Drivers to watch in NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas

The NASCAR All-Star Race is back in Texas for the second straight year.

Kyle Larson took home the $1 million paycheck from the exhibition race one season ago, but that was with a car that isn’t relevant 11 months later.

So who takes home the bragging rights in a unique format this year?

Larson is on fire entering the 2022 All-Star Race. With an absence from 2020’s event, Larson has won each of his last two appearances in the main show. In the last version raced at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Larson transferred into the main show with a win in the Open then took home the big prize by the night’s end in 2019.

Last year, in Texas’ inaugural All-Star event, Larson led 16 laps on his way to claiming the checkered flag. His 5.4 average All-Star finish is also highest all-time of drivers with more than two starts in the race. Expect the No. 5 Chevrolet to be a factor again Sunday night.

Elliott’s 2020 All-Star triumph is an interesting note on the stat sheet. That year’s event run at the 0.533-mile Bristol Motor Speedway is the only All-Star Race not to be held on a 1.5-mile oval. All others have been raced at Charlotte, Atlanta and Texas.

But Elliott was part of an impressive display from Hendrick Motorsports last year, which saw all four of its drivers win one of the five stages in the 2021 All-Star Race. Elliott led 12 laps and should be a factor this weekend.

Busch has finished inside the top three in three of the last five All-Star Races, including his 2017 win at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Last year at Texas, the No. 18 Toyota came home with a ninth-place finish after Busch led six laps.

With 267 laps led in 16 starts, nobody has led more All-Star laps than Busch, who has competed in the main event every year since 2006.