New and improved? Not all are happy with revised All-Star Race format

Carson Hocevar was looking forward to watching the All-Star Open from the sidelines, having earned a guaranteed spot in the All-Star Race.

But then the format for this year’s event changed.

“I’m like, ‘Dang it, I don’t even get that satisfaction of being an All-Star. They’re going to be racing with me,’” Hocevar said Friday at Dover Motor Speedway. “It’ll feel good when those cars get eliminated at least and everything, and we get to stay out there.”

The All-Star Open is no more. Instead, the main event will feature every driver entered before it’s whittled down in the final segment for those who advance through the first two segments and those already locked in, like Hocevar. There are 19 drivers who know they will race in the final segment, as set forth in the event's eligibility.

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It’s a much different way of doing things. It had long been tradition that the All-Star Race featured drivers who had previously earned their place in the event. The field would be finalized by those who joined them after transferring from the Open, and one driver would be voted in by fans. Over the years, it expanded to multiple drivers being able to transfer from the Open as well as the fan vote.

But it will be more than three drivers who transfer this year. NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports have set the format so that the final segment features 26 drivers. It means there will be seven drivers transferring from the first two segments, and the final spot will be decided by the fan vote.

It will be the largest All-Star Race field in recent memory. In the last 10 years, the largest field was 24 drivers for the 2022 and 2023 events.

Denny Hamlin had a similar reaction to Hocevar when seeing the format. In a way, it does take away from what a driver would previously feel about being an all-star.

“My knee-jerk (reaction) when I saw it was if we’re all going to be racing on Sunday, is it really that special?” said Hamlin. “So, I think it does take away a little bit. Surely it does.”

But Hamlin also pointed out how much the format has changed over the years. It used to be very strict about how many drivers made the race and how they did so. Then it became one variable plus another variable plus a third.

“We just kept expanding it, and we did it with the playoffs and the Chase, and everything,” Hamlin said. “So, just trying to be more inclusive for everyone, and so with that, yes, of course it dilutes a little bit of the feeling of prestige.”