All-Star Open Preview Article

VirginiaCavs

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NASCAR Cup Series All Star Open




NASCAR Cup Series: All Star-Open
Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at 7 p.m. ET (FS1) at Bristol Motor Speedway




A Unique All-Star Day

Wednesday will be a special day for NASCAR fans in multiple respects.

For starters, we get to bet on two different races: the All-Star Open, which is the subject of this article, and the All-Star Race.

Moreover, the viewing experience will seem special because a large spectator crowd is expected.

Between 20,000 and 30,000 fans are likely to fill the venue, which are easily more than we’ve seen in NASCAR or elsewhere since March.

Also worth noting is that the location is different.

After its inception in Atlanta, the All-Star Race had always been run in Charlotte. However, a rise in COVID-19 cases in Charlotte generated concern.

For the first time, this event will take place in Bristol.

Rule Change

A new rule will be implemented that will make the All-Star races run a bit differently. This rule is called the „choose rule“ and it is relevant for restarts.

Typically, meaning before Wednesday, restarts would be handled in the following way: the leader would pick the lane in which he wants to restart.

Then, some of the drivers behind him would line up on the inside and the others on the outside.

This year, instead of just the driver picking a lane, each driver will pick a lane. This new rule allows more to be in the driver’s hands.

What Is the All-Star Open

The All-Star Open directly precedes the All-Star Race.

Here’s how it works: the All-Star Open basically acts as a qualifier for the All-Star race.

There will be three stages for the All-Star Open: both Stage 1 and Stage 2 require 35 laps each. Stage 3 requires 15 laps.

The winner of each stage plus the winner of the All-Star fan vote move on to compete in the All-Star race where drivers will compete for a million dollars.

The starting lineup will be determined in a way that we haven’t seen for prior races.

First, the entry list will be split in two based on owner points.

Positions 1-12 and positions 13-24 will then be determined by random draw.

Track Info

Bristol Motor Speedway is particularly popular, a fact that you may have guessed from its nickname, „theatre of speed.“

The track is .533 miles long, which is conspicuously short, although it was lengthened by the extended banking.

Its banking was at one point the steepest that NASCAR had to offer.

At 24-30 degrees, Bristol’s banking is still superbly steep on the turns. Both the front and back stretch are also banked.

This degree of banking contributes to the higher speeds seen on the track.

Track History

The driver who I want to invest in is Kyle Busch.

I like Busch for two reasons, one being his history at Bristol.

It’s true that Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson own bettor histories at the track based on average finishing position.

But both drivers have also laid an impressive number of eggs when racing in Bristol. Elliott and Johnson have both finished 10th or worse in two of their last three attempts at Bristol.

In contrast, Busch has become a consistent force in recent years at Bristol, finishing fourth or better in each of his last three tries. He also won in 2019, 2018, and 2017 in Bristol.

Personal Spot

I also like Busch because he has currently developed a pattern of bouncing back strong.

After the last four races in which he finished outside the top 10, he finished sixth or better in the following race.

The Verdict

Given his personal tendency, I expect him to bounce back strong on Wednesday. His excellent history at Bristol makes me think that he’ll bounce back strong enough to win.


Best Bet: Kyle Busch To Win (Odds TBA)
 
Shit sorry. I messed this up. A combo of not knowing NASCAR and of having done a big NCAAF article right before... I will fix this
 
Alright here we go:



NASCAR Cup Series All Star Open Top Bet



NASCAR Cup Series: All Star-Open
Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at 7 p.m. ET (FS1) at Bristol Motor Speedway




A Unique All-Star Day

Wednesday will be a special day for NASCAR fans in multiple respects.

For starters, we get to bet on two different races: the All-Star Open, which is the subject of this article, and the All-Star Race.

Moreover, the viewing experience will seem special because a large spectator crowd is expected.

Between 20,000 and 30,000 fans are likely to fill the venue, which are easily more than we’ve seen in NASCAR or elsewhere since March.

Also worth noting is that the location is different.

After its inception in Atlanta, the All-Star Race had always been run in Charlotte. However, a rise in COVID-19 cases in Charlotte generated concern.

For the first time, this event will take place in Bristol.

Rule Change

A new rule will be implemented that will make the All-Star races run a bit differently. This rule is called the „choose rule“ and it is relevant for restarts.

Typically, meaning before Wednesday, restarts would be handled in the following way: the leader would pick the lane in which he wants to restart.

Then, some of the drivers behind him would line up on the inside and the others on the outside.

This year, instead of just the driver picking a lane, each driver will pick a lane. This new rule allows more to be in the driver’s hands.

What Is the All-Star Open

The All-Star Open directly precedes the All-Star Race.

Here’s how it works: the All-Star Open basically acts as a qualifier for the All-Star race.

There will be three stages for the All-Star Open: both Stage 1 and Stage 2 require 35 laps each. Stage 3 requires 15 laps.

The winner of each stage plus the winner of the All-Star fan vote move on to compete in the All-Star race where drivers will compete for a million dollars.

The starting lineup was determined in a way that we haven’t seen for prior races.

First, the entry list was split in two based on owner points.

Positions 1-12 and positions 13-24 were then determined by random draw.

Michael McDowell gets to start in pole position.

Relevant for my pick today, Clint Bowyer starts in ninth.

Track Info

Bristol Motor Speedway is particularly popular, a fact that you may have guessed from its nickname, „theatre of speed.“

The track is .533 miles long, which is conspicuously short, although it was lengthened by the extended banking.

Its banking was at one point the steepest that NASCAR had to offer.

At 24-30 degrees, Bristol’s banking is still superbly steep on the turns. Both the front and back stretch are also banked.

This degree of banking contributes to the higher speeds seen on the track.

Track History

The driver who I want to invest in is Clint Bowyer.

Of every driver, including those drivers who have already qualified for the All-Star Race, Bowyer has the best recent history at Bristol.

He finished second in 2020 and top-10 in each of his previous four attempts at Bristol before the second-place one.

All five of his last excellent performances at Bristol came 2017 or later, which is important to note because the track underwent some changes in 2016.

His recent history should mean more because his competition in the All-Star Open will not include those drivers who have already qualified for the All-Star Race.

This means that, in this race, he won’t have to deal with the likes of Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, etc.


Best Bet: Clint Bowyer To Win (Odds TBA)
 
Should be fun. NASCAR All star event, mid-week UFC, then the Memorial. Hoping they’ll have matchups posted for these as usual.
 
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