The format for this year’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway has been revealed by NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports on April 23.
There will be three different types of tires available for teams during the race: prime, option and wet-weather. Prime tires were developed when Goodyear held a test at North Wilkesboro in March. The option tires, meanwhile, have the same compound as wet weather tires; these would have grip on the short runs but wear more rapidly.
Drivers will qualify on the prime tires and begin the All-Star Race on the option tires. They may choose either tire for practice, heats and the All-Star Open.
At the halfway point in the heats, Open and main event, teams will need to pit for four tires.
“I would say that we’ve often used the All-Star Race in the past to try some things,” NASCAR Senior VP and Chief Racing Development Officer John Probst said last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. “It’s an opportunity for us without the pressure of points being paid, and certainly … with the cooperation of Goodyear and our teams, in this case, a chance to just try something. When we were at Bristol, we certainly saw a very entertaining race there when tire wear became something they had to manage, and so it’s just an opportunity for us to try it. If it does look good, we will certainly consider it.”
During qualifying for the All-Star Race, there will be a Pit Crew Challenge included in the time. The driver will make a lap and then go down pit lane to his box, where the crew will perform a pit stop. The driver will then return to the track and take the checkered flag, and the fastest total time will win the pole for the All-Star Race and the first heat.
Drivers who are eligible to compete in the All-Star Race are past NASCAR Cup Series champions, All-Star winners who are full time, and race winners from this year and last year. These are Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, William Byron, Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Daniel Suarez.
Joining the field will be the top-two finishers from the All-Star Open as well as the winner of the fan vote.
The Open is set to run on Sunday, May 19 at 5:30 p.m. ET, while the All-Star Race runs at 8 p.m. ET. Both will air on FOX Sports 1.
Joy joined Frontstretch in 2019 as a NASCAR DraftKings writer, expanding to news and iRacing coverage in 2020. She's currently an assistant editor and involved with photos, social media and news editing. A California native, Joy was raised watching motorsports and started watching NASCAR extensively in 2001. She earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Bakersfield in 2010.
What took them so long? It’s a given that they will change the format to “improve” the product. Shouldn’t they try to develop a real “race” car?
Tire was developed in March. The temperature will be the same for the event, won’t it?
Who is counting the fan vote !!! I have a feeling I know who that will be if they don’t finish top two in the open.
Well bubba certainly took a lot of Toyotas out didn’t he. His owner and himself and both team Legacy cars , as well as knocking Eric jones out of some raced with a compressed vertebrae. Give him a Gibbs car and he still can’t drive.
I have a feeling that this format for the all star race at north wilkesboro speedway will have some backlash from the fans and the others because of the tire blowouts that happened at Bristol for the st Patrick’s day race.
oh what a cluster this will be!
“Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive”
Another year, another format for the “All Star” race. Which really isn’t these days since so many drivers are included. We went to this race several times when it was in Charlotte and most of the time, the Open was fun to watch but the All Star race itself was pretty boring. The best part of that trip was the flea market that was across the street from the track. You could find pretty much anything you wanted (even if you didn’t need it) there.