The ever-changing NASCAR All-Star event is doing just that again this weekend, changing. The one thing NASCAR has over other sports in the All-Star event? Our drivers don’t play at 25%. You’ll get a great racing weekend with full effort, and we still get to bet on it! It’ll take place for the first time at Dover Motor Speedway. Let’s dive in and take a look at the picks, odds, and format for this NASCAR All-Star Event.
Miles the Monster will greet the drivers as they enter this weekend’s All-Star activities. The 1-mile high banked oval is known for being scary fast, and as Miles might suggest, tearing up tires and cars. It’s the only race at Dover this year, and per usual, it will not pay out any points. Both the O’Reilly Auto Parts and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will have points-paying events on the weekend. Tune into the NASCAR Gambling Podcast for all the picks and best bets for both series.
They’ve done away with the “All-Star Open” race and elected for a 3-stage 350-lap event instead. It’ll start with a wide-open qualifying lap, where the drivers will make a green-flag 4-tire stop on the second lap, and go back around and complete the lap. The entire time will be scored as their qualifying time, and the fastest pit crew with no penalties wins the Pit Crew Challenge.
The qualifying results will determine the full field for Segment 1, a 75-lap sprint as part of the 350-lap event. Following the conclusion of Segment 1, a second 75-lap dash will occur; the lineup for Segment 2 will be an inversion of Segment 1’s top 26, with the remaining drivers lined up by finish.
The final 200-lap segment of the 2026 All-Star Race will consist of 26 drivers. The field for the final segment will include 2025 and 2026 Cup Series race victors, former Cup Series champions who compete full-time, a Fan Vote winner, and remaining drivers based on the lowest combined finishing positions among Segments 1 and 2.
Drivers already locked into the third and final segment include: #1-Ross Chastain, #2-Austin Cindric, #3-Austin Dillon, #5-Kyle Larson, #6-Brad Keselowski, #8-Kyle Busch, #9-Chase Elliott, #11-Denny Hamlin, #12-Ryan Blaney, #19-Chase Briscoe, #20-Christopher Bell, #21-Josh Berry, #22-Joey Logano, #23-Bubba Wallace, #24-William Byron, #45-Tyler Reddick, #54-Ty Gibbs, #77-Carson Hocevar, and #97-Shane Van Gisbergen.
Locked into the NASCAR All-Star Stage 3:
#1-Chastain, #2-Cindric, #3-Dillon, #5-Larson, #6-Keselowski, #8-Busch, #9-Elliott, #11-Hamlin, #12-Blaney, #19-Briscoe, #20-Bell, #21-Berry, #22-Logano, #23-Wallace, #24-Byron, #45-Reddick, #54-Gibbs, #77-Hocevar, and #97-Van Gisbergen
— NASCAR Gambling Podcast (@NascarGambling) May 11, 2026
Odds to Win 2026 All-Star Race
Denny Hamlin +400
Kyle Larson +550
Chase Elliott +750
Ryan Blaney +750
Christopher Bell +850
Alex Bowman +1000
Chase Briscoe +1400
Tyler Reddick +1400
Ty Gibbs +1600
William Byron +1600
Chris Buescher +1800
Carson Hocevar +2000
Joey Logano +2500
Ross Chastain +2500
Kyle Busch +2800
Brad Keselowski +4000
Bubba Wallace +4000
Ryan Preece +5000
Austin Cindric +6500
Connor Zilisch +8000
Josh Berry +8000
Shane Van Gisbergen +8000
Austin Dillon +10000
Noah Gragson +15000
Daniel Suarez +20000
Erik Jones +20000
Michael McDowell +20000
AJ Allmendinger +25000
John Hunter Nemechek +25000
Ricky Stenhouse +25000
Riley Herbst +50000
Todd Gilliland +50000
Zane Smith +50000
Cole Custer +75000
Ty Dillon +75000
Cody Ware +100000
NASCAR Picks, Odds, and Format: All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway
Chase Briscoe Over Joey Logano (-125)
Joey Logano finished in seventh place at Bristol, the one comparison track we have to look at this year. That’s the only reason he’s even involved in this matchup. It’s been rough for Logano since. In the last four races, he hasn’t finished better than 30th, the worst run of his career since the three-time champion was a rookie. Six times in the last nine races, Logano has failed to crack the top 30.
Chase Briscoe hasn’t had the start to the season he’s wanted, but it’s not been nearly as bad as Logano’s start. Over the last eight races, Logano beat Briscoe just one time, at Martinsville. Even at Bristol, Briscoe got the best of Logano. One driver and their equipment are light years ahead of the other. This matchup is a no-brainer.
Ryan Blaney Top 3 (+275)
While his teammate Joey Logano hasn’t done much this season, Ryan Blaney has been strong. The Penske star, who just re-signed a long-term deal to stay with the team, was one of the dominant cars at the aforementioned Bristol Motor Speedway. He led 190 laps and finished in second place on the day to Ty Gibbs.
Blaney’s top three finishes this year have come at Phoenix, a shorter track. Darlington, a track that chews up tires and makes it hard on the drivers. And Bristol, half the size of Dover, but comparable in the high banking and fast speeds. The closest track we have to Dover. He checks all the boxes there and has been strong at this track in the past. Finishing top eight over the last three seasons, including a third in 2023, and leading 47 laps in 2024.
Ty Gibbs to Win (+1600)
If you haven’t noticed the arrival of Ty Gibbs as an “All-Star,” it’s time to open your eyes. Everything we thought this kid could be after winning the 2024 Xfinity Series Championship is finally flourishing. Gibbs has finished in the top 10 in eight of the last 10 Cup races this year and in the top five in six of those. He picked up his first career win at Bristol a few weeks back. Bristol just happens to be the most comparable track the series will race at to Dover.
Gibbs has also run strongly at Dover. He scored a 13th-place finish in his first start, 10th the next year, and fifth last season. Now he comes into the All-Star race as one of the hottest and most consistent drivers in the garage, at a track style he loves. 16/1 is a great value for this young All-Star.
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