DOVER, Del. (AP) — NASCAR scrapped the “ Promoter’s Caution ” for this season’s All-Star race at Dover Motor Speedway and will run a three-segment, 350-lap competition.
The May 17 event marks the first time in the 42-year history of the All-Star race that it will be held in the Northeast. NASCAR moved the All-Star race from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, to Dover so that North Wilkesboro will be a points-paying Cup race. Dover lost its traditional Cup race for at least one season.
All drivers will race in the first two segments.
The top 26 finishers from the first segment will have their starting order inverted for the second. The remaining drivers will line up by finish.
The lowest combined finishing positions from both segments set the starting lineup for the 200-lap final race. The All-Star race final will feature 26 cars, with race winners and previous champions automatically locked in. The remaining spots will be filled by results from the first two segments until the field reaches 25 drivers. The final position will be awarded through the fan vote.
During the final segment, a competition break will take place at or around Lap 225.
There is again a $1 million prize for the race winner in the exhibition race. No points are at stake.
Christopher Bell passed Joey Logano with nine laps remaining and cruised to victory last season in an action-packed NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Last season’s race featured the “Promoter’s Caution” that allowed the track president to decide when to throw the yellow flag at a random point in the race to bunch the field. The late flag helped cost Logano the victory and the $1 million prize.
Dover will also hold a Truck Series race on Friday and a second-tier series race on Saturday. It will mark the first time in NASCAR history that all three national series compete during All-Star Weekend.