Another year, another new NASCAR All-Star Race gimmick.

This year's race (at Dover, for the first time) might be one of the wackiest setups in years, in which 36 drivers will start the race but only 26 will finish it.

Unlike in previous years, there will be no All-Star Open prior to the race to determine which of the non-guaranteed drivers makes the field for the main event.

All 36 cars will qualify in reverse order of the points standings on Saturday afternoon, taking it in turns to do a full lap at full speed, before coming to pit road on the second lap for a four-tire pit stop (no fuelling necessary). That completed, they'll leave pit road and race around to the checkered flag.

The times from green to checkered will set the order for Sunday's race start, while the pit stop times will be used to judge the Pit Crew Challenge and decide pit stall selection for Sunday. What this will not do, to be clear, is set the 'final' 26-car field.

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How will the NASCAR All-Star Race field be decided?

All 36 drivers will take to the track together on Sunday and race a 75-lap opening stage, after which the top 26 will be reversed (so the 26th placed driver will start first, 25th will start second, and so on), while the 27th-36th placed drivers will remain in their finishing positions. With that new running order, the drivers will begin a second 75-lap stage.

Each driver's finishing positions from each stage will be combined, and will be used to fill the 26-man field for the final 200-lap shootout to the line – the 'true' All-Star race. Well...sort of.

Of course, 19 of those 26 drivers have already been confirmed. Drivers who won a Cup Series race during the 2025 or '26 seasons, past All-Star Race winners who compete full-time in the Cup Series, and past Cup Series champions who currently compete full-time are all locked in.

Drivers 20-25 will be decided by the two 75-lap stages, while number 26 will be the driver with the most fan votes among the remaining 11 non-qualifiers.

Does that make sense?

Speaking of the All-Star Race fan vote...as of the start of the week, the top five are – in alphabetical, not vote, order – Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Noah Gragson, Ryan Preece and Connor Zilisch.

Cup Series drivers locked into 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race

  • 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
  • Carson Hocevar

What time is the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race today?

The NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race from Dover takes place today, Sunday, May 17, at 1 p.m. ET.

Here are the race start times converted to your local time zones.

NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race Start Times
City (Time Zone) Race Start Time
Charlotte, NC (ET)1:00 P.M.
New York, NY (ET)1:00 P.M.
Columbia, SC (ET)1:00 P.M.
Charleston, WV (ET)1:00 P.M.
Augusta, ME (ET)1:00 P.M.
Chicago, IL (CT)12:00 P.M.
Pierre, SD (CT)12:00 P.M.
Nashville, TN (CT)12:00 P.M.
Des Moines, IA (CT)12:00 P.M.
Montgomery, AL (CT)12:00 P.M.
Denver, CO (MT)11:00 A.M.
Salt Lake City, UT (MT)11:00 A.M.
Albuquerque, NM (MT)11:00 A.M.
El Paso, TX (MT)11:00 A.M.
Los Angeles, CA (PT)10:00 A.M.
Las Vegas, NV (PT)10:00 A.M.
Seattle, WA (PT)10:00 A.M.
Portland, OR (PT)10:00 A.M.
San Francisco, CA (PT)10:00 A.M.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race on today?

Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race action from Dover will be broadcast live on FS1 in the United States.

For those wanting to tune in to the action on the radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and PRN have the call.

Live stream options

Some NASCAR fans may want to live stream today's NASCAR Cup Series action, and there are several options available.

With the race being broadcast on FS1, the FOX Sports App, FOX Sports website, and FOX One are among the places to watch.

As well as being available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the FOX Sports App can also be downloaded in several other places, such as:

  • Apple TV
  • Roku
  • Xbox
  • Vizio
  • Google Chromecast
  • Fire TV
  • Android TV
  • Samsung Smart TV

Both the FOX Sports App and FOX One are free to download, but you will need to log in with your paid TV provider details to watch.

FS1 can also be streamed live on the following platforms:

  • DIRECTV Stream
  • Fubo
  • Hulu + Live TV
  • Sling
  • YouTube TV

Why did NASCAR change the All-Star Race format again?

Because they're NASCAR

Will NASCAR change the All-Star Race format or location next year?

Uh, probably.

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