What Happened?
The NASCAR All-Star Race turned into another Wilkesboro whooping as Joey Logano led from the jump, earning his second million-dollar win. Logano bested Kyle Larson’s domination last year, leading all but one lap.
Just behind Logano, Denny Hamlin kept touch but couldn’t challenge the No. 22. Chris Buescher finally got around Larson to finish on the figurative podium.
What Really Happened?
The talk of the town centered on tires going into the weekend. The new surface at North Wilkesboro Speedway quickly overshadowed the slightly varied Goodyear compounds. If anything, the tires really didn’t prove anything.
Instead, the new, speedy surface of the renovated racetrack stole the show, becoming the true all-star.
Sure, the North Wilkesboro revival came to fruition in the 2023 All-Star Race on the aged pavement. But the shiny facilities, the bright lights and the new pavement with the progressive banking marks the rebirth of the short track in Wilkes County.
This ain’t your grandpa’s North Wilkesboro. The new, slightly progressive banking garnered little attention during the repave process, but it races like Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with multiple grooves that allow for drivers to go searching for clean air and grip.
Sure, the final segments of the All-Star Race showed a top-dominant track, but the early half showcased some incredible side-by-side action throughout the field.
The multi-groove racing came as a surprise especially because repaves usually take time to widen the racing line. Even with the tire disappointment, it did lay down rubber across the track.
Unfortunately, the flaws of the Next Gen short track package reared their ugly heads once again. Action like this is fun for a little while, but if the faster car can’t pass, the fun starts to end.
Still, North Wilkesboro deserves a chance on the points-paying calendar once again. Just imagine what a full 40-car field would look like.
Who Stood Out?
Yeah, Logano dominated the whole event and won the race. What’s the big deal? Well, until recently, Ford stayed a few steps behind, and Logano has especially seemed to struggle compared to the Blue Ovals at RFK Racing, Front Row Motorsports, half of the Stewart-Haas Racing cars, and even his teammate Ryan Blaney.
Through the first 13 races, Logano only has one top five and three top 10s. In his down years, Logano still seems to find a way to earn solid finishes, but that has not been the case so far this year.
After taking the pole, Logano utilized Ford’s newfound speed and found his winning form. Though he didn’t earn any points, this win should give Team Penske and the No. 22 crew a big shot in the arm for these next few weeks.
Who Fell Flat?
Martin Truex Jr. has been a short track master in his time with Joe Gibbs Racing, but he didn’t make much noise Sunday night on the way to an 11th-place finish.
This may not count as ‘falling flat’ because Kyle Busch battled to finish 10th, but he had a seemingly uncharacteristic race. Busch had a very short fuse that lit on the opening set of corners after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. put Busch three-wide, and the No. 8 hit the wall. Busch quickly retaliated and ended Stenhouse’s race on just the second lap.
After the All-Star break, Busch went two for two in being involved in the cautions for incident when he cooked the entry of turn 1 again and spun Ty Gibbs.
During the 200 laps, Stenhouse steamed, unable to leave the track. He hinted a few times that he had something in store for Busch, and he actually made good on his promise in the infield.
Better Than Last Time?
The hype surrounding the return to North Wilkesboro in 2023 made up for a lackluster on-track product. While the second edition of the All-Star Race in Wilkes County had even less passes for the lead, the action more than exceeded all of what we witnessed last time.
It’s a shame we were robbed of heat racing Saturday night, because that might have made this a near-perfect All-Star weekend, even with Logano’s domination.
Paint Scheme of the Race
The obvious top choice for this weekend’s reward goes to Trackhouse Racing and its flannel-covered car. With summer just around the corner, a glance at the No. 1 sent an October wind through the television screen.
In addition to best paint schemes, Ross Chastain also wins in the best All-Star entrance category for the third year in a row.
Other than AJ Allmendinger, the rest of the drivers need to step up their entrance game.
What’s Next?
The NASCAR Cup Series takes on its second crown jewel of the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled for Sunday, May 26 at 6 p.m. on FOX.
Let’s see if Larson has anything to say about that.
Caleb began sports writing in 2023 with The Liberty Champion, where he officially covered his first NASCAR race at Richmond in the spring. While there, Caleb met some of the guys from Frontstretch, and he joined the video editing team after graduating from Liberty University with degrees in Strategic Communications and Sports Journalism. Caleb currently work full-time as a Multi-Media Journalist with LEX 18 News in Lexington, Kentucky and contributes to Frontstretch with writing and video editing. He's also behind-the-scenes or on camera for the Happy Hour Podcast, live every Tuesday night at 7:30!