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Larson cruises to third All-Star career victory at North Wilkesboro

From an early speeding penalty to cashing in a million dollars in NASCAR’s revival of one of the sport’s oldest venues, Kyle Larson cruised to a dominant victory in the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on Sunday, May 21.

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, led two times for a race-high 145 of 200-scheduled laps in a weekend where he started 16th out of the 24-car field and rallied from speeding on pit road during a caution period past the Lap 15 mark to methodically carve his way through the field. After assuming the lead from pole-sitter Daniel Suarez on Lap 55 of 200, Larson never looked back as he also retained the lead during a 90-lap shootout to beat runner-up Bubba Wallace by more than four seconds and win the All-Star Race for the third time in his career.

The starting lineup for the main event was determined through a Pit Crew Challenge that occurred on Friday, May 19, two 60-lap heat events. with the drivers’ qualifying time determined based on their respective crew’s pit stop time through a four-tire pit stop and the timing lines being established one box behind and ahead of the designated pit box. The teams who delivered the fastest pit services would enable their respective entries to start towards the front of two All-Star Heat Races comprising 60 laps that occurred on Saturday, May 20, and that set the official starting lineup for the All-Star event.

At the conclusion of both events, Daniel Suarez, whose No. 99 Trackhouse Racing pit crew executed a fast pit stop service in 13.297 during the Pit Crew Challenge that put him on the pole for the first Heat Race, earned the pole position for the main feature after winning the first Heat. Joining him on the front row was Chris Buescher, whose No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing pit crew delivered a pit stop service in 13.381 seconds that enabled him to start on the pole for the second Heat Race and carried forth to the driver winning.

Suarez and Buescher were among 21 competitors to have earned a spot for the 2023 All-Star Race by virtue of winning a Cup Series points race between 2022-23 or being a former Cup and All-Star Race winner. The eligibility list included Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones.

The eligible competitors were joined by Josh Berry and rookie Ty Gibbs, both of whom transferred to the All-Star Race after finishing first and second, respectively, during the All-Star Open. The 24th and final starting spot went to rookie Noah Gragson, who was named the Fan Vote winner.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Suarez launched ahead with a strong start on the inside lane followed by Joey Logano and Chase Briscoe while Buescher, who started on the front row, struggled to launch on the outside lane, though he managed to draw even against Briscoe for third. As the field battled amid two lanes, Suarez managed to cycle back to the frontstretch with a clear view and lead the first lap.

During the second lap, Suarez retained the lead ahead of Logano followed by Briscoe and Christopher Bell while Buescher was struggling to transition from the outside to the inside lane for grip as he was locked in a tight battle against Denny Hamlin for fifth place. Buescher, however, would continue to lose more spots through Turns 3 and 4 as William Byron and Ryan Blaney overtook him. As the 24-car field settled in a long single-file formation, Suarez retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over Logano by the fifth lap.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Suarez was leading by four-tenths of a second over Logano followed by Hamlin, Byron and Briscoe while Blaney, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and Bell were in the top 10. Behind, Buescher dropped to 11th ahead of Kevin Harvick, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. while Ty Gibbs, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson and Tyler Reddick trailed behind within the 24-car field.

Five laps later, the first caution of the event flew when Stenhouse, who slid up the track between Turns 3 and 4 and was trying to transition from the outside to the inside lane, got hit by Erik Jones as he spun his No. 47 Kroger/Coca-Cola Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 around in Turn 4 before proceeding without sustaining any significant damage. During the first caution period, names like Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Wallace, Larson, Berry, Gragson, Reddick and Stenhouse pitted while the rest led by Suarez remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Larson was penalized for speeding on pit road.

When the race restarted under green on Lap 20, Suarez and Briscoe dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Suarez managed to peek ahead on the inside lane in his No. 99 Trackhouse Motorplex Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and retain the lead. Behind, Briscoe and Hamlin battled for second as Briscoe was trying to transition back to the inside lane. Despite losing spots to Hamlin and Logano, Briscoe managed to settle in fourth place in front of Elliott on the inside lane as the field behind fanned out to multiple lanes.

At the Lap 30 mark, Suarez was leading by over a tenth of a second over a hard-charging Hamlin followed by Logano, Briscoe and Elliott while Byron, Truex, Blaney, Keselowski and Buescher were running single file in the top 10. Behind, Gragson moved up to 11th ahead of Berry, Bell, Larson and Erik Jones while Reddick, Wallace, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch and Harvick trailed in the top 20.

Ten laps later, Suarez continued to lead by two-tenths of a second over Hamlin while Logano, Briscoe and Elliott remained in the top five. Behind, Larson carved his way up to eighth on fresh tires behind Byron and Truex while Bell, Kyle Busch and Harvick were mired from 18th to 20th, respectively. In addition, Chastain was back in 21st while Cindric, Gibbs and Stenhouse were stuck from 22nd to 24th, respectively.

Through the first 50 scheduled laps, Suarez stabilized his advantage to four-tenths of a second over Hamlin followed by Logano while Larson was up in fourth place. Briscoe fell back to fifth ahead of Elliott, Truex and Buescher while Byron and Blaney were scored in the top 10.

Five laps later, Larson, who overtook Hamlin and Logano earlier, made his move on the frontstretch beneath Suarez as he rocketed his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead. Larson started to pull away on fresh tires as he was scored as the leader by more than a second-and-a-half over Suarez at the Lap 60 mark. Behind, Logano overtook Hamlin for third while Briscoe was in fifth ahead of Elliott, Buescher, Truex, Blaney and Erik Jones.

Shortly after, Byron and Kyle Busch pitted under green, a move that dropped both competitors out of the lead lap category, as Larson remained as the leader by more than two seconds over runner-up Suarez and more than three seconds over third-place Logano.

At the Lap 75 mark, Larson extended his advantage by six seconds over Suarez as Logano, Hamlin and Briscoe remained in the top five. Behind, Elliott retained sixth ahead of Buescher while Wallace and Blaney moved up to eighth and ninth in front of Truex and Reddick. By then, Larson was also starting to approach Harvick and Keselowski to lap both former Cup champions while Cindric and Stenhouse were also lapped.

Just past the Lap 90 mark, Larson continued to lead by more than 11 seconds over Suarez while Wallace moved his No. 23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota TRD Camry up to third. Logano was back in fourth followed by Briscoe, Reddick and Hamlin while Elliott, Buescher and Blaney were running in the top 10. By then, 16 of 24 competitors were scored on the lead lap.

When the competition caution period flew on Lap 100, which marked the halfway point of the event, Larson had retained a commanding lead over Wallace, who overtook Suarez for the runner-up spot four laps earlier. By then, 16 of 24 competitors were still scored on the lead lap, none of which included Truex, Byron, Gragson, Harvick, Keselowski, Cindric, Kyle Busch and Stenhouse.

During the competition caution period, the lead lap competitors led by Larson pitted. Following the pit stops, Larson retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Wallace, Suarez, Reddick, Briscoe and Elliott. Amid the pit stops, Chastain, who exited pit road seventh, was penalized for speeding on pit road. Logano and Bell were also penalized for uncontrolled tire violations.

When the race resumed under green flag conditions with 90 laps remaining, Larson retained the lead on the inside lane as he took off followed by Wallace as Suarez battled Reddick for third. Reddick would then bump Suarez to assume third place as the field jostled for positions.

With 75 laps remaining, Larson was leading by more than a second over Wallace while third-place Reddick trailed by more than two seconds in his No. 45 Beast Unleashed Toyota TRD Camry. Suarez retained fourth as he too trailed by more than two seconds followed by Buescher while Elliott, Briscoe, Blaney, Erik Jones and Ty Gibbs were scored in the top 10. By then, names that included Harvick, Byron, Keselowski, Cindric, Kyle Busch, Gragson and Stenhouse were not scored on the lead lap category.

Down to the final 60 laps of the event, Larson extended his advantage to more than two seconds over runner-up Wallace while Reddick, Suarez and Buescher remained in the top five. Larson would continue to extend his advantage to three seconds over Wallace with 50 laps remaining and more than four seconds with 40 laps remaining.

With 25 laps remaining, Larson stabilized his advantage to more than three-and-a-half seconds over Wallace followed by Reddick as Briscoe carved his No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang up to fourth ahead of Elliott. Behind, Suarez was back in sixth ahead of Blaney while Buescher, Erik Jones and Gibbs remained in the top 10. Meanwhile, Logano was in 11th ahead of Hamlin, Chastain, Bell, and Truex while Berry, Austin Dillon, Harvick, Keselowski and Byron were strapped in the top 20.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Larson continued to lead by more than four seconds over Wallace while both third-place Reddick and fourth-place Briscoe trailed by more than seven seconds. Larson would stabilize his advantage to over four seconds over Wallace as the event reached its final five-lap mark.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson remained as the leader by more than three seconds over Wallace. Despite dealing with lapped traffic for the majority of his dominant run in the second half of the event, Larson was able to smoothly cycle his way around the short circuit for a final time and back to the frontstretch as he streaked across the finish line to claim his third checkered flag in the All-Star Race.

With the victory, Larson notched his third All-Star career victory overall and in his previous four All-Star starts as he became the first competitor to win the All-Star Race in three different venues (North Wilkesboro Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway). He joined Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt as competitors to win the All-Star Race three times. He also recorded the 11th All-Star Race victory for Hendrick Motorsports and the 21st for Chevrolet while becoming the first competitor to win a Cup Series event at North Wilkesboro Speedway since Gordon won the last points-paying event at the track in September 1996.

As an added bonus, Larson’s All-Star victory capped off a weekend sweep after he won Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series event at North Wilkesboro while driving for Spire Motorsports.

Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

“I can’t even tell you what [the win] means,” Larson said on FS1. “This is my third All-Star win at my third different track. At a historical place like this. You guys in the crowd made this weekend so awesome. We could feel the atmosphere all weekend. So much fun there. That was old-school ass-whoppin’, for sure. We had a great car on the long run there. I was just thinking that, for sure, there was gonna be a caution, right? I got out to a big lead. I could see everybody’s cars were driving like crap in front of me, but I cannot thank this No. 5 team enough. We were God-awful all weekend. Obviously, I had some strategy work out there at the beginning, but we drove from dead last to the lead and checked out by 12 or 13 seconds, and then I could just pace myself there that last run. What an amazing car. Everything that my car did bad on Friday and Saturday did great today.”

Wallace, who started 10th, retained the runner-up spot he acquired towards the end of the first half of the event as his second-place finish marked his career-best result in his third start in the All-Star event. Wallace’s 23XI Racing teammate Reddick rallied from starting 20th to finish third and notch his best result in his second All-Star career start.

“[Larson’s] capability throughout the whole run [made the difference],” Wallace said. “He could attack hard and then have something there at the end. If this was any other race, I’d be excited, but it’s for a million dollars, you come up short and walk home with nothing. Tail tucked between our legs, but all in all, just continuing to ride the momentum train. I wanna get [sponsor] Columbia in Victory Lane. We come up one spot short, so congrats to Larson. He’s been on a rail lately, so just have to keep it going. Now, we show back up to home turf and really got to keep the momentum going there and get ourselves deeper in the Playoffs here. Excited to be where we’re at right now. Just come up one spot short.”

“[I] Just needed a little bit on the balance, but the Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry TRD was really fast,” Reddick added. “I made a mistake earlier in the race back in the first 100 laps and let Kyle [Larson] squeeze by and he really mowed through traffic. We lined up, obviously, behind him on that restart and we could kind of stay in touch, but he was able to just keep far enough away. Honestly, a good, solid car. I had more left in the tank than I thought. [I] Wished I could have that back, but solid effort by our guys and our team. We stumbled a little bit in the Pit Crew Challenge and started deep, but we were able to claw our way through it.”

Briscoe charged his way to a strong fourth-place finish followed by Elliott while Blaney, Suarez, Erik Jones, Ty Gibbs and Logano capped off their runs in the top 10.

Notably, Kevin Harvick finished 18th in his 23rd and final career All-Star Race. In addition, Hamlin ended up 13th in between teammates Bell and Truex, Josh Berry finished 15th while subbing the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the injured Alex Bowman, Buescher fell back to 16th, Keselowski settled in 19th in front of Byron and Kyle Busch concluded his long night in 22nd.

There were three lead changes for two different leaders. The race featured two cautions for 13 laps. While all 24 starters finished the event, 12 finished on the lead lap.

Results:

1. Kyle Larson, 145 laps led

2. Bubba Wallace

3. Tyler Reddick

4. Chase Briscoe

5. Chase Elliott

6. Ryan Blaney

7. Daniel Suarez, 55 laps led

8. Erik Jones

9. Ty Gibbs

10. Joey Logano

11. Ross Chastain

12. Christopher Bell

13. Denny Hamlin, one lap down

14. Martin Truex Jr., one lap down

15. Josh Berry, one lap down

16. Chris Buescher, one lap down

17. Austin Dillon, one lap down

18. Kevin Harvick, two laps down

19. Brad Keselowski, two laps down

20. William Byron, two laps down

21. Austin Cindric, two laps down

22. Kyle Busch, two laps down

23. Noah Gragson, three laps down

24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., four laps down

Next on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the 64th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, May 28, during Memorial Day weekend at 6 p.m. ET on FOX.

May 21, 2023
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.

May 21, 2023
Suarez, Buescher claim front row starting spots for 2023 All-Star Race

Daniel Suarez won the pole position for the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race and will share the front row with Chris Buescher after both won a Heat Race qualifying event that determined the official starting lineup for the main event at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday, May 20.

The starting lineup for the two Heat races consisting of 60 laps was determined through NASCAR’s Pit Crew Challenge that occurred on Friday, May 19, with the drivers’ qualifying time determined based on their respective crew’s pit stop time through a four-tire pit stop and the timing lines being established one box behind and ahead of the designated pit box. The teams who delivered the fastest pit services would enable their respective entries to start towards the front of the two All-Star Heat Races or the All-Star Open.

Following the pit stops, rookie Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew won the Pit Crew Challenge after the team posted the fastest pit service overall in 13.012 seconds. Gibbs, however, is currently not locked into the All-Star Race and will look to race his way into the main event while on pole position in the All-Star Open that will occur on Sunday, May 21, prior to the All-Star feature. As a result, Daniel Suarez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Racing pit crew led by crew chief Travis Mack placed the former Xfinity Series champion from Monterrey, Mexico, on pole position for the first Heat Race after posting the second-fastest pit service overall, but first as an eligible competitor, in 13.297 seconds.

During the first Heat Race, which determined the official starting lineup of the inside rows for the All-Star feature, Suarez, who lost the lead to Chase Elliott at the start, led the final 34 of 60-scheduled laps while on wet weather tires amid one caution period and occurrences of precipitation around the circuit to win and claim pole position in the All-Star Star for the first time in his career. As a result, Suarez, a two-time All-Star Open winner whose best result in the All-Star Race is second from 2018, will vie for his first All-Star victory in his fourth attempt on Sunday.

“The car was very fast,” Suarez said on FS1. “I have to thank my guys. I have an amazing team. We have a great group of people. We haven’t been able to show that in the last races, but we’re fast. I can’t thank enough everyone that helps us to get to this point. Just happy to be here and hopefully, we can have a strong performance tomorrow as well.”

Joey Logano settled in second place behind Suarez followed by Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. Ryan Blaney settled in sixth while Chase Elliott ended up seventh followed by Kevin Harvick, Austin Cindric, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Erik Jones, respectively, all of whom will start on the inside rows for the All-Star event.

Meanwhile, Chris Buescher’s No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing pit crew placed the former Xfinity Series champion from Prosper, Texas, on pole position for the second Heat Race after posting the third-fastest pit service in 13.381 seconds.

During the second Heat Race, which determined the official starting lineup of the outside rows for the All-Star feature, Buescher led all 60-scheduled laps as he beat runner-up Austin Dillon by more than a second and claim a front-row starting spot (second place) for Sunday’s main event. During Buescher’s dominant victory, the second Heat event also featured a single caution period due to rain and that enabled the teams to switch from starting on slick tires to wet tires. As a result, Buescher, who will be making his third All-Star career start on Sunday, will also vie for his first All-Star victory.

“That was awesome,” Buescher said. “I was so proud of our group. This Fastenal Mustang has been really fast from the time we unloaded off the truck. The pit crew did a fantastic job and put us in a great spot here today. We’re in a good place for the race tomorrow evening.

“I’m excited. I’m ready for this thing. Let’s go. Let’s go get a million dollars.”

Dillon settled in second followed by William Byron, Brad Keselowski and Bubba Wallace while Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top 10, respectively, all of whom will start on the outside rows for the All-Star Race.

With 21 competitors earning guaranteed starting spots for the 2023 All-Star Race, the remaining three vacant spots for the main event will be determined at the conclusion of the 2023 All-Star Open which will occur prior to the All-Star feature on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1. With 16 competitors competing in the All-Star Open, the top-two finishers of the Open consisting of 100 laps will transfer to the main event. The 24th and final starting spot will be awarded to the competitor who is named the Fan Vote winner.

All-Star Race Starting Lineup

1. Daniel Suarez

2. Chris Buescher

3. Joey Logano

4. Austin Dillon

5. Chase Briscoe

6. William Byron

7. Christopher Bell

8. Brad Keselowski

9. Denny Hamlin

10. Bubba Wallace

11. Ryan Blaney

12. Martin Truex Jr.

13. Chase Elliott

14. Kyle Busch

15. Kevin Harvick

16. Kyle Larson

17. Austin Cindric

18. Ross Chastain

19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

20. Tyler Reddick

21. Erik Jones

22. *All-Star Open Winner

23. *All-Star Open Runner-up

24. *Fan Vote Winner

With the official starting lineup set, the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway is scheduled to occur on Sunday, May 21, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

May 20, 2023
Larson dominates for third Truck career victory at North Wilkesboro

In his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start in two years, Kyle Larson made the most of the opportunity by scoring a dominant victory in the third-ever running of the Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on Saturday, May 20.

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, led two times for a race-high 138 of 252 over-scheduled laps, including the final 15, and prevailed in an overtime shootout amid a series of late carnages to win in the series return to North Wilkesboro while piloting the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Spire Motorsports.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Corey Heim won his second consecutive pole position in recent weeks after posting a pole-winning lap at 112.096 mph in 20.072 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Carson Hocevar, who posted the second-fastest qualifying lap at 111.629 mph in 20.156 seconds and was the fastest during Friday’s lone practice session.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Heim launched ahead with the lead on the outside lane before he quickly transitioned to the inside lane entering Turn 1. With the field behind running two lanes deep, Heim was able to cycle back to the frontstretch and lead the first lap ahead of Hocevar as William Byron, Ty Majeski and Bret Holmes were scored in the top five.

During the second lap, Heim retained the lead over Hocevar and Byron while Kyle Larson, who was piloting the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado RST for Spire Motorsports, had fallen back to 12th as he was struggling for grip on the outside lane. Shortly after, Colby Howard, who started in the top five and was running sixth in the early stages, lost spots to Grant Enfinger and Christopher Bell before settling in front of Kaden Honeycutt in eighth place. Amid the early battles through the first five laps, Heim continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second over Hocevar while third-place Byron trailed by more than a second.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Heim was leading by eight-tenths of a second over Hocevar followed by Byron, Majeski and Bret Holmes while Grant Enfinger, Bell, Howard, Kaden Honeycutt and Christian Eckes were in the top 10. Behind, Matt DiBenedetto was in 11th ahead of Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Hailie Deegan and Tyler Ankrum while Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes, Bubba Wallace, rookie Jake Garcia and rookie Rajah Caruth occupied the top 20, with rookie Nick Sanchez running in 21st. Meanwhile, Zane Smith, who did not post a qualifying lap due to his truck failing pre-race inspection three times, was up in 24th.

On Lap 23, the first caution of the event flew when Timmy Hill turned across the front nose of Johnny Sauter, which sent Hill spinning into Turn 4 as he was dodged by oncoming traffic. By then, Heim, who started to approach lapped traffic, among which included Stewart Friesen, had retained the lead by half a second over Hocevar as Majeski moved up to third. Byron fell back to fourth in front of Bell, who carved his No. 61 Toyota Tsusho Toyota Tundra TRD Pro into the top five over Holmes while Enfinger, Howard, DiBenedetto and Larson were in the top 10.

During the first caution period, names that included Byron, Bell, Colby Howard, Christian Eckes, Tyler Ankrum, Jake Garcia, Lawless Alan, Sauter, Chase Purdy, rookie Daniel Dye, Chris Hacker and Friesen pitted while the rest led by Heim remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Sauter was penalized for speeding on pit road.

When the race restarted on Lap 31, Heim retained the lead followed by Hocevar while Enfinger battled Majeski and DiBenedetto for third place. Majeski and DiBenedetto would overtake Enfinger as the Alabama native fell back to fifth while stuck on the outside lane before settling in front of Holmes and Larson as the field fanned out, bumped and jostled for positions.

Then on Lap 43, Hocevar seized an opportunity entering Turn 2 as he overtook Heim and assumed the lead for the first time. Hocevar then started to extend his advantage to more than a second over Heim while Larson worked his way up to third as he trailed by more than two seconds. Behind, Majeski and DiBenedetto were in the top five while Bell and Byron, both of whom pitted during the first caution period for fresh tires, moved up to sixth and seventh.

At the Lap 50 mark, Hocevar extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Heim followed by Larson, Majeski and Byron while Bell, Eckes, DiBenedetto, Chastain and Honeycutt were running in the top 10. A few laps later, however, Byron and Bell moved up to third and fourth on fresh tires with Larson moving up to second while Heim fell back to fifth.

During the event’s caution period on Lap 57, where Hailie Deegan spun in Turn 1 amid contact with Johnny Sauter, Hocevar surrendered the lead to pit as he led a bevy of competitors to pit road while the rest led by Byron and Friesen remained on the track.

With seven laps remaining in the first stage, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Byron retained the lead over Howard and Friesen as the field fanned out again for on-track positions. A lap later, however, the caution quickly returned when Timmy Hill, who was running towards the rear of the field, got loose entering Turn 1 and clipped Deegan before spinning and coming to a stop sideways between Turns 1 and 2 with damage to his truck. During the caution period, a few drivers, including Jake Garcia, Honeycutt and Hill pitted while the rest led by Byron remained on the track.

When the race restarted with a single lap remaining in the first stage, Heim, who restarted alongside Byron on the outside lane on the front row, capitalized on fresh tires to overtake Byron’s No. 51 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado RST through Turns 2 and 3. The momentum was enough for Heim to cycle his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro back to Turn 4 and capture the first stage victory and his third of the 2023 season on Lap 70. Byron settled in second followed by Bell, Howard and Hocevar while Friesen, Zane Smith, Larson, Chase Purdy and Ankrum were scored in the top 10.

Under the stage break, names that included Byron, Howard, Friesen, Purdy, Chris Hacker, Sauter, Kris Wright and Holmes pitted while the rest led by Heim remained on the track.

The second stage started on Lap 80 as Heim and Bell occupied the front row. At the start, Heim rocketed with the race leader on the inside lane while Hocevar battled Bell for second in front of Larson, Zane Smith and DiBenedetto. With the field battling amid two tight-packed lanes during the proceeding laps, a three-wide action and contact occurred between Chris Hacker, Connor Jones and Kris Wright, with all three battling for spots in the top 30. Amid the tight racing, Heim retained the lead by three-tenths of a second over Hocevar.

By Lap 90, Heim was leading by three-tenths of a second over Hocevar while third-place Bell trailed by a second. Larson and Zane Smith occupied the top five ahead of DiBenedetto and Majeski while Ross Chastain, Ankrum and Ben Rhodes were in the top 10. Behind, Bubba Wallace was in 11th ahead of Enfinger, Nick Sanchez, Eckes and Byron.

At the Lap 100 mark, Heim continued to lead by more than a tenth of a second over a hard-charging Larson, who overtook Bell and Hocevar less than 10 laps earlier, while Zane Smith retained fifth. Meanwhile, Byron was mired in 12th behind Wallace, Eckes was in 15th ahead of Matt Crafton and Friesen was back in 18th.

A lap later, however, Larson battled and overtook Heim to assume the lead for the first time as the leaders approached lapped traffic. Hocevar would overtake Heim for second a few laps later while Bell trailed in fourth place by more than a second.

At the halfway mark on Lap 125, Larson extended his advantage to more than three seconds over Hocevar while third-place Zane Smith trailed by four seconds. Heim and DiBenedetto were in the top five followed by Heim, Wallace, Chastain, Enfinger and Byron while Majeski, Bell, Crafton, Friesen, Rhodes, Purdy, rookie Taylor Gray, Honeycutt, Howard and Garcia occupied the top 20.

Eight laps later, the caution flew when Dean Thompson, who got bumped by Rajah Caruth entering Turn 1, spun in Turn 2 amid contact with Josh Williams. During the caution period, the field led by Larson peeled off the track to pit for fresh tires. Following the pit stops, Larson exited first followed by Zane Smith, Hocevar, DiBenedetto, Heim and Chastain.

When the race restarted with a single lap remaining in the second stage, Larson peeked ahead with the lead alongside Hocevar and amid two tight-packed lanes through Turns 1 and 2. Despite being locked alongside Hocevar through Turn 2, Larson was able to muscle ahead and clear the field through Turns 3 and 4 as he claimed the second stage victory scheduled for Lap 140. Hocevar settled in second followed by Zane Smith, Heim and Byron while DiBenedetto, Enfinger, Chastain, Wallace and Ankrum were scored in the top 10.

Under the stage break, a few names that included Majeski and Holmes pitted while the rest led by Larson remained on the track.

With 99 laps remaining, the final stage started as Larson muscled ahead with the lead ahead of Zane Smith and Hocevar. As Larson retained a steady advantage over Hocevar, Heim moved back up to third while Zane Smith fell back to fourth while battling Enfinger and Byron. As the on-track battles ensued, the caution returned with 95 laps remaining when Josh Williams, who was battling Kris Wright, Spencer Boyd, Connor Jones and Tanner Gray, was bumped by both Wright and Jones as Williams was turned off the front nose of Gray through the backstretch. Williams then clipped the barriers towards the pit road entrance before spinning across the track towards the inside wall.

With the race restarting with 88 laps remaining, Larson muscled ahead with the lead over the field as Hocevar made his way around Grant Enfinger for second.

With 75 laps remaining, Larson was leading by more than a second over Hocevar and more than three seconds over third-place Heim while Zane Smith and Bell were in the top five. Enfinger was back in sixth ahead of Byron, DiBenedetto, Wallace and Crafton while Ankrum, Friesen, Taylor Gray, Chastain and Purdy were mired in the top 15.

Then with 67 laps remaining, the caution flew when Deegan bumped and sent Dean Thompson for a spin in Turn 1 as Thompson backed his No. 5 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota Tundra TRD Pro into the outside wall and sustained significant rear-end damage. In the ensuing chaos, Deegan slapped the outside wall while trying to regain her momentum while Kris Wright hit both the wall and Thompson’s damaged truck while trying to lock up his front tires. During the caution period, the field led by Larson pitted and Larson retained the lead after exiting first followed by Heim, Hocevar, Byron, Zane Smith and Enfinger. During the pit stops, Zane Smith was sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road.

With the race restarting with 59 laps remaining, Larson retained the lead on the inside lane as Heim made his way to second over Hocevar. Two laps later, the caution returned when Eckes bumped and sent Ben Rhodes for a spin in Turn 1, though Rhodes managed to keep his No. 99 Kubota Ford F-150 off the outside wall.

During the proceeding restart with 51 laps remaining, Larson retained the lead ahead of Heim while Byron was locked in a battle with Hocevar and DiBenedetto for third. The caution, however, returned a lap later when Ankrum, who was locked in a tight three-wide battle against Eckes and Purdy within the top 15, got shoved and squeezed into the outside wall through Turn 2 as he slapped the wall. Ankrum’s incident ignited a chain reaction as Rajah Caruth ran into him along with Rhodes and Zane Smith, with all four competitors wrecking while the rest of the field scattered to avoid the carnage. During the caution period, Chastain and Deegan pitted while the rest of the field led by Larson remained on the track.

With the race restarting with 35 laps remaining, Larson rocketed with the lead followed by Heim while Hocevar battled and overtook DiBenedetto for third. As the laps proceeded and with late battles ensuing around the circuit, Byron made his way up to fourth over DiBenedetto while Larson extended his advantage to a second over Heim.

With 28 laps remaining, the caution returned when Connor Jones came to a stop on the track, a move that resulted in NASCAR holding Jones for two laps in the pits as a penalty. During the caution period, Wallace, Chastain and Deegan remained on the track while the rest led by Larson pitted. Amid the caution period, Colby Howard was penalized for speeding on pit road.

During the following restart with 23 laps remaining, Wallace retained the lead while Majeski, the first competitor with fresh tires, carved his way up to second as the field fanned out and jostled for late positions. Wallace would continue to lead on old tires over Majeski as the event reached its final 20-lap mark.

Then with 15 laps remaining, the battle for the lead intensified as Larson, who carved his way back up to second, intimidated Wallace for the top spot. After bumping and remaining in a tight side-by-side match against Wallace during the proceeding laps, Larson managed to reassume the lead for good with 12 laps remaining as Majeski challenged Wallace for second.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Larson was leading by a second over Majeski as Wallace trailed by more than a second. Four laps later, the caution flew when Eckes spun in Turn 3 after making contact with Chase Purdy. Eckes’ spin was enough to send the event into overtime.

When the field restarted for the first overtime attempt, Larson rocketed with the lead on the inside lane while Wallace spun the tires on outside lane, which jumbled the field and allowed Majeski to move to second followed by DiBenedetto. As the field fanned out through the first two turns, Larson started to pull away from Majeski and his rivals.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson remained as the leader by more than six-tenths of a second over Majeski. With the clean air to his advantage, Larson was able to cruise away from the field and cycle back to the frontstretch to claim the checkered flag and win by nine-tenths of a second over Majeski.

With the victory, Larson notched his third career victory in the Craftsman Truck Series and his first since winning at Eldora Speedway in July 2016. He joined Mike Bliss and Mark Martin as the only competitors to win a Truck event at North Wilkesboro Speedway and he recorded the second Truck career victory for Spire Motorsports.

The victory occurred nine days after Larson was announced to drive the No. 7 entry for Spire Motorsports in place of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman, who remains injured with a fractured vertebra stemming from a sprint car accident in late April.

“[That was] A really fun track there, especially in the truck,” Larson said on FOX. “You can use the apron and such, and both ends there. [I] Had a good time. That was a lot of fun on the long runs there, lapping trucks. Huge thank you to [crew chief Kevin] Bono [Manion], everybody on this team.

I wasn’t supposed to run [this event]. Unfortunately, Alex [Bowman] got hurt and allowed me the opportunity to run this. Thanks to everybody at Spire Motorsports for allowing me to race their truck, HendrickCars.com, [Cup owner] Rick Hendrick for also letting me run.”

Majeski finished in second place for the second time this season followed by Matt DiBenedetto while Hocevar and Bubba Wallace finished in the top five. Heim, the pole-sitter, ended up in sixth place while Crafton, Chase Purdy, Ross Chastain and Enfinger finished in the top 10.

There were six lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured 12 cautions for 85 laps. In total, 25 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the 10th event of the 2023 Craftsman Truck Series season, Corey Heim leads the regular-season standings by seven points over Ty Majeski, 16 over Zane Smith, 41 over Grant Enfinger and 60 over Christian Eckes.

Results.

1. Kyle Larson, 138 laps led, Stage 2 winner

2. Ty Majeski

3. Matt DiBenedetto

4. Carson Hocevar, 16 laps led

5. Bubba Wallace, 13 laps led

6. Corey Heim, 75 laps led, Stage 1 winner

7. Matt Crafton

8. Chase Purdy

9. Ross Chastain

10. Grant Enfinger

11. William Byron, 10 laps led

12. Chris Hacker

13. Stewart Friesen

14. Daniel Dye

15. Bret Holmes

16. Christopher Bell

17. Kaden Honeycutt

18. Tanner Gray

19. Lawless Alan

20. Hailie Deegan

21. Taylor Gray

22. Kris Wright

23. Jake Garcia

24. Colby Howard

25. Christian Eckes

26. Tyler Ankrum, two laps down

27. Spencer Boyd, two laps down

28. Josh Williams – OUT, Water pump

29. Connor Jones – OUT, Electrical

30. Nick Sanchez, 39 laps down

31. Timmy Hill, 41 laps down

32. Zane Smith – OUT, Accident,

33. Ben Rhodes – OUT, Accident

34. Rajah Caruth – OUT, Accident

35. Dean Thompson – OUT, Accident

36. Johnny Sauter – OUT, Electrical

Next on the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is another North Carolina event as the series will travel southeast from North Wilkesboro to Concord to compete at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The event is scheduled to occur next Friday, May 26, at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

May 20, 2023
Over the Wall with the RCR No. 8 Pit Crew

This year the All-StarRace Pit Crew Challenge is presented by Mechanix Wear at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The team pit crews play a vital role in every race, but none more so than this weekend.

The starting lineups for the two heat races on Saturday and the All-Star Open on Sunday will be determined by the Pit Crew Challenge on Friday and the fastest pit crew team will also earn a 100k bonus.

This is how the pit crew challenge works:

It will consist of only one driver at a time and no speeding penalties. When the driver reaches one stall away from their designated box, the time begins. Once the driver is in their pit stall, it’s a four-tire stop and no fuel. However, the fuel man will be there with an empty can. After the driver reaches the speed line, which is one pit stall past their box, the timing ends for the stop.

If there’s any equipment out of the box, or if they go over the wall too soon, there will be a five-second infraction deducted from their time for each violation. If they have a loose wheel, then they’re disqualified. The results of the pit stop time only will determine the starting lineups for both the All-Star Heat Races and All-Star Open.

I spoke with all five of the pit crewman for the No.8 team of Kyle Busch about today’s All-Star competition to determine how they approach this event.

MW: As the jackman, you’re leveraging the car for your other teammates to complete the stop together. Do you feel any added pressure during the All-Star pit crew challenge?

Josh Sobecki: (Jackman) I don’t feel any added pressure. I guess I never really have. It’s a little nerve-racking having everybody watch you during that stop but, it’s also really fun and a great experience. Just have to execute what you already know and you’ll be just fine.

MW: Are there any advantages with the rules entering and exiting the box that are in your favor?

Josh Sobecki: The best advantage, we have is Kyle Busch. The man is P1 on and off pit road all the time, so any help is the best. And he always hits his marks well which makes us do our job better as a team.

MW: Once the jackman has the car up, as a tire changer, briefly explain your position.

Bryan Backus: (Front Tire Changer) Before the car stops, I should be on the lug nut already. Once the jackman gets the car up, the lug should be off. Then I have to pull the tire and roll it back to the wall then switch my button and zip the lug nut back on after the jackman hangs the tire.

MW: While passing the tire off to the tire carrier, do you feel any added pressure since this isn’t a normal race pit stop, but a challenge of speed?

Bryan Backus: I actually never hand the tire off to the carrier because I roll the tire back to the wall. It actually feels like less pressure because we are just going to try and do the fastest stop possible.

MW: Coming into today’s All-Star Pit Crew Challenge, how do you mentally prepare for it?

Marcus Horton: (Rear Tire Changer)

I mentally prepared for today just like any other race. Easy going. Relaxing.

MW: What if anything, do you feel will be the toughest challenge as the rear tire changer?

Marcus Horton: Getting to the right rear is always my toughest challenge. Depending on where Kyle stops the car makes all the difference for me.

MW: On a normal fuel stop, you feel the weight of the can plus the fuel. Explain how today’s challenge is different.

Justin White: (Fuel Man) First off, today will be a lot of fun because Fuelers will get to participate. In years past we had to watch the competition from behind the wall. Having an empty can will feel different from a normal pit stop, but it allows me to be there for my rear changer to help guide the left rear tire coming off back to pit wall as I’m fueling the car.

MW: In the past, teams have had tires roll away on pit road. Coming into today’s challenge, how do you prepare for this and your role as the tire carrier?

Lamar Neal:(Tire Carrier) I always try and prepare myself mentally before any pit stop by doing that, I get to visualize executing each component of my job, setting the tire for the jackman, hanging the tire for the rear changer, and cleaning up anything that is left behind going into the left side. As a carrier, I am depended on to be the cleanup man and that’s what I pride myself in doing.

The format is unique and to be eligible for the All-Star Race, a driver has to meet one of the following four criteria: They have to be a points race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series in either 2022 or 2023, a former All-Star Race winner, or a NASCAR Cup Series champion, top-two finisher in the All-Star Open, or win the NASCAR Fan Vote.

Even though Alex Bowman qualified for the race, because of an injury that has him temporarily sidelined, Josh Berry will be piloting the No.48 in the All-Star Open. He will need to finish in first or second place to transfer to the main event. Drivers who are not eligible for the All-Star Race will compete in the All-Star Open, where the top two finishers will advance to the main event. The Fan Vote winner will complete the field.

I’d personally like to thank the entire Richard Childress Racing No.8 Cup Series Over the Wall Pit Crew of Kyle Busch as they head into today’s All-Star competition at North Wilkesboro.

“This one’s for you old buddy !!!! Going to Give ’em hell tonight !!!” – Josh Sobecki
jongurley @nascar #allstarpitcrewchallenge @rcrracing

In loving memory of Jon Gurley

May 19, 2023
Tyler Ankrum to make 100th Truck career start at North Wilkesboro

Competing in his fourth full-time season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Tyler Ankrum is primed to achieve a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s series’ return to North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the driver of the No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota Tundra TRD Pro will be making his 100th career start in the Truck circuit.

A native of San Bernardino, California, Ankrum made his first career start in the Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway in October, where he piloted the No. 54 Toyota Tundra for DGR-Crosley. By then, he had achieved the 2018 ARCA Menards Series East championship on the strength of four victories and 12 top-10 finishes in 14-scheduled starts. Starting 19th, Ankrum finished 18th in his series debut. He would return for the penultimate event of the season at Phoenix Raceway in November, where he drove DGR’s No. 17 Toyota to a strong sixth-place result after starting 15th.

In December 2018, Ankrum was named a full-time competitor for DGR-Crosley for the 2019 Truck season. He, however, was forced to miss the first three events on the schedule due to age restrictions, with his first start occurring at Martinsville in March as he finished 19th. During his next five scheduled starts, he racked up a total of three top-10 results, including a career-best third-place run at Texas Motor Speedway in June. For the following two events, however, Ankrum competed for NEMCO Motorsports after initially losing his ride at DGR due to sponsorship issues. After reuniting with DGR at Chicagoland Speedway in late June, he then achieved a breakthrough moment by notching his first Truck career victory at Kentucky Speedway in July after overtaking reigning series champion Brett Moffitt, who ran out of fuel, prior to the final lap. With a guaranteed spot to the 2019 Truck Playoffs, Ankrum finished in the top 10 in two of the final three regular-season events before the Playoffs commenced. With three consecutive top-20 results during the Round of 8, he managed to claim the final transfer spot to the Round of 6 by a mere margin. His title hopes, however, came to an end after finishing no higher than seventh during the Round of 6. With a 22nd-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, Ankrum capped off the 2019 season in eighth place in the final standings. He also emerged as the 2019 Truck Rookie-of-the-Year recipient.

Prior to the championship weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2019, Ankrum announced that he will be joining GMS Racing for the 2020 Truck season. Piloting the team’s newly formed No. 26 Chevrolet Silverado, the Californian commenced his sophomore season with a 27th-place result at Daytona International Speedway in February after being involved in a late multi-truck wreck before notching three consecutive top-15 results. He then backed up the results by finishing in second place at Homestead in June before proceeding to finish in the top 10 six times during the final 11 regular-season events. The results were enough for Ankrum to make the 2020 Truck Playoffs, which he managed to transfer from the Round of 10 to 8 before being eliminated prior to the finale. With an eighth-place result in the finale at Phoenix Raceway in November, Ankrum concluded his second season in ninth place in the final standings. While he concluded the season winless, he tied his top-five results from the previous season (three), but earned two additional top-10 results (10) and improved on his average-finishing result from 15.3 to a career-best 13.4

Remaining at GMS Racing for the 2021 Truck season, Ankrum’s season commenced on a rough note by finishing no higher than 18th during the first five scheduled events before racking up his first top-five result of the season at Richmond Raceway in April. Another three races later, he achieved a strong run in the series’ inaugural event at Circuit of the Americas after finishing third while starting on pole position for the first time in his career. With only three additional top-10 results during the final six regular-season events, Ankrum failed to make the 2021 Truck Playoffs. By finishing no higher than 14th throughout the Playoffs, he concluded his junior campaign in 15th place in the final standings.

Following a two-year run with GMS and while driving a Chevrolet, Ankrum returned to the Toyota camp for the 2022 Truck season as he took over the No. 16 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Hattori Racing Enterprises. Commencing the season with a 28th-place run at Daytona after being involved in a late multi-truck wreck, he achieved a total of six top-10 results during the 16-race regular-season stretch, which were not enough for him to make the Playoffs for a second consecutive season. He, however, rallied by finishing no lower than 14th on the track throughout the Playoffs as he capped off the season in 12th place in the final standings. With a total of eight top-10 results throughout the 2022 campaign, Ankrum’s overall average-finishing result ended up being 14.6.

Through 99 previous Truck starts, Ankrum has achieved one victory, one pole, 10 top-five results, 35 top-10 results, 144 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.9. He is currently ranked in 14th place in the driver’s standings and has finished in the top 10 three times, including a fourth-place result at Circuit of the Americas in March, through the first nine scheduled events.

Ankrum is scheduled to make his 100th career start in the Craftsman Truck Series at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday, May 20, with the event’s coverage to commence at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

May 17, 2023
What Can Be Done for North Wilkesboro Speedway?
As NASCAR fans, we’ll forever hold the candle for abandoned race tracks like Rockingham and Nashville Superspeedway, but we somehow seem to hold a bigger candle for North Wilkesboro Speedway. As race fans, this is the sort of thing that tugs at our heartstrings regarding how the track just sits there sadly, falling into disrepair. It’s a track with many years of history and a long list of winners named Petty, Waltrip, Earnhardt, and Gordon. But despite all of that, there are some truths that even the most die-hard NASCAR fans have trouble accepting.
- There will never be another Sprint Cup race there.
- There will never be a return to the glory days 20, 30 years ago.
- If the track is ever used for competition again, it won’t look anything like it did 20, 30 years ago.
- Despite our highest hopes, the likelihood is that the days of any sort of competition ever returning to North Wilkesboro are long, long gone.
So what can be done? There’s a current initiative going on centered around the speedway called Save The Speedway, which is dedicated to the preservation of the track. However, there is only so much they can do. From 2010 to 2011, racing did resume at North Wilkesboro with divisions such as the USAR ProCup, PASS Late Models, and the ASA Late Models. However, that obviously did not last.

Enter NASCAR. Not exactly the Sprint Cup Series or the XFINITY Series, or even the Camping World Truck Series. Bring the K&N Pro Series to North Wilkesboro and turn them loose. How? Why? Well, look at it this way. If places like Dominion Raceway and Evergreen Speedway can host the K&N Pro Series as bare bones race tracks, then so can North Wilkesboro.

For one, despite the Late Models and the USAR ProCup events, the turnout for both events wasn’t as big as was hoped. But people respond to NASCAR events. NASCAR is a name brand, as recognizable as Coca-Cola or Chevrolet. If NASCAR had been involved with the Late Model/ProCup events, it’s guaranteed that people that are curious about our sport would have turned up. For that matter, fans and competitors across the country would have shown up for the chance to be a part of history and/or be noticed as a competitor.

WOODFORD, VA – Spencer Davis, driver of the No. 41 Chevrolet takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race on May 30, 2016, in Woodford, Virginia. Photo by Matt Hazlett/NASCAR via Getty Images.

As for North Wilkesboro operating as a bare bones facility, it would be hard to see, but it could prove to be a benefit for the track. All over the facility, things are collapsing and falling apart. Why save them? What good would come out of rebuilding them at this point? Ten years ago, a case could have been made in saving as much of the facility as possible, but at this point, one of the saving graces would be to just clear up the debris, then repair the racing surface as well as the stands. Granted, North Wilkesboro had a unique and awesome Victory Lane, but at this point that’s irrelevant. Incorporate the usual NASCAR Home Tracks tradition of holding the Victory Lane on the frontstretch.

Trimming down unnecessary buildings and trash at a race track is nothing new. Charlotte tore down some stands, and Atlanta has torn down multiple buildings and bleachers. North Wilkesboro needs to trim down. Get rid of irreparable facilities. Bring in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, which is the last vestige of great, basic racing in NASCAR. Accomplish all of that, and in due time, North Wilkesboro Speedway could be saved.
June 3, 2016