This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
NASCAR All-Star Race
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Course: Texas Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 100
Race Preview
For the second year in a row, and third time ever, the exhibition race will take place at a place other than Charlotte Motor Speedway. Chase Elliott won last year's showcase held at Bristol Motor Speedway, and this week Texas Motor Speedway will have its moment in the limelight. The race is the main event of a double-header with the NASCAR All-Star Open starting off the festivities. Drivers automatically qualified for the main event are NASCAR Cup Series winners from 2020 and 2021 along with full-time drivers who have won previous All-Star races or the series championship. Seventeen drivers fit that criteria, and the remaining four entrants will have to gain entry by winning one of three stages of the Open or by winning the fan vote. Those 21 drivers will then race a 100-lap, six-round race to determine which will take home the trophy, bragging rights, and a million-dollar check.
Key All-Star Race Stats
Number of previous races: 36
Winners from pole: 4
Winners from top-5 starters: 20
Winners from top-10 starters: 25
Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2
Previous All-Star Race Winners
2020 - Chase Elliott
2019 - Kyle Larson
2018 - Kevin Harvick
2017 - Kyle Busch
2016 - Joey Logano
2015 - Denny Hamlin
2014 - Jamie McMurray
2013 - Jimmie Johnson
2012 - Jimmie Johnson
2011 - Carl Edwards
The All-Star Race at Texas will utilize the high-downforce rules package coupled with the tapered-spacer typically run on superspeedways. The result should feature a bunched field in the hopes that passing and close racing will be the result. The six segments feature four 15-lap rounds with each subsequent segment started in reverse order (or some extent thereof) of the prior round's finishing order. The penultimate round will be a 30-lap run with starting positions determined by best cumulative finish from the first four rounds. It will then end with a mandatory four-tire pit stop where the team with the fastest stop will earn a cool $100,000. The race winner will then be decided by a final 10-lap thriller for the big prize. Fantasy players need to be careful to ensure any drivers they select from the All-Star Open field transfer into the finale, or they should have backup drivers in mind in case their original selections do not transfer.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS
Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $10,200
Denny Hamlin - $9,900
Ryan Blaney - $9,600
Martin Truex Jr. - $9,100
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Kevin Harvick - $8,700
Chase Elliott - $8,500
Kyle Busch - $8,200
William Byron - $8,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Brad Keselowski - $7,700
Joey Logano - $7,500
Christopher Bell - $7,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Kurt Busch - $6,900
Austin Dillon - $6,600
Michael McDowell - $6,300
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kyle Larson - $10,200
Denny Hamlin - $9,900
Chase Elliott - $8,500
William Byron - $8,000
Joey Logano - $7,500
Cole Custer - $5,900
Kyle Larson (DK $10,200, FD $13,500) enters All-Star weekend on the heels of back-to-back victories. He is the All-Star victor from 2019 and enters this week as a likely favorite. Denny Hamlin's (DK $9,900, FD $12,500) lone All-Star win came in 2015. He has not won yet this season and is currently trying to regain his top-five form. He has three prior Texas victories, and a win this week could be the spark that helps nudge his 2021 campaign closer to a points win. The 2020 All-Star Race was held at Bristol Motor Speedway. Elliott (DK $8,500, FD $11,000) was the winner that night. His best Texas finish was fourth back in 2016. That track record is likely driving his lower price tag this week. Elliott's Hendrick Motor Sports teammate William Byron (DK $8,000, FD $10,000) will make his third All-Star appearance this week. He won at Miami earlier this year and has a best Texas finish of sixth. Joey Logano (DK $7,500, FD $8,500) got his All-Star win in 2016. He won on the dirt at Bristol earlier this year and won at Texas in 2014. Sunday will be Cole Custer's (DK $5,900, FD $4,500) second All-Star appearance. He earned his spot in the main event by virtue of his Kentucky victory last season. He hasn't finished in the top five yet this season but comes with less risk by having a guaranteed spot in the main event.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Alex Bowman - $9,300
Martin Truex Jr. - $9,100
Kevin Harvick - $8,500
Kyle Busch - $8,200
Christopher Bell - $7,200
Tyler Reddick - $7,100
A win Sunday night at Texas would be the first All-Star victory for Alex Bowman (DK $9,300, FD $8,000). He has a good chance of getting it done, given his two top-fives from his last three Texas visits. Martin Truex Jr. (DK $9,100, FD $13,000) has won the Open twice but never the All-Star Race. He has also never won in the series at Texas, but he was the runner-up there last fall. Kevin Harvick (DK $8,500, FD $11,500) has two All-Star wins on his resume. He also has three prior Texas victories, which makes him a nice bargain at this week's price. Kyle Busch (DK $8,200, FD $12,000) also looks like a bargain this week after he picked up three top-fives in the last five races. The 2017 All-Star winner has also won four times on this track. Christopher Bell's (DK $7,200, FD $7,000) All-Star entry was earned via his win on the Daytona Road Course earlier this season. It will be his first All-Star appearance, and he has been racing well on 1.5-mile ovals this season. Fantasy players choosing Tyler Reddick (DK $7,100, FD N/A) will be betting on him winning a segment and advancing from the Open. He starts that 35-lap race on pole, which gives him the early edge – at least in the first segment.
