Tag: North Wilkesboro

Harvick to qualify Indy-bound Larson’s No. 5 at North Wilkesboro

Kevin Harvick will practice and qualify the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports at North Wilkesboro Speedway next month for the NASCAR All-Star Race. Harvick, who retired at the end of last season from Stewart-Haas Racing and is an analyst for …

Kevin Harvick will practice and qualify the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports at North Wilkesboro Speedway next month for the NASCAR All-Star Race.

Harvick, who retired at the end of last season from Stewart-Haas Racing and is an analyst for Fox Sports, will substitute for Kyle Larson. Larson will be in Indianapolis attempting to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.

“We’ve been trying to find drivers and stuff to replace me in the seat for practice and looked at lots of resumes, and unfortunately Clint’s [Bowyer] didn’t make the cut so we decided to go with Kevin Harvick,” Larson said Sunday during the Fox Sports pre-race show at Dover Motor Speedway. “He’s going to practice the No. 5. The whole team’s excited, honestly.”

Larson confirmed Friday at Dover that he would miss both practice and qualifying, scheduled for Friday, May 17, at North Wilkesboro. The hope is for the 2021 Cup Series champ to return on Saturday in time to compete in his heat race, but that timing remains uncertain. The NASCAR All-Star Race is on Sunday, May 19.

“The good thing is because I won’t be able – I don’t think – to get there for the heat race, they’ll have all day on Saturday to change everything back to me,” Larson said. “That factored into it a lot.”

All-Star race to continue at North Wilkesboro in 2024

North Wilkesboro Speedway will again host the NASCAR All-Star Race in May 2024 after hosting it for the first time earlier this season. It will be a three-day weekend that culminates with the 40th running of the $1 million non-points event taking …

North Wilkesboro Speedway will again host the NASCAR All-Star Race in May 2024 after hosting it for the first time earlier this season.

It will be a three-day weekend that culminates with the 40th running of the $1 million non-points event taking place on Sunday, May 19.

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“We are very grateful that NASCAR and FOX Sports have supported our efforts to bring the NASCAR All-Star Race back to North Wilkesboro in 2024,” said Speedway Motorsports president and CEO Marcus Smith. “While NASCAR’s current 75th anniversary season still has some memorable moments to come, it’s hard to imagine a more magical moment than what we witnessed with NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway this past May.

“The success of the 2023 All-Star Race with fans coming from all 50 states and seven foreign countries would not have been possible without the support of the NASCAR industry, our state legislature, Gov. Roy Cooper and the Wilkes County community. We’re thankful to have the opportunity to bring back an international spotlight for the second consecutive year to North Wilkesboro and the great state of North Carolina.”

Kyle Larson dominated this year’s All-Star Race to take his second victory in the event. He swept the weekend by also winning the Craftsman Truck Series race.

A complete schedule for All-Star Race weekend has not been announced, but the Craftsman Truck Series will again be a part of the festivities, as will the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge, which was won by the No. 54 team for Ty Gibbs.

“As part of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary, the return to racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway was one of the indelible moments of the 2023 season,” said Ben Kennedy, senior vice president, racing development and strategy. “We look forward to bringing the NASCAR All-Star Race with the NASCAR Cup Series, along with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, back to North Wilkesboro next season to create new generational memories at this historic venue.”

Joining the weekend schedule will be a CARS Tour event. The CARS Tour is a late-model stock division which was purchased by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Justin Marks earlier this year.

North Wilkesboro has “a lot of potential” after All-Star rebirth – Smith

North Wilkesboro Speedway hosted its first NASCAR Cup Series race in 27 years on Sunday night with the All-Star Race, closing the chapter on an unlikely rebirth of a beloved facility. And it also brings to a close a weekend of “incredible gratitude” …

North Wilkesboro Speedway hosted its first NASCAR Cup Series race in 27 years on Sunday night with the All-Star Race, closing the chapter on an unlikely rebirth of a beloved facility. And it also brings to a close a weekend of “incredible gratitude” for Marcus Smith.

“I am just amazed at how hard everybody here worked to make this happen,” Smith said of his feeling separate from his Speedway Motorsports role. “Jessica [Fickenscher] and Steve Swift have led this team of a couple hundred people that have come to work with a real mission mindset, not a typical clock-in, clock-out mindset and I think it shows up in what they’ve been able to achieve. They were able to start this project in January, and it’s May right now.”

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NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports announced the $1 million non-points All-Star Race would move to North Wilkesboro in early September. It’s been around-the-clock work since then to make the facility Cup Series ready.

“This place was covered in kudzu vines and poison oak and trees growing out of the grandstands less than 12 months ago,” Smith continued. “They completely built a brand-new facility out in Turn 4. Governor [Roy] Cooper, when I saw him on Wednesday, he said, ‘I gave it a 50-50 shot that you would actually get this done,’ and he said, ‘and I was being generous at the time.’

“It is truly amazing. So, my feelings have just been incredible gratitude. I’m so inspired by them.”

The event was well received. It was a packed grandstand for the All-Star Race, there were standing-room-only tickets in the infield, and the property surrounding the Speedway was filled with vehicles and campers. Souvenir haulers had impressively long lines and were selling out of merchandise.

Cup Series drivers embraced racing at a new venue, some saying the fact the track reopened made the weekend a success regardless of the on-track action. Kyle Larson dominated the All-Star Race by leading 145 of 200 laps.

With the amount of time and money invested in North Wilkesboro, the question becomes what its future holds. Smith didn’t commit to what comes next but spoke highly about its place on the NASCAR schedule in some capacity.

“That question’s on my mind as well,” said Smith. “I think when you see a successful week of events like we’ve had here, it’s natural to think, ‘Boy, maybe we can come back here.’ So, I’m definitely thinking that way. It’s got a lot of potential.

“I’ve never been to a NASCAR week where everybody was in such a good mood, and everything was just going so well. So, it’s definitely something that we’re thinking about.

“We just started working on next year’s schedule with NASCAR, so we’ll see. I think that – not specifically to next year – there definitely is a place in the NASCAR world for North Wilkesboro Speedway, and whether it’s a special event like All-Star, maybe one day it’s a points event, I don’t know.

“I think it’s a very important place for short-track racing, the late model races, the modifieds, you name it. It’s a special place. It’s like walking into a museum that is active and living and very special for the competitors and the fans.”

Smith also offered plenty of thank you remarks in his comments after Sunday night’s event.

“The community of western North Carolina, Wilkes County, Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro,” Smith listed. “The NASCAR community with the way everybody has pulled together. The amazing people that have been here working to revive this Speedway for the last seven months straight. Our contractors and just so many people who have worked tirelessly – particularly in the last seven months. But then so many who never gave up for years leading into this to get us to the point where we can make this happen.

“Jessica, our executive director of the All-Star Race and our chief experience officer was on point from the beginning to make things happen. She and Steve Swift worked together as a great duo to do some things that people thought couldn’t be done.

“It was a long road, but we got here and did some things that were really special.”

Larson dominates All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro

Kyle Larson’s third victory in the Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race was a case of absolute dominance. It was also a case study in strategy at revitalized North Wilkesboro Speedway, with the eventual winning move made on lap 18 of 200. Contact with Erik …

Kyle Larson’s third victory in the Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race was a case of absolute dominance.

It was also a case study in strategy at revitalized North Wilkesboro Speedway, with the eventual winning move made on lap 18 of 200.

That’s when Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels called his driver to the pits under caution for a fresh set of tires. Even though Larson incurred a speeding penalty exiting pit road and restarted from the rear, he charged through the field on new rubber and took the lead from Daniel Suarez on lap 55.

From that point on, it was game over.

Having won previous All-Star Races at Charlotte and Texas, Larson is the only driver to win the $1-million top prize at three different venues. Larson is tied with Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon for second most victories in the exhibition event, one behind Jimmie Johnson’s four triumphs.

Not only that. The win gave Larson a sweep of NASCAR events at the reborn 0.625-mile short track. On Saturday he won the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race in NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro for the first time since 1996.

“I can’t even tell you what it means,” Larson said. “This is my third All-Star win and my third different track. In a historical place like that, you guys and the crowd made this weekend so awesome. We could feel the atmosphere all weekend.

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“So much fun there. That was an old-school…whipping, for sure. We had a great car on the long run there and was just thinking for sure there was going to be a caution. I got out to a big lead, and I could see everybody’s cars were driving like crap in front of me, but I cannot thank this No. 5 team enough.

“We were God awful all weekend. Practice I was like the worst on 30-lap average, went backwards in a heat race yesterday. We obviously had some strategy work out there in the beginning, but we drove from dead last to the lead and checked out by 12 or 13s (before the competition caution at lap 101). Then I just could pace myself there that last run.”

Once Larson grabbed the top spot, he held it the rest of the way, except for one lap under the competition caution led by Suarez. In a race that saw three lead changes among two drivers, Larson led 145 laps to Suarez’s 55.

Comfortably in front after a restart on lap 111, Larson crossed the finish line 4.537s ahead of runner-up Bubba Wallace, who duplicated Larson’s lap 18 pit stop strategy but couldn’t match the speed of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

“No, just his capability throughout the whole run, he could attack hard and then have something there at the end,” Wallace said of Larson’s superior performance. “If this was any other race, I’d be excited, but for a million dollars to come up short and walk home with nothing…

“Tail tucked between our legs, but all in all, just continuing to ride the momentum train… Just have to keep it going. Now we show back up to home turf (for next Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway) and really got to keep the momentum going there and get ourselves deeper into the Playoffs.

“Excited to be where we’re at right now. Just came up one spot short.”

Tyler Reddick finished third, followed by Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott. Ryan Blaney, Suarez, Erik Jones, Ty Gibbs and Joey Logano completed the top 10.

RESULTS

McDowell fuming after All-Star Open run-in with Gibbs

Michael McDowell wasn’t not going to wreck Ty Gibbs, but wanted to ensure the NASCAR Cup Series rookie understood he wasn’t pleased with him during the All-Star Open. McDowell started mirror-driving Gibbs off Turn 1 with 23 laps to go Sunday …

Michael McDowell wasn’t not going to wreck Ty Gibbs, but wanted to ensure the NASCAR Cup Series rookie understood he wasn’t pleased with him during the All-Star Open.

McDowell started mirror-driving Gibbs off Turn 1 with 23 laps to go Sunday evening. Into Turn 3, McDowell ran Gibbs onto the apron, and the two slid up the track in Turn 4 to allow Josh Berry to grab the race lead.

Gibbs had been leading the event. McDowell was wounded from an earlier incident he blamed on Gibbs.

“I thought I was smart,” McDowell said. “I didn’t do anything stupid. He’s lucky he finished the race. He really is. I felt like I was very controlled in my whole demeanor and manner.”

The incident in question occurred going into Turn 3 with 43 laps to go. Gibbs got underneath McDowell, and McDowell went up into Justin Haley, who was on the far outside. McDowell and Haley crashed off Turn 4 when they both had been running inside the top five.

“He just drove me all the way through the corner and into the No. 31 and wrecked both of us,” McDowell said. “It’s pretty clear none of us were going to make the corner with the No. 54 driving me wide-open into the corner. Listen, it’s short-track racing, and we’re all trying to get into the All-Star Race. It’s a big night, so people are going to leave with hurt feelings, and tempers are going to flare. That’s part of it.

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“It sucks that the guy that moved you and moved a lot of cars made it in, but at the same time, I’m not going to wreck him and spin him out or do something stupid with a broken car. I just wanted to let him know that it’s unacceptable and he knows that. He knows what he’s doing out there. He gets away with a lot more than he should.

“It was unfortunate. I felt like our FR8 Auction Ford Mustang was pretty good. We got a good restart, and we were making things happen, and then we just got nailed.”

McDowell said he was “100 percent restrained” in his reaction to Gibbs and the Front Row Racing driver said he wouldn’t have done anything to Gibbs if Berry had been closer because McDowell didn’t want to affect someone else’s race.

“I just wasn’t going to wave him by,” said McDowell. “I was going to make him go around on the outside, and he still wanted to try to go through the bottom. He was setting himself up; I should have ran him into the barrels and called it good.”

Gibbs didn’t argue McDowell’s point.

“I can understand the No. 34’s frustration,” the rookie said. “At Martinsville we were running 18th and they clobbered us and about wrecked us, so I think it’s honestly fair game. We are racing to make it in the All-Star Race, so I understand his frustration, but we got in, and that is all that matters.”

Gibbs advanced into the All-Star Race by finishing second to Berry. McDowell finished 13th in the 16-car field.

McDowell did acknowledge he’s not had any previous issues with Gibbs, but what happened Sunday was that Gibbs overstepping in Turn 3.

“It wouldn’t matter who it is,” McDowell said. “When you get run over, you’re going to be upset. I haven’t had any issues with Ty previously. It’s not like this is building up, but it wouldn’t matter if it was the No. 10, the No. 41 or the No. 48. If you get run over, you got to expect that I’m not going to just wave him by the next time I see him. So it’s just racing.”

Berry wins All-Star Open, advances alongside Gibbs and Gragson

Josh Berry and Ty Gibbs raced into the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway as the top two finishers in Sunday evening’s All-Star Open. Berry won the event by taking the lead from Gibbs with 23 laps to go. The Hendrick Motorsports …

Josh Berry and Ty Gibbs raced into the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway as the top two finishers in Sunday evening’s All-Star Open.

Berry won the event by taking the lead from Gibbs with 23 laps to go. The Hendrick Motorsports driver had help when Michael McDowell ran Gibbs low off Turn 1, down the backstretch, and then onto the apron through Turns 3 and 4.

It was a bit of payback from McDowell, who was upset with how Gibbs raced him earlier in the event. Gibbs got underneath McDowell in Turn 3 with 43 laps go, which resulted in McDowell’s No. 34 Ford and Justin Haley colliding off Turn 4.

“Man, I feel so relieved,” Berry said. “These guys deserve to be in this race so bad. Thank you so much to Hendrick Motorsports for believing in me and giving me this opportunity under the circumstances. Ally, everybody back at Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet… Man, this is really cool.

“Our car was solid. We were definitely better on the second run. We got some help there. Whatever happened with the No. 34 (McDowell)…I don’t know what that was. That was pretty bad. But we were able to get the lead and stretch it out a little bit, kind of maintain it. I think the two best cars made it, so we’ll just see what tonight gives us.”

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The crash between McDowell and Haley was the third and final caution of the race.

A competition caution on lap 41 was the first yellow. Gibbs led every lap prior after starting from the pole.

The caution allowed teams to make their only pit stop of the day. Berry got off pit road first over Gibbs with help from the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team.

The second caution occurred on lap 50. Noah Gragson hit the inside wall going into Turn 1 and collected Chandler Smith, Todd Gilliland, and Ryan Newman when his car shot back across the racetrack.

Berry continued to lead until Gibbs retook the spot with 32 laps to go. The No. 54 Toyota was in control of the race until he came upon McDowell’s damaged and slower car.

The top five finishers were Berry, Gibbs, Aric Almirola, Ryan Preece and AJ Allmendinger. JJ Yeley finished sixth, Gragson was seventh in his damaged Chevrolet, Ty Dillon finished eighth, Corey LaJoie ninth and Josh Bilicki 10th.

Gragson was named the fan vote winner and also advances to the All-Star Race.

RESULTS

Starting lineup for NASCAR’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro

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).

Suarez races to All-Star pole at 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.

Buescher to start All-Star Race second after heat win at North Wilkesboro

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.

Larson and Chastain moving on from Darlington scuffle

Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain did talk earlier this week after the two crashed for the race lead late at Darlington Raceway, and according to Larson, “It was short and to the point. “Just move forward for both of us,” he said of the conversation …

Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain did talk earlier this week after the two crashed for the race lead late at Darlington Raceway, and according to Larson, “It was short and to the point.

“Just move forward for both of us,” he said of the conversation Saturday afternoon after winning the Craftsman Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

The collision between the two Chevrolet drivers happened in Turn 1 off a restart with six laps to go in the Goodyear 400. Racing tight side-by-side into the corner, Chastain took the blame for getting tight and driving up into Larson’s No. 5.

After Larson left without addressing the media, owner Rick Hendrick was pointed with his comments toward Chastain even while celebrating the win with driver William Byron. Hendrick praised Chastain’s talent but said he doesn’t have to be as aggressive as he is against other drivers. Furthermore, Hendrick believes a growing list of enemies is going to make it hard to win a championship.

“It’s good when your owner has your back and support,” Larson said. “But really, I was just trying to move on as quick as possible after last week.”

While the rivals’ conversation was short, it’s been a week of talking for Chastain. The Trackhouse Racing driver met with his team owner Justin Marks and talked to Hendrick as well.

Chastain didn’t go into detail about those conversations when talking to a few media members earlier this week at North Wilkesboro after competing in the CARS Tour. He did admit he needs to “hit less things.”

Part of the frustration from the Hendrick camp and Cliff Daniels, Larson’s crew chief, was Chastain affecting the team for the third time in four weeks. The No. 1 car indirectly collected Larson in crashes at Talladega Superspeedway and Dover Motor Speedway before the collision at Darlington.

“It’s gotten a little frustrating – it could be anybody out there… We haven’t gotten the results that we deserve the last few weeks,” said Chastain.