Category: NASCAR Cup PR

Coca-Cola 600 Event Info:
Date: Sunday, May 26
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Concord, N.C.
Format: 400 Laps, 600 Miles
TV: FOX
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 5:05 p.m. ET, Practice (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 5:50 p.m. ET, Qualifying (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 6 p.m. ET, Race (FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• The NASCAR schedule turns to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series is set for the famed Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night.
• RFK has 20 wins all-time at CMS including four in the Coke 600.
• A season ago in this race, Chris Buescher won stage two and led laps before going on to record his fourth-straight top-10 in the 600-mile event.
• NASCAR Salutes Together with Coca-Cola is a six-week, industry-wide campaign celebrating the service and sacrifice of U.S. service members and their families through a multitude of at-track integrations, original content features and fan engagement opportunities.
• This year, NASCAR Salutes begins on Memorial Day Weekend, anchored by a special tribute called “600 Miles of Remembrance” where every Cup Series car in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 will feature the name of a fallen service member on the windshield.

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: BuildSubmarines.com

• The BuildSubmarines.com car will feature the name of Commander Howard Gilmore (United States Navy – Selma, Alabama) on the windshield. Gilmore was the commanding officer of the U.S.S. Growler during World War II. During a fire fight with enemy gunboats, Commander Gilmore gave the order to clear the bridge, and refusing safety for himself, remained on deck while his men preceded him below. Having been hit by gunfire, in his final living moments, Commander Gilmore gave his last order to the officer on deck, “take her down”.
• For his distinguished gallantry and valor above and beyond the call of duty, Commander Gilmore was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Fastenal

• Through Fastenal’s partnership with Operation Healing Heroes (a veterans charity program & TV show on Discovery Channel), Major Troy Gilbert (United States Air Force – San Angelo, Texas) will be honored on the No. 17 car this weekend. As part of the partnership with Operation Healing Heroes, Major Gilbert’s wife Ginger will be on site at RFK Racing on Friday, May 24th to see the car and be part of a sit-down interview telling her story along with meeting Chris.

Keselowski at Charlotte
Starts: 24
Wins: 2 (2013, 2020)
Top-10s: 10
Poles: 1 (2011)

• Keselowski makes his 15th start in the Coca-Cola 600 and 25th overall start at CMS this weekend. He has 10 top-10 finishes – five inside the top five – with two wins and a 14.4 average finish.
• Keselowski is the 2020 winner of the 600-mile event, leading 21 laps after starting ninth. He also won on the oval in 2013, and in total has led in 13 different Charlotte oval events.
• Last season, Keselowski finished 19th in the 600 after starting third.
• Keselowski has an average starting position of 15.6 with one pole (2011). Otherwise, he has nine starts inside the top-10.
• Keselowski also made a combined 25 additional starts in the Xfinity and Truck Series at CMS with a combined four wins – all in Xfinity – in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018.

Buescher at Charlotte
Starts: 11
Wins: —
Top-10s: 4
Poles: —

• Buescher makes his 12th Cup start at Charlotte this weekend in what will be his eighth Coca-Cola 600.
• He has four top-10s at Charlotte with a best finish of sixth in the 2019 Coke 600. He finished 10th a year later, and ran eighth in the 2021 marquee event.
• He’s coming off a P8 finish a year ago after initially starting 11th and leading 12 laps.
• Buescher’s best starting position stands as 11th (twice) with a 20.5 overall average starting position.
• He also made five Xfinity Series starts at CMS with three top-10s and a best finish of sixth (2014).

RFK Historically at Charlotte
Cup Wins: 8 (Mark Martin, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2002; Jeff Burton, 1999, 2001; Matt Kenseth, 2000, 2011)

• RFK in the 600: In 110 NCS starts in the famed Coca-Cola 600, RFK Racing has visited victory lane four times and recorded 23 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes. Jeff Burton leads the way with two Coke 600 victories for Jack Roush, while Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth have one apiece.
• Tale of the Tape: RFK has started 220 NCS races at Charlotte, recording eight total wins with 46 top-five and 82 top-10 finishes. RFK Fords have an average finish of 16.4 with 2639 laps led all-time.
• 2006 Dominance: RFK had its best overall outing in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2006, when its five entries averaged a 5.4 finish. RFK Fords finished third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth, while leading 52 laps in the event. In 2002, RFK posted a one-two finish in the event with Martin and Kenseth battling feverishly for the win and combining to lead 67 laps in the race (with Martin taking the win).
• Golden Sombrero: RFK won a record four consecutive Coca-Cola 600’s from 1999-2002 with drivers Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin. During that span, RFK led 427 laps, including 201 of 400 laps in the 1999 event.

RFK Charlotte Wins

1992-2 Martin Cup

1995-2 Martin Cup

1998-2 Martin Cup

1999-1 Burton Cup

2000-1 Kenseth Cup

2001-1 Burton Cup

2002-1 Martin Cup

2011-2 Kenseth Cup

1993-2 Martin NXS

1995-2 Martin NXS

1996-1 Martin NXS

1996-2 Martin NXS

1998-1 Martin NXS

1999-1 Martin NXS

2000-1 Burton NXS

2001-2 Biffle NXS

2002-2 Burton NXS

2006-1 Edwards NXS

2011-1 Kenseth NXS

2011-2 Edwards NXS

2011-2 Edwards NXS

2015-1 Buescher NXS

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
All-Star: Buescher capped off his weekend at North Wilkesboro with his best-career finish in the All-Star Race, P3. Keselowski finished 16th.

Points Standings (6: 11th, 17: 12th): Points remain unchanged coming off the All-Star Race, with Buescher and Keselowski just outside the top-10.

Compressor Manufacturer to Sponsor Todd Gilliand’s No. 38

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 20, 2024) – Quincy Compressor, the Bay Minette, Alabama-based compressor manufacturer, will make a return to the NASCAR Cup Series and Front Row Motorsports (FRM). The program will feature several distributors of Quincy on board the No. 38 and 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horses as primary and associate sponsors.

“Our relationship with Front Row Motorsports allows us to continue to grow the Quincy brand, it’s distributors and showcase our products and capabilities,” said Michael Campbell, President of Quincy Compressor. “The Front Row Motorsports team are great ambassadors for our company, and we want to be a part of their continued success.”

One of their distributors, Warthog Air Compressor Store, will be on Todd Gilliland’s No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600. Quincy will be an associate sponsor on Michael McDowell’s No. 34 Coca-Cola 600 car.

Quincy will also appear on the No. 38 for the Kansas Speedway race in September, featuring another valued distributor, Rasmussen Air and Gas Energy, as the primary scheme.

“It is really cool to have Quincy Compressor back on board,” said Gilliland. “They were great partners for us in past years with the 38 team and FRM. It’s great to see the support they have for the team going forward.”

Founded in 1920, Quincy Compressor is a leading designer and manufacturer of reciprocating and rotary screw air compressors, vacuum pumps and a full line of air treatment components. Headquartered in Bay Minette, Alabama, Quincy has built its reputation on quality and rugged reliability, building tough air compressors for the most demanding applications. With a legacy spanning over one hundred years, they are excited to bring their “True Blue” brand to NASCAR’s premiere series and to its millions of passionate fans.

To learn more about Quincy Compressor, fans are encouraged to visit their website at www.quincycompressor.com. Learn more about Warthog Air Compressors at www.aircompressorstore.com.

ABOUT QUINCY COMPRESSORS

Quincy Compressor is a leading designer and manufacturer of reciprocating and rotary screw air compressors, vacuum pumps and a full line of air treatment components. In business since 1920, Quincy has built its reputation on quality and rugged reliability, building tough air compressors for the most demanding applications. The Quincy brand is synonymous with quality, delivering “Performance You Demand. Reliability You Trust.” Quincy’s dedicated network of authorized distributors offers top-notch installation and after-sales services for reliable, efficient air year after year. To learn more and locate an authorized dealer, visit www.quincycompressor.com.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Brad Keselowski P16 in Exhibition Race

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 19, 2024) – RFK put its Ford Mustangs in the mix throughout the weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway for the 2024 All-Star Race as Chris Buescher led the way with a third-place finish Sunday night after both cars started inside the top five.

As inclement weather dominated the headlines throughout the weekend, Sunday’s 200-lap exhibition event turned out to be picture-perfect, as NASCAR introduced additional strategy options with two different tire options for teams.

Teams were given four sets of softer (red) tires, along with its normal, primary tires for use throughout the weekend. The softer tires initially proved to be quicker in lap times, as NASCAR forced teams to start on those red tires for the 200-lap race. The event featured pre-determined breaks in the action at lap 100 – where teams were required to pit for four tires – as well as a final caution at lap 150.

“We stayed on reds all night, so that worked out pretty good for us,” Buescher said after the race. “I’m really proud of our team. Friday wasn’t very good to be straight up about it and they worked really hard and pulled some strings, hit some buttons and got us a whole lot better for tonight, so I was proud of that to bring our Fastenal Mustang home third.

“I felt like we had a decent shot at it there. I was able to pace the 22 pretty good, but there at the end just took too long to get around the 5 car and really didn’t have sight of the leaders at that point. It’s a good night on a night where only one position matters, but I’m proud of the group. It’s good to keep our momentum up and we’ll go onto the 600 and go win us one.”

6 Recap
Keselowski’s weekend got off to a solid start as the No. 6 pit crew turned in the second-best time in the pit crew challenge, which was ultimately rescheduled for Saturday morning. Keselowski finished second overall in that qualifying session, which would have put him on the pole for the second heat race.

However, inclement weather would wash away the pair of heat races, as the qualifying session set the lineup for the feature event, putting the No. 6 second on the grid Sunday night.

Keselowski maintained the top-5 position for much of the race in the NEXLIZET Ford as he ran third at the time of the halfway break. His lone pit stop came at the halfway point as the team again put on the softer Goodyear tires. Following the final caution at lap 150, Keselowski restarted sixth with 41 laps remaining, but fell back late to finish 16th.

17 Recap
Buescher would have started third for his heat race Saturday night, but ultimately lined up fifth for Sunday based off results from Saturday’s qualifying and pit crew challenge.

Just 50 laps in, Buescher showed his speed in the Fastenal Ford by advancing to second, trailing the eventual winner in the No. 22. He maintained the P2 position at the halfway break, and restarted there at lap 109 once teams put on fresh tires.

Following a pair of chaotic restarts – the final coming with just over 40 to go – Buescher used the long run to again chase down the leaders, ultimately bypassing the No. 5 in the final five laps to finish third, his best finish ever in the All-Star event.

Up Next
Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts the annual Coca-Cola 600 this weekend with race coverage Sunday set for 6 p.m. ET on FOX, with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 37th season in 2024, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
All-Star Race | Sunday, May 19, 2024

JOEY LOGANO WINS SECOND CAREER ALL-STAR RACE

• Joey Logano won the NASCAR All-Star Race for the second time in his career tonight (2016).
• Logano led 199-of-200 laps, which is the most ever in a NASCAR All-Star Race.
• He becomes the third Ford driver to win multiple All-Star Races, joining Davey Allison and Mark Martin.
• Ford has now won the NASCAR All-Star Race 14 times and twice in the last three seasons.

Ford Finishing Results:
1st – Joey Logano
3rd – Chris Buescher
5th – Ryan Blaney
9th – Michael McDowell
11th – Noah Gragson
16th – Brad Keselowski

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – HOW FUN WAS THAT? “A lot of fun when you’ve got a car this fast. The Shell/Pennzoil Mustang, it’s just so great to get in Victory Lane. All of our sponsors and everyone who stuck with us to get a win, it feels nice. It’s been a while. I wish it was for points, but a million bucks is still a lot of money and I feel great about that.”

THOUGHTS ON THE OPTION TIRE AND GOING 100 LAPS? “Well, we did the first 100, so why wouldn’t it last the second 100. That was our thought, so it was definitely an aggressive strategy, but it worked out good.”

ROGER PENSKE PUT A CAR ON THE POLE AT INDIANAPOLIS AND YOU WIN TONIGHT. THAT’S A PRETTY GOOD DAY. “You said it. Not a bad day.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We stayed on reds all night, so that worked out pretty good for us. I’m really proud of our team. Friday wasn’t very good to be straight up about it and they worked really hard and pulled some strings, hit some buttons and got us a whole lot better for tonight, so I was proud of that to bring our Fastenal Mustang home third. I felt like we had a decent shot at it there. I was able to pace the 22 pretty good, but there at the end just took too long to get around the 5 car and really didn’t have sight of the leaders at that point. It’s a good night on a night where only one position matters. I’m proud of the group. It’s good to keep our momentum up and we’ll go onto the 600 and go win us one.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE MOMENTUM YOU HAVE GOING WITH THE 600 COMING UP? “I’m pumped for it. That’s a track that was really good for us last year. We led laps and got a stage win at a time of the year where we hadn’t hit our stride, so that speaks volumes for us going into it. I’m pumped. Momentum is just a product of running good and being on our game and our team has done a fantastic job. Again, I couldn’t be more proud of them. Tonight, I wanted two more, but this is a heck of a way to lead us right into the 600 next weekend.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Wrangler Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was an alright race. We knew we had to be creative to get up through there and we did a good job in the first caution when a lot of guys came up and put yellows on. We left the reds on and that’s how we got our track position, and then we had to leave them on until the end and actually held on alright. I didn’t get a very good restart on the front row, and then I about spun out into one and that lost me second and lost me third and then I’m just trying to make it back up, although I probably could have run about third. Overall, not a bad night from where we started.”

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 10 Overstock Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We started in the back and got a lap down early, but got the lucky dog and came back to 11th. We just never got a handle on the balance all weekend. We were pretty loose in, so we need to go back and do our homework on this place. It’s tough. It’s a new place, but we’re a better race team than we showed all weekend. I’m certainly grateful for the fan support to allow us the opportunity to get in the All-Star Race. It was a fun weekend overall, but we just kind of struggled. It seemed like the soft tire was better for our car than the hard tire for whatever reason that is, but I’m just super grateful.”

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES ALL-STAR RACE WINNERS

1986 – Bill Elliott (Atlanta)

1991 – Davey Allison (Charlotte)

1992 – Davey Allison (Charlotte)

1994 – Geoffrey Bodine (Charlotte)

1996 – Michael Waltrip (Charlotte)

1998 – Mark Martin (Charlotte)

2002 – Ryan Newman (Charlotte)

2004 – Matt Kenseth (Charlotte)

2005 – Mark Martin (Charlotte)

2011 – Carl Edwards (Charlotte)

2016 – Joey Logano (Charlotte)

2018 – Kevin Harvick (Charlotte)

2022 – Ryan Blaney (Texas)

2024 – Joey Logano (North Wilkesboro)

NASCAR CUP SERIES
NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY
NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
MAY 19, 2024

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL ALL-STAR RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
4th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1
7th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Busch Light Flannel Camaro ZL1
8th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
10th Kyle Busch, No. 8 Lenovo Camaro ZL1
15th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL1
18th AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 LeafFilter / Campers Inn RV Camaro ZL1
19th William Byon, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1
20th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Health / Icy Hot Camaro ZL1

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 26, at 6 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY ALL-STAR POST-RACE QUOTES

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1

Finished: 4th

That last run, you came out of nowhere. Cliff (Daniels) said he pumped the tire pressures up, but ultimately did it just fall off?

“Yeah, I thought we were in great position there. Got to fourth pretty quickly; got to third pretty quickly. I thought I could just be patient. I built really loose for a little while, and then they started kind of inching away from me. I moved up and I was kind of hanging on from there. I was surprised that the guys that didn’t pit were as strong as they were. I thought we were going to be in the best position there to win.

Hats off to the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy team. I know they had a lot of work this week; having Kevin (Harvick) practice, swap seats and everything back to where I could drive it. Proud to go back and forth and have a shot to win.”

What does it mean to be top-five in Indianapolis?

“Oh, it’s awesome! It just makes it all mean something more. To be lined up on the second row of the Indianapolis 500 is pretty crazy. Yeah, I just can’t believe it, really. I thought if we could make the Fast 12, that would be exceeding expectations. To qualify as well as we did yesterday and then get into the Fast Six today was unbelievable. Happy with how it’s gone so far there, and now I look forward to hopefully get better in race trim.”

Tonight in the last stage, did going down low so much just eventually burn the tires up?

“Yeah, honestly, I felt like I could take care of my tires better down low. I was worried about building tight all race and whenever I would move up top, you’re just kind of tugging on the wheel more and you’re on the throttle. So I feel like that actually uses the tires more. I thought I was doing what I needed to maintain the balance of my car, but I think we just pumped the air up a lot and I just built really free, really quickly, on that run. And then I moved up and I just slowly got tight after that. I thought we were in a great position to win. I thought for sure we would win, but just didn’t work out. We’ll do our homework and try to get our car better for next year.”

How effective are the new tires?

“I think they were effective to get me there.. probably for 10 laps. But then after that, I just don’t think our car balance was there. Say Denny (Hamlin) pitted, I think his car was much better than ours. Had he pitted, he probably would have, or could have in my opinion, won. But we just didn’t have the speed that those guys did all race.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Health / Icy Hot Camaro ZL1

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage One.

Finished: 20th

Take us through the initial contact that you had with Kyle Busch.

“We had a really good start. He left the door wide open. I went through the middle and I almost had him cleared. The No. 34 (Michael McDowell) kind of ran up the track, and we all just kind of touched there.. nothing major. And then Kyle (Busch) tried to wreck me in (turns) three and four, and finally did wreck me there in one and two. Our No. 47 Kroger Healthy / Icy Hot Chevy was really fast. I felt really good. We were good in practice. We had already passed two or three cars there, so bummed we couldn’t see it through to the end.”

TEAM CHEVY ALL-STAR OPEN POST-RACE QUOTES

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

NASCAR All-Star Open Race

Finished: 6th

How disappointing is to not advance into the NASCAR All-Star Race?

“Yeah, for sure. It’s not what we wanted for Hendrick Motorsports, Ally and everyone on this No. 48 Chevy team. Honestly, we just kind of missed it a little bit. We were really tight on Friday and just jumped the fence a little bit today where we were too free. I felt like if I could clear the No. 23 (Bubba Wallace), get up and take care of my stuff, I’d be OK. I just heated up my right rear tire trying to get clear of him. When I finally couldn’t clear him, I was in a lot of trouble there for a little bit until I got pulled back down.

Bummer, for sure, but it’s a great event and a great racetrack. We were running the fence in (turns) one and two. You could run all the way across the racetrack. It was super fun. Wish we could have made it, but we’ll learn from it. I think we were all really tight in practice and we jumped the fence a little bit there and got too free. So hopefully we’ll have really good notes for our teammates for the All-Star Race, and we’ll be cheering them on.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 SENIX Camaro ZL1

NASCAR All-Star Open Race

Finished: 9th

“We gave it all we had. Our No. 3 SENIX Chevy was really fast. We had the fastest lap in qualifying. Unfortunately, we had to start back in 15th. We made our way forward into the top-10 with 50 laps to go. We decided to put yellow’s (tires) on, and everyone in front of us took red’s. We were hoping that because of that, they would fade, but it just didn’t happen fast enough. We were making a pretty good charge there at the end, but there just wasn’t enough time and lost too much ground on the hard tires on the takeoff. Would have liked to have seen what happened with red’s because they got to beating and banging up front, but unfortunately we don’t get another shot at it.

We’ll take this to the short tracks coming up. I think this is a big win for RCR and our short track program, so hopefully we can take what we learned; apply it and have some better runs moving forward.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

STEWART-HAAS RACING
NASCAR All-Star Open and NASCAR All-Star Race

Date: May 19, 2024
Event: NASCAR All-Star Open and NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points events)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway (.625-mile oval)
NASCAR All-Star Open: 100 laps, with a competition break at or around lap 50

● Race Winner: Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
● Second Place: Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
● Fan Vote Winner: Noah Gragson of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Note: The All-Star Open was the undercard event to the NASCAR All-Star Race, where non-qualified drivers attempted to race their way into the All-Star Race by winning the Open, finishing second in the Open, or by winning the fan vote.

NASCAR All-Star Race: 200 laps, with competition breaks at or around lap 100 and lap 150

● Race Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Note: The NASCAR All-Star Race was comprised of drivers who won a points-paying race in 2023 or 2024, fulltime drivers who have previously won the All-Star Race, fulltime drivers who have won a NASCAR Cup Series championship, and drivers who advanced from the All-Star Open.

SHR Finish in NASCAR All-Star Open

● Josh Berry (Started 7th, Finished 3rd / Running, completed 100 of 100 laps)
● Noah Gragson (Started 5th, Finished 5th / Running, completed 100 of 100 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 3rd, Finished 7th / Running, completed 100 of 100 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 12th, Finished 8th / Running, completed 100 of 100 laps)

SHR Finish in NASCAR All-Star Race:

● Noah Gragson (Started 20th, Finished 11th / Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)

SHR Notes:

● This was Gragson’s second career All-Star Race. He finished 23rd last year.

● Gragson earned his way into the All-Star Race by winning the fan vote for a second straight year.

● Berry won last year’s All-Star Open to advance into the All-Star Race.

Race Notes:

● Joey Logano won the All-Star Race by .636 of a second over runner-up Denny Hamlin.

● This was Ford’s 14th win in the All-Star Race.

● The All-Star Race featured two lead changes among two different drivers. Twenty drivers comprised the field.

Sound Bites:

“I started in the back and went a lap down early, and then got the Lucky Dog and came back to 11th. Just never really got a handle on the balance all weekend. Pretty loose in. We need to go back and definitely do our homework on this place. It’s tough, it’s a new place, but we’re a better race team than we showed all weekend. Extremely grateful for the fan support to be able to allow us the opportunity to get into the All-Star Race. It was a fun weekend overall, just kind of struggled all weekend. Soft tires seemed to be better for our car than the hard tire. But, yeah, good time overall and super grateful.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Mustang Dark Horse

“I don’t know, we had a really good practice, we were loose in qualifying and that kind of translated to the first run. The boys on pit road had a great pit stop and got us some track position. I think the tire compound tightened us up a little bit and we were better. We still needed to be a little bit tighter. I was doing everything I could, without a doubt. I really found a lot in (turns) one and two. I was fast in (turns) one and two, but just couldn’t quite put together (turns) three and four to make a charge at them. From where we started, we knew it would be tough, but all in all it was just a great effort. Everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing, Rodney (Childers, crew chief), this whole 4 team, Harrison’s for all they do. I hate to not be in it (the All-Star Race), but we were probably the whole show right there for how it looked. I was doing everything I could, I just couldn’t quite get to the 23 (Bubba Wallace, second-place finisher). The last couple of laps, I got a little bit better, but it would’ve been hard to pass him without really roughing him up.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Harrison’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“We just didn’t really have the short-run speed. It seemed like once we got single-filed out, it was hard unless you were really, really good to go forward. On the normal tire, we were really, really loose at the start, and on the soft tire we were really, really tight. I felt like if the race was 100-lap runs, we would’ve been alright. We were pretty good on the long runs, we just didn’t quite have it on the short runs. We’ve just got to do a better job. Especially this weekend, it’s just a little tough having different tires, but I need to do a better job just understanding from practice kind of what I need for the short run versus the long run. Hated it for all of us. We’ve been having really, really good speed here lately, so I hope this wasn’t a momentum killer. But overall, I’m thankful for HighPoint. I wish we could’ve gotten them a little better chance in the All-Star Race, but we’ll just go to the Coke 600 next week and see what we can do.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“We just needed a better balance, needed better track position, kind of everything. I don’t know, I guess we just didn’t have what it took to be in the All-Start Race today.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to points-paying racing on Sunday, May 26 with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The longest race on the series’ schedule gets underway at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

NASCAR All-Star Race – North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro, NC – May 19, 2024

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 KEYSTONE LIGHT FORD MUSTANG

START (All-Star Open): 6TH FINISH (All-Star Open): 20TH

RACE RUNDOWN (All-Star Open): After extraordinary rainfall cascaded over North Wilkesboro Speedway Saturday, clear skies and warm temperatures greeted teams Sunday afternoon for the NASCAR All-Star Open, including Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Keystone Light Ford Mustang, who started the event from the sixth position. Determined to race his way into the 200-lap main event, Cindric marched forward early, taking over the third position less than 10 laps in. Unfortunately, shortly after the restart on Lap 59, Cindric was turned into the wall, causing heavy damage to the Team Penske car that led to lengthy repairs on pit road. As a result, Cindric was unable to race his way into the All-Star Race.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “Unfortunate to get collected and lose our shot at racing our way into the All-Star Race. Our No. 2 Keystone Light Ford Mustang had speed, but we obviously weren’t able to capitalize on it after the damage. We’ll regroup and turn our focus to the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/WRANGLER FORD MUSTANG

START: 17TH FINISH: 5TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards/Wrangler Ford Mustang came away with a fifth-place finish in Sunday night’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway after starting 17th in the 20-car field. Following an early caution on lap two, the 12-team was one of five to stay out as the rest of the field hit pit road to put on four primary tires, vaulting Blaney to fifth in the running order for the ensuing restart. Blaney reached third on the leaderboard by lap 30 before crossing the line fourth at the time of the scheduled caution on lap 100. With all teams mandated to make a four-tire stop under caution, crew chief Jonathan Hassler called for four fresh soft option tires before lining up for the restart from the outside of row two. After a lengthy battle with the No. 11 following the restart, Blaney made the to take second away and set his sights on the lead. The final scheduled caution of the night on lap 150 saw the No. 12 team opt to stay on the track for what was the eventual final restart as Blaney took the green from the inside of row one. Blaney was shuffled out of line in the opening laps of the run, relegating him to fifth in the running order where he was ultimately scored at the time of the checkered flag.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “It was an alright race. We knew we had to be creative to get up through there and we did a good job in the first caution when a lot of guys came up and put yellows on. We left the reds on and that’s how we got our track position, and then we had to leave them on until the end and actually held on alright. I didn’t get a very good restart on the front row, and then I about spun out into one and that lost me second and lost me third and then I’m just trying to make it back up, although I probably could have run about third. Overall, not a bad night from where we started.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG

START: 1ST FINISH: 1ST

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano led a NASCAR All-Star Race record 199-of-200 laps to win at North Wilkesboro Sunday night in dominant fashion, marking his second-career All-Star Race victory (Charlotte, 2016). Logano becomes the third Ford driver to win multiple All-Star races, joining Davey Allison and Mark Martin as he took home the $1 million payday. After starting from the pole, the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang led the entirety of the opening 100-lap segment before mandatory, four-tire pit stops were made under caution. Crew chief Paul Wolfe called for four soft option tires and the 22-team reeled off a fast stop in its only opportunity of the night as Logano won the race off pit road. Logano was locked into a battle for the lead with the No. 20 on the ensuing restart, culminating in a three-wide battle that saw the No. 22 come away as the leader. Logano led all the way through the scheduled caution on lap 150 when Wolfe kept the Shell-Pennzoil Ford on track to maintain the lead heading into the final run of the night. Logano battled the No. 11 for the top spot in the opening laps of the run before distancing himself from the field and leading the rest of the way en route to his second-career All-Star Race victory.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “A lot of fun when you’ve got a car this fast. The Shell-Pennzoil Mustang, it’s just so great to get in Victory Lane. All of our sponsors and everyone who stuck with us to get a win, it feels nice. It’s been a while. I wish it was for points, but a million bucks is still a lot of money and I feel great about that.”

The NASCAR Cup Series takes on the longest race of the season next Sunday, May 26, at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the running of the Coca-Cola 600. The 400-lap event is set for 6:00 p.m. ET with coverage on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 SENIX Tools Chevrolet Team Make Short Track Gains in All-Star Open Race

Finish: 9th
Start: 15th

“We gave it all we had. Our No. 3 SENIX Chevrolet was really fast, and I enjoyed racing on the newly-paved North Wilkesboro Speedway. This track is fun to race! We had the fastest lap in qualifying but, unfortunately, we had to start back in 15th after the session was canceled due to inclement weather. Our SENIX Tools Chevrolet was fast to start the race, and we were on a mission because we knew we had to finish in the top-two in order to advance into the All-Star Race. We made our way forward into the top-10 with 50 laps to go. We decided to put yellow tires on, and everyone in front of us took reds. We were hoping that because of that, they would fade, but it didn’t happen fast enough. We were making a pretty good charge at the end, but there just wasn’t enough time and we lost too much ground on the hard tires on takeoff. Would have liked to have seen what happened with reds because they got to beating and banging up front and I think we could have taken advantage of that. We learned a lot that we can take to the short tracks coming up. I think this is a big win for RCR and our short track program, so hopefully we can take what we learned, apply it and have some better runs moving forward.” -Austin Dillon

Wild Night Under the Lights for Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Lenovo Chevrolet Team in North Wilkesboro Speedway’s All-Star Race

Finish: 10th
Start: 14th

“It was an eventful All-Star Race in the Lenovo Chevrolet. The first lap of the race we didn’t even have water temperature in the car yet and we were wrecking each other off Turn 2. We were able to continue on, but I’m getting tired of getting run over by everybody. We got into another incident later in the race with the No. 54 car. He got his tires hot and checked up early and I didn’t check up early, so that was my fault. Crew chief Randall Burnett and all the guys did a good job making adjustments to our Chevy and choosing tires to help with the handling throughout the race. We were able to pick up a few spots in that last 40-lap run and come away with a 10th-place finish.” -Kyle Busch