"Joey was frustrated? He was frustrated? That is interesting. I genuinely would not have guessed that," Bell said. "I had got to him a couple times before, and he made it very difficult on me, as he should. I got my run, and I took the moment, as I should. Yeah, I don't think that I did anything that Joey has not done, and I've seen Joey do much worse."
MORE: Logano laments Bell's move | Bell responds Disagreements -- on the track or off -- are a signature part of short-track racing. The duo made contact numerous times without physically driving either competitor into the SAFER barrier. And the result was, in part, thanks to soft Goodyear tires that mattered on a newer-but-quickly-aging asphalt surface. After sitting dormant from NASCAR national series competition from 1997-2022, North Wilkesboro's aging asphalt sat worn, abrasive and largely overtaken by nature. That necessitated a repave before the 2024 edition of the All-Star Race, but the new pavement seems to be wearing quickly -- which often leads to good racing. "I'd say this tire is fairly matched up with the track," Phil Surgen, crew chief of Ross Chastain's No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, said. "The year of age on the track, I think, is probably a bigger factor than what the tire was this year. And I'd say, another couple years and this place is going to be really racy, although it looked pretty good tonight. You've got a couple of lanes, three-wide at times, so it's getting there with a little more aging." [caption id="attachment_471165" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]"This place is aging quickly and aging well and it's got a lot of character, obviously, in more ways than one, and it races really competitive and gives you a lot of opportunities to do different things with your car and the driver to do different things behind the wheel to affect the balance."
Couple that with an electric energy and sold-out crowd in rustic Wilkes County, and it made for a show fans and drivers loved alike -- even for drivers who didn't take home the $1 million prize. "It looked like a great race for the win. I wish I could have been a part of it," said fifth-place finisher Chase Elliott. "I thought the race was much better this year than last year, so that was cool to see. We had another great crowd here, great environment, for an All-Star Race, so hopefully everyone enjoyed that." WATCH: Bell praises North Wilkesboro's revival Bell agreed, noting the atmosphere was "bumping" all weekend. But perhaps there is a place down the road for North Wilkesboro as a points race rather than an exhibition event. In its current form, North Wilkesboro weekend splits the Cup Series field into All-Stars -- this year, 20 of them -- and hopefuls -- this year, 18 of them. A full 38-car field for 400 laps around one of the most historic tracks in stock-car racing's arsenal could produce its own drama if given the chance. "We need more events like this, more races like this," Bell said. "I love that we revived this race track. And now with Rockingham getting revived and had an amazing Xfinity race, I think just continuing to go to different race tracks, that's the key for success. You can't just beat the same race tracks up over and over and go to them twice a year."So I think continuing to diversify the schedule, get to where we're going to every venue one time a year, and you're going to see the crowds engage and have awesome electricity throughout the races. And yeah, it really is awesome to be a part of."
Logano, for his part, was less thrilled after Sunday's race. "I'm glad you had a blast," he said. "I'm pissed off right now."