NASCAR: Who is eligible for this year’s All-Star Race?

Which drivers are already eligible to compete in this year’s rescheduled and relocated NASCAR All-Star Race this week at Bristol Motor Speedway?

NASCAR‘s All-Star Open and All-Star Race were scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 16 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but those plans were changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, NASCAR announced that these races had been rescheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 15, between the race at Kentucky Speedway on Sunday, July 12 as originally scheduled and the race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 19, which was postponed from Sunday, March 29.

Then NASCAR made another big announcement: this year’s All-Star festivities had been relocated from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Bristol Motor Speedway.

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This marks just the second year in the event’s 36-year history for the race to be held at a venue other than the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval in Concord, North Carolina.

Atlanta Motor Speedway is the only other track which has held an All-Star Race, doing so back in the event’s second year in 1986. Charlotte Motor Speedway had hosted the race for 33 consecutive years up until now.

Who will compete in this year’s All-Star Race?

A total of 16 drivers have already qualified for the event, due to the fact that they meet one or more of the three requirements: they have (a) won a Cup Series championship, (b) won a Cup Series race in the 2019 and/or 2020 seasons or (c) won a past All-Star Race.

Here is a list of these 16 drivers, sorted alphabetically by team and then in numerical order by car number, as well as the boxes which they have checked to compete in the 2020 All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Chip Ganassi Racing

• Kurt Busch, #1 Chevrolet — 2004 Cup Series champion, one race victory in the 2019 Cup Series season, 2010 All-Star Race winner
• Matt Kenseth, #42 Chevrolet — 2003 Cup Series champion, 2004 All-Star Race winner

Hendrick Motorsports

• Chase Elliott, #9 Chevrolet — Three race victories in the 2019 Cup Series season, one race victory in the 2020 Cup Series season
• Jimmie Johnson, #48 Chevrolet — Seven-time Cup Series champion, four-time All-Star Race winner
• Alex Bowman, #88 Chevrolet — One race victory in the 2019 Cup Series season, one race victory in the 2020 Cup Series season

Joe Gibbs Racing

• Denny Hamlin, #11 Toyota — Six race victories in the 2019 Cup Series season, four race victories in the 2020 Cup Series season, 2015 All-Star Race winner
• Kyle Busch, #18 Toyota — Two-time Cup Series champion, five race victories in the 2019 Cup Series season, 2017 All-Star Race winner
• Martin Truex Jr., #19 Toyota — 2017 Cup Series champion, seven race victories in the 2019 Cup Series season, one race victory in the 2020 Cup Series season
• Erik Jones, #20 Toyota — One race victory in the 2019 Cup Series season

Roush Fenway Racing

• Ryan Newman, #6 Ford — 2002 All-Star Race winner

Spire Motorsports

• Justin Haley, #77 Chevrolet — One race victory in the 2019 Cup Series season

Stewart-Haas Racing

• Kevin Harvick, #4 Ford — 2014 Cup Series champion, four race victories in the 2019 Cup Series season, four race victories in the 2020 Cup Series season, two-time All-Star Race winner
• Cole Custer, #41 Ford — One race victory in the 2020 Cup Series season

Team Penske

• Brad Keselowski, #2 Ford — 2012 Cup Series champion, three race victories in the 2019 Cup Series season, two race victories in the 2020 Cup Series season
• Ryan Blaney, #12 Ford — One race victory in the 2019 Cup Series season, one race victory in the 2020 Cup Series season
• Joey Logano, #22 Ford — 2018 Cup Series champion, two race victories in the 2019 Cup Series season, two race victories in the 2020 Cup Series season, 2016 All-Star Race winner

While Justin Haley is not a full-time Cup Series driver, he competes full-time for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series and competed in this year’s Daytona 500 for the team in their first ever Cup Series race. His victory in last year’s July race at Daytona International Speedway came in just his third career Cup Series start.

Aside from this group of drivers, four more drivers will qualify for the event. The three stage winners of the All-Star Open and the winner of the NASCAR Fan Vote are slated to be these additional four drivers.

Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET this Wednesday, July 15 for the live broadcast of the All-Star Open from Bristol Motor Speedway, followed by the All-Star Race itself.