NASCAR Cup Series: 15 drivers eligible for 2019 All-Star Race
By Asher Fair
The details for the 2019 Monster Energy Open and Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race were revealed, and 15 drivers have already qualified for the latter.
The 2019 Monster Energy Open and Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race are scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 18 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and details pertaining to these two exhibition races were released earlier this week.
A total of 15 drivers have already qualified for the 85-lap All-Star Race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Charlotte Motor Speedway oval in Concord, North Carolina due to the fact that they meet one or more of three requirements.
These 15 drivers are all full-time drivers who have either won a Cup Series championship, won a Cup Series race in the 2018 and/or 2019 seasons or won a past All-Star Race. Several of them have checked off more than one of these three boxes.
Here is a list of these 15 drivers, sorted alphabetically by team and then in numerical order by car number, and why they have already qualified for the 2019 All-Star Race.
Chip Ganassi Racing
- Kurt Busch, #1 Chevrolet — 2004 Cup Series champion, one race victory in the 2018 Cup Series season, 2010 All-Star Race winner
Hendrick Motorsports
- Chase Elliott, #9 Chevrolet — Three race victories in the 2018 Cup Series season
- Jimmie Johnson, #48 Chevrolet — Seven-time Cup Series champion, four-time All-Star Race winner
Joe Gibbs Racing
- Denny Hamlin, #11 Toyota — Two race victories in the 2019 Cup Series season, 2015 All-Star Race winner
- Kyle Busch, #18 Toyota — 2015 Cup Series champion, eight race victories in the 2018 Cup Series season, three race victories in the 2019 Cup Series season, 2017 All-Star Race winner
- Martin Truex Jr., #19 Toyota — 2017 Cup Series champion, four race victories in the 2018 Cup Series season, one race victory in the 2019 Cup Series season
- Erik Jones, #20 Toyota — One race victory in the 2018 Cup Series season
Richard Childress Racing
- Austin Dillon, #3 Chevrolet — One race victory in the 2018 Cup Series season
Roush Fenway Racing
- Ryan Newman, #6 Ford — 2002 All-Star Race winner
Stewart-Haas Racing
- Kevin Harvick, #4 Ford — 2014 Cup Series champion, eight race victories in the 2018 Cup Series season, two-time All-Star Race winner
- Aric Almirola, #10 Ford — One race victory in the 2018 Cup Series season
- Clint Bowyer, #14 Ford — Two race victories in the 2018 Cup Series season
Team Penske
- Brad Keselowski, #2 Ford — 2012 Cup Series champion, three race victories in the 2018 Cup Series season, two race victories in the 2019 Cup Series season
- Ryan Blaney, #12 Ford — One race victory in the 2018 Cup Series season
- Joey Logano, #22 Ford — 2018 Cup Series champion, three race victories in the 2018 Cup Series season, one race victory in the 2019 Cup Series season, 2016 All-Star Race winner
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A total of three Cup Series races are on the schedule prior to All-Star weekend, so this list could grow before that time.
Regardless, four additional drivers are still set to be added to the field for this race.
These four drivers are set to be the three stage winners of the Open and the winner of the NASCAR Fan Vote, which is now open.
As a result, the total number of drivers who will end up competing for the $1 million prize in the All-Star Race is slated to be between 19 and 22.
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The Monster Energy Open is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 from Charlotte Motor Speedway between at 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 18, and the live broadcast of the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race is set to air on the same channel from the track later than night at 8:00 p.m. ET.