The NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race has been held at Charlotte Motor Speedway since 1985. But this year, for only the second time in history and the first time in 34 years, it will be relocated to Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday, July 15.

The surprising announcement was made on Monday, June 15. President and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Marcus Smith, who owns both the Charlotte and Bristol tracks, said up to 30,000 fans will be permitted to attend the event. General Manager of Bristol Motor Speedway said the facility can hold 155,000. The crowd allowed to attend would be less than 20% capacity.

NASCAR continues to lead the way in sports returning across the country, holding races weekly and increasing the number of fans at the races almost each week.

Races at Homestead Miami Speedway saw about 1,000 military men and women get invited to attend, and at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, June 21, there were 5,000 fans in the stands.

The other Cup races on the schedule after Talladega will still prohibit fans at their racetracks. Those include Pocono Raceway (June 27-28), Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 5) and Kentucky Speedway (July 12), which will be held without fans, making the All-Star race the first race since June to have fans.

Everyone who attends the races must follow the strict CDC guidelines and safety measures in place to protect against the spread of COVID-19.

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Monday that having races with fans in the stands is very important to the sport.

“We want fans to be at the racetrack,” O’Donnell said. “We want new fans to be at the track. It’s also important … to our race teams. They’re involved in the sport to bring their sponsors out and entertain customers. So, if we can open some of those opportunities here toward the tail end off the season, we’re going to do that. Probably one or two adjustments to make.”

Why the change of scenery? Well, amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, North Carolina continues to see an increase in cases since May when the Coca-Cola 600 was held at the track without fans. This is a smart change for NASCAR and one that will benefit not only the fans, giving them an opportunity to actually attend a race rather than watching it from home, but also the racing.

Bristol Motor Speedway under the lights in the summer is every NASCAR fan’s dream. But now, with the All-Star Race being a non-point affecting race, and the prize being $1 million, we may be witnessing some of the best racing we have seen all year.

The change helps NASCAR out as well, as they will be able to see if this could stick in the long-term. Similar to the NBA and their All-Star game, keeping things fresh and exciting with different styles of racing on display is always a good idea.

The drivers currently eligible include Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliot, Justin Haley, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr.

In order to be eligible for the All-Star Race, a driver must be one or more of the following: a 2019/2020 winner in a points-paying race, a past All-Star Race winner, a past Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion or Fan Vote winner.

There is also the NASCAR All-Star Open Race which takes place prior to the main event. If you win one of the three stages in the NASCAR Open, or the fan vote, you also have a chance to take home $1 million by the end of the night.

The location of the race was not the only change made to the All-Star race this year, and this next change, fans are not too happy about. 

It was also announced that in NASCAR’s efforts to provide additional return on investment for sponsors, the sport will be experimenting with a radical paint scheme format for the race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Instead of placing the car numbers on the door panels, they will instead be pushed back against the rear wheels. The decision will create more space on the side of the cars for logo and sponsor visibility. Every team that will be participating in the All-Star Race and All-Star Open will be required to have paint schemes in this format approved by NASCAR.

This change is not a big one and although it has received a negative response from the fans thus far, it is the right time to implement something like this. The All-Star Race is just a night for the fans to watch some great racing, for money to be won and for NASCAR to test out different ways of bringing more attention to the sport.

There will not be a back-to-back winner of the All-Star Race this year, as last year’s winner of the race was Kyle Larson. He is no longer racing after saying a racial slur at a virtual event.

With the change of location, new paint schemes and fans back at the track for this year’s All-Star race, it will surely be fun to watch.

Photo courtesy of Streeter Lecka/Getty Images