NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Could Win Big in the 2022 All-Star Race?
No points are on the line this weekend, just a $1 million bonus in the NASCAR All-Star Race. After four segments totaling 125 laps, one of 24 drivers will walk away very happy with a seven-figure payday. Who are some of the favorites heading into this exhibition event? This All-Star Race also marks the Next Gen car’s debut at Texas Motor Speedway. With that in mind, there is a great sense of unknown heading into this particular All-Star Race.
Kyle Larson
To be an All-Star, you’ll have to beat THE undisputed All-Star from 2021. A year ago, Kyle Larson took the All-Star Race at Texas in dominating fashion. This race fell in the midst of the 5’s run of three-straight points paying victories; part of his impressive summer streak. The California native has also won his last two All-Star Race appearances. Larson was the 12th All-Star Race winner to go on and win that year’s championship too. A year removed, how does Larson feel heading back to Texas?
“The format sounds exciting,” Larson said. “It’s always interesting because it seems like the format is different each year. I’m sure (crew chief) Cliff (Daniels) and the team will study to see what strategy may work the best – but I’m sure that strategy is trying our best to win the first segment so we can start on the pole for the final one. Hopefully we can get another All-Star Race win.”
Larson put on a very entertaining drive a week ago in Kansas, trying and ultimately failing to keep Kurt Busch at bay. If the 5 has speed like that again on another mile-and-a-half track, the field may be in danger of a Larson All-Star Race hat trick.
Kyle Busch
Past All-Star Race winner Kyle Busch is in prime position to take another check. Aside from the Bristol Dirt win, Busch has been a near-weekly threat for the win. Team 18 has three top-10s in the last four weeks. The 18 was in position to possibly steal the victory in Kansas, restarting late with the lead. However, KB faded to finish third behind brother Kurt and Kyle Larson. With that level of speed and execution on another intermediate track, Busch is certainly one to watch out for in the All-Star Race.
“I think it’s just all about the money on the line,” Busch said. “There’s a completely different set of how the race is going to unfold and things like that, but you essentially still have your stages, but they are mostly shorter. Other than that, it’s just about trying to go out there and win that million dollars and bring home a check or bring home a steering wheel, I guess, with our M&M’S Crunchy Cookie Camry.”
“I think just being aggressive and knowing when to be aggressive and how to be aggressive is the biggest thing. It’s a race where you have to get to the front and you have to get out there and get yourself, more importantly, in clean air in order to keep yourself out front and on your own.”
“You look at the guys who historically are better in qualifying. I think qualifying well can always lend itself to racing the All-Star Race well because you’re running however many laps that segment is, which is usually short, and you’re running that many qualifying laps in a row. You’re just trying to get the most you can out of your car there. It’s sometimes hard to pass because the guy in front of you is trying to get the most out of his car and so are you, so you just can’t get there.”
Toyota Racing had a banner day a week ago in Kansas, with all six cars in the top 10. The 18 may be best poised to beat the heavily-favored Hendrick cars, as he enters the weekend with 7-1 odds. Still amidst sponsorship woes for 2023, any win is huge for Kyle Busch’s racing future.
Chase Elliott
2020 Bristol All-Star Race winner Chase Elliott could get another million. As the points leader, Elliott has had a very up-and-down year, but consistency has retained his lead. Had he not lost a tire and spun late in Kansas, the 9 was on track for another top 10. Elliott had five-straight top-10s leading into Kansas, so the execution is there from this Hendrick team. However, driver 9 is a bit hesitant entering the All-Star Race at Texas; he’s not had the best history in the Lone Star State.
“I’m glad that NASCAR has started rotating this event some,” Elliott said. “I think that’s what this event was initially designed to do. To give fans in the different regions a special event and I think that’s really cool. It’s more like what other forms of sports do. I’m hoping that next year they switch it up and head somewhere else after being back in Texas for the second year. It’s not exactly one of my best tracks, but we did put in a pretty good effort last year and the pit crew was able to get the job done. Hopefully with this year’s format, it will be entertaining for the fans and we can put on a good show for them.”
Despite a near full race’s points lead, Elliott is still searching for speed to be a weekly winning threat. The 9 team only has three top-fives this year, going along with just 359 laps led. However, over half of those laps led came at Martinsville, where the 9 was 10th. An All-Star Race win could be just what Elliott needs to take the next step forward this season. Texas will play a pivotal role this fall in the Playoffs, where the 9 wants any advantage possible.
Denny Hamlin
A week after winning as an owner, Denny Hamlin could find victory lane again in the All-Star Race. Last week’s fourth place effort in Kansas marked just Hamlin’s second top 10 of 2022, after the Richmond win. Is the 11 team coming into form and finding better luck now? After losing their penalty appeal this week, Hamlin will be chasing the $1 million prize without crew chief Chris Gabehart. However, Kansas gives Hamlin plenty of hope for another strong day in Texas.
“I haven’t really paid too much attention to the format to be honest,” Hamlin admitted. “If we go there with a fast FedEx Camry TRD and qualify well, and stay up front, it won’t matter how many laps are in each segment. We’d be in good shape. I’m optimistic with how we’ve ran at the mile-and-a-half tracks so far this year. As a manufacturer, the Toyotas were very good last week at Kansas, so I hope we can carry that to Texas. Obviously, it’s a different track, so not everything correlates, but our team is definitely looking forward to having some fun this weekend.”
Even with a historically-bad start to 2022, Hamlin’s team could be in for worse. Lacking Gabehart’s presence atop the box for the next four weeks, the 11 may struggle. However, if they can just execute clean races and stay out of other’s trouble, then they are fast enough to lead laps and win. An potential All-Star Race win with a substitute crew chief would be quite the feather in Denny Hamlin’s cap.
Ross Chastain
Perhaps the most aggressive driver on track today, Ross Chastain could take home his first $1 million. His maiden victory back at COTA proved just what Chastain will do to get a victory. That exact fire, tenacity, and boldness is just what the All-Star Race brings out in drivers. Chastain’s entertaining, take-no-prisoners style of racing may end with a watermelon getting smashed in Texas’ victory lane.
“I can’t wait to get to Texas,” Chastain said. “We have Worldwide Express on the car and Rob (Rose) is such a huge supporter of us and of racing which includes the Truck Series. It would be awesome to get them into victory lane. They got to experience it with us at Talladega earlier this year, but it would be great to do it again with them as the primary.”
Just how many watermelons can be bought with $1 million? Ross Chastain may very well be able to answer that after Sunday. Both Trackhouse and Chastain are poised for a great showing in just his second All-Star Race. If the 1 is running behind anyone in the closing laps, Chastain may do whatever it takes to win this event.
William Byron
The only multi-time 2022 winner alongside Chastain, William Byron also enters Texas an an All-Star Race contender. The Hendrick 24 car was second at Texas last fall. Their weekly speed and execution has them with some of the best odds. Byron would mark the third different Hendrick driver to win the All-Star Race in three-straight years, joining Elliott and Larson. Much like his teammate Elliott though, Byron is a bit reserved coming into Texas.
“Texas is a track I found success at early on in my career in both trucks and Xfinity but I feel like I’ve struggled just a little bit to get the same results on the Cup side of things,” said Byron. “That’s part of why I’m excited to get back in an Xfinity car this weekend and see how it races compared to when I was in one last a few years ago. I feel like those cars relate similarly to the Next Gen car and hopefully that will give us some extra notes that we can use not only for the All-Star Race on Sunday but also for when we go back to Texas in the fall.”
Byron’s best previous All-Star Race result was seventh a year ago. With the regular speed seen out of the 24 camp this year, the chances of bettering that finish are high. Byron enters the 2022 All-Star Race with 9-1 odds of winning, only trailing Larson, Busch, and Elliott. On track for his best season yet, Byron could walk away a millionaire after Sunday.
With the Next Gen car debuting at another new track, nobody knows exactly what Sunday has in store. This year’s All-Star Race is the most wide open and unpredictable running of this event in years. Be sure to not miss a moment of the action, as everything starts at 5:00 p.m. ET Sunday on FS1.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images for NASCAR
