NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Will Bring Home the Big Cash at North Wilkesboro?
No points and $1,000,000 are what’s at stake this weekend in NASCAR’s 40th All-Star Race. Returning to historic North Wilkesboro Speedway for a second year, major bragging rights are on the line. We’ve already seen three short track races in 2024, but Sunday will have a few different variables. The pavement is brand new, and there will be option tires. With all this in mind, here are a few favorites to take home the big check after 200 laps.
Denny Hamlin
Perhaps with the most complete all around team this year, three-time winner Denny Hamlin eyes another big payday. Hamlin has one All-Star Race win from Charlotte in 2015, and hopes to improve last year’s 13th-place run. Hamlin is eager to see how the new Goodyear rubber meets the fresh asphalt.
“I’m looking forward to the different tire options this week,” Hamlin said. “If it turns into a tire conservation race, I definitely like my chances. For it being at North Wilkesboro – a short track – not far from home, it’s going to be pretty exciting. I can’t wait to get there.”
“I like it because it gives us options. It gives the teams options to run what they think is best for them. Any time we are all on the same tire, at times, it seems like we all run the same speed. I like the idea of the driver playing a bigger role in your result and they certainly will at North Wilkesboro.”
Across the three prior short track races this season, Hamlin led laps in all of them with two wins. One of these victories was at Bristol, which quickly turned into a tire saving race. This blistering pace on bullrings has Hamlin listed as the favorite for North Wilkesboro. On pace for their strongest start to a season ever, team 11 may be unstoppable on Sunday.
Kyle Larson
Attention from across the racing world is rightly on Kyle Larson this weekend. The defending All-Star Race winner will begin his weekend qualifying for the 108th Indianapolis 500, before flying to North Wilkesboro. While Larson made his win last year look easy, it was not free of challenge.
“For the Cup race last year at North Wilkesboro, I think it was extra special just to win there,” Larson said. “With how our weekend was before the race made it even more special because we were not competitive, We didn’t practice well. We didn’t do well in the Pit Crew Challenge. In the heat race, we fell back and really were frustrated with how the weekend was going. The team was working hard, recognized that we were really bad and threw a bunch of changes to it for Sunday’s race. I could feel pretty early on that we had a competitive car. And then yeah, cruised up through the field and dominated the race. To win was great. Winning a million bucks was awesome. To win at a historic racetrack that I never envisioned myself racing at was pretty neat. To sweep that weekend was cool.”
If Larson is to remain perfect at North Wilkesboro, it will be from a herculean effort. By virtue of missing the Heat races, Larson’s No. 5 will start Sunday’s main event in last. Restarting last after a mid-race pit road speeding penalty a year ago though couldn’t stop Larson’s march to victory. Phase one of the Hendrick 1100 mission is already underway. It will be fun to watch Larson compete at North Wilkesboro with zero prior track time.
Chris Buescher
Heartbreak has defined the last two weeks for Chris Buescher and RFK Racing. Losing out in the closest Cup finish ever and then being wrecked from the lead have driver 17 as determined as ever. Can the recent uptick in speed from this Ford team give them a $1 million prize? Within eyesight of a win on NASCAR’s toughest track, Buescher is excited for another taxing day ahead.
“You’re going from the absolute extreme of lack of grip to what’s ultimately gonna feel like infinite grip,” Buescher said. “I would say that you’re gonna be talking about exponentially more braking applied. You’re really gonna change up everything you do there. Speeds are obviously gonna be way, way faster. Throttle time is gonna be way more. You’re gonna turn it back into a horsepower war to some extent. In short track racing it’s not as big of a deal, but you’re gonna be wanting it. I hope that we have enough racetrack to be able to move around and be able to make passes.”
After Ford went winless in the first 32 NASCAR races of 2024, Buescher will try and go back-to-back. A resurgent RFK Racing coming alive this early in the season is a shot across the garage. Following their multi-win 2023 stretch, Buescher and RFK have championship aspirations. This speed should continue through North Wilkesboro and into a big summer run.
Martin Truex Jr
Another patiently aggressive short track ace with tire conversation talent is Martin Truex Jr. The 2017 Cup champion has shockingly never won an All-Star Race, a trend he hopes to change. Truex has many fond memories of watching NASCAR icons race at North Wilkesboro. Getting a $1 million check would be another great impression from Wilkes County.
“I remember watching races from there when I was growing up,” Truex said. “For me, it’s neat to be racing on that track where so many legends of the sport did. I remember races of the past and how cool the races were there and what it was like to watch. I expect it to be fun. The All-Star Race is something that’s supposed to be fun. It’s something unique and different and I think it will be. I’m looking forward to working on our car in practice and the heat races and hope we can have a strong run there with our Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE.”
“I think they are exactly that, pretty big unknowns. I know Ty (Gibbs) tested there and the lap times were really fast, you throw in the options of tires and it definitely could make it interesting. Obviously when you repave these places, it tends to make them one-groove for a while until the pavement wears out, so we’ll see how the tire selection comes into play and just keep try to learn every lap the entire weekend.”
Even being winless this year entering the All-Star Race, Truex’s best chances came on short tracks. The No. 19 Toyota was a close second at Bristol and fourth at Richmond, with laps led in both races. The new surface and tire combination will throw every driver for a loop. Truex may just end up on the right strategy with his wealth of knowledge.
William Byron
One of three drivers from the Goodyear tire test at North Wilkesboro, William Byron is nicely positioned for an All-Star Race win. Tied as the winningest driver this season, Byron has yet to take home his own $1 million check. The reigning Daytona 500 champion hopes to add another major win to his résumé.
“This race is just as competitive,” Byron said. “It’s a chance to win a million dollars. It’s a stat that people talk about even after your career is over. ‘How many championships do you have, how many Daytona 500 wins and how many All-Star wins?’ It matters. The difference is you know that there’s no points on the line, so it’s a bit more aggressive. We were lucky enough to do the tire test this year but that was before we knew about the option tire. We ran about 600 laps that test, so we feel pretty good about our setup.”
Byron is far from a stranger to short track success, having won Martinsville last month. The new tire options are intended to mimic a late model race. A year ago at North Wilkesboro, Byron wheeled a super late model to a runner-up result behind Bubba Pollard. Following a few trying weeks that saw him drop to fifth in the standings, Byron hopes to get his season back on track.
Josh Berry
It’s been over two decades since a rookie held the $1 million check high as an All-Star Race winner. Josh Berry has an above average chance to join this elite club, but he does need help. Berry’s No. 4 Ford is not yet locked into the main show; he must race his way in through the Open race. Should he replicate last year’s efforts though, Berry will be one of the 20 going for the major payday.
“I think the biggest thing our group is focused on is just continuing our process and maximizing the things we can control,” Berry said. “Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and the guys at the shop have built really fast Ford Mustang Dark Horses for every short track we have gone to, which gives me a ton of confidence heading to North Wilkesboro. If we just stick to our process, prepare the best we can during the week, and go have a clean day, there’s no reason we can’t advance to the All-Star Race and do really well.”
“(The new tires) are interesting to me. I think it gives the field some opportunity to try different things and be aggressive at different points in the race, but it’s hard to say without any practice. I like the idea and I hope it makes for a good race, but without any prior experience, I think it is just hard to say it will go one way or another.”
Berry has been a standout performer on all short tracks in 2024, and enters North Wilkesboro on a heater. The No. 4 Ford rallied to a season-best third-place showing last week in Darlington, after starting 33rd. The 33-year-old rookie and late model ace may be an upset in the closing laps Sunday. With his future also in doubt, Berry may do whatever it takes to bring home the trophy.
North Wilkesboro is sure to be a stage for another stunning show with more questions than answers. The greatest All-Star event in sports gets underway Friday evening with the Pit Crew Challenge. Following Heat races and the Open, the $1 million show gets underway Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
