Off the heels of throwback weekend, NASCAR heads to a vintage track in North Wilkesboro Speedway.
After returning to the schedule for the first time in 27 years, NWS plays host to All-Star Weekend, as the phenoms of the NASCAR Cup Series will battle under the lights for the right to earn one million dollars. Once again, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will also join them for a race of their own.
Last year’s event brought out legends such as Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty. This year is sure not to disappoint either as we will see whose star will shine brightest.
Grand Marshal: Seven-time Cup champion crew chief and NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Chad Knaus will help fire the engines for the All-Star Race. Knaus, who served as the crew chief for Jimmie Johnson from 2002-2018, is currently vice president of competition at Hendrick Motorsports.
For the Truck race, three-time Truck champion Jack Sprague will give the command for drivers to start their engines.
Honorary Starter: Kevin Holland will wave the green flag over the All-Star drivers on Sunday night. Holland is a retired Army Master General Sergeant.
Andrew Boyles, who is the plant manager for Tyson Wilkesboro, will serve in the role for the Wright Bacon 250.
Honorary Pace Car Driver: Champion car owner and former Cup driver Richard Childress is set to wheel the pace car ahead of the field for the All-Star Race. Childress has seen his team, Richard Childress Racing, win 16 championships in NASCAR, and he was inducted into the Hall-of-Fame in 2017.
Terry Boyett of Wright Brand and Tami Boyett, vice president of Tyson will pilot the pace trucks for the Wright Bacon 250.
Invocation: Samaritan’s Purse chief operating offer Edward Graham will give the invocation for the Cup race.
Prior to the Truck race, Steve Swift will give the invocation. Swift is the senior vice president of operations and development at Speedway Motorsports.
National Anthem: Country singer Hannah Dasher will perform the national anthem for the All-Star Race. Dasher has performed at the Grand Ole Opry and is a social media influencer.
19-year-old Presley Barker will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of the Truck race.
Pre-Race Concert: A pair of country music stars will kick things off ahead of the All-Star Race. Rising star Warren Zeiders represents one half of the performance. Zeiders recently had his song “Pretty Little Poison” reach the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart.
Joining him will be Neil McCoy. McCoy received a GRAMMY nomination in 1998 and has had two songs hit the top of the charts. He also has recorded nine top 10 singles.
Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a contributor, furthering a love for racing that traces back to his earliest memories. Glover inherited his passion for racing from his grandfather, who used to help former NASCAR team owner Junie Donlavey in his Richmond, Va. garage. A 2023 graduate from the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is the author of "The Underdog House," contributes to commentary pieces, and does occasional at-track reporting. Additionally, Glover enjoys working in ministry, coaching basketball, playing sports, and karting.
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Could Nascar pick a worse track than North Wilkesboro for the All Star race? The answer is it would be difficult. Why on earth would they run a race like this on a lousy short track. Why not Atlanta for starters or even one of the road courses would be a better option than Wilkesboro.