North Wilkesboro All-Star Race format unveiled

2305HH6124 — March 21, 2023: At North Wilksboro Speedway in North Wilksboro, NC. (HHP/Harold Hinson)

Officials unveiled the format Thursday for the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race, which will use a pit-crew challenge to set the starting lineups for qualifying heats, all ahead of a purposely no-frills main event to highlight the return of North Wilkesboro Speedway.

The invitational winner will be determined by 200 laps, with just a competition break at or around Lap 100. Both green-flag and caution laps will count, and overtime rules will be in effect.

Each team will start on sticker tires for the All-Star Race, and have three additional sets to use. After the competition break, only one additional set of stickers can be used.

The more traditional feel of the race meshes with the rebirth of the historic 0.625-mile track, which will mark its first appearance on the NASCAR schedule since 1996 with the All-Star Race on May 21 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). Preliminary events include the return of the Craftsman Truck Series (May 20, 1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM), plus Late Model contests for the CARS Tour (May 17) and the ASA Stars National Tour (May 16).

“As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, it’s important for NASCAR to honor our history while moving towards the future,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR chief operating officer, in a press release. “The combination of the Next Gen cars on one of NASCAR’s first — and most exciting — tracks will deliver a full weekend of racing that fans will not forget. While the All-Star Race has previously been used to test new formats and technologies, we wanted this year’s format to showcase the historic return of NASCAR to North Wilkesboro Speedway.”

The starting lineup for Sunday’s main event will be set by a pair of 60-lap qualifying heats, held Saturday night after the Craftsman Truck race. The starting order for those races and the 100-lap All-Star Open qualifier will be set by a Friday night pit-stop competition for each team. Each team’s qualifying time will be based on the speed of a four-tire pit stop, with timing lines marked one pit stall behind and one pit stall forward of the designated pit box.

Drivers not already eligible for Sunday’s feature will attempt to race their way into the field through the All-Star Open. That qualifying race is scheduled for 100 laps, with a competition break set for Lap 40 and overtime rules in place. The top two Open finishers and the top remaining vote-getter in fan balloting will be added to the All-Star Race field.

Drivers already eligible for the All-Star main event will be divided into two 60-lap heats that will set the All-Star starting lineup. The finishing order of Heat 1 will make up the inside row in the feature; Heat 2 finishers will occupy the outside row in that order. All those drivers will be followed by the three transferring through the Open and the fan vote.

“The star of this year’s All-Star Race is the track,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was instrumental in helping to revive the facility “The history, the nostalgia, the surface — just being back at North Wilkesboro. People have wanted traditional racing back at North Wilkesboro for decades, and that’s what’s most important — that’s what this format delivers. The Pit Crew Challenge puts a lot of pressure on the teams, and with a 100-lap Open and a 200-lap All-Star Race, I’m excited to sit back alongside the fans and watch the racing we’ve all wanted for a long time.”

Eligibility standards for the invitational event are similar to rules used in previous runnings. Drivers who won a points-paying race since the start of the 2022 season are in. Also eligible are current full-time drivers who are previous All-Star Race winners or past Cup Series champions.

Twenty-two drivers have already clinched an All-Star Race spot: Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suárez, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace.