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.
It’s only midway through May, and William Byron is on pace to shatter many of his best single-season marks, including already setting a NASCAR Cup Series career high with three wins — all in just the first 13 races of the season.
Though they each have very different backgrounds and journeys to the top level of stock car racing, the 25-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver might still be years ahead of his prime and has a nearly identical career arc with a two-time Cup Series champion, currently one of the best drivers in the sport and one of the 75 Greatest Drivers of all time — Joey Logano.
One of the most highly touted prospects in the modern era, Logano burst onto the premier series scene at 18, collecting his first full-time schedule one year later with high expectations at Joe Gibbs Racing. Byron, a sim-racing superstar, wasn’t far behind when he introduced himself at 20 years old and joined Hendrick Motorsports to take over the legendary No. 24, made famous by NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon.
Each had two very different paths to success, but through their first 193 starts in the Cup Series, their numbers are incredibly similar.
Take a look.
Joey Logano
William Byron
Starts
193
193
Poles
8
10
Wins
5
7
Runner-up finishes
2
5
Top-five finishes
32
32
Top-10 finishes
65
69
Laps led
1,044
2,201
Average finish
17.66
16.26
Throughout the time frame, Byron has more Busch Light Pole Awards, victories, runner-up finishes, top-10 finishes and significantly more laps led. And sure, it’s hard to compare a driver’s success in a different era under vastly different circumstances, but the numbers show that Byron is already leaving his mark at a phenomenal pace.
Since his debut in 2018, Byron has been a significant piece of the talented young stable at Hendrick Motorsports, featuring Cup Series champions Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott and seven-time Cup Series winner Alex Bowman. But by leading the series with three victories — winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway and Darlington Raceway — Byron is on the verge of a breakout campaign and finally has a chance to flash his talent at the forefront.
And it’s clear that his early accomplishments are putting the series on notice. Even Kyle Busch had to chime in on the rising star’s “rare talent.”
Although there is still a long way to go in the season, the win at Phoenix, specifically, bodes well for the team moving forward. After all, it is the site of the championship race. A race Byron and the No. 24 team fell just six positions short of contending in a year ago, finishing seventh at Martinsville Speedway and sixth in the final series standings.
If he could pull off the feat, unseating reigning champion Joey Logano and collecting his first Bill France Cup, it would be a remarkable, full-circle moment given how tightly both careers — at least by the numbers — have begun.
Both drivers have a break from regular points-paying racing Sunday at North Wilkesboro Speedway for the annual All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). With a hefty $1 million on the line, Byron is searching for his first All-Star Race victory and Logano his second, after winning the prize in 2016 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Statistics for the table were provided by Racing Insights.
Festivities at Darlington Raceway brought about the usual throwback-oriented flavors commonplace for the much-anticipated race weekend, and Kevin Harvick certainly partook. As captain of the No. 4 Sunny Delight Ford, Harvick not only wheeled out a runner-up finish but additionally helped pay homage to a scheme originally scheduled for his Cup Series debut in 2001 as a 25-year-old.
After announcing his retirement from the Cup Series after the 2023 season, honoring the past will continue to be the underlying theme for the now 47-year-old driver this weekend leading up to Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). This time around, Harvick will switch out the light blue and gray livery that usually adorns the No. 4 for the white-and-red stylized No. 29 that he flew during that same 2001 campaign.
The number’s revival brings back long-lasting memories for not only Harvick but for the entire sport. After Dale Earnhardt’s death in the Daytona 500, Harvick moved into Earnhardt’s role, with Richard Childress Racing changing the car number from the iconic No. 3 to the No. 29. After his 14th-place finish at Rockingham Speedway in his official Cup debut on Feb. 26, 2001, Harvick went on to collect his first of two wins that season two weeks later at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the same scheme being honored this weekend.
A pair of wins, coupled with six top fives, 16 top 10s and 374 laps led, eventually netted Harvick a ninth-place finish in the standings and a Rookie of the Year Award triumph.
Even after joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 – the same year he won the Cup Series championship – Harvick wished to return to his roots in some form or fashion. And so, the idea of driving the No. 29 – the number planted on his RCR machine for 13 seasons – came to fruition.
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) May 16, 2023
“Everything that started in my Cup career started at RCR. It wasn’t supposed to start in the 29, but it wound up being my first in the 29 after Dale’s death,” Harvick said in a release provided by the team. “And to be able to put that car back out on the race track is something that we all thought would not ever happen again. But with Stewart-Haas Racing and Richard Childress Racing working together and making my crazy idea work out and being able to see the first win paint scheme in the 29 and to have it on the race track at North Wilkesboro is something I think we’re all excited about. I know the fans are excited, but for us, it’s an honor and a privilege to drive it one last time. It will be a fun night for all of us.”
Of course, every idea starts on a drawing board somewhere. On the surface, such an idea of reviving the number sounded far-fetched. With RCR and Stewart-Haas being under the Chevrolet and Ford umbrella, respectively, the pickle certainly looked significant on paper.
When Harvick pitched his request during his retirement meeting, that notion remained.
Until it didn’t, that is.
“It was really simple. We started the retirement planning at Stewart-Haas Racing and working through things, and we got done with what I believe was the second meeting, and I said, ‘Hey, by the way, I want to drive the 29 car at the All-Star Race,’” Harvick said. “And they all kind of looked at me and were like, ‘You serious?’ Everybody kind of slept on it and talked about it in the next couple of days, and nobody said no. So we went back to the next meeting, and I said, ‘What about the 29 car? Do you guys think we can pull that off?’ They said, ‘Somebody’s going to have to call Richard.’
“I said I would call Richard, so I called Richard Childress and said, ‘Hey, we want to drive the 29 car at North Wilkesboro and run the first win paint scheme.’ And he said, ‘Kevin, you can have whatever you want. Do whatever you want. You’ve been great for RCR, and we’d love to work with you guys to figure it out.’ And they all figured it out, and here we are.”
And so, the occasion comes for one last drive at not only a historic venue but at an event Harvick has a knack for showing out in. In addition to winning the All-Star Race twice (2007, 2019), Harvick has seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in 22 total All-Star Races. Since his 2001 debut, Harvick has been a part of every All-Star Race and is the only active driver to say as such. His 23rd All-Star Race appearance Sunday will also mark the most among all active drivers.
“I don’t know the last time the All-Star Race was the most anticipated event of the season,” Harvick said. “Fans are going to show up in droves. North Wilkesboro is a great short track, the asphalt’s worn out and I think it’s going to be a fantastic event.”
As he prepares for his All-Star swan song, Harvick will look to do the usual – lead laps, attempt a winning move or two and potentially cement another victory to his already-abundant trophy shelf.
But perhaps most importantly, Harvick will look to make one more go behind the No. 29 wheel a memorable one, like so many times before.
“Well, I think it’s going to be strange just climbing into it, right? For me, there’s a huge sense of pride in being able to be a part of something like this with both organizations,” Harvick said. “Going back in time and doing everything that weekend in the 29 car is something I’m really excited about. And I think when you go out on the race track, the fans will be in the same boat. As you go by the first time, people are going to be, like, ‘I can’t believe that actually happened.’”
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Just 10 days before Charlotte Motor Speedway kicks off Memorial Day Weekend with three straight days of action-packed racing, the speedway hosted Aric Almirola for its final Mission 600 visit of the season, a day with Marines from the 2D LAR (Light Armor Reconnaissance) Battalion at Camp Lejeune.
Mission 600 is a campaign that pairs NASCAR drivers with military bases, designed to educate the NASCAR community about the day-to-day lives of the men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and to build meaningful connections between the worlds of motorsports and the military.
Almirola, along with Charlotte Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Greg Walter, flew in an MV-22 Osprey, participated in a tire-changing demonstration, learned about a variety of weapons systems and fired an M242 Bushmaster from an LAV (Light Armored Vehicle). Almirola also served lunch to dozens of Marines, courtesy of Smithfield.
“Such a humbling experience for me to come and spend time with all these men and women,” Almirola said. “They volunteer to keep our country free, and they get up every morning and go to work with one objective – to make sure that me and you walk out of our front door every morning and that we’re safe. And it is amazing to have this opportunity and come spend the day with them and to show them our appreciation.”
The LAR battalion performs combined arms reconnaissance and security missions in support of the ground combat element. Its mission is to conduct reconnaissance; security and economy of force operations; and, within its capabilities, limited offensive or defensive operations that exploit the unit’s mobility and firepower.
“What’s really cool is this the appreciation that the Marines have and understanding where they came from,” Walter said. “And then there was this appreciation of just the smiles. You have athletes like Aric out here. Everyone’s in peak condition. Everyone’s training to be their best, both with their equipment as well as personally. And to see those conversations happening is exactly what we want from Mission 600.”
Mission 600 serves as a prelude to Charlotte Motor Speedway’s patriotic pre-race salute to the troops prior to the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend. With representation from all six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, the salute embodies the patriotism and service of the nation’s men and women in uniform.
For Dale Earnhardt Jr., this is nothing new. The NASCAR Hall of Famer competed in a Late Model race at North Wilkesboro Speedway last year, when the CARS Tour visited the revived venue for the first time.
But for Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick and many more NASCAR stars, this week’s Late Model races at North Wilkesboro Speedway as part of NASCAR All-Star Week are brand-new opportunities to compete on the historic, 0.625-mile oval.
Both the ASA STARS National Tour race (ECMD 150; Wednesday, 9:45 p.m. ET on FloRacing) and the CARS Tour races (Crossroads Harley-Davidson 75 and Window World 125; 5:45 p.m. ET on FloRacing) will feature big NASCAR names on the entry lists.
In addition to Earnhardt, Elliott and Harvick, Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Erik Jones, Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson, Daniel Suarez and many more NASCAR national series drivers will race Late Models on either Tuesday or Wednesday evening.
The complete list of NASCAR drivers racing in late model events at North Wilkesboro Speedway during NASCAR All-Star Week can be found below, as can information on how to watch both nights on FloRacing.
North Wilkesboro Speedway Late Model races: TV channel, live stream
Tuesday’s ASA STARS National Tour race was postponed to Wednesday due to weather in North Wilkesboro. That and the CARS Tour races will be shown live on FloRacing, NASCAR’s streaming home for grassroots racing. None of the Late Model action during NASCAR All-Star Week will broadcast on TV.
Below is the complete live stream schedule for the Late Model races on Wednesday of NASCAR All-Star Week.
Date
Race
Start time
How to watch
Wednesday, May 17
Crossroads Harley-Davidson 75 (CARS Tour Pro Late Models)
How to watch Dale Earnhardt Jr. race at North Wilkesboro in 2023
As was the case last year, when he finished third in the main event, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is entered in the Late Model Stock portion of Wednesday night’s CARS Tour show at North Wilkesboro.
The Late Model Stock feature is the second of two CARS Tour races Wednesday. Both will be shown live on FloRacing. Earnhardt’s race is expected to begin at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET.
Earnhardt recently recalled how last year’s Late Model Stock race at North Wilkesboro felt, and he expects a similar scene in 2023.
“Everybody was just so happy to be there, and as soon as the cars started rolling, everybody was like, you know, sort of this surreal moment where you’re thinking, ‘Man, I can’t believe that this is happening,’” Earnhardt said. “And I was thinking that in the car and after the race, and I’m like, ‘I just can’t believe that we actually raced here, and that we had such a great turnout, and we had such great energy.’ And everybody, even all the drivers, competitors are just so happy to be part of it.
“And I think that it’s just going to multiply when we go there for the All-Star Week, and when we’re all standing there, all of us here, when we’re standing there, for that race to begin, that moment is going to happen for all of us. We’re going to be like, ‘I never thought this would happen. I can’t believe this is actually about to happen.'”
NASCAR drivers racing Late Models against Dale Earnhardt Jr. at North Wilkesboro in 2023
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is just one of several famous NASCAR names on the entry lists for the Late Model races at North Wilkesboro for All-Star Week. Many are current NASCAR national series competitors who want practice ahead of the week’s Craftsman Truck Series or Cup Series action; others simply want chances to run Late Models at an historic facility.
Including Earnhardt, below are the NASCAR national series drivers entered to race in the three Late Model features scheduled at North Wilkesboro.
North Wilkesboro Speedway Late Model races: Schedule for NASCAR All-Star Week
FloRacing‘s coverage of Late Model action on Wednesday at North Wilkesboro begins at 11:40 a.m. ET. Meaning fans can watch qualifying ahead of the CARS Tour feature races.
Including the qualifying and race start times on Wednesday, below is the updated schedule for Late Models at North Wilkesboro.
Wednesday, May 17
NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway: TV channel, schedule
The Late Model races on Tuesday and Wednesday of NASCAR All-Star Week will precede a packed schedule of national series action at North Wilkesboro.
The action continues with All-Star Friday on Friday, May 19, when both the NASCAR Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series will practice ahead of a Pit Crew Challenge for Cup teams that will set the starting lineup for Saturday night’s qualifying heat races.
Saturday, May 20 will feature the Craftsman Truck Series race, the Tyson 250. The Truck race will broadcast live on Fox starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. Following the Truck race Saturday will be the pair of 60-lap qualifying heats for the Cup Series.
The capper for NASCAR All-Star Week at North Wilkesboro on Sunday, May 21 will be both the All-Star Open and the All-Star race for the Cup Series. Both the Open (5:30 p.m. ET) and the race (8 p.m. ET) will broadcast live on FS1.
Below is the complete TV schedule for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Cup Series at North Wilkesboro in 2023.
Friday, May 19
Series
Time
Event
TV channel (Radio)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
3:05 p.m. ET
Practice
FS1
NASCAR Cup Series
4 p.m. ET
Practice
FS1 (MRN, SiriusXM)
NASCAR Cup Series
5:45 p.m. ET
Qualifying (All-Star Pit-Crew Challenge)
FS1 (MRN, SiriusXM)
Saturday, May 20
Series
Time
Event
TV channel (Radio)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
10:30 a.m. ET
Qualifying
FS1
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
1:30 p.m. ET
Tyson 250
FOX (MRN, SiriusXM)
NASCAR Cup Series
7:35 p.m. ET
All-Star Race Heat No. 1
FS1 (MRN, SiriusXM)
NASCAR Cup Series
8:15 p.m. ET
All-Star Race Heat No. 2
FS1 (MRN, SiriusXM)
Sunday, May 21
Series
Time
Event
TV channel (Radio)
NASCAR Cup Series
5:30 p.m. ET
All-Star Open
FS1 (MRN, SiriusXM)
NASCAR Cup Series
8 p.m. ET
All-Star Race
FS1 (MRN, SiriusXM)
NASCAR recently announced the format for the 2023 All-Star race at North Wilkesboro. The winningest NASCAR Cup Series drivers in North Wilkesboro Speedway history, Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip will serve as co-Grand Marshals.
