CONCORD, N.C. – The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race format at North Wilkesboro Speedway has been set. The 0.625-mile track will host the event for the second straight year and Kyle Larson is the defending race winner. Ahead of this year's events, North Wilkesboro underwent a repave and William Byron was part of the tire test there in March.
PHOTOS: See the scenes from Larson's All-Star Race win at North Wilkesboro
Similar to last year, the events are relatively straightforward. There will be a 100-lap All-Star Open, in which the top-two finishers and the Fan Vote winner will transfer to the All-Star Race. The main event of the All-Star Race will be 200 laps with two All-Star cautions in place (more on that in a moment) and the winner will once again take home $1,000,000. This year's events will again include a Pit Crew Challenge, heat races to determine the lineups for the All-Star Race and the added intrigue of tire management and strategy based on different types of tires available (more on that below).
To be eligible for the All-Star Race, a driver has to meet one of the following three criteria:
1. A points race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series in either 2023 or 2024;
2. A past All-Star Race winner who competes full-time;
3. A NASCAR Cup Series champion who competes full-time
Additionally, a driver can get into the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro by:
1. Being a top-two finisher in the All-Star Open;
2. The NASCAR Fan Vote winner
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Byron, Larson and Chase Elliott have qualified for the All-Star Race as all three have won races since the start of the 2023 season. Elliott and Larson are also two of the five drivers to win the All-Star Race for Hendrick Motorsports, which has won the non-points race 11 times in its history. Jimmie Johnson's four wins (2003, 2006, 2012 and 2013) are the most in event history. Team vice chairman Jeff Gordon's three wins (1995, 1997 and 2001) are tied for the second-most in event history with Larson and Dale Earnhardt. Larson has two wins while driving for Hendrick Motorsports (2021 and 2023). Terry Labonte (1999) and Elliott (2020) each have won one All-Star Race for the team.
RELATED: Hendrick Motorsports' winning history in the All-Star Race
Drivers 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. A Fan Vote winner will complete the field. Alex Bowman has not yet qualified for the main event, so he falls into this group of drivers. Should Bowman not win one of the three races before the All-Star Race, he must finish in the top-two positions in the All-Star Open to transfer through or win the Fan Vote. Last year, Bowman was sidelined by injury for this race and fill-in driver Josh Berry won the Open to advance.
The All-Star Fan Vote launched this evening and will run through Sunday, May 19, at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Tire type and allotment:
Wet weather: Will be used only if the track is wet (denoted by white Goodyear Eagle lettering)
Prime: The normal tire, used from the tire test (denoted by yellow Goodyear Eagle lettering)
Option: Slicks, but made with rain tire rubber (denoted by red Goodyear Eagle lettering)
Teams will receive nine sets of tires for the weekend. For practice, qualifying, heat races and the Open, teams will receive three sets of prime tires and two sets of option tires. For the All-Star Race, each team will be given two sets each of prime tires and option tires. All four tires on the car must be of the same type at all times.
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Find out all about the weekend festivities below with additional details:
Friday, May 17:
Practice (4-4:50 p.m. ET on FS1): A combined NASCAR Cup Series practice for the Open and All-Star entries.
All-Star Open Qualifying (5:10-5:40 p.m. ET on FS1): A traditional qualifying session of two laps, with the fastest lap being the lap of record. All teams will start on the prime tire. These results will determine the starting lineup for the All-Star Open.
All-Star Race Qualifying (5:50-7 p.m. ET on FS1): All teams will start on the prime tire. Competitors will take the green flag and run one full lap at speed. On the second lap, they will proceed (maintaining pit road speed while on pit road) to one of the two NASCAR designated pit stalls for a four-tire stop and mock fuel (the fueler must engage the fuel can, but the car won't be fueled). When the stop is complete, the cars will exit pit road (maintaining pit road speed) and race back to the checkered flag. Qualifying time will be the total time from the green flag to the checkered flag. The pole sitter will start from the top starting spot for Heat Race 1 and the All-Star Race.
The Pit Crew Challenge winner will be awarded to the pit crew with the fastest stop during the All-Star qualifying attempt (without penalties). The timing lines will be established as one box behind and one box ahead of the NASCAR-designated pit stop boxes. The results of the Pit Crew Challenge will determine the order of pit picking.
Saturday, May 18:
All-Star Heat Races (5:20 p.m. ET for Heat 1; approximately 6:15 p.m. ET for Heat 2, with both on FS1): Two heat races of 60 laps each will occur. Drivers that finish in an odd number in All-Star Qualifying will be assigned to Heat 1, while drivers that finish in an even number in All-Star Qualifying will be assigned to Heat 2. All laps will count and there will be one overtime attempt if needed. Teams can start on any of the tire options. There will be All-Star caution at lap 30 of each heat race and teams must make a four-tire pit stop then. The results of Heat 1 will set the inside row for the All-Star Race and the results of Heat 2 will set the outside row for the All-Star Race.
Sunday, May 19:
All-Star Open (5:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio-Channel 90): This race will be 100 laps, with all laps counting and one attempt at overtime if needed. Teams can start on any of the tire options. There will be an All-Star caution at lap 50 and teams must make a four-tire pit stop. The top-two finishers and the Fan Vote winner will transfer to the All-Star Race.
All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio-Channel 90): This race will be 200 laps, with all laps counting and overtime rules in effect. Teams must start on the option tire. There will be two All-Star cautions at lap 100 and 150. Teams must make a four-tire pit stop during the lap 100 All-Star caution. Teams can stay out or pit during the lap 150 All-Star caution.
Last year's All-Star Race was the first Cup Series action at the 0.625-mile track since 1996. North Wilkesboro hosted 93 Cup Series races from 1949 to 1996, with Hendrick Motorsports' sweep of the final season of points-paying races among its four wins at the facility. Gordon won the last NASCAR Cup Series points race there on Sept. 29, 1996. Labonte won the spring races in 1994 and 1996 and Geoff Bodine won the fall race in 1989.
RELATED: Gordon looks back at '96 win at North Wilkesboro
North Wilkesboro is the fifth venue to host the annual all-star event. Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted the first such event in 1985 before Atlanta Motor Speedway served as the host in 1986. The race moved back to Charlotte from 1987 to 2019. Bristol Motor Speedway served as the host in 2020 and Texas Motor Speedway was the site for two years from 2021 to 2022. Larson has won the All-Star Race at a record three different venues in his career (Charlotte in 2019, Texas in 2021 and North Wilkesboro in 2023).
