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  • Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace and Noah Gragson transfer to 2024 All-Star Race from All-Star Open

    Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace and Noah Gragson transfer to 2024 All-Star Race from All-Star Open

    Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace and Noah Gragson completed the starting grid for the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race after all three transferred from the NASCAR All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 19. 

    Gibbs and Wallace, both of whom started towards the front with the former starting on pole position, 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 for a second consecutive season, thus claiming the final spot of the 20-car grid for the All-Star event that will follow suit at the North Wilkesboro circuit. 

    The starting lineup for the event was based on the current 2024 Cup Series owner’s standings after the event’s on-track qualifying that was scheduled to occur on Friday, May 17, was canceled due to on-track precipitation. As a result, Ty Gibbs was awarded the pole position and he shared the front row with Alex Bowman. 

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Ty Gibbs rocketed his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE ahead with the lead from the outside lane through the first two turns and through the backstretch. As the field fanned out and jostled for early spots, Gibbs proceeded to lead the first lap as he was being pursued by Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson and a bevy of competitors. Wallace, who also gained a strong launch at the start behind Gibbs from the outside lane, would trail Gibbs for the lead by nearly a second by the fifth lap mark. 

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Gibbs was leading by more than a second over Wallace followed by Cindric, Bowman and Briscoe while Gragson, rookie Carson Hocevar, Todd Gilliland, John Hunter Nemechek and rookie Josh Berry were racing in the top 10 ahead of Ryan Preece, Corey LaJoie, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Justin Haley, Kaz Grala, rookie Zane Smith, Harrison Burton, Daniel Hemric and Timmy Hill, respectively. 

    Ten laps later, Gibbs stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Wallace while Cindric, Bowman and Briscoe continued to trail in the top five and by within four seconds. Behind, Hocevar overtook Gragson for sixth place while Nemechek and Berry were running in eighth and ninth, respectively, ahead of Gilliland. 

    Another 10 laps later, Gibbs extended his advantage to nearly two seconds over Wallace while third-place Cindric trailed by more than three seconds as Bowman and Briscoe continued to run in the top five. Behind, Hocevar retained sixth ahead of Gragson, Berry, Nemechek and Gilliland while Austin Dillon, Preece, LaJoie, Justin Haley and Erik Jones trailed in the top 15. 

    By Lap 40, Gibbs continued to lead by nearly two seconds over Wallace while Cindric, Bowman and Briscoe trailed by within four seconds in the top five on the track. Meanwhile, Hocevar trailed by seven seconds in sixth place followed by Gragson, Berry and Nemechek while Austin Dillon cracked the top 10 as he occupied 10th place over Gilliland. 

    A designated caution period was generated when the All-Star Open reached its halfway mark on Lap 50. By then, Gibbs was leading ahead of Wallace, Cindric, Bowman and Briscoe while Hocevar, Gragson, Berry, Nemechek and Dillon were scored in the top 10. 

    During the caution period, all the competitors led by Gibbs pitted for a mandatory four-tire service. Following the pit stops, Gibbs retained the lead after exiting first as he was followed by Bowman, Wallace, Briscoe, Berry, Cindric, Gragson, Nemechek, Hocevar and Dillon. Amid the pit stops, both LaJoie and Nemechek were penalized for speeding on pit road.  

    When the race restarted with 43 laps remaining, Gibbs and Bowman battled dead even for the lead as the field behind fanned out to multiple lanes through the first two turns and the backstretch. During the following lap, however, the caution returned after Cindric, who was trying to race his way back into the top five, got squeezed into Gragson by Hocevar amid a tight three-wide battle through the frontstretch as he then slid his No. 2 Keystone Light Ford Mustang Dark Horse against the wall with right-front damage before proceeding. 

    During the following restart with 36 laps remaining, Gibbs fended off a challenge from Bowman for nearly a lap to retain the lead as Wallace overtook Bowman for the runner-up spot. Wallace, Bowman, Briscoe and Berry would all battle for the runner-up spot during the ensuing laps while Gibbs drove away with the lead as he led by half a second with 33 laps remaining.  

    Wallace and Bowman would then engage in another side-by-side battle for the runner-up/transfer spot during the next three laps, with both neither stepping off the throttle as Berry and Briscoe tried to close in. Other competitors mixed towards the battle included Hocevar, Gragson, Haley and Preece while Gibbs was leading by more than a second with less than 30 laps remaining.  

    With 27 laps remaining, Berry made a bold move beneath Bowman’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entering Turn 3 to move his No. 4 Harrison’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse into third place as he tried to close in on Wallace for the runner-up spot. Soon after, Haley moved his No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvement Ford Mustang Dark Horse into the top five while Briscoe, Hocevar and Gragson tried to close in from sixth through eighth. Amid the battles for the runner-up spot, currently occupied by Wallace, Gibbs was gone with the lead as he was on top by two seconds with 20 laps remaining. By then, Haley was trying to overtake Berry for third place in his bid to catch Wallace’s No. 23 Alltroo Toyota Camry XSE for second place. 

    Down to the final 15 laps of the event, Gibbs was leading by more than two seconds over Wallace, who had Berry, Haley and Bowman all close in on him for the runner-up/transfer spot. Gibbs would retain the lead by a comfortable advantage of more than two seconds while Wallace would retain the runner-up spot by within two- and three-tenths of a second over Berry as Haley and Bowman tried to close in with 10 laps remaining.  

    With five laps remaining, Gibbs continued to lead by more than two seconds as Wallace retained the runner-up spot by nearly a second over Berry while Haley and Bowman continued to trail in the top five followed by Gragson, Briscoe, Preece, Hocevar and Austin Dillon. 

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Gibbs remained as the leader by more than two seconds over Wallace while third-place Berry trailed by three seconds. Having a comfortable lead to his advantage, Gibbs was able to cruise around the North Wilkesboro circuit smoothly for a final time as he then cycled back to the frontstretch to claim the checkered flag and race his way into the 2024 All-Star Race for a second consecutive season.  

    With the victory, Gibbs, who is coming off a career-best runner-up result at Darlington Raceway, will campaign for his first All-Star Race victory after transferring from the Open for a second consecutive season. Gibbs’ transfer enables all four Joe Gibbs Racing entries to earn starting spots for the 2024 All-Star Race. 

    “Yeah, we were pretty good,” Gibbs said on FS1. “I feel like we were pretty solid, so it’s good to make [the All-Star Race]. Hopefully, we can go ahead and win it. I think we’re solid enough and good enough to [win]. I feel like we learned a lot with what we’re gonna do. I got some good friends here. Let’s go win this thing.” 

    Like Gibbs, Bubba Wallace was also left smiling on pit road after settling in the runner-up spot and transferring into the All-Star Race for the fourth time in his career and his third in a row in recent seasons. As a result, Wallace, who finished second to Kyle Larson during the 2023 All-Star Race, enabled both 23XI Racing entries to make the main event as he will also campaign for his first All-Star victory.  

    “[This event] just made us work extra hard,” Wallace said. “You have to earn every right of this, so I can’t say we deserved, well I guess we deserve to be in the All-Star [Race], but we got to go fight for it every once in awhile. We’re just lacking a little bit. Definitely, a different feel than what we had in practice, so got a little bit of time to make minimal changes to make [the car] better, but all in all, we’re in the show. Appreciate [Bowman] and [Berry] running clean there. That was fun, that was short-track stuff right there. We were able to squeeze away there and hang on to second, but that’s the most stressful spot to be in.”  

    Amid the battles for the top-two finishing spots during the Open, Noah Gragson, who finished fifth in the Open, claimed the final starting spot for the 2024 All-Star Race after being named the 2024 All-Star Fan Vote winner for a second consecutive season. As a result, Gragson joined Chase Elliott and Danica Patrick as the only competitors to be named the Fan Vote winner during the All-Star weekend for multiple seasons, with Gragson becoming the first back-to-back Fan Vote winner since Elliott achieved the honors for three consecutive seasons (2016-18). Gragson’s transfer has also allowed at least one Stewart-Haas Racing entry to make the 2024 All-Star Race as he will attempt to replicate Kasey Kahne’s run by winning the All-Star Race after being voted into the main event by the fans in 2008. 

    “I appreciate all the fans,” Gragson said on the radio following the All-Star Open. “You guys are badass. We didn’t quite have what it took there in that race, but you fans pulled through. Your support means everything. We’re gonna go have some fun.” 

    Rookie Josh Berry and Justin Haley recorded strong finishes of third and fourth place, respectively, but were among the 17 remaining competitors who did not qualify for the 2024 All-Star Race. Among those who also did not make the main event included Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, Austin Dillon, rookie Carson Hocevar, Kaz Grala, Corey LaJoie, Harrison Burton, John Hunter Nemechek, Todd Gilliland, Daniel Hemric, rookie Zane Smith, Erik Jones, Timmy Hill and Austin Cindric. 

    There were no lead changes and the race featured two cautions for 11 laps. In addition, 18 of 20 starters finished on the lead lap. 

    Results. 

    1. Ty Gibbs, 100 laps led 

    2. Bubba Wallace 

    3. Josh Berry 

    4. Justin Haley 

    5. Noah Gragson 

    6. Alex Bowman 

    7. Chase Briscoe 

    8. Ryan Preece 

    9. Austin Dillon  

    10. Carson Hocevar 

    11. Kaz Grala 

    12. Corey LaJoie 

    13. Harrison Burton 

    14. John Hunter Nemechek 

    15. Todd Gilliland 

    16. Daniel Hemric 

    17. Zane Smith 

    18. Erik Jones 

    19. Timmy Hill, seven laps down 

    20. Austin Cindric, 18 laps down 

    The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway will follow suit on Sunday, May 19, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, with the green flag scheduled to wave around 8:30 p.m. ET. 

  • NASCAR postpones 2024 All-Star Race Qualifying/Pit Crew Challenge to Saturday due to inclement weather

    NASCAR postpones 2024 All-Star Race Qualifying/Pit Crew Challenge to Saturday due to inclement weather

    The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race’s Qualifying session that includes the Pit Crew Challenge at North Wilkesboro Speedway has been postponed until Saturday at 11:40 a.m. ET due to ongoing precipitation that prevented the session from occurring on Friday evening.

    The return of this year’s All-Star Race weekend at the famed North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, also features the return of a combined session between on-track qualifying and the Pit Crew Challenge.

    From the format, each competitor eligible for the All-Star event would take the green flag to commence a qualifying attempt and cycle around the North Wilkesboro circuit for a full lap before pitting their respective entries during the second lap. After the pit crews of each team perform a four-tire pit service and a mock fuel service for their respective entries, their respective competitors would return to the track and race back to the frontstretch to claim the checkered flag and complete the qualifying session.

    The competitor who posts the fastest qualifying run throughout the entire procedure, with no penalties generated during the pit stops, will earn the pole position for the All-Star Race and the event’s first of two 60-lap heat sessions that is scheduled to occur this Saturday evening, May 18. In addition, the team that generates the fastest pit service will be crowned the Pit Crew Challenge winner.

    With the cancellation and through a revised schedule, the All-Star Race’s Qualifying and Pit Crew Challenge sessions will follow suit after the Craftsman Truck Series’ qualifying session for the Wright Brand 250 occurs, with the latter airing at 10:35 a.m. ET on FS1 and both occurring on Saturday. At the conclusion of both series’ qualifying sessions, the Truck Series’ Wright Brand 250 will occur at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 before the All-Star Race’s two 60-lap Heat events will commence, beginning at 5:20 p.m. ET on FS2 and all also occurring on Saturday. The 2024 All-Star Race is scheduled for Sunday, May 19, and will air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

    Prior to the cancellation of the All-Star Race Qualifying session, the 2024 All-Star Open Qualifying session was also shortened due to rain, but the lineup for the event was determined based on the current owner’s standings. With the lineup, Ty Gibbs, who is coming off a career-best runner-up result at Darlington Raceway and whose No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team is ranked in seventh place in this year’s owner’s standings, will start on the pole position for the Open for a second consecutive season. Joining him on the front row will be Alex Bowman, whose No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team is ranked in ninth place in the owner’s standings and will attempt to return to the All-Star Race after being absent from the 2023 event.

    Ironically, this season will mark the second consecutive time that Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 Toyota entry and Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 Chevrolet entry will occupy the front row for an All-Star Open.

    Both Gibbs and Bowman are two of 20 entered competitors who will participate in the All-Star Open on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1 as they attempt to race their way into the All-Star Race either by finishing in the top two spots on the track during the Open or by being named the Fan Vote winner, which will be announced at the Open’s conclusion.

    The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race’s Qualifying and Pit Crew Challenge sessions are scheduled to occur on May 18 and air at 11:40 a.m. ET on FS1.

  • 2024 NASCAR All-Star Qualifying & Race Format 101

    2024 NASCAR All-Star Qualifying & Race Format 101

    With the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season stretch reaching its halfway mark upon a wild conclusion of Race No. 13 of 26 at Darlington Raceway, the premier series’ teams and competitors take a one-week break from competing for points and race victories to make the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs.

    It does not mean, however, that the teams and competitors will be taking a one-week break from on-track competition as the next event on the schedule is the Cup Series’ return to North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, for the 40th annual running of the All-Star Race that is set to occur this upcoming Sunday, May 19. With the return of the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro for a second consecutive season, so too does the event’s grand prize of $1 million that awaits the race-winning team and competitor following a weekend-long host of on-track activities prior to and during the main event.

    Before the battle for the million-dollar prize along with epic-bragging rights begins, however, the teams and competitors will be tested cohesively and against one another live on mainstream media through the event’s two-day qualifying format that would enable them to obtain a starting spot as high as possible over one another and be a step closer to achieving victory…and the million dollar prize.

    The 2024 All-Star’s qualifying procedure commences with all competitors set to compete in the All-Star Open to generate two qualifying laps through the sport’s traditional single-vehicle round on Friday, May 17, where the competitor who posts the fastest two-lap average qualifying lap will achieve the pole position for the Open event. The Open event is designated for competitors who are not eligible to compete in the All-Star Race due to not meeting the event’s criteria but equally gives all participants a final path to the main event that will be explained later below (Paragraph 9).

    At the conclusion of the All-Star Open qualifying procedure, the All-Star Race qualifying procedure follows suit, where each competitor registered for the main event will perform three qualifying laps individually. Infused within the on-track qualifying procedure for this year’s All-Star event is the return of the Pit Crew Challenge that will occur after each All-Star competitor takes the green flag to commence the qualifying run and cycles once around the North Wilkesboro circuit.

    Then during the second qualifying lap run, the competitors will peel off the track to pit road and park their respective entries within one of two designated pit stalls before their respective pit crews perform a four-tire pit service along with a mock fuel delivery to the cars. After the pit stops conclude, the competitors will return to the track and race back to the checkered flag, which will halt the qualifying clock session.

    The competitor who generates the highest qualifying time from start to finish, including the pit stops, will be awarded the pole position for both Heat Race No. 1 and the All-Star event. In addition, the pit crew that generates the fastest pit service with no penalties will be named winners of the Pit Crew Challenge. The results of the Pit Crew Challenge will also determine the order selection of pit stall selections. As an additional note, all teams will receive two practice sessions: one for pit road entry and one for a qualifying session and a second standard session, both of which will also occur on Friday, beginning at 4 p.m. ET and air on FS1.

    Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    The qualifying action continues on Saturday, May 18, following the conclusion of the Craftsman Truck Series’ Wright Brand 250 at North Wilkesboro, where two 60-lap Heat races will occur and determine the full lineup of the All-Star Race for the competitors already guaranteed into the main event. Each Heat event will include a scheduled caution period on Lap 30, where the teams will perform a mandatory four-time pit stop. The results of Heat Race No. 1 will determine the starting lineup of the inside lane while the results of Heat Race No. 2 will determine the lineup of the outside lane.

    On Sunday, May 19, the All-Star Open will take action that will enable all entered participants an opportunity to grab three final transfer spots into the All-Star Race. Comprised of 100 laps and including an intermission caution period on Lap 50, where all teams must perform a four-tire pit stop, the top two finishers of the Open will automatically transfer into the All-Star Race. In addition, one lucky competitor who garners the most electronic votes by race fans will be named the Fan Vote winner and will be awarded the 20th and final starting spot in the main event.

    The Open will then be followed by the highly anticipated All-Star event on the same day. Like the previous season, the 2024 All-Star Race will be comprised of 200 laps and feature an All-Star caution period at the halfway mark on Lap 100, where all teams will perform a mandatory four-tire pit stop. This season, however, generates a twist as a second All-Star caution period will occur on Lap 150 prior to a final leg shootout to the finish. For the duration of the event, all laps under green and caution flag scenarios will count and the overtime rules will also be enforced.

    With this year’s All-Star Race also centering its focus on tire options, all entered teams will be given nine sets of tires for the duration of the weekend. Five sets of tires will be prime tires marked with yellow letterings and the remaining four sets will be option tires marked with red letterings. Each team will be given three sets of prime tires and two sets of option tires to use for the practice, qualifying, Heat Races and Open events while the teams competing in the All-Star Race will receive two sets of each tire choice (prime and option). While the practice, Heat Races and Open events will enable the teams the option to start on any tire type, all teams are required to use the prime tires during all qualifying sessions (All-Star and Open) and start on the option tire for the All-Star Race. Lastly, all four tires of each car must include the same type of tire selection.

    The 2024 All-Star Race entry list features 17 competitors who are set to compete in the main event based on meeting the event’s eligibility criteria, which include winning at least one points event between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, being a former All-Star Race winner or a former Cup Series champion and are full-time competitors.

    These 17 eligible competitors feature AJ Allmendinger, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Daniel Suarez and Martin Truex Jr.

    The competitor who headlines this year’s All-Star Race’s entry list is Kyle Larson, the reigning three-time All-Star Race winner who became the first competitor to win the All-Star event on three distinct venues (North Wilkesboro, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway) and tied both Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon for the second-most All-Star wins at three. Larson’s 2024 bid for another million-dollar check will add a unique twist to his schedule this upcoming weekend as he is also set to qualify for this year’s 108 running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Arrow McLaren in preparation for his Memorial Day Double Duty effort that will include flying back to Charlotte Motor Speedway in time to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 on May 26.

    Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

    With Larson qualifying at Indianapolis, Kevin Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champion and two-time All-Star Race winner, will briefly step out of full-time NASCAR competition and his new role as an analyst for FOX Sports by practicing Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for the All-Star event. Harvick will also serve as a standby competitor for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet team throughout the weekend in the event Larson does not return on time for Saturday’s Heat events.

    For this year’s All-Star Race, Larson is one of six former All-Star winners entered, including Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano. That leaves nearly 65% of the remaining participants for this year’s All-Star Race field who have yet to claim the big million-dollar check for the first time, including last weekend’s Darlington winner Brad Keselowski and last year’s All-Star pole winner Daniel Suarez. All entered competitors, however, have made at least one previous start in the All-Star event.

    A notable name who is absent from this list is Shane van Gisbergen, who won the series’ inaugural Chicago Street Course event for his first Cup Series career victory in his debut this past July despite competing as a part-time competitor. van Gisbergen, who currently competes on a full-time basis in this year’s Xfinity Series season and on a part-time basis in the Cup circuit, will not compete in the event due to not having a ride set between a collaborative effort between his two teams: Kaulig Racing and Trackhouse Racing.

    The remaining competitors that include Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, rookie Josh Berry, Corey LaJoie, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, Harrison Burton, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Hemric, Todd Gilliland, Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek, Erik Jones, Alex Bowman, Justin Haley, Ty Gibbs, rookie Zane Smith, rookie Carson Hocevar, Kaz Grala and JJ Yeley will all battle amongst one other to claim the final three transfer spots into the All-Star Race: two through the All-Star Open and one through the Fan Vote.

    Last season, Josh Berry, who was competing as a relief competitor for Alex Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports, won the All-Star Open after leading the final 22 laps as he transferred into his first All-Star event. Ty Gibbs, whose No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota pit crew won the 2023 Pit Crew Challenge with a pit time of 13.012 seconds that enabled Gibbs to start on the pole position for the Open, also transferred into the main event after finishing second. In addition, Noah Gragson, who competed last season for Legacy Motor Club and now competes for Stewart-Haas Racing, claimed the final starting spot in the All-Star Race after being named the Fan Vote winner despite finishing seventh in the Open.

    Ironically, the trio of Berry, Gibbs and Gragson return to the All-Star Open as they will square off against one another and against 17 names for additional bids to make the All-Star Race. All three, though, are coming off strong runs at Darlington, where Gragson racked up his eighth top-15 result of the 2024 season by finishing 14th while Gibbs and Berry notched second and third-place finishes, respectively.

    Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Of the 20 entered competitors for this year’s All-Star Open, half have made at least one start in the All-Star Race, among which include Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Erik Jones, Alex Bowman, Justin Haley and Ty Gibbs. The remaining half that includes Corey LaJoie, Kaz Grala, Harrison Burton, Daniel Hemric, Todd Gilliland, Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek, Timmy Hill, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar are all looking to make the starting grid for the All-Star Race for the first time ever.

    As of this past Thursday, May 9, the top-10 competitors in the Fan Vote’s poll category in alphabetical order are Berry, Bowman, Briscoe, Gibbs, Gragson, Haley, Hocevar, Jones, LaJoie and Wallace. The 2024 Fan Vote winner will be announced at the conclusion of the All-Star Open.

    The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway is set to commence with the All-Star Open Qualifying session that will occur this upcoming Friday, May 17, and air at 5:40 p.m. ET on FS1 followed by the All-Star Race’s Qualifying and Pit Crew Challenge sessions that will follow suit and air at 6:20 p.m. ET on FS1. On Saturday, May 18, the two All-Star Race Heat events will occur, with the first heat’s coverage commencing at 5:20 p.m. ET while the second heat event will follow suit at 6:15 p.m. ET, both airing on FS2. Lastly, the All-Star Open will air on Sunday, May 19, at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1 before the main event, the All-Star Race, will conclude the weekend by occurring at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Berry, Gibbs and Gragson transfer to 2023 All-Star Race from All-Star Open

    Berry, Gibbs and Gragson transfer to 2023 All-Star Race from All-Star Open

    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.

  • Stenhouse, Buescher, Suarez and Jones transfer to 2022 All-Star Race from the All-Star Open

    Stenhouse, Buescher, Suarez and Jones transfer to 2022 All-Star Race from the All-Star Open

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones completed the starting grid for the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race after transferring from the NASCAR All-Star Open at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 22. Stenhouse, Buescher and Suarez raced their way into the main event after each claimed a stage victory, respectively, while Jones was revealed as the Fan Vote winner, thus claiming the final spot of the 24-car grid for the All-Star event.

    With the starting lineup based on on-track qualifying occurring on Saturday, Tyler Reddick initially qualified on pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 186.981 mph in 28.880 seconds. He, however, dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. As a result, Daniel Suarez, who posted a qualifying lap at 186.903 mph in 28.892 seconds, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who qualified with a fast lap at 186.490 mph in 28.965 seconds, started on the front row.

    Prior to the event, Justin Haley joined Reddick at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Stenhouse and Suarez dueled for the lead for nearly a full lap before the former pulled ahead entering the frontstretch as he led the first lap. At the same time, Chris Buescher overtook Suarez for the runner-up spot while Austin Dillon was up in fourth ahead of Erik Jones and rookie Harrison Burton.

    Through the first five laps of the event, Stenhouse was leading by three-tenths of a second over Buescher followed by Suarez, Erik Jones and Austin Dillon while Burton, Corey LaJoie, Reddick, Haley and Ty Dillon were in the top 10.

    By Lap 10, Stenhouse continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second over Buescher. Meanwhile, Reddick, who started at the rear of the field, was up in sixth place after he overtook Harrison Burton.

    With five laps remaining in the first stage, Stenhouse extended his advantage to more than a second over Buescher followed by Suarez and Austin Dillon while Reddick was up in fifth ahead of Erik Jones. By then, Haley, who also started at the rear of the field, was in seventh in front of Burton, LaJoie and Ty Dillon. 

    At the start of the final lap of the first stage on Lap 19, Stenhouse remained as the leader by one-and-a-half seconds over Buescher. Remaining uncontested for a final full cycle, Stenhouse captured the first stage victory on Lap 20 and secured a spot in the 2022 All-Star Race, which will mark his fourth appearance in the million dollar event.

    “Our Viva Camaro took off really, really strong there,” Stenhouse said. “All the Kroger team’s been working hard these last few weeks and we’ve been getting results, which is nice. Now, we get to go race for a million bucks and be in the big show, which was disappointing. We sat and watched it last year, so it feels really good. We’ll make some changes, make some adjustments and [I] got a better idea of what my car was doing there. Hopefully, we can run up through the field.” 

    Under the stage break, the remainder of the field led by Buescher pitted. Following the pit stops, Haley and BJ McLeod were sent to the rear of the field due to uncontrolled tire violations.

    The second stage started on Lap 20 as LaJoie and Suarez occupied the front row. At the start, LaJoie took off with the lead followed by Suarez as the field scrambled and jostled behind for positions. When the field returned to the start/finish line, LaJoie was out in front ahead of Suarez and Buescher while Reddick was in fourth ahead of Erik Jones.

    Then on Lap 26 and as Suarez started to pressure LaJoie for the lead, the caution flew when Landon Cassill got loose, spun and made hard contact against the outside wall through Turns 3 and 4.

    When the race restarted on Lap 31, LaJoie and Suarez dueled for the lead through the backstretch until Buescher pulled a bold three-wide move on both through Turns 3 and 4 in a bid for the lead. When the field returned to the start/finish line, Buescher emerged out in front followed by Suarez and Reddick while LaJoie was back in front of Erik Jones.

    By Lap 35, Buescher was leading by three-tenths of a second over Suarez followed by Reddick, Erik Jones and LaJoie while Austin Dillon was in sixth.

    At the start of the final lap of the second stage on Lap 39, Buescher stabilized his advantage to three-tenths of a second over Suarez. Despite having Suarez close within his rearview mirror, Buescher was able to fend off the competition to win the second stage on Lap 40 and race his way into the 2022 All-Star Race, which will mark his second appearance in the event as both Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing competitors will contend for a million dollars.

    “That was cool to be able to race our way in with our Fastenal Mustang,” Buescher said. “It was aggressive racing like we know it is when we come to the All-Star and these short runs. Get to watch them get it there side by side. I see [LaJoie] start slipping up the hill and I’m like, ‘We got to commit.’ It was cool. Had a good push down the front straightaway, had to be really protective into [Turn] 1. That grip was just starting to come in, so I’m pretty curious to see where the end of this race goes and really excited for the All-Star now.” 

    Under the stage break, some like Cole Custer, LaJoie pitted while the rest led by Suarez remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Custer was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation.

    With 10 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green. At the start, Suarez and Reddick, both of whom started on the front row, dueled for the lead through the backstretch until Suarez managed to clear Reddick through Turns 3 and 4 to assume the lead. 

    Then with eight laps remaining, the caution flew when Reddick got loose entering Turns 3 and 4 and spun several times in the middle of the track. As the field scrambled to avoid Reddick’s spinning car, Harrison Burton collided into Reddick past the start/finish line. The incident spoiled Reddick’s opportunity to compete in the All-Star Race along for Harrison Burton.

    When the race restarted with eight laps remaining, Suarez took off with a strong launch from the field as Austin Dillon moved into the runner-up spot followed by Erik Jones. 

    As the field returned to the start/finish line, Suarez was out in front by two-tenths of a second over Austin Dillon followed by Justin Haley, Erik Jones and LaJoie while Ty Dillon was up in sixth place.

    Down to the final five laps of the event, Suarez was leading by eight-tenths of a second over Austin Dillon while third-place Haley trailed by more than a second.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap was underway, Suarez continued to lead by more than a second over both Austin Dillon and Haley. Having no challengers coming close to his rear bumper, Suarez cycled his way back to the finish line as he won the All-Star Open for the second time in his career and earn a one-way trip to the All-Star Race for the third time in his career. Suarez’s accomplishment meant that both Trackhouse Racing competitors earned a spot for the All-Star event.

    “I only wished I had to run 20 [laps], but we had to run the whole 50,” Suarez said. “Overall, just very proud of my team. Every time that I’ve been part of the All-Star Race, it’s always a lot of fun. It’s just about fun, not with the trophy. What I love the most is the part about going out there in a stage with a pit crew, with a team, everybody having a good time. I’m so happy that I’m gonna be able to do this with my No. 99 crew: Trackhouse Racing.”

    In the midst of the conclusion of the event, Erik Jones, who finished in fifth place, earned the 24th and final spot after being named the Fan Vote winner. As a result, Jones earned a spot for the All-Star event for the third time in his career.

    “[I] Appreciate the fans,” Jones said. “I never thought I’d have a shot to win [the Fan Vote], but the No. 43 fans are pretty strong. Been struggling a bit, but we’ll make some big changes here for tonight. Hopefully, give’em a run for it.”

    Austin Dillon finished in second place, but was one of 12 competitors who did not make the 2022 All-Star Race along with Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie, Ty Dillon, Cole Custer, Todd Gilliland, Cody Ware, Garrett Smithley, BJ McLeod, Tyler Reddick, Harrison Burton and Landon Cassill.

    There were four lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured four cautions for eight laps.

    Results.

    1. Daniel Suarez – Stage 3 winner, 10 laps led

    2. Austin Dillon

    3. Justin Haley

    4. Corey LaJoie, 11 laps led

    5. Erik Jones – Fan Vote winner

    6. Ty Dillon

    7. Cole Custer

    8. Todd Gilliland

    9. Cody Ware

    10. Garrett Smithley

    11. BJ McLeod

    12. Tyler Reddick – OUT, Accident

    13. Harrison Burton – OUT, Accident

    14. Chris Buescher – Stage 2 winner, nine laps led

    15. Landon Cassill – OUT, Accident

    16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Stage 1 winner, 20 laps led

    The 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway will follow suit on Sunday, May 22, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Kyle Busch claims pole position for the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race

    Kyle Busch claims pole position for the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race

    With his pit crew executing three flawless services and the driver prevailing through three head-to-head drag races from pit road to the finish line, Kyle Busch earned the pole position for the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 21.

    The two-time Cup Series champion from Las Vegas, Nevada, was one of eight competitors along with William Byron, Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson to transfer from the single-car qualifying session as part of the sport’s new qualifying format for those already guaranteed a spot for the annual All-Star event. He then went head-to-head and prevailed against teammate Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson through two rounds of the new elimination bracket qualifying session that placed heavy emphasis towards the pit crew performing a four-tire pit stop in a side-by-side duel with two competitors before the competitors exited pit road with no speed limit and raced one another back to the start/finish line to transfer to the following round.

    After transferring all the way to the third and final elimination bracket qualifying session, Busch received another strong pit stop from his pit crew before he outlasted a single-lap duel from the pit road exit against Ryan Blaney to beat Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang back to the start/finish line and claim the top-starting spot for the sport’s annual All-Star event scheduled for Sunday, May 22, with a million dollars on the line.

    Busch’s pole for the 2022 All-Star event marks his third time starting on pole for the event and his first since 2012. He will attempt to win his second All-Star event since winning his first at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2017.

    “Anytime you’re able to showcase the pit crew’s ability and have them and their athleticism in this competition, in this qualifying format, I enjoy that,” Busch, whose best qualifying lap occurred at 189.115 mph in 28.554 seconds, said. “I think that’s my most favorite part of the year is coming to the All-Star Race, and whether it’s been Charlotte and coming down pit road and sliding into the box and whatnot. But having those guys go over the wall certainly means a lot, especially the No. 18 bunch that I’ve had a lot of success with over the years. It’s obviously changed up a few times, most recently, but you know, we’ve always been a threat to be reckoned with when it comes to getting on the pole for the All-Star Race. So it feels good to have that today.”

    “This is a cool event,” Ben Beshore, crew chief for Kyle Busch, added. “It’s something new. A good way to showcase our pit crew. They did a great job. They put in a lot of hard work this offseason and throughout the beginning of the year. and they clicked off three really good stops there and got it. So that’s exciting.”

    Blaney, who lost to Kyle Busch in the final elimination bracket session, will start on the front row in second place as he pursues his first All-Star victory.

    Teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson, both of whom were eliminated following the second elimination bracket round, will start third and fourth, respectively.

    Kurt Busch, Ross Chastain, Martin Truex Jr. and Aric Almirola, all of whom were eliminated following the first elimination bracket round, will start fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.

    Joey Logano, the first competitor who did not transfer to the elimination round bracket, will start the All-Star event in ninth place as he will share the fifth row with AJ Allmendinger. They will start in front of Chase Briscoe, rookie Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell and Alex Bowman, respectively.

    Results:

    1. Kyle Busch, 189.115 mph, 28.554 seconds

    2. Ryan Blaney, 189.043 mph, 28.565 seconds

    3. William Byron, 189.288 mph, 28.528 seconds

    4. Kyle Larson, 188.600 mph, 28.632 seconds

    5. Kurt Busch, 188.679 mph, 28.620 seconds

    6. Ross Chastain, 188.003 mph, 28.723 seconds

    7. Martin Truex Jr., 187.679 mph, 28.620 seconds

    8. Aric Almirola, 187.715 mph, 28.767 seconds

    9. Joey Logano, 187.650 mph, 28.777 seconds

    10. AJ Allmendinger, 187.454 mph, 28.807 seconds

    11. Chase Briscoe, 187.357 mph, 28.822 seconds

    12. Austin Cindric, 187.305 mph, 28.830 seconds

    13. Chase Elliott, 187.298 mph, 28.831 seconds

    14. Christopher Bell, 187.279 mph, 28.834 seconds

    15. Kevin Harvick, 187.084 mph, 28.864 seconds

    16. Denny Hamlin, 186.909 mph, 28.891 seconds

    17. Bubba Wallace, 186.825 mph, 28.891 seconds

    18. Brad Keselowski, 186.800 mph, 28.908 seconds

    19. Michael McDowell, 186.625 mph, 28.935 seconds

    20. Alex Bowman, 186.136 mph, 29.011 seconds

    *Bold indicates finalists of elimination bracket qualifying session.

    Earlier in the day, Tyler Reddick, who is one of 16 competitors that are currently not eligible for the main event, claimed the pole position for the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Open after posting a pole-winning, single qualifying lap at 186.981 mph at 28.880 seconds. Joining him on the front row will be Daniel Suarez, who posted a fast qualifying lap at 186.903 mph in 28.892 seconds.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, Chris Buescher, Justin Haley, Austin Dillon, Corey LaJoie, rookie Harrison Burton and Cole Custer will start the Open in the top 10, respectively.

    The All-Star Open, which will occur prior to the All-Star Race, will consist of three stages: 20 laps, 20 laps and 10 laps, respectively. The winner of each stage along with the Fan Vote winner will transfer their way into the All-Star Race, with the main event featuring a total of 24 competitors.

    Results:

    1. Tyler Reddick, 186.981 mph, 28.880 seconds

    2. Daniel Suarez, 186.903 mph, 28.892 seconds

    3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 186.490 mph, 28.956 seconds

    4. Erik Jones, 186.323 mph, 28.982 seconds

    5. Chris Buescher, 186.188 mph, 29.003 seconds

    6. Justin Haley, 186.027 mph, 29.028 seconds

    7. Austin Dillon, 185.503 mph, 29.110 seconds

    8. Corey LaJoie, 184.963 mph, 29.195 seconds

    9. Harrison Burton, 184.780 mph, 29.224 seconds

    10. Cole Custer, 184.767 mph, 29.226 seconds

    11. Landon Cassill, 184.382 mph, 29.287 seconds

    12. Ty Dillon, 183.698 mph, 29.396 seconds

    13. Cody Ware, 183.014 mph, 29.506 seconds

    14. Todd Gilliland, 181.519 mph, 29.749 seconds

    15. Garrett Smithley, 180.632 mph, 29.895 seconds

    16. BJ McLeod, 180.439 mph, 29.927 seconds

    The All-Star Open is scheduled to occur at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1 while the All-Star Race will follow suit at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 on Sunday, May 22.

  • Chastain, Reddick, Almirola and DiBenedetto transfer to All-Star Race following eventful All-Star Open

    Chastain, Reddick, Almirola and DiBenedetto transfer to All-Star Race following eventful All-Star Open

    Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick and Aric Almirola claimed starting spots for the 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race after each won a segment during the NASCAR All-Star Open at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, June 13. For the final transfer spot, Matt DiBenedetto earned a one-way ticket into the main event after being named the Fan Vote winner.

    The starting lineup was determined via driver points, making Tyler Reddick starting on pole position while Chris Buescher joined him on the front row.

    Prior to the race, Ross Chastain dropped to the rear of the field due to a violation discovered on his car pinpointing to his aero ducts. As a result, crew chief Phil Surgen was suspended from the weekend and Chip Ganassi Racing was fined $25,000. Austin Cindric (two pre-race inspection failures) and David Starr (unapproved adjustments) also started at the rear of the field. 

    When the green flag waved and the race started for the first segment, Buescher jumped ahead and battled Reddick for the lead entering the first turn before Reddick received a push from Matt DiBenedetto on the inside lane to take the lead.

    With the field jostling for position behind, Reddick led the first lap. Meanwhile, Buescher and rookie Chase Briscoe made their way into second and third over DiBenedetto as Bubba Wallace and Erik Jones joined the battle.

    Then, NASCAR declared that Buescher has been assessed a penalty for jumping ahead of the leader, Reddick, prior to the start of the event. In addition, Cindric was penalized for changing lanes at the start of the race.

    On the fourth lap, the caution flew when Wallace, who was running in fourth place ahead of Erik Jones and Matt DiBenedetto, got loose and spun in Turn 1 before coming to a rest below the apron. Despite the spin, Wallace continued with no damage to his No. 23 DoorDash Toyota Camry. 

    Under caution, Wallace pitted along with Daniel Suarez, Quin Houff, Garrett Smithley, Austin Cindric and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Following the pit stops, Stenhouse was assessed an over-the-wall too soon penalty. 

    When the race restarted on the eighth lap, Reddick retained the lead over Briscoe, Jones and the field through the first two turns. Not long after, the caution returned when Buescher spun in Turn 3 following a bump from Stenhouse. 

    Under caution, Buescher pitted along with Stenhouse and Josh Bilicki.

    When the race restarted on Lap 13, Reddick retained the lead followed by Jones, Briscoe and the field. 

    Two corners later, trouble ensued again when Jones, who battled hard against Briscoe, slipped up and spun sideways, where he was hit by Daniel Suarez before spinning back up to the wall with heavy damage as Suarez also made contact with the outside wall. The wreck was enough to knock Suarez and Jones out of contention to make the All-Star Race.

    Under caution, Briscoe pitted, but was busted for speeding on pit road.

    On Lap 18, the race restarted as Reddick and Ross Chastain started on the front row. At the start, Reddick and Chastain battled for the lead entering the backstretch while DiBenedetto and Corey LaJoie made a three-wide move on Almirola to move up towards the front.

    Coming to the final lap of the first segment, Chastain made his move on the outside lane of Reddick through Turns 3 and 4 and he was able to grab the lead past the start/finish line. Through Turn 1, Chastain was able to clear Reddick and pull away. 

    Following his surge on the final lap, Chastain, who rallied from starting at the rear of the field following pre-race inspection issues, rocketed away to win the first segment on Lap 20 and race his way into the All-Star Race for the first time in his career, joining teammate Kurt Busch in the main event.

    “It’s really cool,” Chastain said on FS1. “It’s been a good weekend on-track, but off-track, it’s obviously been really tough. Just fired me up more. This McDonald’s Chevy was obviously really good, coming from the back like that and race with guys like Reddick and those guys. I thought I was getting turned on the backstretch there when he drove into the left rear, but it’s a dream come true. Man, I’m living my dream as a farmer. Now, I get to go NASCAR racing in the All-Star Race with my heroes. It’s amazing.”

    Under the segment break, LaJoie pitted along with Justin Haley, Cody Ware, Houff, James Davison, Timmy Hill and David Starr.

    At the start of the second segment, Reddick received a push from Cindric on the outside lane to retain the lead ahead of DiBenedetto and Cindric. Meanwhile, Buescher and Almirola battled for fourth place followed by Wallace and Stenhouse. 

    By Lap 25, Reddick was the leader followed by Cindric, DiBenedetto, Almirola and Buescher. Wallace was in sixth followed by Briscoe, Stenhouse, rookie Anthony Alfredo and LaJoie. 

    A few laps later, DiBenedetto and Almirola overtook Cindric for second and third. Meanwhile, Reddick continued to lead by nearly a second. 

    By Lap 30, Reddick was leading by four-tenths of a second over DiBenedetto, with Almirola trailing by nearly a second. Behind, Cindric and Buescher battled for fourth place while Wallace retained sixth place.

    With five laps remaining in the second segment, Reddick was still leading despite encountering lapped traffic, but he had Almirola closing in for the lead.

    Down to the final two laps of the segment, Almirola drew his car behind Reddick’s rear bumper, but he could not navigate his way around Reddick to take the lead,

    On the final lap of the second segment, Reddick was leading by under two-tenths of a second over Almirola, who continued to keep Reddick in pressure. Despite Almirola’s late surge, Reddick was able to beat Almirola by nearly three-tenths of a second to win the second segment on Lap 40 as Reddick transferred to his first All-Star Race, joining teammate Austin Dillon.

    “Thankfully, we executed in the second segment,” Reddick said. “We got this thing in the race. That was the hottest 40-lap race I’ve ever done. That was hot.”

    Under the segment break, Stenhouse pitted along with Briscoe, Haley, B.J. McLeod and Garrett Smithley. 

    With 10 laps remaining, the final segment commenced under green. At the start, the field battled through two lanes as Almirola and DiBenedetto battled dead even for the lead. Following a close side-by-side battle with DiBenedetto for a full lap, Almirola pulled ahead with the lead.

    With five laps remaining, Almirola was leading by nearly half a second over DiBenedetto and Buescher. Cindric and Briscoe were in the top five followed by Wallace, Haley, Alfredo, Stenhouse and LaJoie.

    As Almirola continued to lead, DiBenedetto and Buescher battled for the runner-up spot as both were behind by seven-tenths of a second. 

    Having a clear lead to his advantage, Almirola, who has endured a difficult 2021 season, was able to navigate his way around the circuit for a final time and come back around to take the checkered flag and win the NASCAR All-Star Open as he punched his ticket into the All-Star Race for the fourth time in his career, joining teammates Kevin Harvick and Cole Custer. 

    “It just helps make you happy about something,” Almirola said. “It’s been a really tough year and the guys just continued to work their guts out and bring the best cars we can. And here at Texas today, we got a really fast car. We took the long way in, but I’m still glad we’re racing for a million bucks tonight. Just proud to give [my sponsors] something to smile about, really.”

    Despite finishing in the runner-up spot, Matt DiBenedetto claimed the 21st and final starting spot to the All-Star Race after being named the Fan Vote winner, a move that allowed him to transfer into the All-Star event for a second consecutive season.

    “That’s a relief,” DiBenedetto said. “We struggled a little bit with the car there, but man, thank you so much. That’s really cool. It means a lot to get all the votes from the fans. I can’t tell them how much I appreciate that and an opportunity to be an All-Star.”

    Buescher finished in third place followed by Briscoe and Cindric. Wallace rallied to finish sixth followed by Haley, Alfredo, Stenhouse and LaJoie. All eight competitors were among the remaining 18 competitors competing in the Open whom failed to make the All-Star Race.

    There were three lead changes for three different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 13 laps.

    Results.

    1. Aric Almirola – Won third segment, 10 laps led

    2. Matt DiBenedetto – Fan Vote winner

    3. Chris Buescher

    4. Chase Briscoe

    5. Austin Cindric

    6. Bubba Wallace

    7. Justin Haley

    8. Anthony Alfredo

    9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    10. Corey LaJoie

    11. Cody Ware

    12. B.J. McLeod

    13. Josh Bilicki

    14. Garrett Smithley

    15. Quin Houff, one lap down

    16. James Davison, one lap down

    17. Timmy Hill, one lap down

    18. David Starr, one lap down

    19. Tyler Reddick – Won second segment, 38 laps led

    20. Ross Chastain – Won first segment, two laps led

    21. Erik Jones – OUT, Accident

    22. Daniel Suarez – OUT, Accident

    The 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway will follow suit on Sunday, June 13, at 8 p.m. on FS1.

  • Wallace crashes in All-Star Open; responds by leaving bumper at McDowell’s No. 34 hauler

    Wallace crashes in All-Star Open; responds by leaving bumper at McDowell’s No. 34 hauler

    What was looking like a sure-fire entry into the All-Star Race at Bristol by Bubba Wallace and his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team quickly turned into an outright denial after contact with Michael McDowell sent Wallace hard into the outside wall, effectively ending Wallace’s chances of competing in the All-Star race.

    17 laps into the event, Wallace had made minor contact with McDowell’s rear bumper in order to move him out of the way, only for McDowell to make a hard left turn into Wallace’s right-rear. The move cost the No. 43 team a race car and a shot at racing in the All-Star since the rule states that if a driver wins the fan vote they must have a car to compete in.

    Afterward Wallace was pictured leaving the front bumper of the No. 43 at the No. 34 team’s hauler as a way of communicating his frustration with McDowell. He later spoke with reporters on his perspective of the incident.

    “Oh, just disrespect,” said Wallace. “When you get hooked into the wall – my hair looks terrible. Sorry, Mom. When you get hooked the right rear into the wall – I don’t even need to see a replay. Look at that. Yeah, wow. People say one of the nicest guys in the garage. Can’t wait for the God-fearing text he’s going to send me about preaching and praising respect. What a joke he is.”

    Meanwhile Chase Elliott took the win in front of the limited crowd in attendance, joining his father as an All-Star race winner, becoming only the second father-son duo to win the event behind Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jr. Chase’s father Bill won the All-Star the only other time it wasn’t held at Charlotte, winning it at Atlanta in 1986.

  • Almirola, Byron, DiBenedetto, Bowyer advance to All-Star Race

    Almirola, Byron, DiBenedetto, Bowyer advance to All-Star Race

    Aric Almirola, William Byron and Matt DiBenedetto transferred to the All-Star Race after each won one of three stages in the All-Star Open at Bristol Motor Speedway. For the final transfer spot, it was Clint Bowyer who earned a one way ticket to the main event after being named the Fan Vote winner.

    The starting lineup was based on a random draw. Michael McDowell drew the pole position and was joined on the front row with Aric Almirola. Corey LaJoie started at the rear of the field due to failing pre-race inspection twice. 

    When the green flag waved, McDowell received a strong start on the outside lane to jump to an early lead. After the first lap, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. moved into second while Almirola settled in third. Behind, with the field jumbling up through the corners and entering the straightaways, rookies Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick made contact in Turn 3 and nearly spun, but both saved their cars from spinning. Following the contact, Reddick fell off the pace and out of the top 10. During the contact between the two rookies, the field raced four wide entering Turn 1 before Matt DiBenedetto scrubbed the outside wall.

    At the front, McDowell continued to lead, but was hotly pursued by Almirola, Stenhouse, Bubba Wallace and William Byron. On the 11th lap, Almirola made his move below McDowell and took the lead entering Turn 1, where he started to pull away. Shortly after, Stenhouse moved into the runner-up spot after passing McDowell. 

    When the first stage reached its halfway point, Wallace pulled a bump-and-run move beneath McDowell for position through Turns 1 and 2, but McDowell hooked Wallace’s right-rear quarter panel in Turn 2 and sent Wallace into the Turn 3 wall as he made hard contact into the Turn 3 outside wall, sustaining heavy damage to his No. 43 World Wide Technology/Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Behind, Byron made contact with McDowell as McDowell spun with left-rear damage, but was able to continue. The wreck, however, ended Wallace’s attempt to make his second consecutive All-Star Race appearance since he was unable to continue the race with his wrecked primary car, which also took him out of contention of potentially winning the Fan Vote.

    “Just disrespect when you get hooked into the wall,” Wallace said on FS1. “I don’t even need to see a replay…What a joke [McDowell] is.”

    With six laps remaining in the first segment, the race restarted and Almirola took off with the lead on the outside lane. Behind, Ryan Preece got loose in Turn 3 and Reddick made contact to the rear bumper of Preece, which damaged part of Reddick’s front nose. 

    At the front, Almirola continued to pull away with Byron in second and Ty Dillon in third ahead of Bowyer and Corey LaJoie. Despite Byron closing in towards the rear bumper of Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield/Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang in the final laps, the Floridian was able to win the first stage spanning 35 laps and to transfer to the All-Star Race for the third time in his career.

    “Man, we’ve just had such a good run lately,” Almirola said on FS1. “We deserve to be in the All-Star Race. Our team has been doing an amazing job. We’ve been bringing really fast Ford Mustangs to the racetrack every weekend. So, proud to have Smithfield involved in the big show tonight. I was, actually, really nervous. When you come to a race like this, you just never know what could happen and you hate to have the All-Star Race and not be in it, especially with as good as we’ve been running lately. Proud of my guys, proud of the team…we’ll get ready for the big show tonight.”

    Under the stage break, some like Bowyer, Daniel Suarez, Preece, rookie Quin Houff, Ty Dillon, Reddick, rookie Brennan Poole and McDowell pitted.

    When the second stage started, Byron, who inherited the lead, jumped to an early lead, but was quickly pursued by Ty Dillon followed by LaJoie. The following lap, with the field jumbling up, Preece made contact with rookie John Hunter Nemechek as both spun through Turns 1 and 2, but both continued.

    With 28 laps remaining in the stage, the race restarted. On this occasion, Ty Dillon remained dead even with Byron through Turn 1, but slipped in Turn 2 as Byron was able to clear Dillon and retain the lead. Dillon fell back to fifth while Bell, Austin Dillon and Austin Dillon moved into the top 5. At the front, Byron stretched his advantage to nearly a second over Bell while Reddick moved back into the top five ahead of Clint Bowyer. Ty Dillon, meanwhile, had fallen all the way back to 12th following contact with Stenhouse and LaJoie as the pack behind the leaders were jumbling, again, for positions.

    As the laps progressed, Reddick fell out of the top 10 after making contact while McDowell was back up to sixth. At the front, Byron continued to lead, leading by nearly two seconds while approaching lapped traffic. With 13 laps remaining in the second stage, DiBenedetto made contact to the rear bumper of Bell to move into the runner-up spot and was quickly pursued by Austin Dillon and Bowyer while Bell fell back to fifth.

    With no drama occurring at the front nor the rear of the field, Byron was able to cruise his No. 24 AXALTA/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE across the start/finish line to win the second stage after leading all 35 laps in the stage and transfer to the All-Star Race for the second consecutive year. With Byron transferring to the All-Star Race, all four Hendrick Motorsports competitors will compete in the main event for a million dollars.

    “It’s always good to advance to the All-Star Race and have a shot to go for a million dollars,” Byron said on FS1. “The guys did a good job with this car, a little bit different AXALTA look for us this week, but it needs a little bit of love on the left-rear quarter panel, but hopefully, we can get that fixed up and just be ready to go. This is, actually, one of my favorite tracks, so it’s pretty awesome to see the fans here.”

    For the start of the final stage spanning 15 laps, DiBenedetto and Austin Dillon battled dead even through the first two turns before DiBenedetto pulled away with the lead. Behind, Bowyer moved into second and quickly drew himself to the rear bumper of DiBenedetto. 

    With 10 to go, DiBenedetto was ahead by half a second over Bowyer with Austin Dillon trailing by nearly a second. Buescher was in fourth followed by Nemechek and Ty Dillon. Five laps later, DiBenedetto stabilized his advantage by nearly a second over Bowyer with some battles for positions taking place behind the leaders. The advantage and the gap between himself and Bowyer was enough for DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers Racing’s No. 21 Ford Mustang to cruise under the checkered flag to win the All-Star Open for his first non-point NASCAR Cup Series victory and to transfer to the All-Star Race for the first time in his career. 

    “I was hanging on for dear life,” DiBenedetto said on FS1. “We were so loose on entry. I was right on [the] ragged edge. Just thankful to the team for battling back. My gosh, we had big damage there at the start. Had to fix it. … So proud to be driving this thing.”

    Bowyer finished in the runner-up spot, but earned the final spot to the All-Star Race after being named the Fan Vote winner. With the vote, Bowyer will make his 11th All-Star Race appearance. With Bowyer transferring to the All-Star Race, all four Stewart-Haas Racing competitors will compete in the main event for a million dollars.

    “You hate to lean on [the fans], but man, [it] damn sure feels good to have fans back at the track!” Bowyer said on FS1. “It’s fun to be around this place. You want to talk about an All-Star event. This is the right track to do it. It’s only gonna get better as we go here. We got a little bit of work to do on our car. Hey, we’re in it. I watched my buddy, Kasey Kahne, win it one time off of the Fan Vote. Maybe, we can do the same thing.”

    Austin Dillon finished third followed by Buescher and Ty Dillon while Stenhouse, McDowell, Nemechek, LaJoie and Reddick rounded out the top 10, all of whom were 17 competitors who failed to qualify for the 2020 All-Star Race.

    There were three lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 18 laps.

    Results.

    1. Matt DiBenedetto – Stage 3 winner, 15 laps led

    2. Clint Bowyer – Fan Vote winner

    3. Austin Dillon

    4. Chris Buescher, one lap led

    5. Ty Dillon

    6. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    7. Michael McDowell, 10 laps led

    8. John Hunter Nemechek

    9. Corey LaJoie

    10. Tyler Reddick

    11. Christopher Bell

    12. Daniel Suarez

    13. Ryan Preece

    14. J.J. Yeley

    15. Brennan Poole

    16. Garrett Smithley

    17. Quin Houff, two laps down

    18. Joey Gase – OUT, Handling

    19. William Byron – Stage 2 winner, 35 laps led

    20. Aric Almirola – Stage 1 winner, 25 laps led

    21. Bubba Wallace – OUT, Accident

    The NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway is next on July 15 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • McDowell on pole position for NASCAR All-Star Open

    McDowell on pole position for NASCAR All-Star Open

    Michael McDowell will start on pole position for the NASCAR All-Star Open at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday, July 15, by virtue of a random draw. The lineup was revealed during Monday night’s coverage of NASCAR Race Hub on FS1.

    McDowell, who is in his third season driving the No. 34 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports, is ranked 24th in the Cup Series regular-season standings and he trails the top-16 cutline to the Playoffs by 90 points. He will attempt to make his first career start in NASCAR’s All-Star feature.

    Joining McDowell on the front row will be Aric Almirola, who is eighth in the regular-season standings and will attempt to make his third career start in the All-Star Race. Rookie Christopher Bell, who will make his All-Star Open debut, will start third alongside Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who will attempt to make his fourth All-Star start. Rookie Tyler Reddick will start fifth as he attempts to race his way into his first All-Star Race.

    Bubba Wallace, who edged Daniel Suarez in a thrilling finish for the Stage 2 win at Charlotte Motor Speedway to make his first All-Star Race start a year ago, will start sixth followed by William Byron, who edged Wallace for the win in Stage 1 to make his All-Star debut last season. Chris Buescher will start eighth while Clint Bowyer and Matt DiBenedetto round out the top-10 starting positions.

    Rounding out the 21-car field are Austin Dillon, Ryan Preece, J.J. Yeley, Garrett Smithley, rookie Brennan Poole, rookie Quin Houff, Joey Gase, Daniel Suarez, rookie John Hunter Nemechek, Ty Dillon and Corey LaJoie.

    The winners of each segment, (three in total – 35 laps in Segment 1, 35 in Segment 2 and 15 in Segment 3), will advance to the All-Star Race and will also be joined by the Fan Vote winner, all of whom will round out the 20-car field for the All-Star Race.

    Notably, Timmy Hill and MBM Motorsports will not compete in the All-Star Open following recent wrecks at Pocono Raceway and at Kentucky Speedway. They will return for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on July 19.

    The NASCAR All-Star Open will air on July 15 at 7 p.m. ET on FS1.