Twenty of the top driver’s in NASCAR’s Monster Energy Cup Series are getting set to slug it out in the annual NASCAR All-Star Race on May 20. A cool $1 million will once again be on the line for the winner, but who will that lucky driver be? Let’s find out by taking a look at some of the top contenders for this weekend’s star-studded race in Charlotte.
Truex will head into this race in good form after he won his second race of the season at Kansas. That win moved him up to No. 2 in the driver’s standings behind Kyle Larson. But he’s rightly considered the favorite for this All-Star race because of his recent success at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He finished in the top 5 in three consecutive races at the track from 2015-16, which included a dominant win at the 2016 Coca-Cola 600. He started on pole, and led 392 out of the 400 laps en route to the win.
Larson, the current Monster Energy Cup Series points leader, has cooled off significantly since starting the season on fire. He’s failed to finish in the top five in each of his last four races, and has seen his lead at the top shrink to just 44 points. However, he will nevertheless be a force to be reckoned with in Charlotte.
Larson was oh-so-close to winning last year’s All-Star race when he crashed into the wall with less than three laps remaining. Look for him to do all he can to make up for that disappointment this time around. Larson has two top-10 finishes in seven career starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which includes a 5th-place finish in last year’s Bank of America 500.
Brad Keselowski is hot on both Larson’s and Truex’s heels in the driver’s standings. The No. 2 driver is currently third after he finished second to Truex in Kansas. That was Keselowski’s second runner-up finish in his last three races.
Keselowski has only tasted victory once before in Charlotte—that was way back in 2013—but he has nevertheless been right in the mix over the past few years. He has finished in the top 10 in each of his last four starts at the track, and after finishing second to teammate Joey Logano in last year’s All-Star race, he should remain one of the top contenders for this weekend’s race.
No driver has more wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway than the great Jimmie Johnson. No. 48 has a whopping eight wins at the track, three more than the second-place Jeff Gordon. His eighth win came in his most recent start at the Bank of America 500 last October.
Johnson has been a bit off his game in recent weeks, as he’s finished 11th, 8th, and 24th in his last three starts. But he’s one of just three drivers with multiple wins this season, and his expertise at the track will make him a driver no one should sleep on.
Among all the long shots in the field to win this All-Star race, Kasey Kahne may have the best shot at paying off. The 37-year-old has a terrific history at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with four career wins at the track. Granted, his most recent victory came all the way back in 2012, his first year with Hendrick Motorsports. But he showed in last year’s Bank of America 500 that he can still turn back the hands of time at the track as he finished an impressive 3rd.
Writer’s Prediction
There is no repeat of last year’s disappointment for Larson (+700), who finally takes the checkered flag in Charlotte.
