After Brad Keselowski ended his 110-race winless streak, NASCAR heads to its second exhibition race of the 2024 season. With the North Wilkesboro Speedway hosting its second consecutive All-Star Race, the excitement among the fans is unreal. After all, it remains to be seen who ends up victorious in the 40th running of the exhibition race.
Last year, Kyle Larson cruised to a dominating win last year and earned $1 million in the process. Having said that, his form in the 2024 campaign certainly makes him one of the favorites to shine this Sunday.
Kyle Larson will be spending the least amount of time at North Wilkesboro Speedway ahead of the All-Star Race
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With Kyle Larson set to practice and qualify his McClaren IndyCar for the Indianapolis 500, he will be only seen on Sunday at North Wilkesboro Speedway. In his absence, retired Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick will practice and qualify Larson’s car.
While the Hendrick Motorsports driver will be missed, he will join 16 other Cup Series racers on Sunday. The list includes Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Jr, Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, William Byron, Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Daniel Suarez.
Heading back to hallowed ground.@NWBSpeedway | #AllStarRace pic.twitter.com/HRDAotn4IS
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 15, 2024
The remaining three drivers for the main race will be decided in two different ways. The top two finishers from the All-Star Open will directly qualify for the All-Star race. Having said that, the final spot will be decided purely on the basis of the Fan Vote.
To add, the schedule is nicely poised for an interesting spell at the North Wilkesboro Speedway. It goes as mentioned below:
3 pm ET: Truck Series practice – Can be watched on Fox Sports 1
4:35 pm ET: Cup Series qualifying – Can be watched on Fox Sports 1
5:40 pm ET: Cup Series All-Star Open qualifying – Can be watched on Fox Sports 1
6:20 pm ET: Cup Series All-Star Race qualifying – – Can be watched on Fox Sports 1
10:35 am ET: Truck Series qualifying – Can be watched on Fox Sports 1
1:30 pm ET: Truck Series race (250 laps) – Can be watched on Fox Sports 1
5:20 pm ET: Cup Series All-Star Race Heat #1 – Can be watched on Fox Sports 2
6:15 pm ET: Cup Series All-Star Race Heat #2 – Can be watched on Fox Sports 2
5:30 pm ET: Cup Series All-Star Open (100 laps) – Can be watched on Fox Sports 1
8 pm ET: Cup Series All-Star Race (200 laps) – Can be watched on Fox Sports 1
For the Canadian viewers, the race could be watched on TSN. In addition to that, live streaming can also be watched online through Fox Sports. However, nothing beats the experience of watching the race live on the track, especially when NASCAR is running back to its bootlegging roots.
Who do you want to see race for $1,000,000?
Here is the current #AllStarRace Fan Vote top five!
🗳️: https://t.co/vVHKw0NivL pic.twitter.com/4lNkrJCri4
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 15, 2024
The historic track is offering a 3-day weekend package ranging from Friday to Sunday from $229 to $339. However, if single-day tickets are desired, the costs vary accordingly. For Friday, the per ticket costs between $45 to $65. Moving on to Saturday the price ranges from $70 to $99. Unsurprisingly, the tickets for the race on Sunday remain on the higher side with a range between $145 to $210.
Without a doubt, it will be exciting to see what happens on the refurbished and revamped track. Speaking of resurrection, the same could be said about Ford’s form considering what happened last Sunday. Interestingly, they have quite the positives to look forward to this weekend.
Is Brad Keselowski heading toward his debut win in the NASCAR All-Star race on Sunday?
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Last weekend brought a sigh of relief for Brad Keselowski and his camp. It was not just the #6 team but even the Ford team jubilated as they registered their first Cup Series victory of the 2024 campaign. While it hasn’t been an easy season so far, they can use the momentum from Darlington to make it count at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Ford has registered 13 wins in All-Star races and has enjoyed seven wins in the exhibition race this century. Prior to Kyle Larson’s win last year, Ryan Blaney ended victorious in 2022. In fact, in the already available entry list, five Ford drivers are all set to fight for the $1 million prize money.
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On this day in 2016 Joey Logano won the All Star race at Charlotte! pic.twitter.com/fKX9NgJxLl
— Nascarpixtures (@Nascarpixtures) May 21, 2022
While Blaney and Joey Logano have already won it once, veteran driver Keselowski would be inching to get his hands on the trophy on Sunday. Coming from a thrilling win at Darlington, the #6 driver could certainly use that confidence and register victory in his 16th start in an All-Star Race.
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Having said that, Ford’s and Keselowski’s biggest challenge is set to come in Kyle Larson. Having won the race three times in his career, he remains the only driver in the current setup to have it won more than once. In fact, by winning on Sunday, he could join the elite list of Davey Allison and Jimmie Johnson who have registered back-to-back victories in the All-Star Race. Not to forget, with four wins, the #5 driver could join Johnson with the most All-Star Race wins.
It will be indeed interesting to see if a lack of practice affects Larson in a significant way. Regardless, it is all set for a competitive battle with money to win and no points to gain.