Getty Bubba Wallace survived a significant crash at Pocono.
NASCAR’s process for the All-Star Race in Charlotte has undergone a few changes, including qualifying for the event. The majority of the field has already been set, but there is the All-Star Open where three qualifying spots are up for grabs. Instead of this qualifying race taking place on Friday night, race fans will have to wait until 6 p.m. Eastern on Saturday to watch the 50 lap race. The All-Star Open has three stages with the winner of each stage securing a spot for the NASCAR All-Star Race that takes place Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern. Fans can watch both races on FS1.
How does a driver qualify for the All-Star Race? The field is made up of winning drivers in 2017 and 2018. Full-time drivers who have either won a past All-Star Race, or have a Monster Energy Series championship are also eligible. This makes up the majority of the field in addition to the three stage winners in the All-Star Open. There is also a driver that will make the field based on fan voting, which will be revealed on Saturday.
While the majority of drivers have already qualified, there will be a qualifying session on Friday day night with the 17 drivers to determine the starting lineup for the All-Star Race. This begins at 6:45 p.m. Eastern on Friday night, and will be broadcast live on FS1. Here’s how NASCAR explains the process for determining the starting lineup.
The ever-popular qualifying method is back this year. Drivers take three laps during qualifying, and it includes a mandatory four-tire pit stop. There is no pit-road speeding during qualifying, so drivers will look to push the limits.
The starting lineup qualifying for the All-Star Open will be held at 6:05 p.m. Eastern prior to the All-Star Race qualifying on Friday. The All-Star Race also has a few new rule changes that NASCAR hopes will make the race even more competitive.
Restrictor plates will be in use at 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway, along with a 6-inch high spoiler (with two 12-inch ears), a 2014 style splitter and aero ducts…It’s designed to promote passing and tight competition. It’s very similar to the package the NASCAR Xfinity Series used at Indianapolis last year, a race which set a record number of leaders and lead changes.
Here’s a rundown of the All-Star Open field of drivers courtesy of NASCAR who will be competing to qualify for the All-Star Race.
NASCAR All-Star Open Race Drivers
| CAR NUMBER | DRIVER |
| 00 | Landon Cassill |
| 9 | Chase Elliott |
| 10 | Aric Almirola |
| 13 | Ty Dillon |
| 15 | Ross Chastain |
| 19 | Daniel Suarez |
| 20 | Erik Jones |
| 21 | Paul Menard |
| 23 | Gray Gaulding |
| 24 | William Byron |
| 32 | Matt Dibenedetto |
| 34 | Michael McDowell |
| 37 | Chris Buescher |
| 38 | David Ragan |
| 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. |
| 47 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 51 | B.J. McCleod |
| 55 | Reed Sorenson |
| 66 | Timmy Hill |
| 72 | Corey Lajoie |
| 88 | Alex Bowman |
NASCAR All-Star Drivers Qualified
Here’s a list of the drivers who have qualified for the All-Star Race heading into the weekend, and will be competing for $1 million in Charlotte.
| DRIVER | QUALIFIED |
| 12 Ryan Blaney | 2017 Pocono |
| 14 Clint Bowyer | 2018 Martinsville |
| 41 Kurt Busch | 2017 Daytona 500 |
| 18 Kyle Busch | 2017 Pocono |
| 3 Austin Dillon | 2017 Charlotte |
| 11 Denny Hamlin | 2017 New Hampshire |
| 4 Kevin Harvick | 2017 Sonoma |
| 48 Jimmie Johnson | 2017 Texas |
| 95 Kasey Kahne | 2017 Indianapolis |
| 6 Matt Kenseth | 2017 Phoenix |
| 11 Brad Keselowski | 2017 Atlanta |
| 42 Kyle Larson | 2017 Auto Club |
| 22 Joey Logano | 2018 Talladega |
| 1 Jamie McMurray | Former All-Star Race Winner |
| 31 Ryan Newman | 2017 Phoenix |
| 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 2017 Talladega |
| 78 Martin Truex Jr. | 2017 Las Vegas |
