- Drivers have gotten their qualifying positions set for the NASCAR All-Star race at Dover.
- Denny Hamlin will lead the charge at The Monster Track.
- Zane Smith’s crew won the pit crew challenge.
The NASCAR Cup Series is heading to Dover Motor Speedway for the 2026 All-Star Race this weekend, and it stands alone on the schedule, with NASCAR making its single stop at the venue each season. In 2025, Chase Elliott secured pole position at Watkins Glen after qualifying was canceled.
This time, it will be a survival test. The “Monster Mile” brings a concrete surface, heavy banking, and a track reputation built around tire wear, broken equipment, and weekends that end in stages.
Qualifying and pit crew stakes have already given the NASCAR drivers their starting spots
Saturday qualifying opened with a traditional hot lap, which immediately fed into the Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge. That portion focused on a four-tire stop without fuel, and the outcome on pit road directly determined starting positions for Sunday. The rule was that the fastest, penalty-free stop sets the pit stall order, and any mistake sends the driver to the rear.
Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith had his No. 38 crew win the $100,000 Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge. Smith’s overall qualifying speed placed him 25th on the grid, but the pit crew result gave the team first selection for pit stall placement on Sunday, which could end up deciding whether his run survives into the 200-lap finale.
In the main qualifying session, Denny Hamlin bagged the pole position late in the order, taking the top spot away from Brad Keselowski.
Hamlin, the second-to-last driver on track, spun his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on the warm-up lap while entering the 1-mile track. He recovered, reset, and delivered, taking pole position by 0.149 seconds over Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford.
The pole result came from a three-lap run that included a timed pit stop on lap two. Late in the session, Kyle Larson appeared to have surpassed Keselowski’s early benchmark, but penalties were issued for excessive pit road speed and improper re-entry onto the “Monster Mile.” That penalty removed him from front-row contention, and Hamlin ultimately finished ahead of both.
Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones, Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain, and Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron completed the top five. Defending All-Star Race winner Christopher Bell finished sixth.
Several regular contenders ran into trouble during the format-heavy session, with pit road errors and penalties affecting Connor Zilisch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chris Buescher, Daniel Suárez, along with former champions Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, both of whom lost time during slow pit stops.
Race structure and locked field for Sunday
This marks the first time the All-Star Race, carrying a $1 million payout to win, will take place at the 1-mile concrete venue in Delaware. The format includes two 75-lap segments followed by a 200-lap final segment that decides the winner.
Nineteen drivers are locked into the final 200-lap segment, including NASCAR Cup Series points leader Tyler Reddick, along with 2026 race winners Ty Gibbs and Carson Hocevar.
They are joined by 2025 race winners Hamlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Byron, Larson, Elliott, Austin Dillon, Chastain, Josh Berry, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, and Bell.
Kyle Busch, who won Friday’s Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover, also has a locked entry as a former All-Star Race winner. Keselowski also holds a guaranteed spot as a former series champion.
Sunday’s structure runs through two 75-lap segments, then moves into the 200-lap finale, which includes the 19 locked drivers, plus six drivers advancing from the opening segments based on performance, and one final entry through the Fan Vote.
Here’s the full qualifying lineup:
| Order | Driver | Team |
| 1. | Denny Hamlin | No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
| 2. | Brad Keselowski | No. 6 RFK Racing Ford |
| 3. | Erik Jones | No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
| 4. | Ross Chastain | No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
| 5. | William Byron | No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 6. | Christopher Bell | No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
| 7. | Bubba Wallace | No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota |
| 8. | Joey Logano | No. 22 Team Penske Ford |
| 9. | Ty Gibbs | No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
| 10. | Austin Cindric | No. 2 Team Penske Ford |
| 11. | Kyle Busch | No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
| 12. | Alex Bowman | No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 13. | Noah Gragson | No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
| 14. | Tyler Reddick | No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota |
| 15. | Ty Dillon | No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
| 16. | Chase Briscoe | No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
| 17. | Austin Dillon | No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
| 18. | Shane van Gisbergen | No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
| 19. | Josh Berry | No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford |
| 20. | Todd Gilliland | No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
| 21. | Riley Herbst | No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota |
| 22. | Cole Custer | No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet |
| 23. | Cody Ware | No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet |
| 24. | Carson Hocevar | No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 25. | Zane Smith | No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
| 26. | Ryan Preece | No. 60 RFK Racing Ford |
| 27. | Connor Zilisch | No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
| 28. | Chase Elliott | No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 29. | Ryan Blaney | No. 12 Team Penske Ford |
| 30. | Kyle Larson | No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 31. | Michael McDowell | No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 32. | Chris Buescher | No. 17 RFK Racing Ford |
| 33. | John Hunter Nemechek | No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
| 34. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 35. | A.J. Allmendinger | No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
| 36. | Daniel Suarez | No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
