Kyle Larson, three-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner in 2021, including the two most recent events, will start on the pole for the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday night at Texas Motor Speedway. The lineup for the 17 starting positions was determined by a blind drawing.
“I haven’t studied the format yet, but the plan is to get the best possible finish in each segment to give us the best possible starting spot when it matters,” Larson said. “It’s a short race, so you have to be aggressive, and you have to be really aggressive on each restart. Our mile-and-a-half program has been solid all year, so I’m really looking forward to this Sunday.”
Larson will share the front row with Kyle Busch for the 100-lap, six stage event for 2020 and 2021 race winners, past Cup Series champions and previous All-Star Race winners.
One of Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Christopher Bell, will start third. Cole Custer and Austin Dillon will round out the top-five of the All-Star starting grid.
Drivers not already in the All-Star race will have one last chance to advance to the All-Star Race through the All-Star Open preliminary event, also Sunday at TMS. Tyler Reddick will start on the pole for that race with Chris Buescher alongside on the front row.
“I hope it’s a good race at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, with them hosting the All-Star Race event for the first time. I’ve come close to winning at Texas Motor Speedway a lot in my career, even finishing second behind my teammate Austin Dillon last July, so I’m excited at having another shot there,” Reddick said. “Getting into the All-Star Race, either by racing my way in or with the fan vote, is the first goal, and then, from there, I know my iCashautos / I Am Second team will do everything we can to win the million-dollar prize. It’s going to be tough, though, especially with the horsepower change. It’s already hard to pass in these Cup cars, and this creates another challenge for us. Everyone has learned how to work the air with this package, so you’re going to have to be really smart on how to get up front. It’s a little bit of an unknown going into the weekend with the change in horsepower, but I know my team and I will make the most of it and try to put on a good show for the fans.”
The Open will be a 50-lap race divided into two 20-lap stages and a 10-lap stage. Open stage winners will advance to the All-Star Race to start the main event in three of four final starting positions. The final spot will go to the winner of an online fan vote, bringing the All-Star Race grid to 21 cars.
