The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race’s Qualifying session that includes the Pit Crew Challenge at North Wilkesboro Speedway has been postponed until Saturday at 11:40 a.m. ET due to ongoing precipitation that prevented the session from occurring on Friday evening.
The return of this year’s All-Star Race weekend at the famed North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, also features the return of a combined session between on-track qualifying and the Pit Crew Challenge.
From the format, each competitor eligible for the All-Star event would take the green flag to commence a qualifying attempt and cycle around the North Wilkesboro circuit for a full lap before pitting their respective entries during the second lap. After the pit crews of each team perform a four-tire pit service and a mock fuel service for their respective entries, their respective competitors would return to the track and race back to the frontstretch to claim the checkered flag and complete the qualifying session.
The competitor who posts the fastest qualifying run throughout the entire procedure, with no penalties generated during the pit stops, will earn the pole position for the All-Star Race and the event’s first of two 60-lap heat sessions that is scheduled to occur this Saturday evening, May 18. In addition, the team that generates the fastest pit service will be crowned the Pit Crew Challenge winner.
With the cancellation and through a revised schedule, the All-Star Race’s Qualifying and Pit Crew Challenge sessions will follow suit after the Craftsman Truck Series’ qualifying session for the Wright Brand 250 occurs, with the latter airing at 10:35 a.m. ET on FS1 and both occurring on Saturday. At the conclusion of both series’ qualifying sessions, the Truck Series’ Wright Brand 250 will occur at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 before the All-Star Race’s two 60-lap Heat events will commence, beginning at 5:20 p.m. ET on FS2 and all also occurring on Saturday. The 2024 All-Star Race is scheduled for Sunday, May 19, and will air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.
Prior to the cancellation of the All-Star Race Qualifying session, the 2024 All-Star Open Qualifying session was also shortened due to rain, but the lineup for the event was determined based on the current owner’s standings. With the lineup, Ty Gibbs, who is coming off a career-best runner-up result at Darlington Raceway and whose No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team is ranked in seventh place in this year’s owner’s standings, will start on the pole position for the Open for a second consecutive season. Joining him on the front row will be Alex Bowman, whose No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team is ranked in ninth place in the owner’s standings and will attempt to return to the All-Star Race after being absent from the 2023 event.
Ironically, this season will mark the second consecutive time that Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 Toyota entry and Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 Chevrolet entry will occupy the front row for an All-Star Open.
Both Gibbs and Bowman are two of 20 entered competitors who will participate in the All-Star Open on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1 as they attempt to race their way into the All-Star Race either by finishing in the top two spots on the track during the Open or by being named the Fan Vote winner, which will be announced at the Open’s conclusion.
The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race’s Qualifying and Pit Crew Challenge sessions are scheduled to occur on May 18 and air at 11:40 a.m. ET on FS1.
