Three big questions ahead of the NASCAR All-Star race at Dover

The NASCAR Cup Series takes a break from regular-season action in Sunday's All-Star race at Dover Motor Speedway (1 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Here are three big questions ahead of the annual exhibition race for $1M.

How will new format play out?

Until 2020, it was a tradition for NASCAR's best to stay in their backyard at Charlotte Motor Speedway to race for the $1M payday. The only exception was in 1986 at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta).

After Bristol (2020), Texas (2021-22) and North Wilkesboro (2023-25) added their names to the list in recent years, NASCAR made the unpopular decision to move the All-Star festivities to the one-mile concrete oval of Dover.

Long known for being notoriously hard to pass at and lending itself to long green-flag runs, many questioned the decision to put Dover in this spot. The track usually has a great fan turnout and has hosted at least one points-paying race since it joined the schedule in 1969, but its new date for this season raised some doubt.

Furthermore, the format will consist of a 350-lap race that will feature the entire field for the first 150 laps — split into 75 laps apiece — before dwindling it down to 26 drivers for the final 200, further delegitimizing what was once a crown jewel event.

It is far from the 12-car field that comprised the first All-Star race in 1985, creating a lot of unknowns for what was once one of NASCAR's most prestigious events.

Will Kyle Larson's recent All-Star race dominance continue?

Since his first All-Star win at Charlotte in 2019, when he was driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, Larson has been the only repeat winner in the event. He has also won the race at three different tracks, claiming the 2021 edition at Texas for his second $1M check before tacking on a third at North Wilkesboro in 2023.

The two-time champion is currently looking for his first win in a points-paying race since May 2025 at Kansas, but all signs point to him being a factor in Sunday's exhibition race. Larson has one win (October 2019) and six top-six finishes in his last seven starts at the "Monster Mile," so it is certainly possible that he adds a fourth All-Star race win at one of his best tracks.

Who will win the fan vote?

Before cars even take to the Dover high banks, 19 drivers are already locked into the race by virtue of winning a points-paying race in 2025 or 2026, past champions who are currently competing full-time or previous All-Star race winners.

That leaves seven spots up for grabs to set the final 26 drivers for the last 200-lap stretch of the race, including the fan vote winner. In alphabetical order, Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Noah Gragson, Ryan Preece and rookie Connor Zilisch were revealed as the top-five vote-getters on Monday, per NASCAR.com.

Gragson has won the award each of the last three seasons, while Kasey Kahne (2008) remains the only fan vote winner to claim the $1M prize. If either of the current top-five vote-getters is unable to lock up their spot for the final 200 laps, they may have to rely on the fan vote to have a shot.