By Walker Polivka
The NASCAR Cup Series continues tonight with the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Open/All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway. Read on below to see our prediction for who will win the three All-Star Open races, who will win the Fan Vote, and who will win the All-Star Race, as well as our Top 10, Dark Horse, and Driver to Fade predictions.
Open Winners:
Tyler Reddick- Reddick is far and away the best driver in the field for the All-Star Open, with 4 top 5’s, 5 top 10’s and 230 laps led this season. Reddick has shown a lot of promise at Texas, with 2 top 10’s and 3 top 15’s in 3 career starts at the track. Coming off a win here in yesterday’s Xfinity race, Reddick should comfortably transfer in as one of the 3 Open Winners.
Erik Jones- Jones has had an up and down 2022 so far, with 4 top 10 finishes and 5 finishes of 25th or worse. Texas has actually been quite kind to Jones over the years, with 3 top 5’s and 8 top 12’s in 10 career starts. Jones showed great pace in both Practice and Qualifying and we anticipate that that speed will give him the edge needed to transfer into the All-Star Race.
Daniel Suarez- One half of the rising powerhouse that is Trackhouse Racing, Suarez has put together a solid 2022 campaign, including 2 top 5’s and 4 top 10 finishes. Suarez has had mixed results at Texas, with 3 top 10’s and 3 finishes outside the top 25 in 9 career starts. Suarez may have finished outside the top 30 in 2 of the 3 races at mile and a half tracks this season, but he has one fast hot rod based off of Practice and Qualifying. We predict that Suarez will join fellow teammate Ross Chastain in the All-Star by winning one of the All-Star Open races.
Fan Vote Winner:
Corey LaJoie- Racing for Spire Motorsports, LaJoie has shown solid speed in 2022, but he has also struggled mightily, with 4 top 15’s and 5 finishes of 30th or worse. LaJoie has finished in the top 20 in all 3 mile and a half track races this season and has had mixed results at Texas in the past, with 2 top 20’s and 3 finishes of 35th or worse in 8 career starts. Even if LaJoie doesn’t do well in the All-Star Open races, we predict that he will continue to stack pennies by winning the Fan Vote and transferring into the All-Star Race!
All-Star Race:
Driver to Fade: Michael McDowell- McDowell qualified for this year’s All-Star Race by winning the 2021 Daytona 500. A Cinderella Story last season, McDowell has continued to have success in 2022, with 4 top 10’s and 6 top 20 finishes in 13 races. However, McDowell has struggled on mile and a half tracks this season, finishing outside the top 20 in all 3 races held on those tracks so far. McDowell was among the 5 slowest in both Practice and Qualifying and we predict that will continue during the race, as McDowell will finish in the bottom quarter of the field.
Dark Horse: Kurt Busch- Fresh off of a victory at Kansas Speedway, Kurt Busch comes into Texas Motor Speedway with split results on the year, with 5 top 10’s and 5 finishes of 25th of worst. Texas has been very kind to Busch in his career, with 1 win, 3 top 5’s, and 22 top 10’s in 36 career starts. He may not be able to put 23XI Racing back into Victory Lane for a second consecutive week, but a top 10 finish is certainly doable for Kurt Busch tonight.
Top 10: Ryan Blaney- Winless so far in 2022, Blaney has still had a solid campaign, with 4 top 5’s, 6 top 10’s, and 371 laps led in 13 races. Blaney has yet to have a top 10 finish on a mile and half track this season, but he has had some solid finishes in the past at Texas, with 7 top 10’s in 13 career starts at the track. Blaney had top 5 speed in both Practice and Qualifying and will look to parlay that into another top 10 finish tonight.
Winner: Kyle Larson- The defending Cup Series Champion and 2021 All-Star Race winner, Larson has continued to succeed in 2022, with 1 win, 6 top 5’s, and 196 laps led through the first 13 races. Larson has finished runner up at 2 of the 3 mile and a half tracks this season and brings that speed to Texas, where he had top 5 speed in both Practice and Qualifying. Yung Money will be coming up Big Money tonight, as Kyle Larson will win the All-Star Race for the second consecutive year!