The NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race is typically held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, but was delayed until tonight (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1) and moved to Bristol Motor Speedway due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The race will be just 140 total laps with stage breaks at laps 55, 90 and 125. Caution laps will count, except between stages and in the final stage.
Eligible drivers include race winners for the 2019-20 seasons, past All-Star Race champions, three stage winners from the All-Star Open, which will run immediately before the main event, and one fan vote winner.
Learn more about the All-Star Race format, including the choose cone rule.
This year's field will eventually total 20 drivers running for the $1 million first prize.
To pinpoint my All-Star Race bets, I leaned heavily on results from the Cup Series race at Bristol in May, especially considering that event was run with the new higher-horsepower, lower-downforce short-track package and the same tire combination teams will use tonight.
Follow me on Twitter (@PJWalsh24) for any additional bets I make for Wednesday night's races at Bristol.
NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Odds, Betting Picks
Odds as of Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET and via FanDuel. Get up to a $500 risk-free bet at FanDuel today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.
Kyle Busch (+700)
I understand that Busch has yet to visit Victory Lane this season, but I'm still surprised to see three drivers with better odds to win the All-Star Race.
Kyle has eight career wins in Thunder Valley, including three wins and five top-five finishes in his last six races.
In May, Busch finished with the second-best driver rating while running the most fast laps. I think Busch should be the race favorite, so 7-1 is plenty of value for me to back the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Jimmie Johnson (+2400)
At 24-1, Johnson is tied with Alex Bowman with just the 10th-best odds to win the All-Star Race, and remember, there are only 16 total drivers currently listed by oddsmakers.
At Bristol in May, Jimmie finished third and with the third-best driver rating. I'm not thrilled that Johnson will start back in 14th place in such a short race, but that's part of the reason why his odds are so enticing.
With stage breaks, the option for pit and tire strategy as well as the new cone rule potentially shaking up the running order, I'm not passing on a driver who was a top-five performer at the same track, with the same package and tire combo.
