The field for the first edition of the All-Start Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway is nearly complete after Saturday night’s heat races set the majority of the line. Daniel Suarez and Chris Buescher will make up the front row. Both drivers won their …
The field for the first edition of the All-Start Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway is nearly complete after Saturday night’s heat races set the majority of the line.
Daniel Suarez and Chris Buescher will make up the front row. Both drivers won their respective heat races to earn those positions.
The two heat races were uneventful, with one caution in each race for teams to change tires.
Starting lineup for the All-Star Race:
1. Daniel Suarez
2. Chris Buescher
3. Joey Logano
4. Austin Dillon
5. Chase Briscoe
6. William Byron
7. Christopher Bell
8. Brad Keselowski
9. Denny Hamlin
10. Bubba Wallace
11. Ryan Blaney
12. Martin Truex Jr.
13. Chase Elliott
14. Kyle Busch
15. Kevin Harvick
16. Kyle Larson
17. Austin Cindric
18. Ross Chastain
19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
20. Tyler Reddick
21. Erik Jones
22. TBD
23. TBD
24. TBD
There will be 24 drivers who compete in the All-Star Race. The top two finishers from the All-Star Open (Sunday, 5 p.m. ET) will join the field, as will the fan-vote winner.
There are seven previous All-Star Race winners locked into the field: Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin.
Larson is going for a bit of All-Star Racing history Sunday night. Should the Hendrick Motorsports driver win the race, he will have three All-Star Race wins at three different racetracks (Charlotte Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and North Wilkesboro).
Daniel Suarez will start from the pole in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway after winning the first heat race Saturday night. He led twice for 34 laps. The No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet started from the pole in the heat race …
Daniel Suarez will start from the pole in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway after winning the first heat race Saturday night.
He led twice for 34 laps. The No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet started from the pole in the heat race but lost the lead on the start to Chase Elliott, fighting back to regain the top spot on lap 27 and led the rest of the way.
“It was fun to go through those transitions of the wet track and then halfway dry. It wasn’t 100 percent dry, but it was halfway there,” Suarez said. “We started the race, and obviously, nobody knew what to expect. The No. 9 (Elliott) did a better job than myself. I don’t know if he was more aggressive or his car happened to work out better in the wet conditions because in the first 10 laps, I didn’t have anything for him. I was just trying to break even. On lap 15, I knew it was coming (to me). On lap 20, I knew I was better.”
There was one caution during the first heat race, and it was a competition caution for tires. NASCAR officials started the race on wet weather tires with the track still damp. On lap 33, officials threw the caution flag because the rain had picked up and had teams come down pit road for a new set of wet weather tires.
It was a non-competition pit stop cycle, so the field did not change position.
Suarez led Joey Logano across the finish line, who was followed by Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell. Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.
Ryan Blaney finished sixth, and Elliott finished seventh. Elliott led 26 laps.
Kevin Harvick finished eighth, Austin Cindric ninth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 10th and Erik Jones brought up the rear of the 11-car field.
Chris Buescher led wire-to-wire and won the second heat race Saturday night to earn a spot on the front row in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The RFK Racing driver led all 60 laps. He started from the pole and led to the …
Chris Buescher led wire-to-wire and won the second heat race Saturday night to earn a spot on the front row in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The RFK Racing driver led all 60 laps. He started from the pole and led to the caution on lap 25 for rain. NASCAR officials had teams switch to wet weather tires under non-competitive pit stops.
On the restart, Buescher got the jump and drove away from the field.
“I liked our Fastenal Mustang on slicks; I was happy with it,” Buescher said. “I didn’t want to put rains on, I felt like it was still pretty dry out there, and it actually stayed dry through the end. I get it was starting to drizzle a little bit. But the car was (fast with) wets on, too, so I’m not over here complaining anymore.
“Our guys did a great job. The pit crew didn’t get to show what they could do with non-competitive stops, but I guarantee they would have got it done there too. I’m proud of this group. It’s a heck of a start. I felt really good about this thing in practice. I feel even better about it now, so slicks or wets, we’re going to be just fine.”
Austin Dillon finished second, William Byron third, Brad Keselowski fourth, and Bubba Wallace rounded out the top five.
Martin Truex Jr. finished sixth, Kyle Busch seventh, Kyle Larson eighth, Ross Chastain ninth, and Tyler Reddick 10th and last.
The results from the first heat race set the inside row for Sunday night’s All-Star Race, and the results from the second heat race set the outside row.
Daniel Suarez and Chris Buescher will start from the pole in their respective heat races for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. The two earned the positions thanks to their fast pit crews in the Pit Crew Challenge which set the lineups for the …
Daniel Suarez and Chris Buescher will start from the pole in their respective heat races for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro.
The two earned the positions thanks to their fast pit crews in the Pit Crew Challenge which set the lineups for the All-Star Open and the two heats races for the All-Star Race.
The No. 99 team for Suarez at Trackhouse Racing had a pit stop time of 13.297s.
Buescher’s No. 17 team from RFK Racing had a 13.381s pit stop.
Results of the two heat races will set the lineup for Sunday’s All-Star Race — Heat No. 1 for the inside row and Heat No. 2 the outside.
The heats begin at 7:20 p.m. ET Saturday.
Heat No. 1:
Daniel Suarez: 13.297s
Chase Elliott: 13.572s
Joey Logano: 13.835s
Denny Hamlin: 14.089s
Chase Briscoe: 14.674s
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 15.063s
Austin Cindric: 15.154s
Kevin Harvick: 15.579s
Ryan Blaney: 18.819s (5s penalty for loose wheel)
Christopher Bell: 20.064s (5s penalty for loose wheel)
Erik Jones: 21.359s
Heat No. 2:
Chris Buescher: 13.381s
Austin Dillon: 13.712s
William Byron: 13.867s
Ross Chastain: 14.373s
Kyle Larson: 14.687s
Martin Truex Jr.: 15.115s
Bubba Wallace: 15.167s
Brad Keselowski: 18.044s (5s penalty for loose wheel)
Kyle Busch: 19.531s (5s penalty for crew over the wall too soon)
Tyler Reddick: 21.034s (5s penalty for loose wheel)
Ty Gibbs will be joined on the front row of the All-Star Open by Josh Berry after their pit crews had the fastest pit stop times of the drivers looking for a spot in the All-Star Race. Gibbs’s No. 54 team from Joe Gibbs Racing won the Pit Crew …
Ty Gibbs will be joined on the front row of the All-Star Open by Josh Berry after their pit crews had the fastest pit stop times of the drivers looking for a spot in the All-Star Race.
Gibbs’s No. 54 team from Joe Gibbs Racing won the Pit Crew Challenge and the $100,000 bonus Friday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway. They had the fastest overall time in the competition at 13.012s.
Berry’s No. 48 team from Hendrick Motorsports had a pit stop time of 13.677s.
Three drivers will advance to the All-Star Race — the top two finishers from the All-Star Open and the fan vote winner.
All-Star Open starting lineup:
Ty Gibbs: 13.012s
Josh Berry: 13.677s
Corey LaJoie: 13.911s
Harrison Burton: 14.091s
Justin Haley: 14.294s
Michael McDowell: 14.509s
Todd Gilliland: 14.707s
Ryan Preece: 14.760s
Aric Almirola: 14.776s
AJ Allmendinger: 15.790s
Josh Bilicki: 18.281s
Ty Dillon: 18.447s
Chandler Smith: 19.004s (5s penalty for loose wheel)
Noah Gragson: 20.886s (5s penalty for loose wheel)
JJ Yeley: 21.066s (5s penalty for crew over the wall too soon)
Kyle Larson was the fastest driver in the first on-track activity of NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway on Friday. Larson, who ran 69 laps, topped Cup Series practice for the All-Star Race with a lap of 109.144 mph (20.615 seconds). Brad …
Kyle Larson was the fastest driver in the first on-track activity of NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway on Friday.
Larson, who ran 69 laps, topped Cup Series practice for the All-Star Race with a lap of 109.144 mph (20.615 seconds). Brad Keselowski was second fastest in practice (108.408 mph), Denny Hamlin third (108.204 mph), Chris Buescher was fourth fastest (108.064 mph), and Chase Briscoe fifth (107.965 mph).
Martin Truex Jr. was sixth fastest (107.960 mph), with William Byron (107.831 mph), Kevin Harvick (107.790 mph), Chandler Smith (107.712 mph), and Ryan Preece (107.666 mph) rounding out the top 10.
It was a 50-minute practice session, the only one scheduled for the weekend. And it was for all NASCAR Cup Series teams, combing those already locked into the All-Star Race and those who will compete in the All-Star Open.
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The first eight drivers in practice are locked into the All-Star Race. Smith and Preece will be among those fighting to advance through the All-Star Open.
Ryan Blaney, who won the 2022 All-Star Race held at Texas Motor Speedway, was 26th fastest in practice.
Daniel Suarez had a single-car spin in the opening minutes of practice. Suarez, on his second lap, spun in Turns 3 and 4 in his Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, hitting the outside wall and scuffing the rear bumper. He wound up 32nd fastest. Suarez’s spin was the only incident in practice.
In the best 10 consecutive lap average it was William Byron fastest over Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher and Martin Truex Jr.
There are 37 drivers entered at North Wilkesboro Speedway for All-Star weekend. No driver in the field has previously competed at the track in a Cup Series race.
North Wilkesboro Speedway is officially back open for business. For the first time since 1996, there will be NASCAR Cup Series cars on track at North Wilkesboro beginning Friday. The three-day weekend features the Craftsman Truck Series and events …
North Wilkesboro Speedway is officially back open for business.
For the first time since 1996, there will be NASCAR Cup Series cars on track at North Wilkesboro beginning Friday. The three-day weekend features the Craftsman Truck Series and events leading into the All-Star Race and the return of the popular Pit Crew Challenge to showcase the teams as well.
Here is a reminder of what to expect this weekend:
In addition to practice held Friday, qualifying will be the Pit Crew Challenge. Each team must complete a four-tire pit stop during the challenge, with the timing lines being one pit box behind and one box ahead of the team’s designated pit box.
The pit crew challenge will determine the starting lineups for the All-Star Race heat races and the All-Star Open. A $100,000 bonus will be awarded to the winning team from the Pit Crew Challenge.
A simplified racing format will highlight the weekend.
There will be two 60-lap heat races held Saturday for the All-Star Race. The results of the heat races will determine the starting line for the All-Star Race — results from the first heat race setting the inside row and the results from the second heat race setting the outside row.
All laps — green and caution — in the heat races will count. There will be one chance at ending in overtime.
The All-Star Open, run Sunday evening, is 100 laps and all laps will count. There will be a competition break around lap 40 and one chance at ending the race with overtime.
Three drivers will advance out of the Open: the top two finishers and the fan vote winner.
The All-Star Race, run Sunday night, will be 200 laps split into 100-lap segments. Teams will start on sticker tires and have three additional sets in their pit box. However, after the lap 100 competition break, only one set of stickers can be used.
All laps will count in the All-Star Race, and there are unlimited attempts at overtime.
As the retirement tour rolls on, Kevin Harvick is prepared for the “strange” feeling of climbing into the No. 29 this weekend in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The number is a nod back to Harvick’s start in the NASCAR Cup Series …
As the retirement tour rolls on, Kevin Harvick is prepared for the “strange” feeling of climbing into the No. 29 this weekend in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The number is a nod back to Harvick’s start in the NASCAR Cup Series when he inherited Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s car and team after his death on the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001. Because the All-Star Race is a non-points event, Harvick found it the perfect time to drive the car one more time in his final season as a full-time driver.
Harvick will get in the car — which will also carry a paint scheme harkening back to his first Cup Series win at Atlanta from 2001 — for the first time Friday.
“Well, I think it’s going to be strange just climbing into it,” Harvick said. “For me, there’s a huge sense of pride being able to be a part of something like this with both organizations. Going back in time and doing everything that weekend in the 29 car is something I’m really excited about. And I think when you go out on the racetrack, the fans will be in the same boat. As you go by the first time, people are going to be like, ‘I can’t believe that actually happened.’”
Harvick said getting to drive the No. 29 again was simple. The former two-time All-Star Race winner told Stewart-Haas Racing during one of his retirement planning meetings that he wanted to use the number again in this specific race.
“And they all kind of looked at me and were like, ‘You serious?’” said Harvick. “Everybody kind of slept on it and talked about it in the next couple of days, and nobody said no. So we went back to the next meeting and I said, ‘What about the 29 car? Do you guys think we can pull that off?’”
It led to a phone call with Richard Childress, Harvick’s former car owner. Childress gave Harvick his blessing to do “whatever you want” with the car number and paint scheme.
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) May 18, 2023
“When I sat in the 29 for the first time, it really wasn’t by choice, but I definitely wouldn’t have done it any differently,” Harvick said. “Dale’s passing changed our sport forever, and it changed my life forever and the direction it took. Looking back on it now, I realize the importance of getting in the Cup car, and then I wound up winning my first race at Atlanta in the 29 car after Dale’s death.
“The significance and the importance of keeping that car on the racetrack and winning that race early at Atlanta — knowing now what it meant to the sport, and just that moment in general of being able to carry on — was so important. I had a great 13 years at RCR and really learned a lot through the process because of being thrown into Dale’s car, where my first press conference as a Cup Series driver was the biggest press conference I would ever have in my career, where my first moments were my biggest moments. With this being my last year as a Cup Series driver, we wanted to highlight a lot of these moments, and many were made at RCR in that 29 car. So, with the All-Star Race going to North Wilkesboro — a place with a ton of history — we thought it made sense in a year full of milestones and moments to highlight where it all started.”
Harvick battles with Jeff Gordon en route to that monumental win with No. 29 at Atlanta in 2001. Robert LeSieur/Motorsport Images
Harvick is the only active driver to be in every All-Star Race since his career began. Sunday night will be Harvick’s 23rd straight appearance in the All-Star Race, which is the most of any active driver. His wins in the event came in 2007 and 2019.
This weekend will not be the first time Harvick has run at North Wilkesboro. Harvick took the No. 29 for a spin at the track in 2010 during a promotional event at the track.
And earlier this week, Harvick ran competitive laps at North Wilkesboro for the first time when he competed in the CARS Tour race.
“I’ve been here for a long time, and the young kids in this particular sport at this particular time remind me that I raced in a different century, most of them being born at the very end of it and some after,” Harvick said of North Wilkesboro hosting races again. “North Wilkesboro was not there when I started my career, so it’s been since 1996 that they’ve had a competitive race in the Cup Series on the racetrack. To be able to go back to North Wilkesboro is special because it’s something that I’d never thought would happen — I really thought it was just a dream that was too big for a group of people who were working hard on a project to revive the racetrack.
“And here we are about ready to run the All-Star Race there in the Cup Series, so kudos to that group of people for digging their heels in and continuing to work to keep North Wilkesboro alive. I think when you look at North Wilkesboro and the races it’s had in the past and what it has meant to the Cup Series and, really, when you look at the Southeast and you look at the racetracks that we’ve had in this area — we’ve seen a few of them go away, not many of them come back.
“Marcus Smith and his group at SMI have done a great job of reviving the racetrack, taking so many of those nostalgic pieces of the puzzle and trying to make them modern, but also make them represent what they did in that particular time period, whether it’s a snack bar or a victory lane or whatever it is. I can’t wait to see it all.”
Kevin Harvick’s retirement tour will get another dose of nostalgia in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro with a throwback number and paint scheme. Harvick’s Busch Light Ford will sport a paint scheme design similar to the one he used throughout …
Kevin Harvick’s retirement tour will get another dose of nostalgia in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro with a throwback number and paint scheme.
Harvick’s Busch Light Ford will sport a paint scheme design similar to the one he used throughout the 2001 season and won his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It was Harvick’s third career start at the sport’s highest level after he reluctantly inherited the car after the death of Dale Earnhardt.
Along with the scheme will be the same number from the Atlanta race. Harvick will not run the No. 4 as he traditionally does with Stewart-Haas Racing, but instead, in a non-points event, sport the No. 29. Harvick used the number for 13 seasons at Richard Childress Racing.
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“When I sat in the 29 for the first time, it really wasn’t by choice, but I definitely wouldn’t have done it any differently,” Harvick said. “Dale’s passing changed our sport forever, and it changed my life forever and the direction it took. Looking back on it now, I realize the importance of getting in the Cup car, and then I wound up winning my first race at Atlanta in the 29 car after Dale’s death. The significance and the importance of keeping that car on the racetrack and winning that race early at Atlanta — knowing now what it meant to the sport, and just that moment in general of being able to carry on — was so important. I had a great 13 years at RCR and really learned a lot through the process because of being thrown into Dale’s car, where my first press conference as a Cup Series driver was the biggest press conference I would ever have in my career, where my first moments were my biggest moments.
“With this being my last year as a Cup Series driver, we wanted to highlight a lot of these moments, and many were made at RCR in that 29 car. So, with the All-Star Race going to North Wilkesboro — a place with a ton of history — we thought it made sense in a year full of milestones and moments to highlight where it all started.”
The Busch Light logos on Harvick’s car for the All-Star Race will be from the 2001 timeframe.
“As a proud sponsor, Busch Light has been along for the ride throughout Kevin Harvick’s celebrated career in NASCAR,” said Krystyn Stowe, head of marketing for Busch Family Brands at Anheuser-Busch. “Kevin’s final All-Star Race is the perfect time for us to revisit a bit of history and bring back the iconic No. 29 paint scheme with our 2001 logo as the ultimate ‘cheers’ to one of Kevin’s most memorable wins. We’re looking forward to seeing some nostalgia on the track come race day.”
Harvick is a two-time winner of the All-Star Race, having captured the $1 million prize in 2007 with Childress and in 2018 with Stewart-Haas. He has competed in every All-Star Race since his Cup Series career began.
The May 21st event will be the first time the All-Star Race is held at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
“I don’t know the last time the All-Star Race was the most anticipated event of the season,” Harvick said. “Fans are going to show up in droves. North Wilkesboro is a great short track, the asphalt’s worn out, and I think it’s going to be a fantastic event.”
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara has become one of the biggest NASCAR fans you’ll find on social media in recent weeks, having been intrigued by Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace and his work in social justice activism.
Initially sharing his observations from Twitter, Kamara has attended several NASCAR races around the country and took on a larger role in the All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on July 15.
He was given a big responsibility, and he handled it like a champ; waving the green starting flag with NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip on the call for FOX Sports. It was a great moment, and the Saints superstar was obviously excited to be involved. See it for yourself:
Interestingly, this race was held in front of more than 20,000 fans, which might bode well for the Saints and other NFL teams as they seek ways to safely host games with live audiences in attendance. NASCAR’s All-Star Race was moved to Bristol for the first time in its history, having traditionally taken place at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. But the novel coronavirus pandemic prompted NASCAR to change venues to an area of lower risk to its fans and employees, and we’ll be curious to see which changes the NFL must adopt in the months ahead to keep the 2020 season on schedule.
Looks like @NASCAR figured out covid before we did 🌚 fans in the stands, felt great.
