Torrential rain and intermittent lightning have altered Saturday’s All-Star Weekend schedule at North Wilkesboro Speedway, leading to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race being postponed and both 60-lap qualifying heats in the Cup Series being canceled.
Saturday’s Truck Series race will pick up action on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The Wright Brand 250 began on time and was halted after 81 of the scheduled 250 laps were completed. The race was stopped by a brief shower and lightning, and a downpour near 3:30 p.m. ET drenched the 0.625-mile track.
Due to both 60-lap qualifying heats for Sunday’s All-Star Race being canceled, the lineup will be set according to Saturday’s qualifying results, per the NASCAR Rule Book. That means Team Penske driver Joey Logano starts from the pole position, flanked by Brad Keselowski beside him. Christopher Bell, whose No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team won the Pit Crew Challenge, will line up third. Daniel Suárez and Chris Buescher complete the top five.
Sunday’s All-Star race time remains at 8 p.m. on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The All-Star Open event, in which the top two drivers advance to the All-Star Race, is slated for 5:30 p.m. ET.
Rain also canceled Craftsman Truck Series qualifying Saturday morning, forcing the lineup to be set according to the NASCAR Rule Book and placing series points leader Christian Eckes first for the green flag. Eckes led the first 62 laps before Ty Majeski took control to win Stage 1.
Rain showers bookended a brief midday period of sunshine, which allowed NASCAR All-Star Race qualifying to take place.
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — It’s early still, but the introduction of tire choices to NASCAR Cup Series short-track racing has shown some promise.
A compelling 50-minute practice session Friday afternoon at North Wilkesboro Speedway had teams and drivers on their heels and learning, trying to understand the nuances of Goodyear’s “prime” tire — the control tire with yellow sidewall lettering — and the softer, faster but less durable “option” tire with red lettering. The freshly paved racing surface at the historic 0.625-mile track has added yet another variable.
The session offered a glimpse into the strategy potential for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) and the All-Star Open qualifier (5:30 p.m. ET on the same networks). But the tire experiment under the heading of a special non-points event could also have potential applications at other tracks measuring one mile or less, should the event be a success.
Again, it’s early, but the indicators are positive so far, with Goodyear pushing the limits on performance and wear.
“I think absolutely there’s something to be learned here,” said Denny Hamlin, the 2015 All-Star winner. “We ran a tire that no way they would ever feel comfortable with us running, especially on a new paved track like this, and we ran over 40 laps and we didn’t see any cords or anything. So I’m very happy with what we saw, and certainly, hopefully they can take learn something from here to take to a Phoenix or something. The biggest thing I noticed is that we had left-side heat. That’s something that we have not had on our short-track cars in quite some time. And so with the left sides getting hot, that’s going to make new tires matter, it’s going to make passing easier. So I think as long as they stay as aggressive as they can on the left sides, this is a step in the right direction and then good job for Goodyear.”
Teams opened the session with split decisions on tire choice, and the red-lettered tires showed as-advertised speed and grip, but with a measure of fall-off. Other teams kept tabs on their own wear, but also on their neighbors’ tires along pit road. Drivers also reported that both tires lay rubber well on the fresh pavement, and that helped the middle grooves up off the bottom lane widen out more quickly.
Sunday night’s All-Star main event is scheduled for 200 laps, with intermissions set for Lap 100 and Lap 150. Will running the first 100 laps without pitting be feasible, and when will option tires be the right call? Some uncertainty still remains.
“I don’t think the strategy is very clear yet,” said Team Penske’s Joey Logano, who won the All-Star Race in 2016. “We got 50 minutes of practice I went through a set on and ran as long as they felt comfortable out there, or as much time as they had to run that many laps, and looking at the data afterwards, it’s still not super clear what you would do. A lot of it depends on what place you’re running and all that, but it’s not as clear as you may think when it comes to when you’re going to put the softs on, or the option tire. I don’t know. There’s a lot of question to it.”
That unpredictability could make Sunday’s All-Star event a strategy grab bag, but the tiremaker’s renewed approach to being aggressive with the balance of grip, speed and durability also could pay dividends in the long term. Two months ago, Hamlin won a topsy-turvy Cup Series showdown at Bristol Motor Speedway when tire wear was unexpectedly high, forcing drivers into management mode with their race-ready rubber and receiving positive reviews on how the event played out.
Recapturing that intrigue to enhance short-track racing with NASCAR’s Next Gen racer has been a focus ever since, and the added wrinkle of multiple tire choices with varying characteristics could be, well … a prime option down the road.
“It just seemed like this is a good opportunity to see if maybe this is a solution, add something of that risk-and-reward element that’ll improve the overall racing,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “So if it’s successful or at least we get some direction, then obviously we’ll get our heads together with NASCAR, with the teams, and determine if this something we might want to pursue for the future.”
See above where your favorite driver will pit in Sunday’s All-Star Race in the NASCAR Cup Series at North Wilkesboro Speedway (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
After being moved to Saturday afternoon due to weather postponement, the Pit Crew Challenge kicked off a slate full of All-Star festivities for the day at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
This year, it was Joey Logano grabbing the pole for Sunday’s All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), while last week’s Darlington winner Brad Keselowski will also start on the front row in second.
Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing crew executed a 13.223-second pit stop, successfully defending their crown as that same crew won the challenge last year with the No. 54 of Ty Gibbs.
Saturday’s scheduled All-Star Heat races were canceled due to severe weather at North Wilkesboro. Sunday’s main event lineup will be set based on Saturday’s qualifying results, per the NASCAR Rule Book. The All-Star Open race lineup, meanwhile, was set based on owner points after Friday’s qualifying session was canceled due to rain. View the All-Star Race starting lineup here.
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — During a qualifying session that incorporated a four-tire pit stop under the aegis of the Pit Crew Challenge, Joey Logano won the pole position for both Saturday evening’s No. 1 Heat Race and Sunday’s $1-million-to win NASCAR All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Logano ran the required three laps, including the pit stop, in 89.754 seconds (75.206 mph), beating fellow Ford driver Brad Keselowski (74.884 mph) for the top starting spot by 0.386 seconds.
Logano is the only driver locked into a starting position for Sunday’s All-Star Race. The rest of the field is scheduled to be set through Saturday’s two heat races.
Logano’s crew was fifth fastest on the pit stop. The winner of the Pit Crew Challenge — and first choice of pit stalls for the All-Star Race — was the over-the-wall gang on Christopher Bell’s Toyota, posting a stop of 13.223 seconds, edging Keselowski’s crew by 0.010 seconds.
The same crew won last year’s Pit Crew Challenge with a different Joe Gibbs Racing driver: Ty Gibbs.
“This qualifying session is the most fun session of the year,” said Logano, the sixth of 17 drivers to attempt a run. “And it really takes the whole team, right? The car’s got to go fast, we’ve got to execute onto pit road well, the spotter’s got to do a good job helping me get through my lights (indicating pit road speed) and being on the same page with me there.
“I’ve got to be able to stop in the stall. The pit crew’s got to do their part, and then back up onto the race track. So it really takes every crew member.”
Bell had the third fastest overall time (90.169 seconds), followed by Daniel Suárez (90.199 seconds).
Notably, Bell’s crew was elated to do its part in the No. 20 Toyota’s successful qualifying effort.
“I’m blessed to be with a good group of guys,” said rear tire changer Mike Hicks. “I couldn’t do this if I didn’t have a good supporting cast. Those guys are the best on pit road, and we’ve got a stud for a driver.”
“What can you say? This is two in a row for these guys, and they’ve been awesome,” Bell added. “I’m incredibly happy for them and honored to be their driver.
“I was able to stop on my marks. That’s been a huge topic of conversation in our meetings, in making sure you get to the sign deep enough and get the tires locked up, so they can get on the lug while you’re stopping.
“That’s obviously a big part of it—and taking off as soon as that jack drops. And that was a hell of a lot of fun.”
The conclusion of All-Star Open qualifying was canceled due to weather Friday evening, which means the NASCAR Rule Book will set the field.
Ty Gibbs and Alex Bowman will start on the front row in Sunday’s All-Star Open (5:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The top two finishers in the All-Star Open, including the Fan Vote winner, will transfer to Sunday night’s All-Star Race in Wilkes County (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Pit times will also determine pit-stall selection for the races on All-Star Weekend.
Location: North Wilkesboro, North Carolina Track length: 0.625 miles All-Star Race purse: $3,784,525 Winner’s prize: $1 million Race distance: 200 laps | 125 miles Segments: 100 | 150 | 200
— Starting lineup: Joey Logano to lead the field
Pit stall assignments:See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: Kyle Larson, May 2023
Key things to watch
Friday sessions
Ty Gibbs was quickest in Friday’s 50-minute practice session at 124.001 mph on the freshly repaved North Wilkesboro Speedway, but the 21-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing phenom will still need to race his way into Sunday’s main event. Behind Gibbs on the speed chart were Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace. | Full Friday recap
Big story line
Which All-Star is set to shine the brightest?
A trip back to Wilkes County means a chance for one All-Star Cup driver to win $1 million under the lights at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway.
At 0.625 miles long — five-eighths, for those who prefer fractions — North Wilkesboro sets short tracks into the spotlight once again during what has been a thrilling 2024 season to date. But what can this year’s short-oval races tell us about what to expect in Sunday’s 200-lap feature?
Through 13 points-paying events, the Cup Series has raced at five tracks that measure 1 mile or shorter: Phoenix Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Martinsville Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway. The winners? Denny Hamlin (Bristol, Richmond, Dover), Christopher Bell (Phoenix) and William Byron (Martinsville).
With four short-track wins on its resume, Joe Gibbs Racing may be set to shine brightest with Hamlin, Bell and 2017 Cup champ Martin Truex Jr. all locked into Sunday night’s big race. Also in line may be sophomore sensation Gibbs, who raced his way into the show from the All-Star Open last year and will be tasked to do the same on Sunday evening. He’s still looking for that first trip to Victory Lane, and while this would not serve as a points-paying win, a $1 million payday in an exhibition event sure wouldn’t hurt.
Let’s not forget the defending All-Star winner, though, Kyle Larson. The 2021 champion won that year’s All-Star Race at Texas and swept NASCAR’s North Wilkesboro return in the Craftsman Truck Series and the All-Star exhibition. Since he spent Friday and Saturday in Indianapolis attempting to qualify for the Indy 500, Larson will start from the rear Sunday in an attempt to storm through the field and pull off the repeat.
History tells us…
A second straight win for Larson will be difficult, but not impossible. According to Racing Insights, Larson is the All-Star Race’s only repeat winner in the past 11 editions — and has racked up three of the past five (2019, 2021, 2023).
No one has won consecutive All-Star Races, however, since Davey Allison accomplished the feat in 1991 and 1992. Brad Keselowski, last week’s winner at Darlington Raceway, is on the other end of the spectrum. The RFK Racing co-owner and driver has never won the All-Star Race in 15 starts but has finished runner-up three times — most in the event without winning the feature — and led a combined 120 laps — the most of any driver who has not won it.
He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…
Tyler Reddick. Opening at 12-1 odds, Reddick may not be the longest shot we’ve highlighted in this space, but an exclusive field produces limited options — especially in a field stacked only with NASCAR’s best. Reddick finished third in last season’s All-Star Race in a 2-3 finish for 23XI Racing, and on Friday, ranked eighth in 10-lap averages during practice. By Sunday, Reddick’s odds had improved to 10-1. | All-Star odds
Speed reads
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
• Turning Point: Trends from Darlington, arriving in North Wilkesboro | Read article
• Getting up to speed: New All-Star format, tire options explained | Read article
• Not the usual suspect: Logano on what it’s like to be outside the playoffs this late | Read article
• Pit Crew Challenge: Logano lands pole; No. 20 team takes Pit Crew Challenge | Read article
• Breaking streaks: Brad Keselowski, RFK explain ‘heck of a ride’ back to Victory Lane | Read article • Prime’s time: Prime Video to begin live Cup broadcasts with 2025 Coke 600 | Read article
• An explosive return: TNT Sports returns in June 2025 with Saturday night show at Atlanta | Read article
• Tournament talk: In-Season Tournament to debut with TNT races in 2025, award $1 million prize | Read article
• ‘A great addition’: Drivers react to bracket-style tournament to come in 2025 | Read article
• Mission 600: Chris Buescher makes ‘eye-opening’ journey to Parris Island | Read article
• Larson’s Indy-Charlotte double: Current Cup points leader shows blistering pace in Fast Friday practice | Read article
• Crossing over: Historic overlaps between NASCAR and the Indianapolis 500 | Photo gallery • All-Star memories: Take a trip through iconic moments | Photo gallery • NASCAR Classics: Picks to click from All-Star video archives | Read article • Paint Scheme Preview: Schemes for Trucks, All-Star Open and All-Star Race | Pick your favorite
• Power Rankings: Gibbs continues to rise in sophomore season | Latest driver rankings
Fast facts ⏩
Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
• The winner of the All-Star Race went on to win the championship in two of the last four years and 12 times total.
• Hendrick Motorsports drivers won the All-Star Race three of the last four years. The team’s 11 All-Star Race wins lead all teams.
• Toyota is winless in the last six All-Star Races. Chevrolet won four of the last six with Ford winning the other two.
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — The full schedule for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series hasn’t been made final yet, but one intriguing aspect is already taking shape, with the potential to bring a new audience to the season within the season.
This week’s announcement of an in-season tournament for TNT Sports’ five-race segment of next year’s schedule has the promise of intrigue and subplots to the yearlong championship hunt. With 32 drivers in an elimination-style bracket format, it’s a form of the NCAA Tournament’s March Madness that has its own offshoot. Call it NASCAR’s Midsummer Madness.
The Cup Series arrived Friday at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where the NASCAR All-Star Race (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) will award the winner a $1 million check. Another $1 million prize will await the tournament champ after next season’s bracket plays out.
“I mean, I think it’s going to be a great addition to the sport,” said Christopher Bell, driver of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota. “And it’s certainly going to open up the strategy a lot, because it really creates a head-to-head racing scenario where if the yellow flag comes out, you might just do the opposite of the guy that you’re racing — regardless of what that does to your finishing position. So I think it’s going to be awesome for the sport, and it’s going to be really fun to pay attention and see how it influences the race.”
The tournament is set for a June 28 start with a Saturday night show at Atlanta Motor Speedway to open the TNT Sports portion of the schedule. The network will air NASCAR events for the first time since 2014, and its part of the Cup Series slate comes after a five-race stint for broadcast newcomer Amazon Prime. The final three of those races will set the field of 32 for the tournament.
More details are still to come about seeding process, the rest of the format, and the four races that will follow Atlanta. Denny Hamlin, long a proponent of the tournament-style system, said what won’t change is the fundamentals of the race; the extra head-to-head element just adds another layer, and the parallels with fantasy sports have the potential to draw casual fans.
“All it is is a competition within a competition,” Hamlin said after Friday’s Cup Series practice at North Wilkesboro. “So you’re hopefully going to have the storylines, the things to talk about, the drama of a high seed beating a low seed, those things matter. In a sport where sometimes its news is tough on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, I think you’re going to have things to talk about. Certainly in the world where I believe that football took off in many, many, many years ago is getting people involved in fantasy. All of a sudden, people cared about their fantasy teams, not their favorite teams. And this creates something like that, where you’re going to have a Chase Elliott fan rooting for Denny Hamlin one week because they’ve got me in their bracket. I mean, it’s going to create those storylines.
“And certainly, you’re going to have friends talking amongst each other about … they’re going to create their own groups of brackets. So I just think it’s really, really positive, and it’s certainly the jumping-off point of where I think other sports have grown, and we’re just now getting there.”
The spotlight will be an extra coverage point for the sport’s new broadcast teams at TNT and Prime, which have already made a splash by signing Dale Earnhardt Jr. as an analyst.
“I think it’s probably something a new TV partner wants to dive into, right?” said Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, the defending Cup Series champ. “It kind of gives them something to promote and put on TV for both TNT and Amazon. So that’s good, and it’ll be exciting.”
Speculation has already begun about the potential of extra incentives for the tournament winner — whether it be playoff points, a postseason berth (if not already clinched) or another prize that extends outside of the five-race span. The additional seven-figure payday may be incentive enough.
The races will be run with at least 36 teams as usual, but the bracket format may potentially pit teammates 1-on-1 against each other, set up showdowns between rivals, and open the door for a Cinderella to take down a powerhouse and advance to the next round. It’s already a tantalizing side note to the overall competition.
“When it comes down to it, I’ve had experience with Triple Truck Challenge and Dash 4 Cash and yeah, it’s impossible not to pay attention to the other people,” said Trackhouse’s Ross Chastain. “I’m greedy, I’m selfish, I want to win. I want to win points, I want to win lap time, and I want to win money. So of course when we get there, we’ll know who we’re racing against.”
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. – Steady rain has postponed Friday’s NASCAR All-Star Race qualifying at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The session and the Pit Crew Challenge within the time-trial procedures will be held Saturday at 11:40 a.m. ET (FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Rain arrived late afternoon at the 0.625-mile track, abbreviating qualifying for the NASCAR All-Star Open qualifying race. Since that session was not run to completion, the starting lineup was set according to the NASCAR Rule Book, handing Ty Gibbs the pole position in Sunday’s 100-lap preliminary for drivers not already qualified for Sunday night’s main event.
The postponement adds another element to Saturday’s busy on-track schedule. All-Star Race qualifying now slots between Craftsman Truck Series qualifying (10:35 a.m. ET, FS1) and that series’ race, the Wright Brand 250 (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
All-Star qualifying procedures have been revised for this year’s edition, with drivers taking the green flag and making one lap at speed. Lap 2 will include a pit-road entry at the speed limit, and a pit stop for four tires and a mock-up of fueling. Drivers will then exit pit road, then race back to the checkered flag to complete their qualifying attempt.
That pit stop will be scored from a pair of timing lines – one pit stall on either end of the team’s box. The crew with the fastest clocking will claim the Pit Crew Challenge crown, and those results will set the order for pit-stall selection for Sunday’s 200-lap feature.
INDIANAPOLIS – Naturally for Kyle Larson, familiarity mattered little in producing supersonic speed on Fast Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Again showcasing the adaptability that has branded him a world-class talent, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion mastered complicated cockpit adjustments and 100 extra horsepower on the fly at speeds of more than 230 mph.
Four hours into the final Indianapolis 500 practice before qualifying, Larson turned the fastest lap (234.271 mph) of 34 drivers with a 232.902-mph lap around the 2.5-mile oval at exactly4 p.m. ET.
Even more importantly at a track where a four-lap average determines pole speed, the Hendrick Motorsports star was solidly in the top 10 rankings for a 10-mile qualifying run. The 12 fastest drivers on Saturday will advance to two rounds of pole qualifying on Sunday.
“It definitely feels faster, but it’s not like scary fast, thankfully,” said Larson, who was bumped by Colton Herta to second fastest by the end of the session. “So that was good. I just think our balance was pretty comfortable so I was happy about that. … It’s hard to say kind of still where you’re at yet because I feel like every run, there’s some bit of tow (draft), but I think the good thing is that the balance seems comfortable, so I don’t feel like I’ve got a bunch of understeer or tight, for the stock car racers listening, but I don’t feel super loose either, so it’s pretty balanced, which is nice.
Larson made four solid attempts Friday at simulating qualifying, defusing concerns after three frustrating days of practice time in his attempt to become the fifth driver to run the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
“Kyle’s doing a great job,” said Brian Campe, the technical director for Hendrick who is helping spearhead the team’s joint effort with Arrow McLaren to field the No. 17 Dallara-Chevrolet. “We’re learning as a team every run.
Joe Skibinski | Penske Entertainment
“We’ll just really work on the details the rest of the day. We’ve got the bulk, we’ve got some speed. We’re kind of right in the game there with our teammates Rossi and O’Ward. So that’s a big confidence booster for Kyle. So now we can focus on the details. It’s just getting laps and going through the process. I think the more Kyle can learn, we’ll be faster. If you can make Kyle Larson better, you’ll always be faster.”
A winner in everything from sprint cars to stock cars to dirt late models, Larson is used to hopping into unfamiliar vehicles and ripping off eye-popping laps — but the degree of difficulty is higher this weekend at the Brickyard.
Starting in Friday’s six-hour session and through the end of Sunday afternoonqualifying,the Chevy and Honda engines are outfitted with a turbo boost that puts cars on the cusp of challenging the track qualifying record of 236.986 mph set by two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk in 1996.
While traveling more than he ever has in nearly three decades of racing cars, Larson is also being asked to manage his car with the precision of a fighter pilot. The Indy 500 pole often comes down to adjustments made at speed. In-car cameras capture drivers furiously mashing buttons and turning knobs on their wheels to control weight distribution and engine mapping that can make the difference in gaining critical tenths of a second.
Larson spent some of Thursday getting acclimated to the machinations of qualifying, but he still felt a little behind the 8-ball. After losing nearly 90 minutes to an engine change, Larson completed only 29 laps (the third-fewest) in a session interrupted by rain (which already had wiped out 11 of a possible14 hours Tuesday and Wednesday).
“Obviously it’s not ideal for them, considering he’s new to IndyCar,” Arrow McLaren teammate Pato O’Ward said after turning the fastest practice lap (228.861 mph)Thursday. “He’s new to basically everything that has to do with the Indy 500 and with the car and everything.But Kyle looks comfortable. I think he’s fine.”
Barring a major mechanical problem or human error, Larson should have no trouble qualifyingfor his Indy 500 debut on May 26, and he might even have a shot at starting in the top four rows (all four Arrow McLaren entries made the top 12 in qualifying).
“I think it’d be pretty neat to make the Fast 12 and then the Fast Six,” he said. “But being a rookie and all that, I don’t know if that’s to be expected, but it would be pretty cool to line up in the front couple rows of the race. I just want to get a good, smooth run in and make the show first. Being the top rookie I guess would be cool in qualifying as well.”
But the work starts all over again Monday when the turbo boost is removed, and the handling is impacted for the race. Larson will have only four more hours — two-hour sessions Monday and Friday — to get comfortable in traffic for 500 miles.
“The intensity level of those two sessions isa lot higherthan probably it is during this week, so it’s a bit more race-like,” Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin said. “I think Kyle’sstill got time to get acclimated. He’s a smart dude. He’s the typeof guy that once he gets into the race,I’m sure if he’s fast enough, he’ll just figure it out and just start picking people off. Guys like that, they’re generational talents, so I think he’ll be just fine.”
Chris Owens | Penske Entertainment
Defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden also has confidence in Larson being a fast learner.
“My intuition tells me that he’s in a great spot,” Newgarden said. “He’s in a good team. He’s got good teammates. He’s got great historical data. They had strong cars last year. He’s had enormous practice as far as what you need to do as a race car driver to implement yourself into a system.
“The other thing,too,is the typical transfer happens better from NASCAR to (IndyCar)because you do get so much mileage. You wouldn’t get this in the NASCAR world,so even the limited (practice) is more than what he’s used to,so I think he’s going to be just fine.”
Campe said Larson benefited from making 54 laps Wednesday.
“In probably the worst traffic we would see during the race. So he got a taste of that. And then Monday and Friday, we’ll have a better idea where we’ll start. That’ll really dictate where we put himin traffic so they can really dial in the balance of the car.”
And in between all of that, Larson will be dialing in his No. 5 Chevrolet at North Wilkesboro Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway the next two weeks.
If he qualifies between 13th and 30th (locking into the Indy 500 field but not eligible for the pole), Larson will fly Saturday night to North Carolina and spend Sunday at North Wilkesboro.
If he makes the Fast 12 (or in the very unlikely scenario he’s in the bottom four battling for the final three spots on the 33-car grid at Indy), Larson will spend Sunday morning and afternoon in Indy. Qualifying is scheduled to end by 5:55 p.m. ET, and the Hendrick plane has a wheels-up time of no later than 6:20 p.m. so Larson can take the green flag as the defending winner of the All-Star Race.
“I think I talked to everyone at Hendrick Motorsports before we left (for Indianapolis), wishing us good luck,” Campe said. “And I know they’re tuned in back at the shop. So I know they’re working hard for Wilkesboro and the 600, which is our next big race.
“So a big thank you to Rick (Hendrick) and Jeff (Gordon)and Chad (Knaus) and all the people back atHendrick to let Kyle and I do this and take our focus off of our day jobs to go do this little thing, the Indy 500. We’re super proud to represent everyone at Hendrick Motorsports,and it’s real special. I’m blessed to be able to do it.”
Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA TODAY and for the past 10 years at NBC Sports Digital. He is the host of the NASCAR on NBC Podcast and also has covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.
Ty Gibbs was the fastest driver in Friday’s 50-minute practice session for the NASCAR All-Star Weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway, with a speed of 124.001 mph.
Ryan Blaney (123.790 mph), Christopher Bell (123.558 mph), Chase Elliott (123.301 mph) and Bubba Wallace (123.261 mph) rounded out the top five.
Denny Hamlin (123.146 mph), Kyle Busch (123.119 mph), Josh Berry (123.065 mph), Corey LaJoie (123.045 mph) and Daniel Suárez (123.038 mph) completed the top 10.
For this year’s All-Star Race, Goodyear brought a special, softer compound dubbed the “option tire” to North Wilkesboro, which received positive reviews from the drivers. Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, enjoyed the practice session.
“They (Goodyear) nailed it with this one,” Hamlin said. “It’s a great tire, great lap time variation between the two tires. And also just the ability to pass with it, the difference of speed between the cars. So, as you’re seeing now, guys are searching for new pavement to try to get grip because they don’t want to be in the rubber. Because it is kind of slick. Really, really fun right now. This is like back to the old short track days.”
