All-star tilt Gossage’s last
Texas Motor Speedway president ending career with the NASCAR race
An All-star race in the Lone Star State, with at least five restarts over 100 laps, a few inversion gimmicks and $1 million for the winning driver.
NASCAR is providing quite a night to mark the 25th season of racing at Texas Motor Speedway and sendoff for track president and showman Eddie Gossage, whose last race is Sunday after overseeing the track since its groundbreaking in 1995, two years before it opened.
“This is a full metal rodeo for a big ol’ bag of dough,” said the 62-year-old Gossage, who saw hosting the All-star race as a perfect ender for him.
Texas is the third track in three years for NASCAR’S annual non-points All-star race. Chase Elliott won last summer at Bristol, where it was moved from Charlotte, which hosted 34 of the first 35 All-star races, because North Carolina wouldn’t allow spectators due to COVID -19 restrictions.
There will be six segments of racing — the first four being 15
green-flag laps each, before a 30-lap segment that must include a four-tire stop for which the fastest pit crew will get $100,000, and then 10 laps to the checkered flag. Based on a random draw, the top eight to 12 spots will be inverted before the second and fourth segments, and the entire field of up to 21 cars will be inverted before the third.
The lineup for the longest stretch will be based on cumulative finishes from the first four segments, and the finishing order of that fifth segment will set the starting order for the final short shootout.
While the rules package for the cars will be similar to the
usual configuration and downforce for 11⁄2-mile tracks, slightly reduced tapered spacers will lower the horsepower to the range of 500-510, short of the normal 550.
For the 17 drivers already qualified for the All-star race, the starting order was determined by random draw. The polesitter is Kyle Larson, who has won the past two Cup races and has been part of three consecutive 1-2 finishes for Hendrick Motorsports with Elliott, who starts sixth. Three other drivers will advance from the All-star open race earlier Sunday, and a fan vote will determine the final spot.
Xfinity: Kyle Busch stayed in front through two late restarts at Texas with pushes from series points leader Austin Cindric, the last going into a greenwhite overtime finish, to get his 99th career series victory.
Trucks: John Hunter Nemechek won his second consecutive series race, leading the final 22 laps and finishing more than 3.3 seconds ahead of reigning Cup champion Chase Elliott on a steamy day in Texas.