CONCORD, N.C. – NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief and Hendrick Motorsports vice president of competition Chad Knaus will be the grand marshal for Sunday's All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
PHOTOS: Chad Knaus' historic career at Hendrick Motorsports
Knaus, who won seven NASCAR Cup Series championships as a crew chief with driver Jimmie Johnson, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in January with Johnson and Donnie Allison. A native of Illinois, Knaus is one of six crew chiefs to be inducted into the Hall, joining Ray Evernham, Dale Inman, Kirk Shelmerdine, Waddell Wilson and Leonard Wood.
Among all crew chiefs, Knaus' seven titles rank second to Inman's eight. His 82 wins atop the pit box are third behind Inman and Wood. Eighty-one of those wins came atop the No. 48, while his last victory came with the No. 24 in 2020 with William Byron.
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Sunday's All-Star Race caps off the second straight year that the 0.625-mile track has hosted the event. In addition to the main event, the All-Star Open will also occur on Sunday. On Saturday, May 18, the heat races to set the All-Star Race lineup will take place. On Friday, May 17, there is a practice session, followed by All-Star Open qualifying and All-Star Race qualifying, which includes the Pit Crew Challenge.
Hendrick Motorsports has won the non-points All-Star event 11 times in its history. Kyle Larson is the defending race winner, dominating last year's race at North Wilkesboro. Jimmie Johnson's four wins with Knaus (2003, 2006, 2012 and 2013) are the most in event history. Jeff Gordon's three wins (1995, 1997 and 2001) are tied for the second-most in the event's history with Dale Earnhardt and Larson. Labonte (1999), Chase Elliott (2020) and Larson (2021 and 2023) have also won the All-Star Race for the team.
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Tune in to watch the All-Star Race on Sunday, May 19, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).