NASCAR All-Star Race: How each driver locked in

A total of 20 drivers have already locked themselves into this Sunday night’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.

After 13 straight weekends of points racing, the NASCAR Cup Series is set for its annual All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway this Sunday night.

While no points or playoff berths will be on the line at the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval in Fort Worth, Texas this weekend, there is still a $1 million prize on the line for the driver who manages not only to understand the updated race format but to take the checkered flag.

There are 20 drivers already locked into the event, and four more are set to join them. The four TBD drivers are set to be determined by the preceding All-Star Open, a three-stage event.

The winners of the three stages are set to lock into the All-Star, as is the driver who finishes highest in the All-Star Fan Vote among those not already locked in (provided the car is still raceable after the Open).

But how did the 20 drivers who have already locked themselves into the main event manage to do so?

All drivers who won a points-paying race in the 2021 season or have done so already in the 2022 season are eligible, as are all previous All-Star Race winners who still compete full-time in the Cup Series. Cup Series champions are also eligible, provided they still run full-time.

Here is a list of each of the 20 eligible drivers (sorted by car number) and how each driver became eligible to compete in this race.

• Ross Chastain, #1 Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
  • Race winner in 2022
• Austin Cindric, #2 Team Penske Ford
  • Race winner in 2022
• Kevin Harvick, #4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
  • 2014 Cup Series champion, 2007 and 2018 All-Star Race winner
• Kyle Larson, #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
  • 2021 Cup Series champion, 2019 and 2021 All-Star Race winner, race winner in 2021 and 2022
• Brad Keselowski, #6 RFK Racing Ford
  • 2012 Cup Series champion, race winner in 2021
• Chase Elliott, #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
  • 2020 Cup Series champion, 2020 All-Star Race winner, race winner in 2021 and 2022
• Aric Almirola, #10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
  • Race winner in 2021
• Denny Hamlin, #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
  • 2015 All-Star Race winner, race winner in 2021 and 2022
• Ryan Blaney, #12 Team Penske Ford
  • Race winner in 2021
• Chase Briscoe, #14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
  • Race winner in 2022
• A.J. Allmendinger, #16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
  • Race winner in 2021
• Kyle Busch, #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
  • 2015 and 2019 Cup Series champion, 2017 All-Star Race winner, race winner in 2021 and 2022
• Martin Truex Jr., #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
  • 2017 Cup Series champion, race winner in 2021
• Christopher Bell, #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
  • Race winner in 2021
• Joey Logano, #22 Team Penske Ford
  • 2018 Cup Series champion, 2016 All-Star Race winner, race winner in 2021 and 2022
• Bubba Wallace, #23 23XI Racing Toyota
  • Race winner in 2021
• William Byron, #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
  • Race winner in 2021 and 2022
• Michael McDowell, #34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
  • Race winner in 2021
• Kurt Busch, #45 23XI Racing Toyota
  • 2004 Cup Series champion, 2010 All-Star Race winner, race winner in 2021 and 2022
• Alex Bowman, #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
  • Race winner in 2021 and 2022

As you can see, there is quite a range of eligibility here. Five drivers check off all four boxes, while nine check off just one. Nine of these 20 drivers are eligible for the race, under the current rules, for as long as they compete full-time in the Cup Series.

Qualifying for the All-Star Open is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 from Texas Motor Speedway beginning at 7:35 p.m. ET this evening, followed by qualifying for the All-Star Race at 7:55 p.m. ET (full qualifying format here).

The 50-lap All-Star Open is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET tomorrow afternoon (a change from its initial start time of 6:00 p.m. ET), followed by the 125-lap All-Star Race at 8:00 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV today and don’t miss any of the action!