NASCAR announced another shakeup to this year’s Memorial Day weekend events at Charlotte Motor Speedway as the Coca-Cola 600 has been postponed to occur on Monday, May 29, at 3 p.m. ET on FOX.
The news comes amid ongoing precipitation and steady rain that has and will continue to fall for the duration of Sunday, May 28, with no big weather breaks being indicated. This, in turn, will prevent the Coke 600 from starting at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday as initially scheduled, with NASCAR’s longest event on the schedule being postponed to Monday for the first time since 2009.
The news also means that the Coke 600 will occur after the Xfinity Series’ Alsco Uniforms 300 as part of a doubleheader feature on Memorial Day, with the Xfinity event now scheduled to start at 11 a.m. ET on FS1 after being bumped up from noon ET on Monday. The Xfinity event at Charlotte was initially scheduled to occur on Saturday, May 27, at 1 p.m. ET prior to the weather delay. Amid the weather concerns, the event was then bumped up to commence at noon ET on Saturday before the start was delayed amid the precipitation and eventually led to NASCAR to postpone the event to Monday morning.
For the Xfinity Series’ Alsco Uniforms 300, Justin Allgaier will lead the field from pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 181.172 mph in 29.806 seconds during a qualifying session that occurred on Friday, May 26. Joining him on the front row will be John Hunter Nemechek, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 180.246 mph in 29.959 seconds.
When the green flag waves for the Coke 600, William Byron, winner of the previous Cup Series event at Darlington Raceway two weeks ago, will lead the field from pole position. The 25-year-old Byron from Charlotte, North Carolina, was awarded the top starting spot based on a metric formula per the NASCAR Rule Book after the event’s qualifying session that was scheduled to occur on Saturday was canceled due to the steady precipitation. Joining him on the front row will be Kevin Harvick, a two-time Coke 600 winner who will be making his final 600-mile career start.
NASCAR announced changes to the remainder of this weekend’s Memorial Day feature events at Charlotte Motor Speedway due to ongoing inclement weather that has impacted on-track activities for Saturday, May 27.
The Xfinity Series’ Alsco Uniforms 300 that was scheduled to occur today at noon ET on FS1 has been postponed to occur on Monday, May 29, at noon ET. The news comes a day after NASCAR bumped the startup time for the 12th Xfinity event of the 2023 season an hour early from 1 p.m. ET to noon amid the inclement weather and increased rain that will remain persistent for the remainder of the weekend.
When the Xfinity event commences under green, Justin Allgaier will lead the field from pole position after posting a pole-winning qualifying lap at 181.172 mph in 29.806 seconds during the series’ qualifying session on Friday, May 26. Joining him on the front row will be John Hunter Nemechek, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 180.246 mph in 29.959 seconds.
In addition, the Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 practice and qualifying sessions that were originally scheduled to occur after the Xfinity event on Saturday have been canceled. With qualifying canceled, the starting lineup for the Coke 600 at Charlotte will be based on a metric formula per the NASCAR Rule Book system. As a result, William Byron, winner of the previous Cup points-paying event at Darlington Raceway two weeks ago, will lead the field from pole position. He will be joined on the front row with Kevin Harvick, a two-time Coke 600 winner who will be making his final career start in NASCAR’s longest events on the schedule.
The Coke 600 is still scheduled to occur on Sunday, May 28, at 3 p.m. ET on FOX.
A significant milestone start is in the making for Travis Mack, crew chief for Daniel Suarez and the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team in the NASCAR Cup Series. By participating in this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Mack will call his 100th career event as crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Mack’s racing career began as a mechanic for Frank Kimmel’s ARCA Menards Series team before joining Hendrick Motorsports as a shock specialist and front-end mechanic in 2004, where he worked with Jeff Gordon before eventually teaming up with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nine years later, he served as a car chief for JR Motorsports’ No. 7 team and driver Regan Smith in the Xfinity Series before moving over to JRM’s No. 9 team and rookie Chase Elliott for the 2014 season, where the team ended up winning the series championship. Beginning in 2015, he became a car chief for Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team in the Cup circuit.
At Richmond Raceway in September 2017, Mack made his debut as a Cup Series crew chief in an interim role for Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 HMS team after Earnhardt’s regular crew chief, Greg Ives, was suspended due to a lug nut infraction stemming from the previous event at Darlington Raceway. During the event at Richmond and with Mack atop the pit box, Earnhardt Jr. led 13 laps before finishing 13th.
In 2018, Mack was named crew chief for Leavine Family Racing’s No. 95 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry piloted by veteran Kasey Kahne. Following the first 15 events of the 2018 season, however, Mack was replaced by Jon Leonard after the team posted five top-20 results and finished no higher than 17th three times. Mack would return to the Xfinity Series to serve as a crew chief for Michael Annett and the No. 5 JRM team for the remainder of the 2018 season.
In November 2020, Mack, who achieved his first Xfinity victory as a crew chief with Annett at Daytona in February 2019, was named crew chief for the newly formed Trackhouse Racing and driver Daniel Suarez for the 2021 Cup season. Despite being suspended for two of the 26 regular-season events, Mack and Suarez achieved a strong fourth-place run at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course in March along with a total of three top-10 results and nine top-15 results. While they did not make the 2021 Cup Playoffs, the duo proceeded to finish in the top 15 five times throughout the postseason before concluding the season in 25th place in the final standings.
Remaining at Trackhouse Racing and paired with Suarez for the 2022 season, Mack led the No. 99 team to two fourth-place results and a total of four top-10 results through the first 15-scheduled events. Then at Sonoma Raceway in June, Mack achieved his first Cup Series career victory as a crew chief when Suarez led a race-high 47 of 110 laps and notched his first career win in NASCAR’s premier series, thus becoming the first Mexican-born competitor to win a Cup event. To go along with five additional top-10 results for the remainder of the regular-season stretch, Mack and Suarez qualified for the 2022 Cup Playoffs. Despite transferring from the Round of 16 to 12 on the strength of three consecutive top-20 results, the duo missed the cutline to the Round of 8 by a mere margin and after a power steering issue at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October diminished the team’s title hopes. With only a single top-10 result during the final four scheduled events, Mack and Suarez capped off the season in 10th place in the final standings.
This season, Mack, who remains at Trackhouse for a third consecutive season, has led Suarez and the No. 99 team to four top-10 results through the first 13-scheduled events, with their best on-track result being a fourth-place finish at Auto Club Speedway in February. The duo is ranked in 18th place in the driver’s standings and trail the top-16 cutline to make the 2023 Cup Playoffs by 13 points.
Through 99 previous Cup events, Mack has achieved one victory, eight top-five results, 21 top-10 results and 395 laps led while working with three different competitors.
Mack is scheduled to call his 100th Cup Series event as a crew chief in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28. The event is scheduled to commence at 6 p.m. ET on FOX.
NASCAR heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a triple-header schedule of events on Memorial Day weekend. The NASCAR Salutes Together with Coca-Cola program will also be back for the ninth season to pay tribute to the U.S. military members and their families.
The CRAFTSMAN Truck Series competes Friday evening followed by the Xfinity Series on Saturday, culminating with the main event on Sunday with the Cup Series Coca-Cola 600. The ARCA Menards Series will also precede the Truck Series race with the General Tire 150 at 6 p.m. on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Denny Hamlin is the defending winner of the 2022 Coca-Cola 600. Multiple race winners include Jimmie Johnson with eight wins, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick have won three times, and Brad Keselowski has won twice.
JR Motorsports driver, Josh Berry, is the defending Xfinity Series race winner and is hoping to score his first checkered flag of the season. But, it may be a difficult feat to accomplish as there have been 10 different winners at Charlotte in the previous 10 races.
Austin Dillon was the last repeat winner, winning both races in 2015, followed by Denny Hamlin (2016), Joey Logano (2016), Ryan Blaney (2017), Alex Bowman (2017), Brad Keselowski (2018), Tyler Reddick (2019), Kyle Busch (2020), Ty Gibbs (2021) and Josh Berry (2022).
The 20 previous Truck Series races at Charlotte have produced 11 different race winners. Kyle Busch leads all drivers with eight trophies and has won seven out of the last 13 races.
NASCAR Press Pass will be available after the Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series races.
All times are Eastern.
Friday, May 26
11:40 a.m.: ARCA Practice – No TV 12:40 a.m.: ARCA Qualifying – No TV 1:35 p.m.: Truck Series Practice – FS1 2:05 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying – FS1 3:35 p.m.: Xfinity Practice – FS1 4:05 p.m.: Xfinity Qualifying – FS1
6 p.m.: ARCA General Tire 150 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
8:30 p.m.: Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 FS1/MRN/SiriusXM Distance: 201 miles (134 Laps) Stages end on Lap 30, Lap 60 and Lap 134 The Purse: $767,542
Saturday, May 27
Noon: Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 300 – Postponedto Monday, May 29 at Noon FS1/PRN/SiriusXM Distance: 300 miles (200 Laps) Stage 1 ends on Lap 45, Stage 2 ends on Lap 90, Final Stage ends on Lap 200 The Purse: $1,317,391
7:05 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1/PRN/SiriusXM – Canceled 7:50 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – FS1/PRN/SiriusXM – Canceled
Sunday, May 28
6 p.m.: Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 FOX/PRN/SiriusXM Distance: 600 miles (400 Laps) Stage 1 ends on Lap 100, Stage 2 ends on Lap 200, Stage 3 ends on Lap 300, Final Stage ends on Lap 400 The Purse: $9,421,275
As 2026 F1 regulations will boost electrical power by three times, Honda enters F1 with a new partner.
Honda will hone its e-motor and battery technologies through new F1 challenges and feed them back to mass production.
TOKYO, May 24, 2023 – (JCN Newswire) – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced plans to participate in the FIA(1) Formula One World Championship (F1) from the 2026 season as a power unit supplier. Honda has agreed to enter into a works partnership with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team to supply power units compliant with the new F1 power unit regulations which will take effect in the 2026 season.
In pursuit of its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, starting from the 2026 season, F1 will implement new regulations with an engine/electric motor maximum power output ratio of 50/50. This will represent a significant increase in the deployment of electrical power compared to the current ratio(2), while use of a 100% sustainable fuel is also required.
Specifically, the 2026 regulations require a reduction of engine output while tripling the output of the energy recovery system (ERS), which recovers kinetic energy under certain situations such as braking, and converts it into electrical energy. This will result in maximum power output that is roughly even between the engine and motor.
These changes in F1 power unit regulations are consistent with the direction Honda has been taking toward the realization of carbon neutrality. Working to these regulations will have profound significance in terms of providing Honda important opportunities to pursue the development of future technologies toward that direction. Based on this belief, Honda made the decision to take on a new challenge in F1 racing.
The Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), which has become responsible for both auto and motorcycle motorsports activities since 2022, will assume responsibility for the development of power units, race participation and the management for F1 racing as well.
Comment of Toshihiro Mibe, Global CEO of Honda “One of the key reasons for our decision to take up the new challenge in F1 is that the world’s pinnacle form of racing is striving to become a sustainable racing series, which is in line with the direction Honda is aiming toward carbon neutrality, and it will become a platform which will facilitate the development of our electrification technologies.
Honda is a company that has a history of growing by taking on challenges and winning world-class races. With the new 2026 regulations, the key for winning will be a compact, lightweight, and high-power electric motor with a high-performance battery capable of handling high and swift power output, as well as the energy management technology. We believe that the technologies and know-how gained from this new challenge can potentially be applied directly to our future mass production electric vehicles, such as an electric flagship sports model, and electrification technologies in various areas, including eVTOL which is currently under research and development.
Honda and our new partner, the Aston Martin F1 Team, share the same sincere attitude and determination to win, so starting with the 2026 season, we will work together and strive for the Championship title as Aston Martin Aramco Honda.
Honda has the utmost respect for the FIA, which made a bold decision to introduce these new and challenging regulations to ensure the sustainability of both racing activities and the global environment, and for the Formula One Group(3), which has been enhancing the brand value of F1 and ensuring F1’s evolvement as the most prestigious automobile racing in the world.”
Comment of Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team “I would like to welcome Honda and HRC to the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team. We share a mutual drive, determination, and relentless ambition to succeed on track. Honda is a global titan and its success in motorsport is longstanding and incredibly impressive. I would like to thank Mr. Mibe and Mr. Watanabe, and the whole team at HRC as we embark on this exciting future together from 2026.”
Comment of Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation “In the midst of major changes in our business and the motorsports environment leading toward the transition to a carbon neutral society, we have re-established HRC as an optimal platform to sustain and further evolve motorsport activities as a Honda strength. We will establish sustainable operational structures for our racing activities and continue to deliver more dreams and excitement for motorsports fans all around the world.”
Comment of Martin Whitmarsh, Group CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies “I have been fortunate in my career to work with Honda over the years and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with HRC and the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team from 2026. The new 2026 F1 power unit regulations are a huge and important change but one which we are confident we can navigate successfully together. Jointly with our strategic partner Aramco, we can look forward to open collaboration towards a common goal. Our future works partnership with Honda is one of the last parts of the jigsaw puzzle slotting into place for Aston Martin’s ambitious plans in Formula One. Finally, I would like to pay tribute to our current power unit supplier who we will continue to partner with for the next few seasons.”
(1) Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (2) Under the current 2023 regulations, the required ratio of electric motor contribution to power output is slightly less than 20%. (3) The Formula One Group is an organization consisting of multiple companies responsible for the entire commercial field of F1 racing, including Formula One Administration (FOA) responsible for exercising of F1’s commercial rights and Formula One Management (FOM) responsible for promotional and marketing activities for F1.
Honda’s Participation in F1 Racing
1964 – 1968 Participated as an “all Honda” team responsible for both the engine and chassis, marking Honda’s first victory at the Mexican Grand Prix in 1965
1983 – 1992 Participated as an engine supplier
1986: Won the Constructors’ Championship title as Williams Honda
1987: Won both Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles
1988-1991: Won both Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles for four consecutive years as McLaren Honda
2000 – 2005 Participated as an engine supplier and joint developer of the chassis for BAR Honda
2006 – 2008 Participated as an “all Honda” team responsible for both engine and chassis
2015 – 2017 Participated as a power unit supplier. Supplied the power unit to McLaren team
2018- Started supplying power units to Toro Rosso (currently, Scuderia Alpha Tauri)
2019- Started supplying power units to Red Bull Racing
2021 Max Verstappen won the Drivers’ Championship title for Red Bull Racing Honda Honda Concluded F1 participation
2022 HRC began providing technical support to Red Bull Powertrains Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen won both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles
About Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team
Location: Silverstone, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
Team Principal: Mike Krack
First F1 race: 2021
The legendary Aston Martin marque first raced in Formula One in 1959 and returned to the sport in 2021 under the leadership of Canadian entrepreneur Lawrence Stroll. With a team of passionate people at its heart, and a talented squad of drivers – including double World Champion Fernando Alonso and Canada’s Lance Stroll – this is a team with both a rich heritage and a fresh perspective. Alongside collaborative and strategic partners, the Silverstone-based team is bringing new energy to the sport with a determination to shake up the order and compete at the sharp end.
From an early speeding penalty to cashing in a million dollars in NASCAR’s revival of one of the sport’s oldest venues, Kyle Larson cruised to a dominant victory in the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on Sunday, May 21.
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, led two times for a race-high 145 of 200-scheduled laps in a weekend where he started 16th out of the 24-car field and rallied from speeding on pit road during a caution period past the Lap 15 mark to methodically carve his way through the field. After assuming the lead from pole-sitter Daniel Suarez on Lap 55 of 200, Larson never looked back as he also retained the lead during a 90-lap shootout to beat runner-up Bubba Wallace by more than four seconds and win the All-Star Race for the third time in his career.
The starting lineup for the main event was determined through a Pit Crew Challenge that occurred on Friday, May 19, two 60-lap heat events. with the drivers’ qualifying time determined based on their respective crew’s pit stop time through a four-tire pit stop and the timing lines being established one box behind and ahead of the designated pit box. The teams who delivered the fastest pit services would enable their respective entries to start towards the front of two All-Star Heat Races comprising 60 laps that occurred on Saturday, May 20, and that set the official starting lineup for the All-Star event.
At the conclusion of both events, Daniel Suarez, whose No. 99 Trackhouse Racing pit crew executed a fast pit stop service in 13.297 during the Pit Crew Challenge that put him on the pole for the first Heat Race, earned the pole position for the main feature after winning the first Heat. Joining him on the front row was Chris Buescher, whose No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing pit crew delivered a pit stop service in 13.381 seconds that enabled him to start on the pole for the second Heat Race and carried forth to the driver winning.
Suarez and Buescher were among 21 competitors to have earned a spot for the 2023 All-Star Race by virtue of winning a Cup Series points race between 2022-23 or being a former Cup and All-Star Race winner. The eligibility list included Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones.
The eligible competitors were joined by Josh Berry and rookie Ty Gibbs, both of whom transferred to the All-Star Race after finishing first and second, respectively, during the All-Star Open. The 24th and final starting spot went to rookie Noah Gragson, who was named the Fan Vote winner.
When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Suarez launched ahead with a strong start on the inside lane followed by Joey Logano and Chase Briscoe while Buescher, who started on the front row, struggled to launch on the outside lane, though he managed to draw even against Briscoe for third. As the field battled amid two lanes, Suarez managed to cycle back to the frontstretch with a clear view and lead the first lap.
During the second lap, Suarez retained the lead ahead of Logano followed by Briscoe and Christopher Bell while Buescher was struggling to transition from the outside to the inside lane for grip as he was locked in a tight battle against Denny Hamlin for fifth place. Buescher, however, would continue to lose more spots through Turns 3 and 4 as William Byron and Ryan Blaney overtook him. As the 24-car field settled in a long single-file formation, Suarez retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over Logano by the fifth lap.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Suarez was leading by four-tenths of a second over Logano followed by Hamlin, Byron and Briscoe while Blaney, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and Bell were in the top 10. Behind, Buescher dropped to 11th ahead of Kevin Harvick, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. while Ty Gibbs, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson and Tyler Reddick trailed behind within the 24-car field.
Five laps later, the first caution of the event flew when Stenhouse, who slid up the track between Turns 3 and 4 and was trying to transition from the outside to the inside lane, got hit by Erik Jones as he spun his No. 47 Kroger/Coca-Cola Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 around in Turn 4 before proceeding without sustaining any significant damage. During the first caution period, names like Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Wallace, Larson, Berry, Gragson, Reddick and Stenhouse pitted while the rest led by Suarez remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Larson was penalized for speeding on pit road.
When the race restarted under green on Lap 20, Suarez and Briscoe dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Suarez managed to peek ahead on the inside lane in his No. 99 Trackhouse Motorplex Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and retain the lead. Behind, Briscoe and Hamlin battled for second as Briscoe was trying to transition back to the inside lane. Despite losing spots to Hamlin and Logano, Briscoe managed to settle in fourth place in front of Elliott on the inside lane as the field behind fanned out to multiple lanes.
At the Lap 30 mark, Suarez was leading by over a tenth of a second over a hard-charging Hamlin followed by Logano, Briscoe and Elliott while Byron, Truex, Blaney, Keselowski and Buescher were running single file in the top 10. Behind, Gragson moved up to 11th ahead of Berry, Bell, Larson and Erik Jones while Reddick, Wallace, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch and Harvick trailed in the top 20.
Ten laps later, Suarez continued to lead by two-tenths of a second over Hamlin while Logano, Briscoe and Elliott remained in the top five. Behind, Larson carved his way up to eighth on fresh tires behind Byron and Truex while Bell, Kyle Busch and Harvick were mired from 18th to 20th, respectively. In addition, Chastain was back in 21st while Cindric, Gibbs and Stenhouse were stuck from 22nd to 24th, respectively.
Through the first 50 scheduled laps, Suarez stabilized his advantage to four-tenths of a second over Hamlin followed by Logano while Larson was up in fourth place. Briscoe fell back to fifth ahead of Elliott, Truex and Buescher while Byron and Blaney were scored in the top 10.
Five laps later, Larson, who overtook Hamlin and Logano earlier, made his move on the frontstretch beneath Suarez as he rocketed his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead. Larson started to pull away on fresh tires as he was scored as the leader by more than a second-and-a-half over Suarez at the Lap 60 mark. Behind, Logano overtook Hamlin for third while Briscoe was in fifth ahead of Elliott, Buescher, Truex, Blaney and Erik Jones.
Shortly after, Byron and Kyle Busch pitted under green, a move that dropped both competitors out of the lead lap category, as Larson remained as the leader by more than two seconds over runner-up Suarez and more than three seconds over third-place Logano.
At the Lap 75 mark, Larson extended his advantage by six seconds over Suarez as Logano, Hamlin and Briscoe remained in the top five. Behind, Elliott retained sixth ahead of Buescher while Wallace and Blaney moved up to eighth and ninth in front of Truex and Reddick. By then, Larson was also starting to approach Harvick and Keselowski to lap both former Cup champions while Cindric and Stenhouse were also lapped.
Just past the Lap 90 mark, Larson continued to lead by more than 11 seconds over Suarez while Wallace moved his No. 23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota TRD Camry up to third. Logano was back in fourth followed by Briscoe, Reddick and Hamlin while Elliott, Buescher and Blaney were running in the top 10. By then, 16 of 24 competitors were scored on the lead lap.
When the competition caution period flew on Lap 100, which marked the halfway point of the event, Larson had retained a commanding lead over Wallace, who overtook Suarez for the runner-up spot four laps earlier. By then, 16 of 24 competitors were still scored on the lead lap, none of which included Truex, Byron, Gragson, Harvick, Keselowski, Cindric, Kyle Busch and Stenhouse.
During the competition caution period, the lead lap competitors led by Larson pitted. Following the pit stops, Larson retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Wallace, Suarez, Reddick, Briscoe and Elliott. Amid the pit stops, Chastain, who exited pit road seventh, was penalized for speeding on pit road. Logano and Bell were also penalized for uncontrolled tire violations.
When the race resumed under green flag conditions with 90 laps remaining, Larson retained the lead on the inside lane as he took off followed by Wallace as Suarez battled Reddick for third. Reddick would then bump Suarez to assume third place as the field jostled for positions.
With 75 laps remaining, Larson was leading by more than a second over Wallace while third-place Reddick trailed by more than two seconds in his No. 45 Beast Unleashed Toyota TRD Camry. Suarez retained fourth as he too trailed by more than two seconds followed by Buescher while Elliott, Briscoe, Blaney, Erik Jones and Ty Gibbs were scored in the top 10. By then, names that included Harvick, Byron, Keselowski, Cindric, Kyle Busch, Gragson and Stenhouse were not scored on the lead lap category.
Down to the final 60 laps of the event, Larson extended his advantage to more than two seconds over runner-up Wallace while Reddick, Suarez and Buescher remained in the top five. Larson would continue to extend his advantage to three seconds over Wallace with 50 laps remaining and more than four seconds with 40 laps remaining.
With 25 laps remaining, Larson stabilized his advantage to more than three-and-a-half seconds over Wallace followed by Reddick as Briscoe carved his No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang up to fourth ahead of Elliott. Behind, Suarez was back in sixth ahead of Blaney while Buescher, Erik Jones and Gibbs remained in the top 10. Meanwhile, Logano was in 11th ahead of Hamlin, Chastain, Bell, and Truex while Berry, Austin Dillon, Harvick, Keselowski and Byron were strapped in the top 20.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Larson continued to lead by more than four seconds over Wallace while both third-place Reddick and fourth-place Briscoe trailed by more than seven seconds. Larson would stabilize his advantage to over four seconds over Wallace as the event reached its final five-lap mark.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson remained as the leader by more than three seconds over Wallace. Despite dealing with lapped traffic for the majority of his dominant run in the second half of the event, Larson was able to smoothly cycle his way around the short circuit for a final time and back to the frontstretch as he streaked across the finish line to claim his third checkered flag in the All-Star Race.
With the victory, Larson notched his third All-Star career victory overall and in his previous four All-Star starts as he became the first competitor to win the All-Star Race in three different venues (North Wilkesboro Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway). He joined Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt as competitors to win the All-Star Race three times. He also recorded the 11th All-Star Race victory for Hendrick Motorsports and the 21st for Chevrolet while becoming the first competitor to win a Cup Series event at North Wilkesboro Speedway since Gordon won the last points-paying event at the track in September 1996.
As an added bonus, Larson’s All-Star victory capped off a weekend sweep after he won Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series event at North Wilkesboro while driving for Spire Motorsports.
Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.
“I can’t even tell you what [the win] means,” Larson said on FS1. “This is my third All-Star win at my third different track. At a historical place like this. You guys in the crowd made this weekend so awesome. We could feel the atmosphere all weekend. So much fun there. That was old-school ass-whoppin’, for sure. We had a great car on the long run there. I was just thinking that, for sure, there was gonna be a caution, right? I got out to a big lead. I could see everybody’s cars were driving like crap in front of me, but I cannot thank this No. 5 team enough. We were God-awful all weekend. Obviously, I had some strategy work out there at the beginning, but we drove from dead last to the lead and checked out by 12 or 13 seconds, and then I could just pace myself there that last run. What an amazing car. Everything that my car did bad on Friday and Saturday did great today.”
Wallace, who started 10th, retained the runner-up spot he acquired towards the end of the first half of the event as his second-place finish marked his career-best result in his third start in the All-Star event. Wallace’s 23XI Racing teammate Reddick rallied from starting 20th to finish third and notch his best result in his second All-Star career start.
“[Larson’s] capability throughout the whole run [made the difference],” Wallace said. “He could attack hard and then have something there at the end. If this was any other race, I’d be excited, but it’s for a million dollars, you come up short and walk home with nothing. Tail tucked between our legs, but all in all, just continuing to ride the momentum train. I wanna get [sponsor] Columbia in Victory Lane. We come up one spot short, so congrats to Larson. He’s been on a rail lately, so just have to keep it going. Now, we show back up to home turf and really got to keep the momentum going there and get ourselves deeper in the Playoffs here. Excited to be where we’re at right now. Just come up one spot short.”
“[I] Just needed a little bit on the balance, but the Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry TRD was really fast,” Reddick added. “I made a mistake earlier in the race back in the first 100 laps and let Kyle [Larson] squeeze by and he really mowed through traffic. We lined up, obviously, behind him on that restart and we could kind of stay in touch, but he was able to just keep far enough away. Honestly, a good, solid car. I had more left in the tank than I thought. [I] Wished I could have that back, but solid effort by our guys and our team. We stumbled a little bit in the Pit Crew Challenge and started deep, but we were able to claw our way through it.”
Briscoe charged his way to a strong fourth-place finish followed by Elliott while Blaney, Suarez, Erik Jones, Ty Gibbs and Logano capped off their runs in the top 10.
Notably, Kevin Harvick finished 18th in his 23rd and final career All-Star Race. In addition, Hamlin ended up 13th in between teammates Bell and Truex, Josh Berry finished 15th while subbing the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the injured Alex Bowman, Buescher fell back to 16th, Keselowski settled in 19th in front of Byron and Kyle Busch concluded his long night in 22nd.
There were three lead changes for two different leaders. The race featured two cautions for 13 laps. While all 24 starters finished the event, 12 finished on the lead lap.
Results:
1. Kyle Larson, 145 laps led
2. Bubba Wallace
3. Tyler Reddick
4. Chase Briscoe
5. Chase Elliott
6. Ryan Blaney
7. Daniel Suarez, 55 laps led
8. Erik Jones
9. Ty Gibbs
10. Joey Logano
11. Ross Chastain
12. Christopher Bell
13. Denny Hamlin, one lap down
14. Martin Truex Jr., one lap down
15. Josh Berry, one lap down
16. Chris Buescher, one lap down
17. Austin Dillon, one lap down
18. Kevin Harvick, two laps down
19. Brad Keselowski, two laps down
20. William Byron, two laps down
21. Austin Cindric, two laps down
22. Kyle Busch, two laps down
23. Noah Gragson, three laps down
24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., four laps down
Next on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the 64th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, May 28, during Memorial Day weekend at 6 p.m. ET on FOX.
Josh Berry along with rookies Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson completed the starting grid for the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race after all three transferred from the NASCAR All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 21.
Berry and Gibbs, both of whom started on the front row for the Open, raced their way into the main event after finishing first and second, respectively, during the Open while Gragson was revealed as the Fan Vote winner after rallying from a multi-car wreck to finish seventh on the track, thus claiming the final spot of the 24-car grid for the All-Star event that will follow suit.
The starting lineup for the event was determined through the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge that occurred on Friday, May 20, with the drivers’ qualifying time determined based on their respective crew’s pit stop time through a four-tire pit stop and the timing lines being established one box behind and ahead of the designated pit box.
Following the Pit Crew Challenge, rookie Ty Gibbs was awarded the pole position after his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew delivered the fastest pit stop overall at 13.012 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Josh Berry, an interim competitor for the injured Alex Bowman whose No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports pit crew posted a fast pit stop service at 13.677 seconds.
When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Ty Gibbs launched ahead in his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota TRD Camry with the lead on the inside lane as Michael McDowell made a bold three-wide move to the outside of the field as he tried to launch forward through Turns 1 and 2. McDowell, however, lost grip just as he cracked the top five and slipped back into the top 10 as Gibbs proceeded to lead the first lap. Behind, Berry maintained second in front of Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie, Todd Gilliland and Aric Almirola while McDowell fell back to seventh.
Through the first five scheduled laps, Gibbs was leading by nearly nine-tenths of a second over Berry, who had Haley closing in for second place while Todd Gilliland and Aric Almirola were running in the top five. Gibbs then extended his advantage to more than a second as the event surpassed its Lap 10 mark.
At the Lap 20 mark, Gibbs continued to extend his advantage by more than two seconds over Berry while third-place Haley trailed by more than three seconds. Almirola moved up in fourth followed by Gilliland while Harrison Burton, McDowell, Chandler Smith, Ryan Preece and AJ Allmendinger were in the top 10. Behind, Ryan Newman was in 11th while rookie Noah Gragson, Corey LaJoie, Josh Bilicki, JJ Yeley and Ty Dillon rounded out the field of 16 competitors currently running on the track.
By Lap 30, Gibbs retained the lead by more than three seconds over Berry while Almirola overtook Haley for third place. Behind, Gilliland retained fifth ahead of teammate McDowell and Burton while Chandler Smith, Preece and Allmendinger occupied the rest of the top 10 on the track.
When the competition caution flew on Lap 40, Gibbs had maintained the lead by more than three seconds over Berry while Almirola, Haley, Gilliland, McDowell, Allmendinger, Burton, Chandler and Newman were in the top 10. By then, Ty Dillon was lapped, but he received the free pass to cycle back on the lead lap.
During the competition caution period, the entire field led by Gibbs pitted for fresh tires, fuel and adjustments. Following the pit stops, Berry assumed the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Gibbs, Almirola, Gragson, Haley and Gilliland. Amid the pit stops, Harrison Burton, who exited pit road in eighth place, only opted to have his rear tires changed on his No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Ford Mustang.
When the race restarted on Lap 47, Berry and Haley dueled for the lead as the field fanned out and battled in tight formation through the first two turns and the backstretch. During the following lap, however, Berry managed to pull ahead and assume the lead with a clear racetrack followed by Gibbs and Almirola while Haley fell back to fourth in front of McDowell.
Two laps later, the caution returned when Gragson, who was running sixth and ran into the rear of McDowell entering Turn 1, went too low and hit the inside wall before his No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 shot back across the track and into the path of Gilliland as Gragson collided into the Turn 1 outside wall head-on along with Gilliland as Chandler Smith, Allmendinger and Newman were also collected. As Chandler Smith and Gilliand retired, Gragson managed to continue along with Allmendinger and Newman.
With the race restarting with 44 laps remaining, Haley challenged Berry for the lead on the outside lane while McDowell battled Gibbs for third place. Not long after, however, the caution quickly returned when McDowell, who tried to move in front of Gibbs for third place through Turns 3 and 4, got squeezed by Gibbs as he then made contact with Haley for second as both competitors went up the track and slapped the outside wall in Turn 4 hard.
During the following restart with 37 laps remaining, Berry and Almirola battled dead even for the lead until Berry muscled ahead on the inside lane. Behind, Almirola, who was stuck on the outside lane, was overtaken by Gibbs for second as Almirola tried to fend off teammate Preece and Allmendinger for more.
With 32 laps remaining, Gibbs reassumed the lead from Berry as Preece started to challenge Berry for second. In the midst of the battles at the front, Allmendinger and Almirola joined the battle in fourth and fifth while JJ Yeley and Gragson trailed behind in sixth and seventh.
Then with 23 laps remaining, Gibbs, who had maintained a steady lead over Berry through the backstretch, got held up and ran towards the apron by McDowell’s No. 34 Fr8Auctions Ford Mustang through Turns 1 and 2 before he then got shoved towards the inside wall through Turns 3 and 4 as McDowell expressed his on-track frustration to Gibbs over the late contact that eliminated McDowell and Haley from contention. This allowed Berry to reassume the lead in his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 through the frontstretch while Gibbs managed to fend off Almirola for second place. In the process, McDowell, who lost a lap for repairs during the initial caution period, went two laps down.
With less than 20 laps remaining, Berry was leading by three-tenths of a second over Gibbs and Almirola while Preece and Allmendinger remained in the top five.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Berry, who lapped McDowell for a third time, continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over Gibbs with Almirola trailing by a second and trying to close in on Gibbs for a transfer spot to the All-Star Race.
With five laps remaining, Berry maintained the lead by more than a second over Gibbs as third-place Almirola cut his deficit to Gibbs by less than three-tenths of a second. Meanwhile, Preece and Allmendinger trailed the leaders by four seconds while Yeley maintained sixth as he trailed by more than eight seconds.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Berry remained as the leader by six-tenths over Gibbs as Almirola tried to ignite a final lap charge in his No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang on Gibbs for second through Turn 1. Almirola, however, could not execute the pass or bump on Gibbs to gain the spot as Gibbs pulled away. Back at the front, Berry managed to cruise away from the field and claim both the All-Star Open victory and a transfer spot to the 2023 All-Star Race by half a second over Gibbs.
With his accomplishment, Berry, a NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time competitor for JR Motorsports who led three times for 46 laps, achieved his first checkered flag of any type in NASCAR’s premier series. This year’s All-Star weekend marks Berry’s fourth start as an interim competitor of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports entry in place of the injured Alex Bowman and ninth overall for HMS as he will contend for his first opportunity of winning a million dollars. Berry’s Open victory also enabled all four Hendrick Motorsports entries to make the All-Star feature.
“I feel so relieved,” Berry said on FS1. “These guys deserve to be in this race so bad. Thank you so much to Hendrick Motorsports for believing in me and giving me this opportunity under circumstances. This is really cool. We were able to get the lead and stretch it out a little bit, and just kind of maintain it. I think the two best cars made it [to the All-Star Race]. We’ll just see what tonight gives us.”
Behind, Gibbs, the reigning Xfinity Series champion who led twice for a race-high 53 laps, fended off Almirola to finish second and race his way into his first career All-Star Race. Gibbs’ accomplishment enabled all four Joe Gibbs Racing competitors to make the main event.
Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“It’s really cool,” Gibbs said. “I feel like I’m kind of back here at Hickory Motor Speedway, honestly. It’s a worn-out racetrack, for sure. Just kind of looking for patches, looking for grip. I kind of understand [McDowell]’s frustration, but at Martinsville [Speedway], we were running 18th and they clobbered us and about wrecked us, so I think it’s, honestly, fair game. We got in [to the All-Star Race]. That’s all that matters.”
Lastly, rookie Noah Gragson, who recovered from his wreck nearing the halfway point to finish seventh, was awarded the 24th and final transfer spot to the All-Star Race by virtue of being the Fan Vote winner. The accomplishment marks Gragson’s first appearance in the All-Star Race as both Legacy Motor Club competitors will compete in the main event.
Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“It’s kind of bittersweet right now,” Gragson said. “[I] Got the Fan Vote so we can go racing. We want to race our way in, but grateful for the whole Legacy Motor Club team. Thank you fans for all the support and everything going into this. Voting, the cheers, everything. We fire and feed off your guys’ energy, so thank you. Unfortunate for our team [with the damaged car]. We’re gonna try to get [the car] back together and put a show for the fans. We’re gonna try and get up there.”
Aric Almirola finished the Open in third, but was among the remaining 13 competitors who did not make the 2023 All-Star Race along with Ryan Preece, AJ Allmendinger, JJ Yeley, Ty Dillon, Corey LaJoie, Josh Bilicki, Harrison Burton, Ryan Newman, Michael McDowell, Justin Haley, Todd Gilliland and Chandler Smith.
There were five lead changes for three different leaders. The race featured three cautions for 18 laps.
Results.
1. Josh Berry, 46 laps led
2. Ty Gibbs, 53 laps led
3. Aric Almirola
4. Ryan Preece
5. AJ Allmendinger
6. JJ Yeley
7. Noah Gragson
8. Ty Dillon
9. Corey LaJoie
10. Josh Bilicki
11. Harrison Burton
12. Ryan Newman, three laps down
13. Michael McDowell, three laps down
14. Justin Haley – OUT, Accident, one lap led
15. Todd Gilliland – OUT, Accident
16. Chandler Smith – OUT, Accident
The 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway will follow suit on Sunday, May 21, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.
Daniel Suarez won the pole position for the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race and will share the front row with Chris Buescher after both won a Heat Race qualifying event that determined the official starting lineup for the main event at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday, May 20.
The starting lineup for the two Heat races consisting of 60 laps was determined through NASCAR’s Pit Crew Challenge that occurred on Friday, May 19, with the drivers’ qualifying time determined based on their respective crew’s pit stop time through a four-tire pit stop and the timing lines being established one box behind and ahead of the designated pit box. The teams who delivered the fastest pit services would enable their respective entries to start towards the front of the two All-Star Heat Races or the All-Star Open.
Following the pit stops, rookie Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew won the Pit Crew Challenge after the team posted the fastest pit service overall in 13.012 seconds. Gibbs, however, is currently not locked into the All-Star Race and will look to race his way into the main event while on pole position in the All-Star Open that will occur on Sunday, May 21, prior to the All-Star feature. As a result, Daniel Suarez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Racing pit crew led by crew chief Travis Mack placed the former Xfinity Series champion from Monterrey, Mexico, on pole position for the first Heat Race after posting the second-fastest pit service overall, but first as an eligible competitor, in 13.297 seconds.
During the first Heat Race, which determined the official starting lineup of the inside rows for the All-Star feature, Suarez, who lost the lead to Chase Elliott at the start, led the final 34 of 60-scheduled laps while on wet weather tires amid one caution period and occurrences of precipitation around the circuit to win and claim pole position in the All-Star Star for the first time in his career. As a result, Suarez, a two-time All-Star Open winner whose best result in the All-Star Race is second from 2018, will vie for his first All-Star victory in his fourth attempt on Sunday.
“The car was very fast,” Suarez said on FS1. “I have to thank my guys. I have an amazing team. We have a great group of people. We haven’t been able to show that in the last races, but we’re fast. I can’t thank enough everyone that helps us to get to this point. Just happy to be here and hopefully, we can have a strong performance tomorrow as well.”
Joey Logano settled in second place behind Suarez followed by Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. Ryan Blaney settled in sixth while Chase Elliott ended up seventh followed by Kevin Harvick, Austin Cindric, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Erik Jones, respectively, all of whom will start on the inside rows for the All-Star event.
Meanwhile, Chris Buescher’s No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing pit crew placed the former Xfinity Series champion from Prosper, Texas, on pole position for the second Heat Race after posting the third-fastest pit service in 13.381 seconds.
During the second Heat Race, which determined the official starting lineup of the outside rows for the All-Star feature, Buescher led all 60-scheduled laps as he beat runner-up Austin Dillon by more than a second and claim a front-row starting spot (second place) for Sunday’s main event. During Buescher’s dominant victory, the second Heat event also featured a single caution period due to rain and that enabled the teams to switch from starting on slick tires to wet tires. As a result, Buescher, who will be making his third All-Star career start on Sunday, will also vie for his first All-Star victory.
“That was awesome,” Buescher said. “I was so proud of our group. This Fastenal Mustang has been really fast from the time we unloaded off the truck. The pit crew did a fantastic job and put us in a great spot here today. We’re in a good place for the race tomorrow evening.
“I’m excited. I’m ready for this thing. Let’s go. Let’s go get a million dollars.”
Dillon settled in second followed by William Byron, Brad Keselowski and Bubba Wallace while Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top 10, respectively, all of whom will start on the outside rows for the All-Star Race.
With 21 competitors earning guaranteed starting spots for the 2023 All-Star Race, the remaining three vacant spots for the main event will be determined at the conclusion of the 2023 All-Star Open which will occur prior to the All-Star feature on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1. With 16 competitors competing in the All-Star Open, the top-two finishers of the Open consisting of 100 laps will transfer to the main event. The 24th and final starting spot will be awarded to the competitor who is named the Fan Vote winner.
All-Star Race Starting Lineup
1. Daniel Suarez
2. Chris Buescher
3. Joey Logano
4. Austin Dillon
5. Chase Briscoe
6. William Byron
7. Christopher Bell
8. Brad Keselowski
9. Denny Hamlin
10. Bubba Wallace
11. Ryan Blaney
12. Martin Truex Jr.
13. Chase Elliott
14. Kyle Busch
15. Kevin Harvick
16. Kyle Larson
17. Austin Cindric
18. Ross Chastain
19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
20. Tyler Reddick
21. Erik Jones
22. *All-Star Open Winner
23. *All-Star Open Runner-up
24. *Fan Vote Winner
With the official starting lineup set, the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway is scheduled to occur on Sunday, May 21, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.
In the return of NASCAR’s Pit Crew Challenge at a revived venue, the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota TRD Camry pit crew piloted by rookie Ty Gibbs and led by crew chief Chris Gayle achieved an advantage in their quest to make the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race by winning the All-Star Pit Crew Challenge at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Friday, May 19.
The No. 54 JGR pit crew executed the top four-tire pit service time of the day at 13.012 seconds, which was enough to best 36 challengers and their respective pit crews as they claimed the $100,000 bonus. The result also awarded Gibbs, the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion from Charlotte, North Carolina, the pole position for the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Open which will comprise 100 laps and occur on Sunday, May 21, at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
This year’s Pit Crew Challenge made its first return since 2012 and served as part of NASCAR’s revival to the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, with the last NASCAR competition occurring in 1996 and was won by four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon.
During the Pit Crew Challenge, which determined the starting lineup for the All-Star Open and two 60-lap Heat Races, which will determine the official starting lineup for the All-Star Race, the 37 competitors who participated in the challenge drove their respective cars into a pit stall prior to entering and stopping at their assigned for their pit service, which would start the time. Once the pit crew completed the four-tire service, the competitors exited their pit stall and crossed the stall after their own, which would complete the time.
With the top starting spot for the All-Star Open, Gibbs, a 2023 Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year contender who is currently campaigning in his first full-time season in NASCAR’s premier series, will attempt to race his way into this first All-Star Race event that will occur on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. Gibbs’ pit crew led by crew chief Chris Gayle include car chief Nate Bellows, fueler Peyton Moore, jackman Darrell Edwards, front-tire changer Blake Houston, rear-tire changer Mike Hicks and carrier Jacob Holmes.
“All credit to [the pit crew],” Gibbs said on FS1. “To be honest with you, I don’t think you should be interviewing me. You should be interviewing those guys. They work so hard. Thank you to all those boys out there. All those guys work so hard, so I appreciate them and all they do. I’m excited. We’ll see what happens. [I’m] Excited that NASCAR brought this [pit crew challenge] back. I really appreciate them giving these pit crew guys a shot.”
Joining Gibbs on the front row for the All-Star Open will be Josh Berry, who will also be making his fourth start as an interim competitor in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for the injured Alex Bowman. Despite Bowman and the No. 48 team’s eligibility for this year’s All-Star Race after winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2022, Berry does not meet any automatic eligibility criteria for the event as he will attempt to race his way into the main event on Sunday. Nonetheless, the No. 48 pit crew delivered on Friday with the fifth overall and second for the All-Star Open pit stop time at 13.677 seconds.
Corey LaJoie will line up in third place for his starting spot for the All-Star Open while Harrison Burton, Justin Haley, Michael McDowell, Todd Gilliland, Ryan Preece, Aric Almirola and AJ Allmendinger will start in the top 10.
NASCAR All-Star Open Lineup (including pit stop time)
1. Ty Gibbs (13.012 seconds)
2. Josh Berry (13.677 seconds)
3. Corey LaJoie (13.911 seconds)
4. Harrison Burton (14.091 seconds)
5. Justin Haley (14.294 seconds)
6. Michael McDowell (14.509 seconds)
7. Todd Gilliland (14.707 seconds)
8. Ryan Preece (14.760 seconds)
9. Aric Almirola (14.776 seconds)
10. AJ Allmendinger (15.796 seconds)
11. Josh Bilicki (18.281 seconds)
12. Ty Dillon (18.447 seconds)
13. Chandler Smith (19.004 seconds)
14. Ryan Newman (20.300 seconds)
15. Noah Gragson (20.886 seconds)
16. JJ Yeley (21.066 seconds)
Meanwhile, Daniel Suarez and Chris Buescher were also left victorious after both achieved pole positions for the two Heat Qualifying Races that will occur on Saturday, May 20, beginning at 7:20 p.m. ET on FS1.
For Suarez, who received the second-fastest pit service from his No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team led by crew chief Travis Mack at 13.297 seconds, he will lead a group of 11 competitors overall to the start of the first Heat event, with the first Heat event determining the starting lineup of the inside lane for the All-Star Race. Joining him on the front row will be Chase Elliott, whose No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 pit crew posted the fourth-overall pit stop time at 13.572 seconds.
“[The pit crew] are legends,” Suarez said. “I’m very, very fortunate to have an amazing pit crew. We have amazing people and it’s showing. It’s amazing that we’re gonna have a good starting spot [for the Heat Race]. The car is pretty good. I’m confident that we’re gonna be able to keep our track position, have some fun and hopefully, be fighting for the big trophy on Sunday.”
Buescher, who received the third-fastest pit service from his No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford Mustang team led by crew chief Scott Graves at 13.381 seconds, will lead a group of 10 competitors to the start of the second Heat event that will follow suit at 8:15 p.m. ET on FS1 and determine the starting lineup of the outside lane for the All-Star Race. Joining him on the front row will be Austin Dillon, whose No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 pit crew posted the sixth-overall pit stop time at 13.712 seconds.
“That was awesome,” Buescher said. “I’m so proud of our group. You’re interviewing the wrong person. I had nothing to do with [the result]. I just got it for [the pit crew] and they did a heck of a job. [I’m] Gonna be watching all the on-track activities here these next two days and be ready for this race. We had a really good car in practice too, so I’m pumped right now. That’s awesome.”
Heat Race #1 Lineup
1. Daniel Suarez (13.297 seconds)
2. Chase Elliott (13.572 seconds)
3. Joey Logano (13.835 seconds)
4. Denny Hamlin (14.089 seconds)
5. Chase Briscoe (14.674 seconds)
6. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (15.063 seconds)
7. Austin Cindric (14.154 seconds)
8. Kevin Harvick (15.579 seconds)
9. Ryan Blaney (18.819 seconds)
10. Christopher Bell (20.064 seconds)
11. Erik Jones (21.359 seconds)
Heat Race #2 Lineup
1. Chris Buescher (13.381 seconds)
2. Austin Dillon (13.712 seconds)
3. William Byron (13.867 seconds)
4. Ross Chastain (14.373 seconds)
5. Kyle Larson (14.697 seconds)
6. Martin Truex Jr. (15.115 seconds)
7. Bubba Wallace (15.167 seconds)
8. Brad Keselowski (18.044 seconds)
9. Kyle Busch (19.531 seconds)
10. Tyler Reddick (21.034 seconds)
With the starting lineups for both the All-Star Open and the All-Star Race Heat events set, the first All-Star Race Heat event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, May 20, at 7:20 p.m. ET on FS1 followed by the second All-Star Race Heat event that will follow suit at 8:15 p.m. ET on FS1. The All-Star Open is scheduled to occur on Sunday, May 21, at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1 while the All-Star Race will follow suit at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, all at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
This year the All-StarRace Pit Crew Challenge is presented by Mechanix Wear at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The team pit crews play a vital role in every race, but none more so than this weekend.
The starting lineups for the two heat races on Saturday and the All-Star Open on Sunday will be determined by the Pit Crew Challenge on Friday and the fastest pit crew team will also earn a 100k bonus.
This is how the pit crew challenge works:
It will consist of only one driver at a time and no speeding penalties. When the driver reaches one stall away from their designated box, the time begins. Once the driver is in their pit stall, it’s a four-tire stop and no fuel. However, the fuel man will be there with an empty can. After the driver reaches the speed line, which is one pit stall past their box, the timing ends for the stop.
If there’s any equipment out of the box, or if they go over the wall too soon, there will be a five-second infraction deducted from their time for each violation. If they have a loose wheel, then they’re disqualified. The results of the pit stop time only will determine the starting lineups for both the All-Star Heat Races and All-Star Open.
I spoke with all five of the pit crewman for the No.8 team of Kyle Busch about today’s All-Star competition to determine how they approach this event.
MW: As the jackman, you’re leveraging the car for your other teammates to complete the stop together. Do you feel any added pressure during the All-Star pit crew challenge?
Josh Sobecki: (Jackman) I don’t feel any added pressure. I guess I never really have. It’s a little nerve-racking having everybody watch you during that stop but, it’s also really fun and a great experience. Just have to execute what you already know and you’ll be just fine.
MW: Are there any advantages with the rules entering and exiting the box that are in your favor?
Josh Sobecki: The best advantage, we have is Kyle Busch. The man is P1 on and off pit road all the time, so any help is the best. And he always hits his marks well which makes us do our job better as a team.
MW: Once the jackman has the car up, as a tire changer, briefly explain your position.
Bryan Backus: (Front Tire Changer) Before the car stops, I should be on the lug nut already. Once the jackman gets the car up, the lug should be off. Then I have to pull the tire and roll it back to the wall then switch my button and zip the lug nut back on after the jackman hangs the tire.
MW: While passing the tire off to the tire carrier, do you feel any added pressure since this isn’t a normal race pit stop, but a challenge of speed?
Bryan Backus: I actually never hand the tire off to the carrier because I roll the tire back to the wall. It actually feels like less pressure because we are just going to try and do the fastest stop possible.
MW: Coming into today’s All-Star Pit Crew Challenge, how do you mentally prepare for it?
Marcus Horton: (Rear Tire Changer)
I mentally prepared for today just like any other race. Easy going. Relaxing.
MW: What if anything, do you feel will be the toughest challenge as the rear tire changer?
Marcus Horton: Getting to the right rear is always my toughest challenge. Depending on where Kyle stops the car makes all the difference for me.
MW: On a normal fuel stop, you feel the weight of the can plus the fuel. Explain how today’s challenge is different.
Justin White: (Fuel Man) First off, today will be a lot of fun because Fuelers will get to participate. In years past we had to watch the competition from behind the wall. Having an empty can will feel different from a normal pit stop, but it allows me to be there for my rear changer to help guide the left rear tire coming off back to pit wall as I’m fueling the car.
MW: In the past, teams have had tires roll away on pit road. Coming into today’s challenge, how do you prepare for this and your role as the tire carrier?
Lamar Neal:(Tire Carrier) I always try and prepare myself mentally before any pit stop by doing that, I get to visualize executing each component of my job, setting the tire for the jackman, hanging the tire for the rear changer, and cleaning up anything that is left behind going into the left side. As a carrier, I am depended on to be the cleanup man and that’s what I pride myself in doing.
The format is unique and to be eligible for the All-Star Race, a driver has to meet one of the following four criteria: They have to be a points race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series in either 2022 or 2023, a former All-Star Race winner, or a NASCAR Cup Series champion, top-two finisher in the All-Star Open, or win the NASCAR Fan Vote.
Even though Alex Bowman qualified for the race, because of an injury that has him temporarily sidelined, Josh Berry will be piloting the No.48 in the All-Star Open. He will need to finish in first or second place to transfer to the main event. Drivers who are not eligible for the All-Star Race will compete in the All-Star Open, where the top two finishers will advance to the main event. The Fan Vote winner will complete the field.
I’d personally like to thank the entire Richard Childress Racing No.8 Cup Series Over the Wall Pit Crew of Kyle Busch as they head into today’s All-Star competition at North Wilkesboro.
“This one’s for you old buddy !!!! Going to Give ’em hell tonight !!!” – Josh Sobecki jongurley @nascar #allstarpitcrewchallenge @rcrracing
