Denny Hamlin won the 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday night, while Chase Briscoe shared an honest reaction to the event after finishing second. Hamlin earned the $1 million prize after passing fellow Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Briscoe late in the final segment.
The event marked the first NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover, a major change after years of racing at Charlotte and North Wilkesboro. NASCAR introduced a longer format and moved the race to the daytime in an effort to refresh the exhibition event.
Still, NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe said the race never felt like a traditional NASCAR All-Star Race. His comments came after a long and physical event at Dover Motor Speedway that featured multiple cautions, strategy battles, and an early multi-car crash.
NASCAR Cup Series Driver Chase Briscoe Questions All-Star Race Format
Chase Briscoe delivered one of the strongest runs of his NASCAR Cup Series season after finishing second in the NASCAR All-Star Race, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver admitted the event lacked its usual energy.
“It felt more like a normal points race than an All-Star Race,” Briscoe said after the race. “Maybe because it was during the day, I don’t know. All weekend, it just didn’t have that All-Star feel.”
The NASCAR All-Star Race featured a three-stage format totaling around 350 laps. Drivers faced long green-flag runs and multiple strategy decisions on Dover Motor Speedway’s concrete surface.
Briscoe said the final 200-lap segment especially changed the feel of the race.
“But having practice was cool. I’d never even come out of the garage at Dover in my career, so that part was unique. Maybe it’s just because the format is still new, but for whatever reason, it didn’t really feel like an All-Star Race.”
The NASCAR Cup Series driver led 61 laps in the final stage and stayed near the front for most of the night. His second-place finish marked his best result in the NASCAR All-Star Race.
Denny Hamlin Secures Victory in the NASCAR All-Star Race Held at Dover Motor Speedway
While Briscoe focused on the atmosphere of the race, Denny Hamlin focused on execution. The veteran NASCAR Cup Series driver started from the pole in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and controlled much of the race.
Hamlin led 103 laps during the final segment and stayed patient while chasing Briscoe in the closing laps. He completed the winning pass with 29 laps remaining and never lost the lead again.
The victory gave Hamlin his second NASCAR All-Star Race win and his third straight Cup Series victory at Dover Motor Speedway. Joe Gibbs Racing also continued its strong performance with two cars finishing first and second.
Erik Jones finished third in the NASCAR All-Star Race. Austin Dillon placed fourth, while rookie Connor Zilisch scored another impressive top-five finish against experienced NASCAR Cup Series drivers.
Early NASCAR All-Star Race Crash Creates Chaos at Dover
The NASCAR All-Star Race started with immediate trouble. A large crash on Lap 2 collected nine cars and forced NASCAR officials to stop the race for more than 13 minutes with a red flag.
Several top NASCAR Cup Series drivers, including Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, suffered damage in the accident. The crash removed multiple contenders before the race settled into longer green-flag runs.
Multiple cautions and strategy calls shaped the remainder of the NASCAR All-Star Race as teams managed tires and track position on Dover’s demanding concrete track.
NASCAR moved the exhibition race to Dover Motor Speedway as part of an effort to bring major events to different tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. The race also introduced a new format designed to create more action across several stages.
After the checkered flag, much of the attention centered on Briscoe’s reaction to the overall feel of the event. His comments reflected the challenge NASCAR faces as it continues to change the NASCAR All-Star Race format while trying to maintain the unique atmosphere of the exhibition event.
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