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.”
The 2025 event — scheduled for May 18, 2025 — will mark the 41st All-Star Race in NASCAR history with prior hosts being Charlotte Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.
Kyle Larson is the defending winner of the All-Star Race and seeks his third victory in the event on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) adjacent to his efforts to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will also return to North Wilkesboro in 2025 for a Saturday-night showdown prior to Sunday’s main event.
Throughout the 2024 NASCAR season, Ken Martin, director of historical content for the sanctioning body, will offer his suggestions on which historical races fans should watch from the NASCAR Classics library in preparation for each upcoming race weekend.
Martin has worked exclusively for NASCAR since 2008 but has been involved with the sport since 1982, overseeing various projects. He has worked in the broadcast booth for hundreds of races, assisting the broadcast team with different tasks. This includes calculating the “points as they run” for the historic 1992 finale, the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The following suggestions are Ken’s picks to watch before this weekend’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The beginning of the 1987 NASCAR Cup Series season was dominated by Dale Earnhardt in historic fashion.
If not for mechanical issues while dominating the race at Atlanta, Earnhardt would have eight consecutive victories on his already legendary list of accomplishments.
He won at Rockingham and Richmond before his issues at Atlanta. The Kannapolis, North Carolina driver backed that up with four straight wins at Darlington, North Wilkesboro, Bristol and Martinsville.
Earnhardt entered the All-Star Race at Charlotte with a 220-point lead in the season standings over Daytona 500 winner, Bill Elliott.
The entry criteria included winners from the 1986 and 1987 seasons, the winner of the 1986 All-Star event, plus the winneeeeeeeer of the All-Star Open.
Four additional drivers were added to the field since it did not meet the 19-driver threshold. Cale Yarborough, Harry Gant, Richard Petty, and Greg Sacks were eligible via this change, as they were the four most recent drivers not yet eligible for the event, to have a points paying victory.
Buddy Baker advanced to the main event, thanks to a victory in the Open.
The first two segments of the All-Star Race went to Elliott, who seemingly had the fastest car of the day. The two early triumphs brought home a combined $75,000 for the Dawsonville, Georgia star.
Early on in the race, the polarizing duo of Earnhardt and Geoff Bodine had a run-in on the track, that left Earnhardt with some minimal damage.
It wasn’t a surprise that the race for the victory came down to those three drivers, as the beginning of the third and final segment started with fireworks that had a lasting impact.
Contact off the restart saw Bodine go around after racing for the lead with Elliott and put Earnhardt in the lead, as the race was yellow-flagged.
Once the green flag waved, Earnhardt looked to be in control until Elliott closed back in. The move, which is heralded as the “Pass in the Grass,” occurred on the frontstretch.
Elliott closed in on the back of the blue and yellow No. 3 car, as Earnhardt laid a block on Elliott to stay out front. Elliott took a strong run out of the fourth turn and put his front bumper to Earnhardt’s car, sending him sliding through the grass, before coming back onto the track right in front of Elliott in thrilling fashion.
The two drivers continued their battle, door slamming on the track before Elliott’s chance at victory ended with a cut tire.
Earnhardt held off Terry Labonte and Tim Richmond to capture the victory. Following the race, Elliott let Earnhardt know he wasn’t pleased with the action on the track by pulling up alongside of Earnhardt on the cool-down lap.
Elliott was visibly frustrated during his post-race interview. He pointed out all of the things that he said Earnhardt did from his point-of-view and said that it needed to stop.
Earnhardt, Elliott and Bodine were all fined by NASCAR for their involvement in the incidents.
Charlotte Motor Speedway’s new state-of-the-art light system was on full display for the first time as the NASCAR Cup Series raced the All-Star Race under the lights for the first time in event history.
The event was comprised of 20 drivers, with race-winning drivers and owners from the 1991 and 1992 seasons, the top-two finishers from the Open and former Cup Series champions filling the field.
The biggest surprise to the field was Dave Mader, who was eligible for the event because he was driving the No. 9 car for Melling Racing that Bill Elliott won with the previous season. This stipulation also allowed Morgan Shepherd in the race, thanks to a Dale Jarrett win for the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing team in 1991.
Flashbulbs illuminated the Charlotte night sky, as drivers took to the track for the main event. The 20-car field stopped at the start finish line for a historic photo, before taking a few pace laps in preparation for the event.
It should come as no surprise as the event was full of just about everything, as they raced under a full moon.
The final lap of the race saw Earnhardt and Kyle Petty battling for the lead, before contact between the two sent Earnhardt around, ending his chance at the win.
This allowed Davey Allison to close in on Petty, as the two drivers raced side-by-side to the checkered flag. Allison crossed the line first, but the two cars made contact, which sent Allison hard into the wall and required him to be cut from his No. 28 Robert Yates Racing Ford.
Allison was transported to a local hospital and admitted with a concussion, a bruised lung and bruised legs.
North Wilkesboro Speedway sat dormant from the NASCAR Cup Series schedule since 1996 and many believed that the historic facility was slowly fading into oblivion, but that was not the case.
To the surprise of just about everyone, the venue opened back up and the Cup Series All-Star Race, as well as a Craftsman Truck Series event, were added to the schedule for the 2023 season.
The historic buzz around the events could be felt from the moment the announcement of its impending return was made official, so it was no surprise that the venue was sold out for the annual All-Star Race.
The field for the main event was made up of race winners from the 2022 and 2023 seasons, full-time former series champions, former All-Star Race winners, the two top finishers from the Open and the winner of the fan vote.
An ever-popular event also made a return of sorts, as a pit crew competition set the field for both the Open and the main event.
Josh Berry, who was subbing in the No. 48 car for an injured Alex Bowman, and Ty Gibbs advanced to the main from the open race, while Noah Gragson captured the All-Star Fan Vote.
Daniel Suárez led the 24-car field to the green flag for the main event, in a scene that most in attendance never believed would ever happen after the near 28-year absence from the series schedule.
It was the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports car of Kyle Larson who stole the show. He led 145 of the race’s 200 laps en route to the checkered flag.
The victory was somewhat of a throwback, as Hendrick Motorsports swept the final two races of the 1996 season at the track. Terry Labonte piloted the No. 5 car and won in April, while Jeff Gordon won the somber finale at North Wilkesboro in September.
23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick finished second and third, while a pair of Chase’s, Briscoe and Elliott, rounded out the top five.
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
You can watch these three races and hundreds more by visiting NASCAR Classics.
Eddie Gossage, a race promoter known for bold creative ideas and an unwavering passion for motorsports, died Thursday at the age of 65. His longtime employer Speedway Motorsports confirmed his passing.
“Today we have lost one of the world’s biggest race fans,” Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith said in a press release. “From his legendary promotions to the lasting relationships he developed throughout the sports and entertainment industries, Eddie Gossage meant so much to the world of motorsports. On behalf of our Speedway Motorsports teammates across the country, our hearts go out to his many friends and his beloved family.
“We are praying for his wife, Melinda, daughter Jessica, son Dustin and daughter-in-law Lauren during this trying time as well as his grandchildren Lyra, Evelyn and Oliver. We know the children were the light of his life.
“Eddie’s career spanned 32 years promoting major events at Charlotte Motor Speedway and supporting my father, Bruton, with the iconic showplace that is Texas Motor Speedway,” Smith added. “His impact in our sport will be felt for many years to come. We repeat one of Eddie’s favorite sayings often: ‘If we don’t make a big deal out of it, nobody else will.’ He lived that mantra every day at work developing creative publicity stunts, pre-race shows and over-the-top entertainment.”
Gossage’s passing comes on the eve of the 40th NASCAR All-Star Race weekend. One of the first major races he ever promoted was the 1992 NASCAR All-Star Race, known then as The Winston and marketed as ‘One Hot Night.’ The event, held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was the first-ever NASCAR night race at a superspeedway.
“Eddie Gossage was a consummate promoter whose outside-the-box ideas helped engage fans across the country,” a NASCAR statement read. “He was truly passionate about motorsports and always looking for the next great idea to bring new fans to the sport and keep them entertained at the racetrack. Our deepest condolences go to Eddie’s family and friends.”
Gossage’s successes at Charlotte, alongside Speedway Motorsports Chairman and Founder Bruton Smith and CMS President and General Manager Humpy Wheeler, paved the way for Gossage to chart his own course at Texas Motor Speedway. When the track was built in 1996, Gossage was named its first general manager. For 25 years, until his retirement in 2021, Gossage hosted major sports and entertainment events, establishing Texas as an iconic venue that welcomed sports fans and entertainment-seekers from around the world.
Gossage excelled in a state where everything is bigger and his personality and promotional flair were popular from the campgrounds to suite level.
As passionate as he was about big events, Gossage also had a tremendous heart for children and the fundraising efforts of the Texas chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities.
“Eddie Gossage was a trailblazer, promoter and innovator at a time when attracting attention was critical as Speedway Motorsports expanded NASCAR into the Lone Star State,” said Texas Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Mark Faber. “Each day I come to work, I see the impact he had throughout our property. Eddie laid a foundation for success to build upon for generations to come and made Texas Motor Speedway a showplace of which Texans will always be proud.”
INDIANAPOLIS — Kyle Larson’s Gasoline Alley garage stall was drawing its usual crowd Thursday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
But this intense group was all business compared to the throngs of festive onlookers usually fixated on the NASCAR Cup Series champion’s every move as he prepares to qualify for his Indianapolis 500 debut.
After a precautionary engine change, Arrow McLaren team members scurried around the No. 17 Dallara-Chevrolet from the minute the IndyCar garage opened at 8 a.m. for an extended practice session starting two hours later.
Larson missed the opening bell but was on track by 11:26 a.m. — making only a few laps before fellow rookie Linus Lundqvist smacked the SAFER barrier at the exit of Turn 2 (the Swedish driver for Chip Ganassi Racing was OK after the hit).
By 2 p.m., Larson still had completed only 11 laps, ranking last on the speed chart among 34 drivers with a best lap at 219.079 mph (because he hadn’t been drafting yet in the traffic that produces much faster speeds).
“We’ve been a little behind,” Larson said. “Just because we got behind, we missed the drafting runs, so now we’re just back to qualifying sims to experience that.”
Matt Fraver | Penske Entertainment
Thursday was the last scheduled practice day this week with race setups. Teams will be given turbo boost Friday, adding 100 horsepower that will bring the average speeds to more than 235 mph during qualifying sessions Saturday and Sunday for the 108th Indy 500.
With the track open for only three hours of practice the past two days because of rain, Larson and his one-off team were left playing catchup as the daunting prospect loomed of a four-lap qualifying run around the 2.5-mile oval.
Described by many as the toughest 10 miles in motorsports, qualifying for the Indy 500 can be like landing a plane in a heavy crosswind. While hanging on at top speeds of 240 mph, drivers are required to push buttons and turn knobs on the wheel as their engineers talk them through adjustments to optimize weight distribution and engine mapping for maximum results.
Though he has practiced on the simulator in GM Motorsports’ Charlotte Technical Center that is adjacent to Hendrick Motorsports in Concord, North Carolina, Larson began focusing on getting acclimated to qualifying Thursday afternoon (albeit without the turbo boost).
“Yeah, I just don’t really know what to expect with the boost and all that, just going through the motions of I guess hitting buttons on our steering wheel and turning knobs and stuff will be interesting,” he said. “It’s been good so far these couple of days. I just need some more laps.
“There’s still a lot left to learn and get comfortable with, but so far I feel like it’s gone pretty smooth for me. Getting some drafting runs in (Wednesday) just to be familiar with everything.”
Larson also is trying to tame the slowest section of the track. He was given a drive-through penalty Wednesday for speeding on pit lane and also has wrestled with some false starts on exit.
“I keep screwing up leaving the pit stall and getting into the anti-stall, so I have to get better on my end there,” he said. “But yeah, just try to keep getting reps so all the little things are more natural and simple for race day.
“I think we’re done with race runs until I’m guessing next week. So yeah, that’s kind of a bummer. I wish I would have got some more time drafting, but I’m guessing Monday (practice) will be some more of that and obviously (Carb Day final practice May 24). So still a lot of opportunity, a lot of hours left to get all that, but you now kind of switch your mindset to qualifying and what that is and what to feel and all that.”
Joe Skibinski | Penske Entertainment
Rain is in the forecast again for Friday, which could limit his exposure to the turbo boost. That will have little impact on the amount of attention he has been garnering as he tries to become the fifth Cup driver to run the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
When practice finally began Wednesday, a few dozen fans were gawking from behind his timing stand while the rest of pit lane was virtually empty.
Indianapolis native Conor Daly, who will be attempting his 11th Indy 500 this year, has noticed the impact that the latest NASCAR crossover is having.
“When I get deep into the comments sections of like my podcasts and stuff, there is a lot of excitement about Kyle Larson,” said Daly, a co-host of the Speed Street podcast for Dirty Mo Media. “I am excited about Kyle Larson. I’ve noticed the most viewed episodes of my podcast are with Kyle Larson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“So NASCAR is so powerful, you need to have some sort of this crossover that’s going to be helpful, right? It’s got to be helpful for us. We have to embrace it.”
The crossover would be amplified if Larson is in the running for the pole position Sunday before heading to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the NASCAR All-Star Race.
The 12 fastest drivers from Saturday’s qualifications will advance to two rounds of Indy 500 pole qualifying Sunday. Arrow McLaren put all four of its Chevys in the Fast 12 last year, and Larson tentatively says that’s the objective.
“The team sent me (a list) since like 2018 of where rookies qualified just to kind of have a goal in mind, I guess, and there really hasn’t been too many rookies to qualify that good,” he said. “If I could make the Fast 12, I think that would be a pretty good accomplishment for us and a pieced-together team.”
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.
