North Wilkesboro Speedway
Discover the history of North Wilkesboro Speedway, including NASCAR race winners for the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series, detailed track facts, and a full gallery of past race images.
North Wilkesboro Speedway NASCAR Race History
CUP Race Winning Drivers
1
Josh Berry
1
Chris Buescher
1
Ty Gibbs
1
Kyle Larson
1
Joey Logano
1
Daniel Suarez| DATE | RACE | WINNER | # | MAKE | ST | TEAM | CREW CHIEF | LAPS | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-2024 | All-Star Race | Joey Logano | 22 | Ford | 1 | Team Penske | Paul Wolfe | 200 | 01:19:57 |
| 05-2024 | All-Star Open | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Toyota | 1 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chris Gayle | 100 | 00:37:59 |
| 05-2023 | All-Star Race | Kyle Larson | 5 | Chevrolet | 16 | Hendrick Motorsports | Cliff Daniels | 200 | 01:20:59 |
| 05-2023 | All-Star Open | Josh Berry | 48 | Chevrolet | 2 | Hendrick Motorsports | Blake Harris | 100 | 00:46:48 |
| 05-2023 | All-Star Heat Race 2 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Ford | 1 | RFK Racing | Scott Graves | 60 | 00:26:12 |
| 05-2023 | All-Star Heat Race 1 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Chevrolet | 1 | Trackhouse Racing | Travis Mack | 60 | 00:25:23 |
| 09-1996 | Tyson Holly Farms 40… | Jeff Gordon | 24 | Chevrolet | 2 | Hendrick Motorsports | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1996 | First Union 400 | Terry Labonte | 5 | Chevrolet | 1 | Hendrick Motorsports | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1995 | Tyson Holly Farms 40… | Mark Martin | 6 | Ford | 2 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1995 | First Union 400 | Dale Earnhardt | 3 | Chevrolet | 5 | Richard Childress Racing | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1994 | Tyson Holly Farms 40… | Geoff Bodine | 7 | Ford | 18 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1994 | First Union 400 | Terry Labonte | 5 | Chevrolet | 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1993 | Tyson / Holly Farms … | Rusty Wallace | 2 | Pontiac | 11 | Team Penske | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1993 | First Union 400 | Rusty Wallace | 2 | Pontiac | 9 | Team Penske | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1992 | Tyson Holly Farms 40… | Geoff Bodine | 15 | Ford | 3 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1992 | First Union 400 | Davey Allison | 28 | Ford | 7 | Yates Racing | -- | 400 | -- |
| 09-1991 | Tyson Holly Farms 40… | Dale Earnhardt | 3 | Chevrolet | 16 | Richard Childress Racing | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1991 | First Union 400 | Darrell Waltrip | 17 | Chevrolet | 13 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 09-1990 | Tyson Holly Farms 40… | Mark Martin | 6 | Ford | 2 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1990 | First Union 400 | Brett Bodine | 26 | Buick | 20 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1989 | Holly Farms 400 | Geoff Bodine | 5 | Chevrolet | 11 | Hendrick Motorsports | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1989 | First Union 400 | Dale Earnhardt | 3 | Chevrolet | 3 | Richard Childress Racing | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1988 | Holly Farms 400 | Rusty Wallace | 27 | Pontiac | 12 | Raymond Beadle | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1988 | First Union 400 | Terry Labonte | 11 | Chevrolet | 1 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1987 | Holly Farms 400 | Terry Labonte | 11 | Chevrolet | 4 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1987 | First Union 400 | Dale Earnhardt | 3 | Chevrolet | 3 | Richard Childress Racing | -- | 400 | -- |
| 09-1986 | Holly Farms 400 | Darrell Waltrip | 11 | Chevrolet | 4 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1986 | First Union 400 | Dale Earnhardt | 3 | Chevrolet | 5 | Richard Childress Racing | -- | 400 | -- |
| 09-1985 | Holly Farms 400 | Harry Gant | 33 | Chevrolet | 11 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1985 | Northwestern Bank 40… | Neil Bonnett | 12 | Chevrolet | 5 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1984 | Holly Farms 400 | Darrell Waltrip | 11 | Chevrolet | 1 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1984 | Northwestern Bank 40… | Tim Richmond | 27 | Pontiac | 17 | Raymond Beadle | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1983 | Holly Farms 400 | Darrell Waltrip | 11 | Chevrolet | 1 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1983 | Northwestern Bank 40… | Darrell Waltrip | 11 | Chevrolet | 10 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1982 | Holly Farms 400 | Darrell Waltrip | 11 | Buick | 1 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1982 | Northwestern Bank 40… | Darrell Waltrip | 11 | Buick | 1 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1981 | Holly Farms 400 | Darrell Waltrip | 11 | Buick | 1 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1981 | Northwestern Bank 40… | Richard Petty | 43 | Buick | 13 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 09-1980 | Holly Farms 400 | Bobby Allison | 15 | Ford | 2 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1980 | Northwestern Bank 40… | Richard Petty | 43 | Chevrolet | 7 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1979 | Holly Farms 400 | Benny Parsons | 27 | Chevrolet | 5 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 03-1979 | Northwestern Bank 40… | Bobby Allison | 15 | Ford | 3 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1978 | Wilkes 400 | Cale Yarborough | 11 | Oldsmobile | 3 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1978 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Darrell Waltrip | 88 | Chevrolet | 2 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1977 | Wilkes 400 | Darrell Waltrip | 88 | Chevrolet | 3 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 03-1977 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Cale Yarborough | 11 | Chevrolet | 2 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1976 | Wilkes 400 | Cale Yarborough | 11 | Chevrolet | 4 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1976 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Cale Yarborough | 11 | Chevrolet | 5 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 09-1975 | Wilkes 400 | Richard Petty | 43 | Dodge | 1 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1975 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty | 43 | Dodge | 2 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 09-1974 | Wilkes 400 | Cale Yarborough | 11 | Chevrolet | 2 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1974 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty | 43 | Dodge | 4 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 09-1973 | Wilkes 400 | Bobby Allison | 12 | Chevrolet | 1 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1973 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty | 43 | Dodge | 2 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1972 | Wilkes 400 | Richard Petty | 43 | Plymouth | 3 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1972 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty | 43 | Plymouth | 3 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 11-1971 | Wilkes 400 | Tiny Lund | 55 | Chevrolet | 6 | Ronnie Hopkins | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1971 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty | 43 | Plymouth | 3 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1970 | Wilkes 400 | Bobby Isaac | 71 | Dodge | 1 | Nord Krauskopf | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1970 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty | 43 | Plymouth | 16 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1969 | Wilkes 400 | David Pearson | 17 | Ford | 2 | Holman-Moody | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1969 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Bobby Allison | 22 | Dodge | 11 | Mario Rossi | -- | 400 | -- |
| 09-1968 | Wilkes 400 | Richard Petty | 43 | Plymouth | 3 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1968 | Gwyn Staley 400 | David Pearson | 17 | Ford | 1 | Holman-Moody | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1967 | Wilkes 400 | Richard Petty | 43 | Plymouth | 5 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1967 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Darel Dieringer | 26 | Ford | 1 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1966 | Wilkes 400 | Dick Hutcherson | 29 | Ford | 4 | Holman-Moody | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1966 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Jim Paschal | 14 | Plymouth | 1 | Tom Friedkin | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1965 | Wilkes 400 | Junior Johnson | 26 | Ford | 5 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1965 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Junior Johnson | 26 | Ford | 1 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1964 | Wilkes 400 | Marvin Panch | 21 | Ford | 5 | Wood Brothers Racing | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1964 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Fred Lorenzen | 28 | Ford | 1 | Holman-Moody | -- | 400 | -- |
| 09-1963 | Wilkes 400 | Marvin Panch | 21 | Ford | 3 | Wood Brothers Racing | -- | 400 | -- |
| 04-1963 | Gywn Staley 400 | Richard Petty | 43 | Plymouth | 7 | -- | -- | 257 | -- |
| 09-1962 | Wilkes 320 | Richard Petty | 43 | Plymouth | 5 | -- | -- | 320 | -- |
| 04-1962 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty | 43 | Plymouth | 15 | -- | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1961 | Wilkes 200 | Rex White | 4 | Chevrolet | 3 | Rex White | -- | 320 | -- |
| 04-1961 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Rex White | 4 | Chevrolet | 2 | Rex White | -- | 400 | -- |
| 10-1960 | Wilkes 320 | Rex White | 4 | Chevrolet | 1 | Rex White | -- | 320 | -- |
| 03-1960 | Gwyn Staley 160 | Lee Petty | 42 | Plymouth | 8 | -- | -- | 160 | -- |
| 10-1959 | Wilkes 160 | Lee Petty | 42 | Plymouth | 2 | -- | -- | 160 | -- |
| 04-1959 | Gwyn Staley 160 | Lee Petty | 43 | Oldsmobile | 4 | -- | -- | 160 | -- |
| 10-1958 | Wilkes 160 | Junior Johnson | 11 | Ford | 2 | Paul Spaulding | -- | 160 | -- |
| 05-1958 | Wilkes County 160 | Junior Johnson | 11 | Ford | 3 | Paul Spaulding | -- | 160 | -- |
| 10-1957 | Wilkes 160 | Jack Smith | 47 | Chevrolet | 4 | Jack Smith | -- | 160 | -- |
| 04-1957 | Wilkes County 160 | Fireball Roberts | 22 | Ford | 1 | Pete DePaolo | -- | 160 | -- |
| 04-1956 | Wilkes County 160 | Tim Flock | 300A | Chrysler | 3 | Carl Kiekhaefer | -- | 160 | -- |
| 10-1955 | Wilkes 160 | Buck Baker | 87 | Ford | 1 | Pete DePaolo | -- | 160 | -- |
| 04-1955 | Wilkes County 160 | Buck Baker | 87 | Oldsmobile | 2 | Bob Griffin | -- | 160 | -- |
| 10-1954 | Wilkes 160 | Hershel McGriff | 14 | Oldsmobile | 1 | Frank Christian | -- | 157 | -- |
| 04-1954 | Wilkes County 160 | Dick Rathman | 3 | Hudson | -- | John Ditz | -- | 160 | -- |
| 10-1953 | Wilkes 160 | Speedy Thompson | 46 | Oldsmobile | -- | Buckshot Morris | -- | 160 | -- |
| 03-1953 | Wilkes County 200 | Herb Thomas | 92 | Hudson | 1 | Herb Thomas | -- | 200 | -- |
| 10-1952 | Wilkes 200 | Herb Thomas | 9 | Hudson | 1 | Herb Thomas | -- | 200 | -- |
| 03-1952 | Wilkes County 200 | Herb Thomas | 92 | Hudson | 1 | Herb Thomas | -- | 200 | -- |
| 10-1951 | Wilkes 200 | Fonty Flock | 7 | Oldsmobile | 4 | Ted Chester | -- | 200 | -- |
| 04-1951 | Wilkes County 150 | Fonty Flock | 14 | Oldsmobile | 1 | Frank Christian | -- | 150 | -- |
| 09-1950 | Wilkes 200 | Leon Sales | 98 | Plymouth | 11 | Hubert Westmoreland | -- | 200 | -- |
| 10-1949 | Wilkes 200 | Bob Flock | 7 | Oldsmobile | -- | Frank Christian | -- | 200 | -- |
Cup Race Recaps
By Reid Spencer - NASCAR Wire Service
Joey Logano dominates fiery NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro
It was a study in domination and impeccable strategy.
Leading a NASCAR All-Star Race record 199 of 200 laps, pole winner Joey Logano kept Denny Hamlin and peripatetic Kyle Larson at bay on Sunday night in winning the 40thrunning of the event and collecting the $1-million top prize.
Running the entire race on softer option tires—and eschewing the more durable prime tires at repaved and revitalized North Wilkesboro Speedway—Logano beat runner-up Hamlin to the finish line by 0.636 seconds, with Chris Buescher passing Larson for third place on the next-to-last lap.
The All-Star Race victory was the second for Logano and the fifth for Team Penske, which also won with Kurt Busch (2010), Ryan Newman (2002) and Ryan Blaney (2022).
“A lot of fun when you’ve got a car this fast,” said Logano, who is winless in 13 NASCAR Cup Series points events this season.“The Shell/Pennzoil Mustang, it’s just so great to get in Victory Lane.
“All of our sponsors and everyone who stuck with us to get a win, it feels nice.It’s been a while.I wish it was for points, but a million bucks is still a lot of money, and I feel great about that.”
Though Logano spent the race at the front of the field, Larson drew his share of attention, too, as he shuttled between 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the historic 0.625-mile short track.
After qualifying fifth for next Sunday’s Indianapolis 500—the first leg of a planned double with the Coca-Cola 600 next Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway—Larson left Indy on a helicopter at 5:44 p.m.
After transferring to a private jet registered to HMS Holdings and arriving at Wilkes County Airport, Larson took a helicopter to nearby North Wilkesboro Speedway and landed on the track property at 7:15 p.m.—to loud applause from fans in the grandstands.
Larson started from the rear of the field because of a driver change, given that Kevin Harvick had qualified the No. 5 Chevrolet while Larson was at Indy.
During a planned caution at Lap 151, Larson pitted for option tires that had spent only one green-flag lap on his car and charged through the field from 10that the restart to challenge Hamlin for the runner-up spot before fading in the closing laps.
Larson ran out of steam, and Hamlin was frustrated by his inability to make a move on the race winner.
“I needed more of an advantage to pass, for sure,” Hamlin said. “I would run to him, and then you couldn’t pass. I would lose a little bit of air there, and I would try to give my car a break and then run to him again—just have to be so much faster to get around.
“Hats off to the track, NASCAR and Goodyear for giving (two tire choices) a try. Hopefully, we learned something here for future short tracks.”
The fireworks started early on Sunday. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. went up the middle to create a three-wide scenario mid-pack and angered Kyle Busch on the outside when the cars collided. Busch retaliated on Lap 2 and turned Stenhouse’s Chevrolet into the outside wall, eliminating Stenhouse from the race.
Stenhouse drove his damaged car to pit road, parked it in Busch’s stall and expressed his displeasure to Busch’s crew chief, Randall Burnett. After the race, Stenhouse vented his pent-up rage in a brief fistfight with Busch, which also involved crews from the two teams.
“At least we had an exciting fight in the end—something to talk about,” said Hamlin, always the curmudgeon.
Under the caution for Stenhouse’s wreck, five drivers—Logano, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Buescher and Blaney—stayed on the track on the softer option tires, while the rest of the field came to pit road and switched to the prime tires.
Preserving track position proved to be the winning move for the No. 22 Team Penske Ford. When crew chief Paul Wolfe saw the car’s performance on the option tires, he chose not to change to primes at the 100-lap halfway break.
“Well, we did the first 100, so why wouldn’t it last the second 100?” agreed Logano.“That was our thought, so it was definitely an aggressive strategy, but it worked out good.”
Blaney came home fifth, followed by Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Michael McDowell and Busch.
Toyota drivers Ty Gibbs and Wallace transferred into the main event by finishing first and second, respectively, in the 100-lap NASCAR All-Star Open.
For Gibbs, the victory was a cakewalk. Starting from the pole, the driver of the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Camry led every lap and crossed the finish line 1.572 seconds ahead of Wallace, who had to hold off charging Josh Berry and Justin Haley to secure his spot in the show.
Berry was third in the Open, less than a half-second behind Wallace, with Haley trailing in fourth. Berry’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Noah Gragson, finished fifth but transferred into the All-Star Race by winning the Fan Vote.
“I can’t say enough about the fans,” Gragson said after learning he had been voted into the race.“They’re bad-ass.They keep us motivated each and every weekend to come out and do our jobs.
“When times aren’t great, the fans always pump us up and we feed off their energy.I appreciate everybody’s support and we’ve got 200 laps to go chase a million bucks.”
The chase came up short. Gragson started at the back of the 20-car field and finished 11th.
By Reid Spencer - NASCAR Wire Service
Kyle Larson spanks the field in NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro
Kyle Larson’s third victory in the Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race was a case of absolute dominance.
It was also a case study in strategy at revitalized North Wilkesboro Speedway, with the eventual winning move made on Lap 18 of 200.
That’s when Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels called his driver to the pits under caution for a fresh set of tires. Even though Larson incurred a speeding penalty exiting pit road and restarted from the rear, he charged through the field on new rubber and took the lead from Daniel Suarez on Lap 55.
From that point on, it was game over.
Having won previous All-Star Races at Charlotte and Texas, Larson is the only driver to win the $1-million top prize at three different venues. Larson is tied with Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon for second most victories in the exhibition event, one behind Jimmie Johnson’s four triumphs.
Not only that. The win gave Larson a sweep of NASCAR events at the reborn .625-mile short track. On Saturday he won the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race in NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro for the first time since 1996.
“I can't even tell you what it means,” Larson said. “This is my third All-Star win and my third different track. In a historical place like that, you guys and the crowd made this weekend so awesome. We could feel the atmosphere all weekend.
“So much fun there. That was an old-school ass whipping, for sure. We had a great car on the long run there and was just thinking for sure there was going to be a caution. I got out to a big lead, and I could see everybody's cars were driving like crap in front of me, but I cannot thank this 5 team enough.
“We were God awful all weekend. Practice I was like the worst on 30-lap average, went backwards in a heat race yesterday. We obviously had some strategy work out there in the beginning, but we drove from dead last to the lead and checked out by 12 or 13 seconds (before the competition caution at Lap 101). Then I just could pace myself there that last run.”
Once Larson grabbed the top spot, he held it the rest of the way, except for one lap under the competition caution led by Suarez. In a race that saw three lead changes among two drivers, Larson led 145 laps to Suarez’s 55.
Comfortably in front after a restart on Lap 111, Larson crossed the finish line 4.537 seconds ahead of runner-up Bubba Wallace, who duplicated Larson’s Lap 18 pit stop strategy but couldn’t match the speed of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
“No, just his capability throughout the whole run, he could attack hard and then have something there at the end,” Wallace said of Larson’s superior performance. “If this was any other race, I'd be excited, but for a million dollars to come up short and walk home with nothing…
“Tail tucked between our legs, but all in all, just continuing to ride the momentum train… Just have to keep it going. Now we show back up to home turf (for next Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway) and really got to keep the momentum going there and get ourselves deeper into the Playoffs.
“Excited to be where we're at right now. Just came up one spot short.”
Tyler Reddick finished third, followed by Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott. Ryan Blaney, Suarez, Erik Jones, Ty Gibbs and Joey Logano completed the top 10.
In an emotionally charged NASCAR All-Star Open, Josh Berry and Ty Gibbs transferred into the main event, but in Gibbs’ case, not without bruising Michael McDowell’s feelings.
Subbing for injured Alex Bowman, Berry beat Gibbs to the finish line in the 100-lap event by .571 seconds, as the top two drivers advanced (along with Fan Vote winner Noah Gragson). But Berry likely would not have held the lead were it not for McDowell.
On Lap 50, contact from Gibbs’ Toyota turned McDowell’s Ford into the Chevrolet of Justin Haley after McDowell had gained positions on the restart following a competition caution. On Lap 78 McDowell got even. As Gibbs attempted to lap the Front Row Motorsports driver, McDowell squeezed the No. 54 Toyota into the inside wall.
The contact broke Gibbs’ momentum and allowed Berry to pass for the lead, which the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet held the rest of the way.
“I kind of understand (McDowell’s) frustration,” Gibbs said, “but at Martinsville, we were running 18th, and they clobbered us and wrecked us, so I think it’s honestly fair game.”
McDowell believes Gibbs has some lessons to learn.
“It’s short-track racing to try to get into the All-Star Race, so somebody’s going to leave with hurt feelings—I guess it’s me,” McDowell said. “I got a great restart there, kind of worked the outside, got a couple of guys and was able to get down, and Ty just plowed into me, just knocked me into the 31 (Haley) and spun us both out…
“All that stuff comes around, man. You can get away with it a few times, but it comes around. I don’t have the budget for the fine. Otherwise, I would not be standing here. I’d be standing down there (confronting Gibbs on pit road).”
Unable to get to Gibbs’ bumper in the closing laps, Aric Almirola finished third in the Open. Ryan Preece was fourth, followed by AJ Allmendinger, J.J. Yeley and Gragson.
By Reid Spencer - NASCAR Wire Service
Daniel Suarez wins heat, earn front-row spot for NASCAR All-Star Race
On wet-weather tires, Daniel Suarez fashioned a convincing victory at North Wilkesboro Speedway in the first of two qualifying heats for Sunday's NASCAR All-Star Race.
With the win in damp conditions on Saturday night, Suarez earned the pole position for the 200-lap All-Star Race, which pays over $1 million to win.
Chris Buescher won Heat 2 wire-to-wire in a race that started on slick tires before switching to the wet-weather variety when rain started to fall on Lap 25 of 60. Buescher's margin of victory over runner-up Austin Dillon was 1.670 seconds.
Buescher will start to the outside of Suarez on the front row for the All-Star Race main event, as Heat 1 ordered the inside row or odd-numbered positions, and Heat 2 set the order for the outside row or even-numbered starting spots.
The races were a NASCAR first using wet-weather tires on a paved oval.
Suarez started from the pole in Heat 1, thanks to the performance of his pit crew on Friday night. The Pit Crew Challenge set the starting order for the heats, and Suarez's crew was fastest among teams already qualified for the All-Star Race field.
Starting on the outside, however, Chase Elliott took the top spot from Suarez and led the first 26 laps before Suarez repassed him to the inside on Lap 27. On Lap 33, NASCAR called a caution because of changing track conditions but again mandated treaded wet-weather tires for the completion of the race.
Joey Logano finished second, 1.529 seconds behind Suarez, followed by Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. Elliott faded to seventh after falling back on the Lap 42 restart following the competition caution.
"I think we had more grip with the wets than we did with the drys," Suarez said of the tire choice for his heat. "These tires, for some reason, they had so much forward drive- I feel like our car was pretty damn good."
With the entire race run on wet tires, Suarez said his team learned nothing of use for Sunday's race.
"It was fun to go through those transitions, learn a little bit about the tire and learn about the track," Suarez said. "Unfortunately, (Sunday) is going to be nice and sunny, so everything that we learned today—maybe it's going to work for the future, but not for tomorrow."
Logano maintained pace with Suarez or five laps after the restart but then fell off and protected the second position.
"I burnt everything up, and then I was playing defense for the rest of the race," Logano said. "It's fun, because you've got to play it smart inside the car. You've got to have a strategy, and if you make the wrong decision, you pay the price."
William Byron finished third in Heat 2, followed by Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch.
Buescher wasn't thrilled with the switch from dry to wet tires—until he built a lead on the latter.
"I liked our Fastenal Mustang on slicks—I was really happy with it," Buescher said. "I didn't want to put 'rains' on. I felt like it was still pretty dry out there. I guess it was starting to drizzle a little.
"I was good on wets, too, so I'm not going to complain anymore."
By Reid Spencer - NASCAR Wire Service
Chris Buescher wins heat, earn front-row spot for NASCAR All-Star Race
Chris Buescher won Heat 2 wire-to-wire in a race that started on slick tires before switching to the wet-weather variety when rain started to fall on Lap 25 of 60. Buescher's margin of victory over runner-up Austin Dillon was 1.670 seconds.
Buescher will start to the outside of Suarez on the front row for the All-Star Race main event, as Heat 1 ordered the inside row or odd-numbered positions, and Heat 2 set the order for the outside row or even-numbered starting spots.
The races were a NASCAR first using wet-weather tires on a paved oval.
Suarez started from the pole in Heat 1, thanks to the performance of his pit crew on Friday night. The Pit Crew Challenge set the starting order for the heats, and Suarez's crew was fastest among teams already qualified for the All-Star Race field.
Starting on the outside, however, Chase Elliott took the top spot from Suarez and led the first 26 laps before Suarez repassed him to the inside on Lap 27. On Lap 33, NASCAR called a caution because of changing track conditions but again mandated treaded wet-weather tires for the completion of the race.
Joey Logano finished second, 1.529 seconds behind Suarez, followed by Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. Elliott faded to seventh after falling back on the Lap 42 restart following the competition caution.
"I think we had more grip with the wets than we did with the drys," Suarez said of the tire choice for his heat. "These tires, for some reason, they had so much forward drive- I feel like our car was pretty damn good."
With the entire race run on wet tires, Suarez said his team learned nothing of use for Sunday's race.
"It was fun to go through those transitions, learn a little bit about the tire and learn about the track," Suarez said. "Unfortunately, (Sunday) is going to be nice and sunny, so everything that we learned today—maybe it's going to work for the future, but not for tomorrow."
Logano maintained pace with Suarez or five laps after the restart but then fell off and protected the second position.
"I burnt everything up, and then I was playing defense for the rest of the race," Logano said. "It's fun, because you've got to play it smart inside the car. You've got to have a strategy, and if you make the wrong decision, you pay the price."
William Byron finished third in Heat 2, followed by Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch.
Buescher wasn't thrilled with the switch from dry to wet tires—until he built a lead on the latter.
"I liked our Fastenal Mustang on slicks—I was really happy with it," Buescher said. "I didn't want to put 'rains' on. I felt like it was still pretty dry out there. I guess it was starting to drizzle a little.
"I was good on wets, too, so I'm not going to complain anymore."
TRUCKS Race Winning Drivers
1
Corey Heim
1
Kyle Larson| DATE | RACE | WINNER | # | MAKE | ST | TEAM | CREW CHIEF | LAPS | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-2024 | Wright Brand 250 | Corey Heim | 11 | Toyota | 12th | Tricon Garage | Scott Zipadelli | 250 | 01:53:02 |
| 05-2023 | Tyson 250 | Kyle Larson | 7 | Chevrolet | 8th | Spire Motorsports | Bono Manion | 252 | 02:17:25 |
Truck Race Recaps
By Reid Spencer - NASCAR Wire Service
Corey Heim dominates rain-delayed NASCAR Truck race at North Wilkesboro
Corey Heim dominated Saturday’s weather-delayed Wright Brand 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, but the driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota had to share the spotlight with his teammate, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, who finished fourth in his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut.
Heim grabbed the lead from Jake Garcia after a restart on Lap 186 of 250 and held it the rest of the way to win for the third time this season, the first time at North Wilkesboro and the eighth time in his career.
Crossing the finish line 2.474 seconds ahead of runner-up Grant Enfinger, Heim trimmed the series lead of sixth-place finisher Christian Eckes to four points in a race that was halted on Saturday by extreme weather after 81 laps and resumed on Sunday after a red-flag period of 21 hours, six minutes, 14 seconds.
When five inches of rain fell during a 90-minute stretch on Saturday, Heim’s truck was all but submerged at the legendary short track, which experienced drainage issues during the deluge.
“Of course, we hoped for no water damage,” Heim said. “The truck was submerged in almost three feet of water—we picked probably the worst pit box in that scenario, but obviously you can never really intend on something like that happening.
“I’ve never seen so much rain come down in an hour in my life. That was crazy, but eventually we were able to wipe it down and make sure there was no damage, and I was able to recover from that, for sure.”
Layne Riggs came home third, holding off Queen in the late going, but Queen enjoyed the raucous support of “Bean Nation” as soon as he climbed from his No. 1 Toyota. To finish fourth, Queen had to overcome a pit road speeding penalty incurred under caution on Lap 118.
“Oh, man, I can’t believe it,” said Queen, who restarted 26th on Lap 124 and worked his way back through the field. “We got that speeding penalty. I thought I was conservative on the lights, and it just got us—rookie mistake.
“But I told the team I was going to get ‘em back in position, and we did.”
The season-best second-place finish was a welcome result for Enfinger, who leaves the 0.625-mile short track eighth in the series standings, 170 points behind Eckes.
“We haven’t been performing to our ability or our standards,” said Enfinger. “I feel like last week at Darlington was the turning point in our season (despite a 16th-place finish). I’m standing by that.
“Very, very proud of this truck. Proud of our pit crew all year long. Finally, we have a little bit of a result to show for it.”
Riggs got his first top five of the season in the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford.
“We really, really needed this finish,” Riggs said. “It was a great day for us, and I hope we can continue to build on this momentum.”
Varying pit strategies produced considerable movement with the field throughout the race. Heim restarted 13thon lap 124 but methodically worked his way up the running order. On Lap 175 he passed Riggs for second place, and after Conner Jones spun in Turn 4 to cause the sixth of seven cautions on Lap 177, Heim shot past Garcia on the Lap 186 restart.
Staying out on older tires, Ty Majeski won the first stage of the race. Using the same strategy, Tyler Ankrum triumphed in Stage 2. But Heim had the fastest truck and quickly proved it after the second stage break.
Moonlighting from the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Sammy Smith finished fifth, followed by Eckes, Nick Sanchez, Ankrum, Daniel Dye and Stewart Friesen.
By Reid Spencer - NASCAR Wire Service
Super sub Kyle Larson dominates NASCAR Truck race at North Wilkesboro
Kyle Larson proved an admirable substitute on Saturday at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Subbing for injured Alex Bowman, who had been scheduled to race the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Larson led 138 of 252 laps in winning the Tyson 250 in overtime.
Larson is the first driver to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race at revitalized North Wilkesboro in 27 years. The victory was Larson's third in 15 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts.
At the end of the two-lap overtime, Larson beat ThorSport Racing's Ty Majeski to the finish line by .974 seconds. Matt DiBenedetto ran third, followed by Carson Hocevar, Bubba Wallace and pole winner Corey Heim.
"It was a really fun track there, especially in the truck where you can use the apron and such at both ends," said Larson, who was making his first Truck Series start of the season. "I had a good time. That was a lot of fun on the long runs.
"I wasn't supposed to run. Unfortunately, Alex got hurt (in a sprint car accident), and I got the opportunity to run this."
Larson made the most of his opportunity, dominating the action and charging from sixth after a Lap 228 restart on which the first three cars in the running order stayed on the track during the 11th caution, and fourth place Majeski gained track position with a two-tire pit stop.
On Lap 238, Larson passed Wallace for the lead and held it through one more caution and the overtime.
Thanks to the pit strategy, Majeski salvaged the runner-up finish.
"Yeah, we just missed it today," Majeski said. "Sometimes when you're in the back with nothing to lose, you make gutsy calls, jumping on two tires there, and we were just able to hold off guys who put four tires on. So, a subpar day for us turned into a good finish."
The race was the first in the series at North Wilkesboro since 1996, when the CRAFTSMAN Trucks ran at the .625-mile short track for the second time. Saturday's renewal produced a record 12 cautions for 81 laps.
The severest of the on-track incidents came on Lap 201, when the truck of Tyler Ankrum was forced into the outside backstretch wall. As Ankrum slowed, the Chevrolet of Rajah Caruth and the Fords of reigning series champion Zane Smith and Ben Rhodes suffered a chain-reaction collision that eliminated the three trailing trucks.
Before the wreck, Smith had suffered a pit road speeding penalty that sent him to the back of the field.
"Just a product of what happens when you get put back there," said Smith, who started the race in the rear of the field because of three failed inspections and had worked his way into the top five before the speeding penalty.
Accupredict Similar
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Wilkesboro Trivia
No trivia for this track.
