The worst thing you can do in an All-Star Race is completely destroy your car at the very start, and unfortunately, that’s what happened with Preece. He started the race near the back, and was battling three-wide with Todd Gilliland and Kyle Larson when they all got tangled together. It appeared as if Preece may have come down the track slightly, and the result was a massive pileup on the second lap of the race. Preece backed into the Turn 1 wall at a high rate of speed, and the car — which was full of fuel — ignited. He scrambled out as the rear of the No. 60 Ford burned. Preece later apologized for the incident.
WINNER: Dover as changes made for best Next Gen race yet at the track
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Dover would have been a solid race if it weren’t for one glaring issue — the fact that this 350-lap marathon featuring a full field at the start was supposed to be an All-Star Race. It didn’t feel like one, and the drivers said as much. The exciting Open race that precedes the main event was gone, and everyone was grouped together. A calculator was needed to even know who would advance into the third segment, and no one was sure who those drivers even were. It was made more confusing by locked-in drivers with damage returning to the race, further limiting how many open drivers could advance. The one positive was the field invert, which certainly mixed things up in a fun way, overall, it just wasn’t a good format and seemed to be the wrong direction for an event that was already having an identity crisis.
WINNER: Erik Jones for giving Legacy Motor Club a great run
Directionally positive day for Erik Jones and the LEGACY 43 even if it doesn’t count in the standings pic.twitter.com/381IEvFBya
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) May 17, 2026
How about the No. 43 team? Jones started inside the top five, and finished third in Sunday’s All-Star Race. It was by far his best showing in the event, and he was the highest-finishing open driver. His previous best finish in the All-Star Race was eighth, and he was at the tail of a Toyota 1-2-3 finish on Sunday. That definitely has to give Legacy Motor Club some confidence, as Jones doesn’t have a finish higher than 10th in a points-paying race yet this year. Jones noted after the race how good it felt to be back racing with the top drivers in the field again.
LOSER: The All-Stars that didn’t even make it to the main event
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports
Another awkward part of having a full field of cars is that those early wrecks eliminated several true All-Stars. Former series champions Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson were destroyed in the Lap 2 melee and while they did return for the final segment, they were too slow to be a factor. Two All-Stars wrecked and didn’t even get back out on track for the final segment — reigning Coca-Cola 600 winner Ross Chastain and 2020 NASCAR Cup champion Chase Elliott. It’s a strange scenario when you have drivers locked into the All-Star Race, but they don’t actually take part in the part of the race meant to be for All-Stars.
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