WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK - MAY 10: Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #97 Superfile Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on May 10, 2026 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
*Most **Tied for most Hendrick Motorsports enters this weekend’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway as the facility’s all-time leader in wins (11), poles (eight), and laps led (760). Chase Elliott is a two-time winner at the 1-mile oval while Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman have each visited victory lane once.The organization has combined to win three of the last six All-Star Races (Larson twice, Elliott once). Hendrick Motorsports’ 11 wins in the event are six more than any other team. The Hendrick Motorsports engine department enters the weekend with 568 victories across all three national NASCAR touring series including 10 of 13 events in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series this season. Hendrick Motorsports remains the premier series’ all-time standard bearer in wins (322), poles (259), top-five finishes (1,334), top 10s (2,281), laps led (86,096) and championships (15).
QUOTABLE / Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, on the All-Star Race: “I think the format will make for good racing. Dover is the type of track where you need long runs and traffic to produce good racing. I feel like the higher-horsepower, lower-downforce car package will positively impact the on-track product. I think the racing will be better, and the drivers will definitely have their hands full. We get to race for a million bucks, and that is something we all love. Hopefully, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team can figure it out better than everyone else and get back to victory lane.” Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet, on the evolution of the No. 9 team “We’ve been together a long time. I think with that, we’ve experienced a lot together. We’ve experienced a lot of good, fortunately. We’ve also experienced a lot of bad, unfortunately. But I think in all of that, it certainly has helped shape us to be who we are today. I think that’s a team that has experienced enough that we should know better in just how to handle things; how to handle bad days, as well as how to handle good days, if you’re fortunate enough to have them.”
The 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race will mark Spire Motorsports’ 14th appearance in NASCAR’s annual all-star showcase. This year’s 350-lap event, held for the first time at Dover Motor Speedway, will consist of two 75-lap stages featuring all participating drivers. Following the completion of Stage 1, the top 26 teams will be inverted for the start at the second segment. The Final Stage will consist of 26 drivers, including 19 competitors already locked into the feature by virtue of a win in 2025 and 2026. Additional entries will include past champions, the 2026 Fan Vote winner and a select few drivers who earn the best combined finish over the first two stages.
Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet ZL1s in the Cup Series for Daniel Suárez, Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
Spire Motorsports has made two prior appearances in the NASCAR All-Star Race. In 2020, Justin Haley qualified via his win in the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Carson Hocevar raced his way into the 2025 event after winning the All-Star Open.
Daniel Suárez – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Daniel Suárez will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Cal Ripken, Sr., Foundation Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway. Suárez has competed in six previous editions of NASCAR’s annual all-star weekend, dating back to 2017. He first broke into the spotlight that year, capturing a victory in the All-Star Open at Charlotte Motor Speedway before going on to finish 15th in his All-Star Race debut. In six total appearances, Suárez has earned two top-five, three top-10 and five top-20 finishes.
JOE GIBBS RACING JGR ALL-STAR HISTORY: Joe Gibbs Racing owns three NASCAR All-Star Race victories, including Christopher Bell’s win at North Wilkesboro Speedway last May. In 85 combined starts in the annual exhibition event, the organization has posted 28 top-five finishes, 49 top-10s, seven pole awards, and 482 laps led. Denny Hamlin (2015) and Kyle Busch (2017) join Bell on the list of drivers to take JGR Toyotas to victory lane in the All-Star Race. JGR AT DOVER: Joe Gibbs Racing has posted 12 NASCAR Cup Series wins at Dover Motor Speedway, including the past three trips to the Monster Mile with Martin Truex Jr. (2023) and Denny Hamlin (2024 and 2025). In 166 combined starts at the track, the organization has tallied 56 top-five finishes, 87 top-10s, eight pole awards, and 3,955 laps led. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, and Martin Truex Jr. have all won at the Monster Mile for JGR.
CHASE BRISCOE — No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE
BRISCOE AT DOVER: Chase Briscoe has five NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover Motor Speedway. He earned his first top-five finish last year after battling for the lead on the last restart with eventual winner Denny Hamlin. Briscoe owns one NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win at the Monster Mile (2020) in addition to three top-five finishes and four top-10s.WATKINS GLEN RECAP: Briscoe earned his fourth top-five finish of 2026 with a fourth-place result last weekend at Watkins Glen International. Briscoe earned stage points in stage two and pit strategy towards the end of the race put the No. 19 in position to earn a solid finish.JAMES SMALL: 2026 is James Small’s seventh season leading the No. 19 team and his second year with Briscoe behind the wheel. The first five years of his tenure as crew chief were spent with Martin Truex Jr. Small has led his drivers to 11 wins across those seven seasons. The No. 19 crew chief has seen success at Dover with five top-five finishes in seven races, including a win with Truex in 2023.
Every driver learns to look ahead — and for CJ McLaughlin, that includes anticipating the strength of a new partnership.
As the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series heads to Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway for Saturday afternoon’s BetRivers 200, McLaughlin will showcase a new name on his No. 42 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet. Pennsylvania-based Howell is supporting McLaughlin for the first time this season, in what looks to be the start of a partnership built on shared momentum and a strengthening friendship.
