The return trip to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the All-Star Race next month will feature an alternate tire with the intent of creating speed disparity and strategy options throughout the annual non-points exhibition.
Before explaining how the tires will be used next month, some backstory to the 2023 All Star Race is necessary.
The heat races for that event was contested on a damp track and using a wet weather tire. It produced the best racing of the entire evening. The same can be said of the Cup Series race at Richmond last month, which began on a wet track but produced the most excitement of the entire night.
So, both tire compounds ordered for the 2024 All Star Race at North Wilkesboro were born from a tire test held at the track on March 12-13. The alternative, option, tire will feature the grippier compound that Goodyear uses on its wet weather tire but on slicks instead of a treaded pattern.
The idea is that it will provide drivers more grip but at the expense of more fall-off. There will be two sets each of standard and option tires during the race. A similar experiment was tried at the All Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2017.
The race will begin, much like Richmond, on the option tire and Goodyear’s director of racing Greg Stucker expects teams to have to come off them within 100 laps. The option tire is estimated to be a half second a lap quicker than the standard tire.
Wilkesboro was repaved over the winter and this will be the first race weekend on its fresh surface, which generally minimizes tire wear.
“Tire management will be key to going as deep as possible in that first run,” Stucker said. “Tire wear, and by extension tire management, makes for great racing by creating fall-off and putting more of an emphasis on a driver’s ability to be easier on their tires early in a run and then being able to pass more cars late.”
That was exemplified by the race last month at Bristol Motor Speedway where extreme tire wear led to a record number of passes for any non-superspeedway race.
The race itself will be 200 laps with competition cautions at Laps 100 and Lap 150. At the Lap 100 break, teams must perform a four-tire pit stop, using any tire of their choosing. Both green and yellow flag laps will count and traditional overtime rules will be in effect.
The All Star Open will give drivers who are not guaranteed a spot in the main event a chance to race their way into the All Star Race. The Open will be 100 laps with a competition caution at Lap 50, at which point all teams must perform a four-tire pit stop.
The top-two finishers in the race and the winner of a fan vote will advance into the feature.
All Star Weekend begins on Friday with qualifying for The Open and the night will end with the pit crew challenge.
The pit crew challenge will be combined with All Star Race qualifying as drivers will take the green flap, run one lap at speed and on the second lap proceed to the designated pit stall for a four-tire stop with a mock fuel delivery.
Once the pit stop is complete, the driver will exit pit road and race back to the checkered flag. The qualifying time will be the total elapsed time from green flag to checkered flag. The fastest time will start on the pole for Heat Race 1 and the second fastest qualifier will start on the pole for Heat Race Two.
The heat races take place on Saturday and both races are 60 laps with the results setting the lineup for the main event on Sunday. Each heat will feature a competition caution on Lap 30, where all teams must perform a four-tire pit stop.
The results of Heat Race 1 sets the inside row and the results of Heat Race 2 sets the outside row.
Drivers eligible for the NASCAR All-Star Race include those who’ve won a points event in either 2023 or 2024, drivers who’ve won a NASCAR All-Star Race and compete fulltime, and drivers who’ve won a NASCAR Cup Series championship and compete fulltime.
Drivers who have already clinched an All-Star Race spot include: AJ Allmendinger, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Daniel Suárez, Martin Truex Jr., and Shane van Gisbergen.
“After a successful return to North Wilkesboro Speedway last season, we are thrilled to bring the action back to one of NASCAR’s most iconic and storied tracks,” said John Probst, NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer. “The spotlight will certainly be on the crew chiefs and drivers as they plan their tire strategy for this special race. In testing, the softer tires were significantly faster — but wore much quicker. Goodyear has been an incredible partner in this All-Star element, and it will be fascinating to watch how crew chiefs and drivers manage this unique challenge.”
