The helter-skelter NASCAR Cup Series schedule continues this week at Bristol Motor Speedway, with the All-Star Open and the All-Star Race set for Wednesday. The All-Star Open will feature three stages, with the first two lasting 35 laps each and the last going 15 laps. Each stage winner, and the winner of the All-Star Fan Vote, will go to the All-Star Race. The All-Star Race also includes drivers who won races in 2019 and 2020, active full-time NASCAR Cup Series champions and past All-Star winners. You can catch the coverage on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, with the Open starting at 7:00 pm Eastern time. We have the NASCAR Betting Odds for the Open entrants — which will look much different, since the top drivers have already qualified for the All-Star Race — as well as suggestions for your wager cards.
NASCAR Cup Series: NASCAR All-Star Open Preview (July 15)
Driver Odds
- Clint Bowyer +400
- William Byron +550
- Aric Almirola +600
- Christopher Bell, Matt DiBenedetto +650
- Tyler Reddick +700
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr +900
- Austin Dillon +1400
- John Hunter Nemechek, Bubba Wallace +2000
- Chris Buescher +2500
- Ryan Preece +4000
- Ty Dillon +5000
- Corey LaJoie, Michael McDowell, Daniel Suarez +6600
- Joey Gase, Timmy Hill, Quin Houff, Brennan Poole, Garrett Smithley, J.J. Yeley +10000
One interesting feature of this race is that the “choose rule” will be in effect. This impacts the way that restarts happen. Traditionally, when a race has a restart, the leader chooses the inside or outside lane, and then the drivers behind him arrange themselves accordingly. They can straddle the middle as well, which can lead to problems. With the “choose rule,” each driver has to pick the inside or the outside lane, and drivers who fail to choose are sent to the end of the line. This has been used on short tracks at the lower levels of racing in the past, and NASCAR decided to try it for the All-Star Open and All-Star Race.
Bristol Motor Speedway is just over a half-mile in length, and the banking runs between 24 and 30 degrees on the turns. The front and backstretch also have banking, which is why the track speeds are so high here.
Aric Almirola had the best finish average (3.8) over the last five races heading into last weekend’s Quaker State 400. He didn’t win, but he’s been one of the most consistent drivers among those who had not already qualified for the All-Star Race. I’m surprised he’s offering as much value as he is, so I would snap him up as a betting option.
Clint Bowyer has the best resume of any of the drivers in the Open field at Bristol Motor Speedway. In his last five races here, he has made the top ten — including coming in second here in 2020 at the Food City 500 in May. All these races have happened since the track underwent banking changes in 2016, so this is a track where he is dialed in.
William Byron came in eighth at the Food City 500 in May — his only top-ten finish in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has no DNFs and definitely has the speed to win at least one of the stages and qualify for the All-Star event.
Matt DiBenedetto loves racing at Bristol Motor Speedway. In 2019, in the Night Race, he had a career race and ended up just missing out on victory, finishing second behind Denny Hamlin. He has two top-ten finishes here overall, although the Food City 500 was a bit of a disappointment as he settled for 31st place.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr has four finishes in the top five and six in the top ten in his 15 career races at Bristol Motor Speedway — although his last four races have been disappointing, as he has not cracked the top 20. He should be able to take advantage of the thinner field, though.
