Who’ll advance from the Open to make the All-Star Race?
The field for the All-Star Race will be 19 cars, but only 15 drivers are officially in. Four drivers from the “Open” will advance to the main event on Saturday night. Three drivers will race their way in, and one will advance by winning the All-Star fan vote. Below are the five drivers who’ll be in the open who I think have the best chance to make the All-Star Race.
Alex Bowman – Alex Bowman has three straight runner-up results heading into the All-Star Race and against lesser competition, I think he has a great chance to win one of the three segments of the Open. Last year, Bowman won segment one and advanced to the main event. On Saturday night, look for him to make the All-Star Race.
Kyle Larson – Last year, some people suggested there was a “Big Four” in NASCAR. Now I just hope they’ve been getting in their fan votes for him so he can make the All-Star Race in case he has problems in the Open. When it comes to speed, I don’t think Kyle Larson should have any trouble making the All-Star Race and I think he has a great chance to win one of the three segments.
Daniel Suarez – Daniel Suarez raced his way into the All-Star Race last year, this year he’ll be trying to do the same. Among drivers in the Open he’s been one of the most competitive at 1.5 mile tracks this year and for that reason I think he has a great chance to win a segment and make the All-Star Race.
William Byron – William Byron has had an uptick in performance in recent races and I think he has a great chance to race his way into the All-Star Race. Against lesser competition in the Open I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him race his way into the All-Star Race.
Matt DiBenedetto – (CURRENTLY in third, but he might still win it) I don’t think Matt DiBenedetto will race his way into the All-Star Race, but I do think he’ll be in it. When NASCAR showed fan vote results last week he was leading the pack (Third as of Thursday). The two drivers right behind him in my opinion are the two most likely to race their way in (Bowman and Larson). If a driver races their way in, they are no longer eligible to win the fan vote.
