, Ford in blue, and Toyota in red). This package was featured on the vehicles of all drivers who had automatically qualified for the event. At the request of teams, NASCAR also experimented with moving the numbers on the sides of vehicles closer to their rear tires, in order to provide additional room for sponsor logos. This change became permanent upon the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022.

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.

##### NASCAR All Star Open

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 00 | Quin Houff (R) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Brennan Poole (R) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 27 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Joey Gase (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Ford |
| 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 95 | Christopher Bell (R) | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota |
| 96 | Daniel Suárez | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| Official entry list ||||

##### NASCAR All-Star Race

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Matt Kenseth | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Qualifying (Open)

Michael McDowell was awarded the pole for the open as determined by a random draw.

### Open Starting Lineup

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 3 | 95 | Christopher Bell (R) | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota |
| 4 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 10 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 11 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 13 | 27 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 14 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 15 | 15 | Brennan Poole (R) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 16 | 00 | Quin Houff (R) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | 51 | Joey Gase (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Ford |
| 18 | 96 | Daniel Suárez | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 20 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 21 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford |
| Official Open starting lineup |||||

## Qualifying (All-Star Race)

Martin Truex Jr. was awarded the pole for the race as determined by a random draw.

### All-Star Race Starting Lineup

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 4 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 6 | 42 | Matt Kenseth | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 9 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 11 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 12 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 13 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 15 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 16 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| Official All-Star starting lineup |||||

## NASCAR All Star Open
### NASCAR All Star Open results

| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 10 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 85 |
| 2 | 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 85 |
| 3 | 11 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 85 |
| 4 | 8 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 85 |
| 5 | 20 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 85 |
| 6 | 4 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 85 |
| 7 | 1 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 85 |
| 8 | 19 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 85 |
| 9 | 21 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 85 |
| 10 | 5 | 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 85 |
| 11 | 3 | 95 | Christopher Bell (R) | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 85 |
| 12 | 18 | 96 | Daniel Suárez | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 85 |
| 13 | 12 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 85 |
| 14 | 13 | 27 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 85 |
| 15 | 15 | 15 | Brennan Poole (R) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 85 |
| 16 | 14 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 85 |
| 17 | 16 | 00 | Quin Houff (R) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 83 |
| 18 | 17 | 51 | Joey Gase (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Ford | 76 |
| 19 | 7 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 70 |
| 20 | 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 35 |
| 21 | 6 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 17 |
| ^a Winner of the second segment. ^b Winner of the first segment. By rule, when a driver wins a segment, he exits the race and immediately advances to the All-Star Race feature. |||||||
| Official NASCAR All Star Open race results |||||||

## All-Star Race
### All-Star Race results

| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 13 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 140 |
| 2 | 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 140 |
| 3 | 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 140 |
| 4 | 9 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 140 |
| 5 | 15 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 140 |
| 6 | 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 140 |
| 7 | 12 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 140 |
| 8 | 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 140 |
| 9 | 17 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 140 |
| 10 | 1* | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 140 |
| 11 | 16 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 140 |
| 12 | 18 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 140 |
| 13 | 19 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 140 |
| 14 | 4 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 140 |
| 15 | 20 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 140 |
| 16 | 8 | 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 140 |
| 17 | 14 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 140 |
| 18 | 6 | 42 | Matt Kenseth | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 140 |
| 19 | 11 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 140 |
| 20 | 7 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 140 |
| Official NASCAR All-Star Race results |||||||
* Because of multiple pre-race inspection fails, Martin Truex Jr. was moved to the last starting position during the pace laps.

## Media
### Television

Fox Sports was the television broadcaster of the race in the United States. Lap-by-lap announcer, Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon covered the race from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte. Regan Smith and Matt Yocum reported from pit lane. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte. This was also Fox Sports' last Cup race for their portion of the 2020 season as NBC Sports takes over NASCAR broadcasts for the rest of the season.
FS1 Television :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon | Regan Smith Matt Yocum | Larry McReynolds |

### Radio

Motor 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 Kyle Rickey in turns 3 and 4. Winston Kelly and Steve Post 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: Kyle Rickey | Winston Kelly Steve Post |