DOVER, Del. (AP) — The first NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway quickly became an attrition-filled event that eliminated some big names long before the final segment began Sunday.
Several crashes during the first two 75-lap segments collected more than half of the 36-car field. There were 19 drivers locked into the 200-lap dash for $1 million, but Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain still were eliminated because their cars could not be repaired,
and backups weren’t allowed.
The field was narrowed to 26 cars for the final segment on the 1-mile oval. Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell started the last stage with cars that were damaged.
Elliott, the eight-time Most Popular Driver in the Cup Series, was knocked out after his No. 9 Chevrolet was caught in two wrecks during the first segment.
“It was pretty wild,” said Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion and 2020 All-Star Race winner. “I hate to get caught up in that. I knew better. I saw it getting crazy. I should have bailed.”
Chastain was eliminated in a three-car crash on the sixth lap of the second segment.
“Bummer, because we thought we executed that first stage really well,” Chastain said. “We weren’t passing anybody, but we were able to maintain, which has not been the case for this downforce package. The car drove a lot better, so a lot to look forward to if we can take another step like that.”
The event got off to a fiery start Sunday with a Lap 2 crash that involved three former All-Star Race winners.
The wreck was triggered by Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver Ryan Preece, who came down the banking in Turn 1 and made contact with Todd Gilliland.
Larson, a three-time All-Star Race winner, hit the wall in his No. 5 Chevrolet after colliding with Gilliland’s No. 34 Ford. The pileup also included past All-Star Race winners and series champions Blaney and Elliott, as well as Daniel Suarez, John Hunter Nemechek and Michael McDowell.
Preece’s No. 60 Ford made a heavy impact with the outside wall, causing the rear end to explode in flames. Preece climbed out unscathed and was quickly seen and released from the track’s infield care center.
“I’m fine, I seem to take big hits,” said Preece, who was involved in a memorable rollover in the August 2023 race at Daytona. “I don’t know what happened. But if it was anything, it was probably just too close on my part to go into Turn 1 and just got sideways. So if it was my fault, I’m sorry.”
The Coca-Cola 600, the longest race of the season, will take place May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Ross Chastain is the defending race winner (and is seeking his first victory since then).
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