To say the least, the return of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to North Wilkesboro Speedway has attracted a stacked field.
NASCAR Cup Series regulars Kyle Larson, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain will be preparing for Sunday’s All-Star Race by competing in Saturday’s Tyson 250 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Chastain, who has four career Truck Series wins to his credit, would like nothing better than to collect another victory at the venerable track.
“It’s going to be a historic weekend with NASCAR returning to North Wilkesboro Speedway,” Chastain said. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to run the No. 41 WWEX Racing Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports and get as many laps as possible at this bucket-list track.”
Truck Series points leader and reigning champion Zane Smith, however, is equally motivated.
“There are races that you really want to win,” Smith said. “This is certainly one of them. It’s really cool to have the sport come back to such a historic track and make history come alive again.”
If momentum matters, Christian Eckes has to be highlighted as a potential winner. The McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver picked up his second victory of the season last weekend at another track steeped in the lore of the sport—Darlington.
“There’s so much history at Wilkesboro, and it’d be awesome to join that list of winners, too,” Eckes said. “Tire management is going to be the big key to getting it done this weekend.
“Whoever can keep the tires under them the best is probably going to come out on top, so we’ll try to do everything we can to save tires and be up front at the end.”
With the weather forecast calling for consistent rain Saturday, series officials made the call to move the fourth race of the 2023 season back one day.
The race will now start at 2:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 21. As originally programmed, FloRacing will show live coverage of the Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200.
Preceding Sunday afternoon’s race will be a 45-minute practice session for the Mods starting at 11:15 a.m. ET, followed by two-lap, single-car qualifying at 1:30 p.m. ET.
The entry list for Sunday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race can be found here.
The complete updated schedule for Sunday’s events at Riverhead is below.
Dressed from head to toe – from camouflage cap to steel point boot – in military fatigues; patches sown at her chest and a prideful smile on her face, Martha Nemechek stood alongside her son Joe Nemechek’s Army-sponsored Chevrolet on the NASCAR Cup Series starting grid each race during his 2003-06 tenure racing with the military branch as team sponsor.
A long line of soldiers – generals, captains and enlisted men and women – surrounded the team on pit road for photos every week. Happiness and gratitude abounded. That was something Martha Nemechek always ensured.
Equipped with a military strength heart, Martha made it her mission to make sure the service members had a top-rank day at the race track. Always. Little did they fully realize the impact their happiness had on her too. Then and now.
“When Joe first started running the Army car, I thought, hmmm, I’ve got to find something that I can go to the races with,’’ said Nemechek, 83. “So, I went to the Army Surplus store and found pants, a shirt, the fatigues and I already had the drill sergeant hat. So, I dressed up and I didn’t tell Joe what I was going to do until I got down there to the track.
“I surprised him,’’ she said with a laugh. “And he said, ‘gee mom. Why are you dressed like that?’
“And at the time, there were generals there. Not only that, at Daytona especially, there were a lot of service people there from the Army. So at Joe’s hauler, I had lots of food, I fed them. I talked to them and told them about Joe. It was such a pleasure to meet them. And Joe would always smile and say, ‘yeah, that’s my mom.’ “
Joe Nemechek, a four-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner and the 1992 NASCAR Busch Grand National (now Xfinity Series) champion, chuckles recalling those days. But there is unmistakable pride in his voice. He knows his mom made a real and lasting impact on people’s lives.
“It did catch me by surprise,’’ he said of seeing her dressed in her military fatigues the first time. “I was like, ‘what in the world?’ And then all the folks – anybody that was there, even generals – they just started sending her all kinds of stuff for her to wear. It was crazy.
“But she fit right in perfectly and she loved doing it.’’
Her grandson, John Hunter Nemechek, 25, the current NASCAR Xfinity Series championship points leader has a vivid memory of his grandmother’s effect during that time in his father Joe’s career.
“It was very, very neat to be able to walk with her down pit road while she was wearing the fatigues and how many people that she knew,“ John Hunter Nemechek recalled. “It was absolutely insane, but it’s really, really neat to be able to go back and look at the photo books that she has and being able to talk about certain memories.
“I mean, there’s things that I know that I was there for and have experienced and then there’s a whole other experience that they’ll start telling stories about just from looking at a couple pictures. So being able to see all of that and know how much effort that she has put into that and her heart and her soul into it to support my dad and myself and my Uncle John was really, really special. And just to have her around is really great.”
Interestingly, for all the support the Nemecheks have offered to military servicemen and women, no one in the immediate family had ever served in the military at that time.
However, Martha Nemechek’s own form of service was as vital as it was unique. Many soldiers the team hosted trackside were longtime and enthusiastic NASCAR fans getting the opportunity to attend their first race. Many others were new to the sport, the race diversion a crucial boost to their spirit after combat.
A behind-the-scenes garage tour and a hearty homemade pre-race meal was typically just the beginning of Nemechek’s care for the servicemen and women she met. She could command a room and her sincere concern and appreciation for their work also extended to those that she never got a chance to meet.
Jamie Squire | Getty Images
“I would take Joe’s hero cards and I would take all kinds of stuff I had made up for our fan club with me and give it to the soldiers,’’ Nemechek recalled. “And I would give them my [business] card, my name, phone number, where I lived and Joe’s card too. I carried it with me.
“They must have thought I was in the Army,’’ she said with a laugh.
Unquestionably, Nemechek was a special force – as much for her work away from the race track as at it. She cared deeply and was affected by the stories the servicemen and women would share. The sponsorship had become more than just a corporate partnership, it was a calling. She worried about those who were overcoming psychological trauma and those having to adjust to a new physical reality perhaps with prosthetic limbs. She worried about their families and the devout Catholic prayed daily for their safety.
Almost immediately, the Army sponsorship was about way more than how Joe finished in a race.
“A lot of times, I would return the [soldiers’] emails at night,’’ Nemechek said. “My husband went to bed at 9 or 9:30 so I was on the internet after – up until 3 o’clock in the morning sometimes – and I told them, if you ever get out of the hospital and want to come to a race, you let me know. I will clear it for you to come to a race and I will show you around and tell you about NASCAR.
“And so it was very, very good for me to go and help Joe. And of course, he would talk to them and take time with them.”
The result was relationships that have endured time. What started out as enthusiasm and support for her oldest son’s NASCAR racing sponsor, became a sentimental outlet for Nemechek – a chance to give back and provide impact.
“There’s generals that my grandmother met during that time period and they still talk to this day,’’ John Hunter Nemechek said. “They email back and forth, text back and forth. They’re still in contact, which is absolutely amazing. And a part of this, she had pins on. She’s famous for her hearts as well.
“Always had hearts on and always wearing a patch in memory of John Nemechek as well ’’ John Hunter Nemechek said of his uncle and namesake, John who died of injuries suffered in a 1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.
The consideration – the strength and appreciation – Nemechek has shared with the thousands of service members in the decades since Nemechek’s corporate relationship with the Army has come back to her multi-fold. Some of those same people she motivated through injury and despair have helped sustain her as she has triumphantly battled cancer over the last two years. She is currently in remission.
And not surprisingly, her great spirit undeterred.
“Whatever she does, she is, what I call, ‘all in,’ “Joe Nemechek said. “That [sponsor relationship] had to deal with people and she’s a people person. So it was exactly right down her line and she could really relate to that. ‘’
“She’s genuine. And dealing with the Army and the folks there, it’s so easy, when you’re a people person and you love talking to folks and associating with them. It was and it is special.
“We back all the military. We back all the police. We back the folks that keep us safe and give us our freedoms and that was special to her and to me.
Want to feel old? The last time the NASCAR Cup Series raced at North Wilkesboro Speedway, seven active full-time drivers in NASCAR’s top flight weren’t yet born, including three-time 2023 winner William Byron.
Before the festivities begin for Sunday’s All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), let’s take a gander at the format for the signature event along with trends to watch, tire info and interactive ways to follow all the action this weekend.
A handful of events will lead into Sunday’s primetime main event.
On Friday, the Pit Crew Challenge will be held to set the starting lineups for the two heat races and the All-Star Open. The goal is simple: the quicker the stop, the higher up the driver’s starting position will be for the heat races or the Open. The 21 teams already locked into Sunday’s main event will compete in Saturday’s heat races while the rest of the field will look to make the All-Star Race through Sunday’s Open.
To add extra incentive for teams, the race team with the fastest pit stop Friday will collect a $100,000 bonus.
The two heat races on Saturday will set the starting lineup of the 21 cars already locked into the All-Star Race. They will each consist of 60 laps with Heat No. 1 setting the inside row and Heat No. 2 setting the outside row.
An action-packed Sunday kicks off with the 100-lap All-Star Open where the 16 teams not locked into the main event will compete for two transfer spots that will go to the two highest finishers in the race. A third transfer spot will go to the Fan Vote for a driver that didn’t already lock in through the race.
Finally, the 200-lap All-Star Race will highlight the triumphant return to the historic North Carolina short track. Twenty-four drivers will vie for bragging rights and the $1 million payday. There will be one “All-Star Caution” at or around Lap 100. After that point, only one more set of new “sticker” tires can be used to the checkered flag.
Goodyear brings the tire setup from Phoenix and Richmond earlier this season to the All-Star Race. Teams will have two sets for practice. There will be two sets distributed for the heat races and the All-Star Open. Four sets of tires will be allocated to each team for the 200-lap All-Star Race.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members’ eligibility to participate in other series.
NOTE: Following Darlington, the No. 43 team will lose crew members Nate McBride and Adam Riley for the next two regular-season Cup Series events after the Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet driven by Erik Jones lost a wheel on track last Sunday.
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There’s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.
NASCAR Mobile has now added support for fans to “Follow the Race” and access live leaderboard and race information from Live Activities in the current app release (v13.2.0), available now. Android users, we didn’t forget you — the same functionality has been custom-built for Android devices, as well.
How to access Live Activities on iPhones:
Make sure your iOS device has been updated to 16.1 or higher.
Available on the leaderboard of all NASCAR Series races.
Click on the three-dot menu near the top right of screen.
Select “Follow the Race.”
Swipe up to access the home screen and you will see the Live Activities at the top.
Lock the device and you will see Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
To turn off, simply visit the leaderboard, click the three-dot menu and “Unfollow the Race.”
ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week, in-car cameras will be available.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
NASCAR penalized four Craftsman Truck Series teams on Thursday morning, all for the same violation from the past two race weekends at Darlington Raceway and Kansas Speedway.
Each of the four teams was discovered to have violated NASCAR Rule Book Sections 14.2.3.3.1 B&C: Driver’s Window Net, a safety penalty.
A driver’s window net must meet the SFI 27.1 specification and display a valid SFI 27.1 label. This SFI specification means that the window net has been tested to meet the minimum standards for safety.
Additionally, window nets must not be used beyond two years from the date it was manufactured.
For the Darlington infractions, the Nos. 46 and 47 Toyotas of G2G Racing, driven by Brennan Poole (36th) and Dawson Cram (35th), respectively, were found to have violated the rule book. Crew chiefs Timothy Silva (No. 46) and Daniel Killius (No. 47) were each fined $5,000 and each team has been assessed with the loss of 25 points.
For Kansas, the Nos. 12 and 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolets of Spencer Boyd (26th) and Nick Leitz (21st), respectively, were hit with the infraction penalties. As a result, crew chiefs Bradley Means (No. 12) and Joseph Lax (No. 20) were each fined $5,000 and both teams incurred a 25-point penalty.
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Since the turn of the decade, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen has built an impressive reputation in Late Model Stock competition.
Three championships at his home track of Virginia’s Langley Speedway, along with victories in crown jewel races like the Hampton Heat, the South Carolina 400 and the Battle of the Stars, have established Queen as perennial threat for the win each time he straps into his familiar No. 03 Oldskool Video Games Toyota.
Yet of all the accomplishments Queen has accumulated in his career to date, he admitted winning at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway in a field consisting of NASCAR legends like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski will easily be one of his most cherished.
“As a driver, you dream of winning races like Martinsville, Hampton Heat and the Thanksgiving Classic. This race is one of those,” Queen said. “It might be bigger, honestly. They said you can make a drink in [the trophy]. Where else can you get that?”
Despite having the best car in a stacked field, Queen never once believed the Window World 125 was in his control until the final moments.
Queen remembered how a faulty hood derailed a potential top-five finish in the CARS Tour’s inaugural trip to North Wilkesboro in August. As the laps dwindled, he was mentally preparing himself for a late-race caution while simultaneously doing everything he needed to pull away from the rest of the pack.
Any doubts Queen had about his circumstances were erased when he saw the checkered flag fly in front of his windshield. The victory validated Queen’s assurance in his driving talent along with the decision to commit to the CARS Tour full-time in 2023.
Lee Pulliam, one of the southeast’s greatest Late Model Stock drivers and a four-time NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion, provided Queen the opportunity to branch out from Langley and test his luck against past CARS Tour champions like Carson Kvapil, Bobby McCarty and Deac McCaskill.
The venture was a daunting one for Queen, but he was more than willing to bet on himself and show his efficiency extended far beyond Hampton, Virginia.
“I’m here to showcase on a more national level,” Queen said. “The CARS Tour is the toughest competition in the country for Late Model Stocks, and to beat the best, you have to race in this series. Wins are so hard to get, and you don’t know when you’ll get another one.
“We let one get away at Florence [Motor Speedway], but I’d give up a regular race to win [North] Wilkesboro every day of the week.”
Queen considers himself grateful he will always be able to reflect on a perfect weekend at North Wilkesboro that also saw him break the track record with a time of 19.125 seconds in qualifying. But he made sure to give Pulliam plenty of credit for how everything turned out.
Having already won a CARS Tour race at Langley driving in his family-owned equipment, Queen had every reason to believe he could repeatedly replicate that performance in cars prepared by Pulliam while also leaning on him to perfect his race craft.
The knowledge Pulliam has provided to Queen proved to be invaluable when it came to closing out a win at North Wilkesboro on Wednesday.
Brenden Queen cruises to victory at North Wilkesboro Speedway driving for Lee Pulliam, who won four NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series titles during his career. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)
“I came to Lee knowing what it took while not being the youngest cup of tea,” Queen said. “I’m still young enough to make it in this sport, but I wasn’t a 15-year-old kid coming in with no Late Model experience. That helped the learning curve, but Lee is so good at giving you cars for these types of races and giving you tips.
“No matter how many races I win, every time I strap in and run laps, I’m learning, so whenever you can learn from someone who has won more races than he remembers running is something you can’t take away.”
As Queen took the slow-but-joyous ride up a lift to North Wilkesboro’s iconic Victory Lane, he admitted to having never seen Pulliam that jubilant after a win.
Similar emotions were shared by Queen as he reflected on the efforts by Earnhardt Jr. and so many others to revitalize a track that had been mostly dormant and deteriorating since its last NASCAR race back in 1996.
With a full schedule at North Wilkesboro ahead that includes the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race on Sunday evening, Queen knew how significant a Late Model Stock victory could be toward propelling his career forward with a top-tier NASCAR organization.
Although he currently does not know if his North Wilkesboro win will yield such a chance, Queen intends to stay focused on the races in front of him so he can keep building a reputation as one of the best short-track drivers in the country.
“There’s so many eyes on this race,” Queen said. “You have to win these races to get your name in the hat, but we got the pedal down to try and make opportunities happen. I think this is a step in the right direction, because this is a race we wanted to win.
“Not many people can say they went toe-to-toe with the Cup guys and win at the Late Model level.”
The grind does not slow down for Queen after North Wilkesboro, as he departed the historic facility to shift his focus over to dirt-track racing.
Any chance for Queen to race and learn more about himself only creates more openings to bolster his growing short-track resume.
Downtown Chicago is beginning to bustle more and more as summer nears, and the addition of a street-circuit race will only make the allure of the “Windy City” that much more intriguing to race fans and city-goers alike. With the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series slated to participate in Chicago Street Race Weekend (July 1-2), excitement is certainly in the air as the sport races on the street for the first time in its history.
“Spring has sprung in Chicago, so the park is looking absolutely amazing right now, which is fun to see it come to life,” Giese told NASCAR.com. “Just looking ahead to race weekend, everything is coming together really well. Great planning meetings with the city of Chicago, they’ve been tremendous partners to us alongside the sport’s commission, and I think there is a lot of excitement about the very first street race for NASCAR.”
Giese’s prior experience certainly helped smooth the transition. From her recent time as track president at Phoenix Raceway, Giese helped oversee a $178 million modernization effort to the 1-mile Arizona track. The state-of-the-art transition, in turn, helped pave the way toward the track hosting its first NASCAR Championship Weekend in 2020. Phoenix has hosted the season finale since, with 2023 being the fourth consecutive year as championship host, with last year’s Cup sellout — the fourth in a row — further cementing the positive transformation.
Lessons learned while president at Phoenix have been instrumental in implementing Giese’s vision in Chicago.
“I think, for me, it’s making sure that we provide experiences for everybody, so the Chicago Street Race really is an opportunity for us to introduce NASCAR to a whole new audience, but I think what I learned down in Phoenix is making sure you find that blend,” Giese said.
“We still want our avid, longtime fans to participate and be part of it, and so as we’re creating that experience in and around the park, that we have those experiences that our avid, longtime ticket holders or race fans are used to, but also then creating new experiences that are going to drive interest for the new fans thinking about those concerts with The Chainsmokers and Miranda Lambert, Black Crowes and Charlie Crockett. Just being really thoughtful and intentional about the type of experiences we are providing.”
From the get-go, Griese has emphasized connecting NASCAR with the city of Chicago, whether through engagement with youth programs to supporting local businesses. Giese’s relocation to Chicago in November — and subsequent opening of a NASCAR office there in November — has only helped drive the goal of connecting with the community in as many ways as possible.
To Giese, this includes getting the younger generations involved.
“For us, being a good member of the community and a good partner to the city of Chicago is a huge priority, and that really is what drove the announcements that we’ve done, a lot of the different programs,” Giese said. “Whether it is with Chicago Public Schools, After School Matters, All Kids Bike, being a good member, giving back where we can, and for us, that’s a huge opportunity to introduce youth to NASCAR.
“You don’t always grow up racing a car or a kart. There are so many ways that everyone can be involved and find a career in NASCAR. I think that is what has been really fun about the STEM/STEAM programs with Chicago Public Schools is educating the youth on the ways that you can be involved in NASCAR. Whether it’s an engineer or mechanic, graphic artist, I’m thinking about the STEAM curriculum, so that’s been really fun, and I think it’s been eye-opening for a lot of the students.”
As the months begin to wind down to mere weeks, Giese’s main goals revolve around continuing to build interest and “over-communicating” to local residents and businesses about what to expect. And with the first-ever running on a street course fast approaching, the giddiness is well-earned.
From the community imprint to the historical impact, both the racing fan and track president in Giese is more than ready to see the newfound street circuit come to life.
“This sport has been around for 75 years, and to be just a small part of something that has never been done before, it’s hard to find those things,” Giese said. “We’ve done a lot in those 75 years, to be part of the very first street race, to truly make history for our sport, is incredibly special.”
The Xfinity Series will race in The Loop 121 on July 1 (5 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), while the Cup circuit will race in the Grant Park 220 on July 2 (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
While both drivers experienced their fair share of late-race adversity, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. reaped the rewards from their quick pit crews last weekend at Darlington Raceway.
Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing crew dished out the single fastest four-tire pit stop of the Throwback Weekend, completing service on the SunnyD Ford in 9.576 seconds, according to Racing Insights. Their quick work kept Harvick in the hunt all day, and despite receiving damage in the penultimate crash of the afternoon, the team rallied for a season-best second-place finish, its second since Harvick’s most recent win (Richmond, August 2022).
The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team behind Truex, however, was unstoppable for most of the afternoon. The crew of front changer Lee Cunningham, carrier CJ Bailey, rear changer Danny Olszowy, jackman Caleb Dirks and fueler Matthew Tyrrell posted the best average four-tire stop of the afternoon, netting out at 10.162 seconds over the course of their afternoon.
David Jensen | Getty Images
That speedy performance helped keep the No. 19 Toyota out front to lead a race-high 145 of 295 laps after Truex’s pole performance in Saturday’s qualifying session. Truex’s finish, however, didn’t match the incredible run. A collision with Joey Logano in Turns 1 and 2 at Lap 281 triggered a multi-car crash, ending the No. 19 team’s day and relegating it to a 31st-place finish.
Truex’s fiercest competitor of the day was none other than Ross Chastain, who he bounced off of in Turns 3 and 4 while fighting for the Stage 2 victory. Chastain was another benefactor of a fast pit crew Sunday afternoon, leading 93 laps of the Goodyear 400 thanks in part to those quick stops.
A steady Sunday at Darlington led Chastain’s No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team to vault past William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports crew for the top spot in the year-long best average four-tire pit stop standings, now holding a series-best average of 11.088 seconds.
On a downslide, however, is the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing pit crew for driver Chase Briscoe. The crew ranked second in the season average rankings following the April 16 race at 11.282 seconds. In the last month — a stretch of four races — the No. 14 team has slid to 14th at 11.577 seconds after Darlington.
It all adds up to Friday night’s NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge presented by Mechanix Wear at North Wilkesboro Speedway ahead of Sunday night’s All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Each team will perform a four-tire pit stop to determine the starting lineup for Saturday night’s heat races and the All-Star Open for the 16 teams not yet locked into the All-Star Race. The winning race team will additionally be awarded a $100,000 bonus for completing the fastest stop Friday night.
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. – Before NASCAR’s brightest stars take center stage in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the sport’s fastest pit crews will own the spotlight on Friday night.
Speedway officials announced a new name for the pit crew competition, now known as the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge presented by Mechanix Wear. Harkening back to NASCAR’s popular pit crew challenges of the 1980s and 1990s, the high-octane, Friday-night pit road spectacle will consist of each team performing a four-tire pit stop with no fuel.
The results of the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge presented by Mechanix Wear will determine the lineups for Saturday’s All-Star heat races, as well as the All-Star Open on Sunday. Friday night’s event at North Wilkesboro Speedway will have a dramatic impact on the NASCAR Cup Series action all weekend.
For more than 25 years, Mechanix Wear has provided hand and knee protection to NASCAR and NASCAR teams. These partnerships have allowed the brand to test, develop, and improve products. Many of the innovations developed in NASCAR have made their way to consumer and commercial glove applications.
“Mechanix Wear is committed to providing high-performance work gloves with unmatched protection,” said Mechanix Wear Marketing Director Shawn Douphner. “Having been born in racing, we understand the demands of motorsports and have designed products to meet those challenges head-on.
“It was an obvious fit for our brand to be a part of this event, allowing us to help spotlight and champion these athletes who work with their hands and are so critical to the success of this sport.”
The NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge presented by Mechanix Wear is preceded on Friday by the first official practice sessions of NASCAR weekend with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series scheduled on track at 3:05 p.m. and the NASCAR Cup Series scheduled for 4:05 p.m. At 5:45 p.m., the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge takes place and will broadcast on FS1, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. All-Star Friday presented by Raymer Oil will conclude Friday evening with concerts by country music superstars Midland and Chase Rice in the North Wilkesboro Speedway Fan Zone starting at 7 p.m.
