Choose Cone Officially Being Utilized in All-Star Race at Bristol

On Wednesday’s NASCAR RaceHub on FS1, NASCAR officially announced that the NASCAR All-Star Open and All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway will feature the choose cone rule.

For those not up to speed on what a choose cone rule is; instead of lining up on the inside or outside lane based on your position under caution, drivers will now be allowed to elect whether they want to restart in the inside or outside lane.

This gives drivers a chance to make up track position by choosing the non-preferred lane, and it also gives drivers, who would have otherwise been locked into the non preferred lane a chance to start in the better lane in an effort to not lose more ground.

While it won’t be an actual cone, it seems NASCAR will use a designated spot on the track for drivers to make their decision of either inside or outside lane. Failure to make the decision in time will result in a tail-end of the line penalty.

The Athletic first reported that NASCAR was looking at using the choose cone for this event.

NASCAR also revealed the format for the first-ever All-Star Race at Bristol. The race will have four stages. Stage 1 will be 55 laps, Stage 2 and 3 will be 35 laps each and Stage 4  will be just 15 laps.

Caution laps will not count in the final Stage of the event.

The All-Star race at Bristol Motor Speedway will take place on July 15th on FS1.