NASCAR: Matt DiBenedetto advances to All-Star Race

Matt DiBenedetto advanced to the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway by winning the third and final stage of the All-Star Open.

Wood Brothers Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto became the 19th driver to qualify for the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway and the third driver to do so in tonight’s All-Star Open, as he won the third and final stage of the last-chance qualifier.

DiBenedetto, who started this 15-lap stage around the four-turn, 0.533-mile (0.858-kilometer) high-banked oval in Bristol, Tennessee in the lead in his #21 Ford after finishing the second of two 35-lap stages in second place behind Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron in second in his #24 Chevrolet, led every lap and won it by 0.789 seconds over Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer in second in his #14 Ford.

Byron did not compete in the third and final stage of this 85-lap race since he secured his spot in the 140-lap main event by winning the second, and neither did Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola, who won the first in his #10 Ford. DiBenedetto is set to start the All-Star Race in 17th place due to the penalty issued to initial polesitter Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing.

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Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon finished the third and final stage in third place in his #3 Chevrolet ahead of Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher in fourth in his #17 Ford and Germain Racing’s Ty Dillon in fifth in his #13 Chevrolet.

Rounding out the top 10 in this stage were JTG Daugherty Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Front Row Motorsports teammates Michael McDowell and rookie John Hunter Nemechek, Go Fas Racing’s Corey LaJoie and Richard Childress Racing rookie Tyler Reddick in sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th place in their #47 Chevrolet, #34 Ford, #38 Ford, #32 Ford and #8 Chevrolet, respectively.

Here are the full results of the third and final stage of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Stage Results
1st – Matt DiBenedetto
2nd – Clint Bowyer
3rd – Austin Dillon
4th – Chris Buescher
5th – Ty Dillon
6th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
7th – Michael McDowell
8th – John Hunter Nemechek
9th – Corey LaJoie
10th – Tyler Reddick
11th – Christopher Bell
12th – Daniel Suarez
13th – Ryan Preece
14th – J.J. Yeley
15th – Brennan Poole
16th – Garrett Smithley
17th – Quin Houff
18th – Joey Gase
19th – William Byron
20th – Aric Almirola
21st – Bubba Wallace

Be sure to tune in to Fox Sports 1 for the live broadcast of the All-Star Race from Bristol Motor Speedway tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET.