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Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace and Noah Gragson transfer to 2024 All-Star Race from All-Star Open

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Mike Biskupski for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace and Noah Gragson completed the starting grid for the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race after all three transferred from the NASCAR All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 19. 

Gibbs and Wallace, both of whom started towards the front with the former starting on pole position, raced their way into the main event after finishing first and second, respectively, during the Open while Gragson was revealed as the Fan Vote winner for a second consecutive season, thus claiming the final spot of the 20-car grid for the All-Star event that will follow suit at the North Wilkesboro circuit. 

The starting lineup for the event was based on the current 2024 Cup Series owner’s standings after the event’s on-track qualifying that was scheduled to occur on Friday, May 17, was canceled due to on-track precipitation. As a result, Ty Gibbs was awarded the pole position and he shared the front row with Alex Bowman. 

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Ty Gibbs rocketed his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE ahead with the lead from the outside lane through the first two turns and through the backstretch. As the field fanned out and jostled for early spots, Gibbs proceeded to lead the first lap as he was being pursued by Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson and a bevy of competitors. Wallace, who also gained a strong launch at the start behind Gibbs from the outside lane, would trail Gibbs for the lead by nearly a second by the fifth lap mark. 

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Gibbs was leading by more than a second over Wallace followed by Cindric, Bowman and Briscoe while Gragson, rookie Carson Hocevar, Todd Gilliland, John Hunter Nemechek and rookie Josh Berry were racing in the top 10 ahead of Ryan Preece, Corey LaJoie, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Justin Haley, Kaz Grala, rookie Zane Smith, Harrison Burton, Daniel Hemric and Timmy Hill, respectively. 

Ten laps later, Gibbs stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Wallace while Cindric, Bowman and Briscoe continued to trail in the top five and by within four seconds. Behind, Hocevar overtook Gragson for sixth place while Nemechek and Berry were running in eighth and ninth, respectively, ahead of Gilliland. 

Another 10 laps later, Gibbs extended his advantage to nearly two seconds over Wallace while third-place Cindric trailed by more than three seconds as Bowman and Briscoe continued to run in the top five. Behind, Hocevar retained sixth ahead of Gragson, Berry, Nemechek and Gilliland while Austin Dillon, Preece, LaJoie, Justin Haley and Erik Jones trailed in the top 15. 

By Lap 40, Gibbs continued to lead by nearly two seconds over Wallace while Cindric, Bowman and Briscoe trailed by within four seconds in the top five on the track. Meanwhile, Hocevar trailed by seven seconds in sixth place followed by Gragson, Berry and Nemechek while Austin Dillon cracked the top 10 as he occupied 10th place over Gilliland. 

A designated caution period was generated when the All-Star Open reached its halfway mark on Lap 50. By then, Gibbs was leading ahead of Wallace, Cindric, Bowman and Briscoe while Hocevar, Gragson, Berry, Nemechek and Dillon were scored in the top 10. 

During the caution period, all the competitors led by Gibbs pitted for a mandatory four-tire service. Following the pit stops, Gibbs retained the lead after exiting first as he was followed by Bowman, Wallace, Briscoe, Berry, Cindric, Gragson, Nemechek, Hocevar and Dillon. Amid the pit stops, both LaJoie and Nemechek were penalized for speeding on pit road.  

When the race restarted with 43 laps remaining, Gibbs and Bowman battled dead even for the lead as the field behind fanned out to multiple lanes through the first two turns and the backstretch. During the following lap, however, the caution returned after Cindric, who was trying to race his way back into the top five, got squeezed into Gragson by Hocevar amid a tight three-wide battle through the frontstretch as he then slid his No. 2 Keystone Light Ford Mustang Dark Horse against the wall with right-front damage before proceeding. 

During the following restart with 36 laps remaining, Gibbs fended off a challenge from Bowman for nearly a lap to retain the lead as Wallace overtook Bowman for the runner-up spot. Wallace, Bowman, Briscoe and Berry would all battle for the runner-up spot during the ensuing laps while Gibbs drove away with the lead as he led by half a second with 33 laps remaining.  

Wallace and Bowman would then engage in another side-by-side battle for the runner-up/transfer spot during the next three laps, with both neither stepping off the throttle as Berry and Briscoe tried to close in. Other competitors mixed towards the battle included Hocevar, Gragson, Haley and Preece while Gibbs was leading by more than a second with less than 30 laps remaining.  

With 27 laps remaining, Berry made a bold move beneath Bowman’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entering Turn 3 to move his No. 4 Harrison’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse into third place as he tried to close in on Wallace for the runner-up spot. Soon after, Haley moved his No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvement Ford Mustang Dark Horse into the top five while Briscoe, Hocevar and Gragson tried to close in from sixth through eighth. Amid the battles for the runner-up spot, currently occupied by Wallace, Gibbs was gone with the lead as he was on top by two seconds with 20 laps remaining. By then, Haley was trying to overtake Berry for third place in his bid to catch Wallace’s No. 23 Alltroo Toyota Camry XSE for second place. 

Down to the final 15 laps of the event, Gibbs was leading by more than two seconds over Wallace, who had Berry, Haley and Bowman all close in on him for the runner-up/transfer spot. Gibbs would retain the lead by a comfortable advantage of more than two seconds while Wallace would retain the runner-up spot by within two- and three-tenths of a second over Berry as Haley and Bowman tried to close in with 10 laps remaining.  

With five laps remaining, Gibbs continued to lead by more than two seconds as Wallace retained the runner-up spot by nearly a second over Berry while Haley and Bowman continued to trail in the top five followed by Gragson, Briscoe, Preece, Hocevar and Austin Dillon. 

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Gibbs remained as the leader by more than two seconds over Wallace while third-place Berry trailed by three seconds. Having a comfortable lead to his advantage, Gibbs was able to cruise around the North Wilkesboro circuit smoothly for a final time as he then cycled back to the frontstretch to claim the checkered flag and race his way into the 2024 All-Star Race for a second consecutive season.  

With the victory, Gibbs, who is coming off a career-best runner-up result at Darlington Raceway, will campaign for his first All-Star Race victory after transferring from the Open for a second consecutive season. Gibbs’ transfer enables all four Joe Gibbs Racing entries to earn starting spots for the 2024 All-Star Race. 

“Yeah, we were pretty good,” Gibbs said on FS1. “I feel like we were pretty solid, so it’s good to make [the All-Star Race]. Hopefully, we can go ahead and win it. I think we’re solid enough and good enough to [win]. I feel like we learned a lot with what we’re gonna do. I got some good friends here. Let’s go win this thing.” 

Like Gibbs, Bubba Wallace was also left smiling on pit road after settling in the runner-up spot and transferring into the All-Star Race for the fourth time in his career and his third in a row in recent seasons. As a result, Wallace, who finished second to Kyle Larson during the 2023 All-Star Race, enabled both 23XI Racing entries to make the main event as he will also campaign for his first All-Star victory.  

“[This event] just made us work extra hard,” Wallace said. “You have to earn every right of this, so I can’t say we deserved, well I guess we deserve to be in the All-Star [Race], but we got to go fight for it every once in awhile. We’re just lacking a little bit. Definitely, a different feel than what we had in practice, so got a little bit of time to make minimal changes to make [the car] better, but all in all, we’re in the show. Appreciate [Bowman] and [Berry] running clean there. That was fun, that was short-track stuff right there. We were able to squeeze away there and hang on to second, but that’s the most stressful spot to be in.”  

Amid the battles for the top-two finishing spots during the Open, Noah Gragson, who finished fifth in the Open, claimed the final starting spot for the 2024 All-Star Race after being named the 2024 All-Star Fan Vote winner for a second consecutive season. As a result, Gragson joined Chase Elliott and Danica Patrick as the only competitors to be named the Fan Vote winner during the All-Star weekend for multiple seasons, with Gragson becoming the first back-to-back Fan Vote winner since Elliott achieved the honors for three consecutive seasons (2016-18). Gragson’s transfer has also allowed at least one Stewart-Haas Racing entry to make the 2024 All-Star Race as he will attempt to replicate Kasey Kahne’s run by winning the All-Star Race after being voted into the main event by the fans in 2008. 

“I appreciate all the fans,” Gragson said on the radio following the All-Star Open. “You guys are badass. We didn’t quite have what it took there in that race, but you fans pulled through. Your support means everything. We’re gonna go have some fun.” 

Rookie Josh Berry and Justin Haley recorded strong finishes of third and fourth place, respectively, but were among the 17 remaining competitors who did not qualify for the 2024 All-Star Race. Among those who also did not make the main event included Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, Austin Dillon, rookie Carson Hocevar, Kaz Grala, Corey LaJoie, Harrison Burton, John Hunter Nemechek, Todd Gilliland, Daniel Hemric, rookie Zane Smith, Erik Jones, Timmy Hill and Austin Cindric. 

There were no lead changes and the race featured two cautions for 11 laps. In addition, 18 of 20 starters finished on the lead lap. 

Results. 

1. Ty Gibbs, 100 laps led 

2. Bubba Wallace 

3. Josh Berry 

4. Justin Haley 

5. Noah Gragson 

6. Alex Bowman 

7. Chase Briscoe 

8. Ryan Preece 

9. Austin Dillon  

10. Carson Hocevar 

11. Kaz Grala 

12. Corey LaJoie 

13. Harrison Burton 

14. John Hunter Nemechek 

15. Todd Gilliland 

16. Daniel Hemric 

17. Zane Smith 

18. Erik Jones 

19. Timmy Hill, seven laps down 

20. Austin Cindric, 18 laps down 

The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway will follow suit on Sunday, May 19, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, with the green flag scheduled to wave around 8:30 p.m. ET. 

Gibbs Claims All-Star Open Victory; Wallace and Gragson Also Advance

By
Official Release
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Ty Gibbs won Sunday's NASCAR All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway, punching his ticket into the NASCAR All-Star Race. (CMS/Liam Gormley photo)

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 19, 2024) — Ty Gibbs left no doubt as to who was winning Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Gibbs started on the pole and led all 100 laps of the Open to punch his ticket to the NASCAR All-Star Race for the second consecutive year.

Gibbs’ No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota to the finish line and into Sunday night’s 200-lap showcase event.

“I think what we saw in the Open was that we have enough to get to the front,” Gibbs said. “We’ve got some good friends here, too. Let’s go win this thing.”

Wallace, who finished second in last year’s All-Star Race, was relieved to have earned another berth. Josh Berry, last year’s Open winner, just missed out on advancing by finishing third. Justin Haley was fourth with Noah Gragson — the Fan Vote winner for the second straight time — fifth, and Alex Bowman sixth.

Wallace, Berry and Bowman fought hard for second place after the scheduled caution period, but once Wallace passed Bowman, he wasn’t challenged for the runner-up spot. Bowman and Berry engaged in a door-to-door duel that saw Berry win out, but come up short in chasing down Wallace.

“We have to earn every right to be in this and we had to go fight for it,” Wallace said. “All in all, we’re in the show. I appreciated (Bowman) and (Berry) pushing hard but being clean. It was a good show. I know how good Josh is on short tracks, but I feel like I’m pretty good at them, too. It’s a good night so far.”

Gragson won last year’s Fan Vote with a partially damaged car. This year, he’ll start the feature race with fewer battle scars.

“The fans are so badass,” Gragson said. “It’s a privilege to be voted in and to race the All-Star Race again. We’re going to continue to work on our car and try to get it dialed in. (We just had) a little 100-lap test and tune, now we’ll see if we can go back and make it better. I can’t say enough about the fans. They pump us up. We’ve got 200 laps to go race for a million bucks.”

CHEVROLET NCS AT NORTH WILKESBORO: All-Star Open Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY
NASCAR ALL-STAR OPEN RACE
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
MAY 19, 2024

 Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

NASCAR All-Star Open Race

Finished: 6th

How disappointing is to not advance into the NASCAR All-Star Race?

“Yeah, for sure. It’s not what we wanted for Hendrick Motorsports, Ally and everyone on this No. 48 Chevy team. Honestly, we just kind of missed it a little bit. We were really tight on Friday and just jumped the fence a little bit today where we were too free. I felt like if I could clear the No. 23 (Bubba Wallace), get up and take care of my stuff, I’d be OK. I just heated up my right rear tire trying to get clear of him. When I finally couldn’t clear him, I was in a lot of trouble there for a little bit until I got pulled back down.

Bummer, for sure, but it’s a great event and a great racetrack. We were running the fence in (turns) one and two. You could run all the way across the racetrack. It was super fun. Wish we could have made it, but we’ll learn from it. I think we were all really tight in practice and we jumped the fence a little bit there and got too free. So hopefully we’ll have really good notes for our teammates for the All-Star Race, and we’ll be cheering them on.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 SENIX Camaro ZL1

NASCAR All-Star Open Race

Finished: 9th

“We gave it all we had. Our No. 3 SENIX Chevy was really fast. We had the fastest lap in qualifying. Unfortunately, we had to start back in 15th. We made our way forward into the top-10 with 50 laps to go. We decided to put yellow’s (tires) on, and everyone in front of us took red’s. We were hoping that because of that, they would fade, but it just didn’t happen fast enough. We were making a pretty good charge there at the end, but there just wasn’t enough time and lost too much ground on the hard tires on the takeoff. Would have liked to have seen what happened with red’s because they got to beating and banging up front, but unfortunately we don’t get another shot at it.

We’ll take this to the short tracks coming up. I think this is a big win for RCR and our short track program, so hopefully we can take what we learned; apply it and have some better runs moving forward.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – NCS All-Star Open Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
All-Star Open | Sunday, May 19, 2024

Ford Finishing Results:
3rd – Josh Berry
4th – Justin Haley
5th – Noah Gragson
7th – Chase Briscoe
8th – Ryan Preece
11th – Kaz Grala
13th – Harrison Burton
15th – Todd Gilliland
19th – Timmy Hill
20th – Austin Cindric

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 10 Overstock Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We’re gonna continue to work on our Overstock Mustang and try to get it dialed in. I’m not too comfortable in it right now. I’m kind of chattering the right-rear and super loose, but a little 100 test and tune. Hopefully, we’ll go back to the trailer and make some good adjustments before the main event, but I can’t say enough about the fans. 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.”

A LOT OF ELBOWS UP IN THAT FIRST RACE. DO YOU EXPECT THE SAME IN THE ALL-STAR RACE? “Yeah, definitely. I think you’ll see guys kind of conservative on the hard tire. They should just give us all the soft tire because guys are moving around. They’re fading. You have comers or goers. You can move around the racetrack. It was a lot of fun when we put those soft tires on. It was a great job by everybody with NASCAR and Goodyear. Everybody is willing to stick their neck out here and try this. I think it was a success. It’s definitely a lot more fun tire, that red tire. We’re ready to go tonight. We’re gonna have some fun and just enjoy it.”

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Harrison’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse – YOU CAME UP ONE SPOT SHORT THIS YEAR. WHAT MORE DID YOU NEED? “I don’t know. We had a really good practice. We were loose in qualifying and that kind of translated to the first run. The boys on pit road had a great pit stop and got us some track position. I think the tire compound tightened us up a little bit and we were better. We still needed to be a little bit tighter. I was doing everything I could without a doubt. I really found a lot in one and two. I was fast in one and two, but just couldn’t quite put together three and four to make a charge at them. From where we started we knew it would be tough, but all in all it was just a great effort. Everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing, Rodney, this whole 4 team, Harrison’s for all they do. I hate to not be in it, but we were probably the whole show right there for how it looked. I was doing everything I could, I just couldn’t quite get to the 23. The last couple of laps I got a little bit better, but it would have been hard to pass him without really roughing him up.”

JUSTIN HALEY, No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvement Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We had a good car. I wish we could have started a little further up, but all around it was a good day for us. We’ll keep riding this momentum. We’ve brought fast race cars every week, so we’ll just keep going with it.”

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE TIRE OPTIONS? “It was fun. The reds definitely had a little bit more grip, but you could wear them out a little bit more. Overall, it was fun.”

YOU GOT TO FOURTH AND THEN KIND OF STALLED. “Yeah, it was just hard to pass.”

Toyota Racing – NCS All-Star Open Post-Race Report – 05.19.24

By
Official Release
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GIBBS, WALLACE ADVANCE TO ALL-STAR RACE
Gibbs leads every lap in All-Star Open

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 19, 2024) – Toyota’s Ty Gibbs and Bubba Wallace advanced to the All-Star Race by finishing 1-2 in the 100-lap All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro on Sunday evening.

Gibbs, who led every lap, will advance to his second All-Star Race, while last season’s All-Star Race runner-up Wallace looks to be one spot better. Gibbs and Wallace join four other Toyota drivers in the All-Star Race – Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Martin Truex Jr.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
North Wilkesboro Speedway
All-Star Open – 62.5 miles, 100 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, TY GIBBS
2nd, BUBBA WALLACE
3rd, Josh Berry*
4th, Justin Haley*
5th, Noah Gragson*
14th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
18th, ERIK JONES
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

You won in dominate fashion. How good was it?

“Yeah, we were pretty good. I feel like it is pretty solid. It’s good to make it – and good to see Bubba (Wallace) make it too. Hopefully, we can go and win it. I think (Michael) Waltrip did it once. Let’s go win a million bucks – maybe we can go buy some sprint cars or something.”

Did you learn what you needed to learn?

“I think we are solid enough, and good enough to go do it. I feel like we learned a lot about what we are going to do. Thank you to Monster Energy, Mitch Covington – everybody at Interstate Batteries, Norm Miller. I’ve got some good friends here. Let’s go win this thing.”

BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Alltroo Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What was it like knowing you had to race hard there to get in?
“When we saw the rules change, Jamie (Little), it was like what do I have to do to make it? So, it just made us work extra hard. I appreciate everyone on this Alltroo Toyota Camry, everyone at Airspeed. You have to earn everything, so I can’t say we deserved to be in the All-Star. You have to go fight for it every once in a while. We are just lacking a little bit. It is definitely different – a different feel than what we had in practice. We have a little bit of time to make minimal changes and make it better. All-in-all, we are in the show. I appreciate the 48 (Alex Bowman) and the 4 (Josh Berry) for running clean there. That was fun – that was short track stuff, right there. We were able to sneak away there and hang on to second. That is the most stressful spot to be in. You never want to look in the mirror – and we know how good Josh (Berry) is on short tracks, so it was like hey, I kind of did some short track stuff too, so I think I have a little bit of it figured out, but we were able to hang on and have a good day so far.”

What did you learn and what did you tell your teammate Tyler Reddick?

“The balance migration was different. It caught me and him, when I told him, by surprise. We need to have a quick debrief with the team and see if we can get the right rear under us a little bit more, but none-the-less, I thought the tires – I don’t know how the back of the pack looked – but I know I was fighting it. Hopefully there was passing, and hopefully it will be a good show for tonight, but we have to go make some changes if we want to win a million dollars.”

Can you be one spot better tonight?

“We came from the back last year, so let’s do it again.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.

Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: DXDT Doubles Up with 63 Corvette

By
Official Release
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Milner, Udell take second straight win to cap Pro-class debut with Corvette Z06 GT3.R

AUSTIN, Texas (May 19, 2024) – DXDT Racing went two-for-two on the weekend with the No. 63 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R as Tommy Milner and Alec Udell won their second race in as many days in GT World Challenge America on Sunday at Circuit of The Americas.

Corvette factory driver Milner drove the opening half of the race, and Udell marched through the field of Pro and Pro Am entries to win by 4.633 seconds. It went along with a Pro-class debut victory Saturday – the first for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

In addition to the first two victories for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, it’s the first double-win weekend for DXDT in GT World Challenge competition.

Milner began the race sixth following Saturday’s all-Pro driver qualifying session. The goal was to keep pace with the Pro Am cars ahead that eventually switched to their Bronze-rated driver for the second half of the 90-minute sprint.

Rather than lose time riding behind two Porsches in front of him, DXDT Racing elected to call in Milner for the No. 63’s required pit stop. The switch-over to Udell was perfect, and he emerged less than three seconds behind the Pro-class leader with 40 minutes to go.

Less than 15 minutes later, Udell made the move to first in Pro, and two laps later he took the overall lead of the race and cruised the rest of the way.

The No. 08 DXDT Racing Corvette of Bryan Sellers and Scott Smithson finished 11th in the Pro Am class after Sellers suffered a flat tire on the race’s opening lap. Once back on track, Sellers matched the lap times of the leaders and handed over to Smithson with 40 minutes left but the Corvette still one lap down.

DXDT Racing’s next event with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in GT World Challenge America is July 19-21 at Virginia International Raceway.

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 63 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The biggest thing about being part of this program is helping this team with these new Corvettes for a little bit. They’ve done a great job so far with it and helping put the final touch on things just a little bit. Championships are one thing, but for me and Alec it’s just about helping this team to continue to grow, learn these cars and hopefully win some more races along the way.”

ALEC UDELL, NO. 63 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This weekend was a statement to the platform and all the engineers who have put in a lot of hard work getting this car to where it’s at. From the team side and the joint venture between Corvette Racing, Pratt Miller and DXDT Racing, it’s been awesome. For me to be able to jump in as well, plug myself in and be a seamless part of the program, it’s great for the customer racing teams that are looking at the Corvette as an option. It’s a very proven platform at this point, so to be a part of that process is really cool. To have the people to learn from like Bryan and Tommy with DXDT and all our people, it’s been more than I could ask for. I’m looking forward to where we can go from here.”

CHRISTIE BAGNE, CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PROGRAM MANAGER: “Congratulations to David Askew, Erin Gahagan and everyone at DXDT Racing on a fantastic debut weekend with two victories in the Pro class with the No. 63 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. We are very proud of DXDT Racing’s achievements during its first weekend with two Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs. Saturday’s race victory – the first for our new Corvette – was special, but the team’s approach and performance throughout the weekend is what stands out most. It is a pleasure for us to support and watch the team’s successes.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

NASCAR Hall of Famers Childress, Knaus Meet With Media Prior To Pre-Race Dignitary Roles

By
Official Release
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NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Childress, left, and Chad Knaus will serve as the Honorary Pace Car Driver and Grand Marshal, respectively, in Sunday's NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

A pair of NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees met with media on Sunday, prior to their pre-race dignitary roles as part of the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Six-time NASCAR Cup Series champion team owner Richard Childress will serve as Honorary Pace Car Driver on Sunday, while seven-time Cup Series title-winning crew chief Chad Knaus, will handle Grand Marshal duties.

Childress has two cars from his Richard Childress Racing team competing on Sunday at North Wilkesboro, with Kyle Busch locked into the All-Star Race and Austin Dillon kicking off race day in the All-Star Open. As an owner, Childress has five Cup Series victories at North Wilkesboro (in 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1995) with Dale Earnhardt. Childress’ driving career featured a sixth-place finish in North Wilkesboro’s fall points-paying race in 1977.

“North Wilkesboro was one of my favorite tracks as a driver, and it’s one of my favorites as an owner,” the 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee said on Sunday. “I just love it. I think my first race here was 1971. I remember coming up here, this was a place where everybody brought their families and you’d have lunch in the infield. I’ll never forget I spun out in qualifying in Turn 2, it was wet, I hit the wall and (then-Track President) Enoch Staley ran up to me and said, ‘Boy, you tore my fence down!’

“Those were some fun days. Back then, I enjoyed having fun more than I enjoyed racing, but I raced to have fun. So, it worked out really good.”

Knaus, a 2024 inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the vice president of competition for Hendrick Motorsports, won seven championships and a record four All-Star Races with fellow Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson. Knaus will give the command to start engines prior to Sunday night’s event.

“It’s an honor to be here as the grand marshal,” Knaus said. “One interesting note: When we last raced (a points-paying Cup Series race) here in 1996, Jeff Gordon won and I was a right-rear tire changer on the pit crew, so I made the elevator ride up to Victory Lane.”

Knaus touched on the different Goodyear tire options afforded to drivers in teams in Sunday’s All-Star Race: a softer, Option tire — with red writing — and the standard, “Prime” tire with yellow lettering.

“Managing the differential between the (prime, normal tire) and the (softer, option) is going to be important. It’s a coarse track, which is going to be good. The heat’s going to open it up and I think it’s going to provide some good racing.”

Felix Rosenqvist Qualifies Ninth for Indianapolis 500

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Official Release
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#60: Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Rosenqvist top qualifying Honda

Indianapolis, Ind. (19 May 2024) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will start in the top 10 for the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since 2021, as Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) used a four-lap average speed of 232.305 mph Sunday to claim the ninth position on the 33-car grid for next Sunday’s Indy 500 (11:00am ET, NBC, SiriusXM Ch. 218)

Rosenqvist earned his fifth top-10 qualifying result in as many races this year, and his effort today puts the Swedish driver in the top 10 at Indy for the third consecutive season. The result is the first time that an MSR car has started in the top 10 in five consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES races since 2020.

Sunday’s result set the grid for MSR’s three-car entry as Rosenqvist joined teammates Helio Castroneves (No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Cleveland-Cliffs Honda) and Tom Blomqvist (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) who took the 20th and 25th positions respectively, marking the first time MSR has ever started three cars in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race.

Rosenqvist had another consistent run on his midday qualifying run, starting with a lap of the 2.5-mile oval at 232.571mph, and kept the MSR machine above 232mph on three of the four laps.

The MSR drivers will have two final practice sessions available next week to prepare for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Teams will have two hours of practice Monday from 1 – 3 p.m. ET, followed by the final Carb Day practice which takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Fans can follow both practices live on Peacock. NBC and Peacock will air the Indianapolis 500 live Sunday with pre-race coverage beginning at 11 a.m. SiriusXM will also host live INDYCAR Radio coverage on XM Ch. 218.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Felix Rosenqvist – Starting 9th, Four-Lap Avg. Speed 232.305mph: “”P9, so we did not make the Fast Six, but I don’t think we would have made it, even with how good that run was. We definitely think we had more, that the track came back to us a bit, so we could have trimmed a bit more. But we’re super stoked to start in the top 10, hopefully we can get a top 10 finish. We’re in the game, the car has been good in race trim in practice. The AutoNation / SiriusXM team is ready and we are looking forward to race day.”

Corey Heim scores dominant Truck victory at North Wilkesboro

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.

For the second time of the 2024 season, Corey Heim made it known to the NASCAR community that it is Heim Time after notching a dominant NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory in the rain-delayed Wright Brand 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 19. 

The 21-year-old Heim from Marietta, Georgia, led twice for a race-high 66 of 250-scheduled laps in an event. He started 12th but quickly marched his way to the front as he spent the first stage period running inside the top five. Heim was scored in third place when the event was postponed from Saturday night to Sunday morning due to an ongoing increase of precipitation that flooded the circuit.

He spent the second stage period and a majority of the final stage period running towards the front until he muscled away from Jake Garcia to assume the lead during a late restart period with 65 laps remaining. After retaining the lead through another late-race restart period with 32 laps remaining, Heim pulled away from Grant Enfinger, rookie Layne Riggs and teammate/newcomer Brenden “Butterbean” Queen by as much as three seconds to score his third Craftsman Truck Series victory of the 2024 season and his first at North Wilkesboro.

The starting lineup for the event was determined through a metric system after the event’s on-track qualifying session scheduled to occur on Saturday morning was canceled due to precipitation. Through the metric, Christian Eckes, the current series’ regular-season leader in the standings, was awarded the pole position and he shared the front row with Nick Sanchez. 

When the green flag waved and the race started on Saturday, May 18, Eckes muscled his No. 19 Instacoat Premium Products Chevrolet Silverado RST ahead with the lead from the inside lane through the first two turns. As the field fanned out to multiple lanes through the backstretch, Eckes proceeded to lead the first lap while Ross Chastain overtook Sanchez to move into the runner-up spot. Tanner Gray would follow suit in his bid for third place along with Ty Dillon. As more battles within the field ensued, Eckes stretched his lead to more than a second by the fifth lap mark while Sammy Smith was penalized for a start violation, where he pulled his Spire Motorsports entry out of line. 

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Eckes continued to extend his early advantage as he was leading by more than two seconds over Chastain followed by Tanner Gray, Dillon and Grant Enfinger while Corey Heim, Sanchez, Ben Rhodes, Ty Majeski and Taylor Gray were scored in the top 10 ahead of Jake Garcia, Daniel Dye, Chase Purdy, Lawless Alan and Bayley Currey. Behind, Tyler Ankrum, rookie Layne Riggs, Matt Mills, Brenden Queen and Rajah Caruth followed suit in the top 20 ahead of Stewart Friesen, Jack Wood, Mason Massey, Bret Holmes and Dean Thompson while Matt Crafton was mired in 27th.   

Ten laps later, Eckes stabilized his advantage to more than two seconds over Chastain while Tanner Gray, Dillon and Heim trailed by within three seconds in the top five on the track. Behind, Enfinger was trying to fend off Sanchez and Rhodes in sixth place while Majeski and Taylor Gray trailed in the top 10. 

Another 10 laps later, Eckes continued to lead by more than two seconds over Chastain while teammates Tanner Gray and Heim battled for third place, though both started to close in on Chastain for the runner-up spot, as Dillon trailed by three seconds in fifth place. Eckes’ would have his advantage slightly decrease to one-and-a-half seconds over Chastain by the Lap 40 mark while Heim closed in while running in third place. 

Just past the Lap 50 mark, Eckes retained the lead by seven-tenths of a second over Chastain while third-place Heim kept pace with the leaders as he trailed by a second. Behind, Tanner Gray trailed in fourth place by two seconds while Majeski was up to fifth ahead of Rhodes, Dillon, Sanchez, Taylor Gray and Jake Garcia. Meanwhile, Enfinger had fallen to 16th as he trailed Daniel Dye, Ankrum, Purdy, Riggs and Brenden Queen on the track. 

A few laps past the Lap 55 mark, the event’s first caution period flew due to precipitation being reported in the venue. During the caution period and with a flurry of pit strategies ensuing, a majority of the field led by Eckes pitted while the rest led by Majeski remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Riggs was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation while Friesen and Bayley Currey were both penalized for speeding on pit road. 

With three laps remaining in the first stage period, the event restarted under green. At the start, Majeski muscled his No. 98 Road Ranger Ford F-150 ahead of teammate Rhodes and managed to transition from the outside to the inside lane through the first two turns as he retained the lead through the backstretch. As Majeski slowly started to pull away, Rajah Caruth battled Rhodes for the runner-up spot while Heim was trying to overtake both teammate Taylor Gray and Dillon for positions on the track. 

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 70, Majeski claimed his third Truck stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammate Rhodes, racing with a damaged right-front fender after making contact with Bret Holmes earlier, settled in second while Caruth, Taylor Gray, Heim, Dillon, Eckes, Tanner Gray, Jack Wood and Ankrum were scored in the top 10. 

Under the stage break, some including Rhodes, Taylor Gray, Dillon and Wood pitted while the rest led by Majeski remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Spencer Boyd lost a jack on the track after dragging it out of his pit stall and onto the track. 

Then on Lap 81, the field, led by Majeski was directed to pit road and the event was placed in a red flag period due to a lightning hold with lightning being reported near the circuit. With more lightning holds occurring along with a rapid increase of precipitation over the next several hours, NASCAR elected to postpone the remainder of the event to Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1. At the time of the red flag period, Majeski was scored the leader ahead of Caruth, Heim, Eckes and Tanner Gray while Ankrum, Chastain, Connor Jones, Sanchez and Jake Garcia were scored in the top 10. 

When the event restarted under green on Lap 86 on Sunday morning, Caruth muscled away from Majeski and the field from the outside lane to inherit the lead through the first two turns. As Caruth led the race, Ankrum challenged Majeski for the runner-up spot as Heim and Connor Jones joined the battle. Caruth would retain the lead past the Lap 90 mark while Majeski was trying to narrow the gap. 

Two laps later, however, the caution returned after Caruth, who was being pressured by Majeski for the lead through the first two turns, slid sideways and barely clipped Majeski before he spun his No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado RST from the middle to the bottom apron of Turn 2 without getting hit by incoming traffic. During the caution period, some including Ankrum, Garcia, Friesen, Caruth and Rhodes pitted while the rest led by Majeski and Heim remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Friesen was penalized for speeding on pit road. 

As the event restarted under green on Lap 98, Majeski muscled away from Heim to retain the lead. Majeski, who would then fend off an early challenge from Heim for the lead, would proceed to lead at the Lap 100 mark while Heim, Eckes, Jones and Sanchez trailed in the top five. Majeski would stabilize his advantage to nearly half a second over Heim just past the Lap 110 mark as Eckes, Jones and Sanchez continued to trail in the top five.  

Following another caution period on Lap 116 due to Lawless Alan spinning in Turn 2, multiple competitors led by Majeski pitted while some led by Ankrum, who pitted during the initial caution period, remained on the track. During the next restart on Lap 123, Ankrum fended off Garcia and Jack Wood to retain the lead while Sanchez was penalized for changing lanes too soon. As the field behind jostled for spots, Ankrum would lead the halfway mark of the event on Lap 125 while Garcia, Friesen, Wood and Riggs trailed in the top five. 

Then on Lap 137, the caution flew after Bret Holmes spun and wrecked in Turn 2. Holmes’ incident was enough for the second stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 140 to conclude under caution as Ankrum captured his second Truck stage victory of the 2024 season. Garcia followed suit in second along with Friesen, Wood, and Riggs while Rhodes, Eckes, Heim, Daniel Dye and Grant Enfinger were scored in the top 10. 

During the stage break, some including Matt Crafton, Dillon, Mason Massey, Matt Mills and Timmy Hill pitted while the rest led by Ankrum remained on the track. 

With 104 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Ankrum and Garcia occupied the front row. At the start, Garcia muscled his No. 13 Quanta Services Ford F-150 way past Ankrum’s No. 18 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado RST and moved into the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. Riggs then overtook Ankrum for the runner-up spot as Garcia retained the lead during the following lap.  

Down to the final 100 laps of the event, Garcia was leading by two-tenths of a second over Riggs followed by Ankrum, Rhodes and Heim while Friesen, Enfinger, Wood, Eckes and Dye trailed in the top 10. In addition, Dean Thompson occupied 11th place ahead of Sammy Smith, Caruth, Stefan Parsons and Tanner Gray while Taylor Gray, Brenden Queen, Dillon, Jones and Chastain followed suit in the top 20. 

Ten laps later, Garcia continued to lead by seven-tenths of a second over Riggs while Ankrum, Heim and Rhodes trailed in the top five. Garcia would proceed to lead by three-tenths of a second over Riggs with 80 laps remaining as Ankrum, Heim and Rhodes continued to trail in the top five. Another six laps later, the caution flew after Jones wrecked his No. 66 Farm Paint/ThorSport Racing entry in Turn 4. During the caution period, some including Wood, Caruth, Dillon, Parsons, Tanner Gray and Jones pitted while the rest led by Garcia remained on the track. 

With the event restarting under green with 66 laps remaining, Heim challenged Garcia for the lead and overtook him for the top spot during the following lap. With clean air to his advantage, Heim stretched his lead to more than a second over Garcia with 60 laps remaining while Riggs, Eckes and Brenden Queen trailed in the top five within three seconds. 

With 50 laps remaining, Heim extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Garcia as Riggs, Eckes and Queen trailed in the top five. Ankrum, Enfinger, Sammy Smith, Rhodes and Dye would trail in the top 10 as Heim stretched his lead to another second to three over Garcia with 40 laps remaining. 

A few laps later, the caution returned after Dean Thompson, who was running 12th, spun and barely avoided hitting the outside wall in Turn 2 as he was also dodged by Chastain. 

Down to the final 32 laps of the event, the event restarted under green as Heim muscled his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro away from Garcia and the field through the first two turns and the backstretch. Riggs would move into the runner-up spot over Garcia as both Enfinger and Eckes trailed in the top five ahead of Queen and Sammy Smith while Heim led by a second with 25 laps remaining.  

With less than 15 laps remaining, Heim stretched his advantage to more than two seconds over Riggs as Enfinger, Queen and Sammy Smith were scored in the top five ahead of Eckes, Sanchez, Ankrum, Dye and Garcia. Heim’s advantage grew to nearly three seconds over Riggs with 10 laps remaining while third-place Enfinger trailed by three seconds. 

Down to the final five laps, Heim continued to lead by more than three seconds over a three-truck battle for the runner-up spot involving Riggs, Enfinger and Queen while fifth-place Sammy Smith, who rallied from his opening lap penalty on Saturday, trailed by less than four seconds. Amid lapped traffic, Enfinger would overtake Riggs’ No. 38 Infinity Communications Group Ford F-150 for the runner-up spot while Queen tried to follow suit over Riggs. 

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Heim remained as the leader by more than three seconds over Enfinger’s No. 9 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST. Despite having a flurry of lapped traffic in front of him, Heim utilized his large advantage to cruise around the North Wilkesboro circuit smoothly for a final time as he cycled back to the frontstretch to claim his third checkered flag of the 2024 Truck Series season. 

With the victory, Heim, who became the first three-time winner of this season, notched his seventh career win in the Craftsman Truck Series and his second in the previous three races after winning at Kansas Speedway earlier in May. Heim also joined an exclusive club of Truck Series competitors to win at North Wilkesboro Speedway, a list that includes Kyle Larson, Mark Martin and Mike Bliss as he delivered the third victory of the season for both TRICON Garage and Toyota.

NORTH WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 19: Corey Heim, driver of the #11 Safelite Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Wright Brand 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 19, 2024 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images).

“That was crazy,” Heim said on FS1. “A crazy weekend with the weather and what not, but I knew since practice we had the speed. [I] Can’t say enough about these TRICON Garage guys. What a truck, what a weekend. I knew we had potential from practice and we put it all together and executed great today.” 

Both Enfinger and Riggs rallied from slow starts to this season by notching their first top-five runs in second and third, respectively. 

“Overall, [today provided] the best execution of the season,” Enfinger said. “This is the third time, second in a row, we brought a really good, fast Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet. We haven’t been performing to our ability or our standards earlier on in the year. I feel like last week at Darlington was the turning point in our season and 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 results to show for it.” 

“We really needed this,” Riggs said. “We finally finished where we deserve to finish today. It was a great day for us and hopefully, we can just keep building this momentum.” 

Meanwhile, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, a CARS Tour late model stock car standout from Chesapeake, Virginia, who notched four victories and settled in the runner-up spot in the 2023 standings, capitalized from being the fastest during Friday’s practice session by finishing in fourth place in his Truck Series debut while piloting the No. 1 Best Repair Company Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage. The solid top-five result also occurred after Queen rallied from an early pit road speeding penalty as he received a standing ovation from the North Wilkesboro crowd.  

“Man, [this opportunity]’s what I’ve worked for my whole life and never knew if I’d get this opportunity,” Queen said. “I’m just blessed, man, and I just hope I can turn this into some more opportunities. I love racing my late model, but this is my dream to get to the next level. Those guys at the shop [TRICON Garage], they put the hours in and that’s why this truck’s fast. I’m the lucky guy that gets to hold the wheel…I’d love to be full-time [NASCAR racing] next year.” 

Sammy Smith settled in fifth place while Eckes, Sanchez, Ankrum, Daniel Dye and Friesen finished in the top 10. Notably, Ty Majeski ended up 11th ahead of Jack Wood, Taylor Gray, Rajah Caruth and Ross Chastain. In addition, Jake Garcia drifted back to 21st ahead of Ben Rhodes while Matt Crafton settled in 20th.

There were seven lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 58 laps. In addition, 26 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap. 

Following the 10th event of the 2024 Craftsman Truck Series season, Christian Eckes leads the regular-season standings by four points over Corey Heim, 64 over Ty Majeski, 66 over Nick Sanchez and 98 over Taylor Gray. 

Results:

1. Corey Heim, 66 laps led 

2. Grant Enfinger 

3. Layne Riggs 

4. Brenden Queen 

5. Sammy Smith 

6. Christian Eckes, 62 laps led 

7. Nick Sanchez 

8. Tyler Ankrum, 26 laps led, Stage 2 winner 

9. Daniel Dye 

10. Stewart Friesen 

11. Ty Majeski, 50 laps led, Stage 1 winner 

12. Jack Wood 

13. Taylor Gray 

14. Rajah Caruth, six laps led 

15. Ross Chastain 

16. Tanner Gray 

17. Stefan Parsons 

18. Matt Mills 

19. Bayley Currey 

20. Matt Crafton 

21. Jake Garcia, 40 laps led 

22. Ben Rhodes 

23. Mason Massey 

24. Chase Purdy 

25. Ty Dillon 

26. Timmy Hill 

27. Dean Thompson, one lap down 

28. Dawson Sutton, two laps down 

29. Bret Holmes, three laps down 

30. Lawless Alan, four laps down 

31. Thad Moffitt, five laps down 

32. Spencer Boyd, five laps down 

33. Josh Reaume, five laps down 

34. Clayton Green, five laps down 

35. Connor Jones – OUT, Accident 

36. Trey Hutchens – OUT, Transmission 

Next on the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule is the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The event is scheduled to occur next Friday, May 24, and air at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1. 

Bringing Home The Bacon: Heim Claims Victory In Wright Brand 250

By
Official Release
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May 19, 2024: NASCAR races at the North Wilkesboro in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (HHP/Harold Hinson)

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 19, 2024) – A day’s wait was well worth it for Corey Heim on Sunday at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Heim led a race-high 66 laps in winning Sunday’s second act of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ Wright Brand 250, which was postponed after 81 laps on Saturday due to rain.

Heim held off all comers in a frantic fight to the finish. Grant Enfinger, Layne Riggs and Brenden “Butterbean” Queen – in his Truck Series debut – engaged in a spirited battle for second. Enfinger prevailed in the three-way tussle over the final laps, but Heim had already built up a sizable gap out front.

Heim beat Enfinger to the line by 2.474 seconds in securing his series-leading third win of the season. Riggs, Queen and Sammy Smith rounded out the top five.

The victory was Heim’s eighth of his Truck Series career, but he wasn’t the only driver who showed speed throughout the race. Pole winner Christian Eckes won Stage 1 and fought with Queen over a spot in the top five in the closing stages. Eckes ended up sixth ahead of Nick Sanchez, Tyler Ankrum, Daniel Dye and Stewart Friesen.

Stage 2 winner Ty Majeski finished 11th.

COREY HEIM, NO. 11 TRICON Garage TOYOTA (RACE WINNER): “(The track) was totally different (than last year, since the repave), but they kept the characteristics of the track. The seams and the bumps were still there, which was cool to see. I can’t say enough about the repave. It was pretty good. You could move around, find different grooves and go where the grip was. That’s what we like about short-track racing. We thought at first it was going to be a track position-based race, but we were able to move around, find the right grooves and get back to the front. We made our bed with a four-tire stop strategy, we knew guys would take two tires, but our Toyota Tundra was good enough to pull away and win the race.”

GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 9 CR7 MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (RUNNER-UP): “If we had a caution there at the end, we could’ve at least made it interesting. I definitely think (Heim) had the advantage, but kudos to everyone at North Wilkesboro Speedway. This is, by far, the best new pavement I’ve ever (driven) on. There were multiple grooves and if you had a fast truck, you could pass guys. I’m proud of the strides we’ve made as a team. We haven’t been able to show it, we’ve been making gains in the shop and our performance hadn’t been there. The last two weeks, it has.”

LAYNE RIGGS, NO. 38 FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS FORD (THIRD PLACE): “We really needed this finish. It was so tough to make a good guess on what adjustments to make, because you have to pit so early on in the race that you’ve got to predict how the track’s going to change. I felt really good at the end of the run and fast, but just tight at the end of the run. This team, we should deserve a finish up here every weekend. It was a good race today, we had a lot of zMAX CARS Tour guys up there – Corey (Heim), Butterbean (Queen), all those guys. It shows how your short-track background works out. The track moved around a lot more than I expected. It started on the bottom and would move up higher and higher the more you’d run, but it’d build tight. Everybody was free at the start of a run and whoever could manage that, was better at the end of the run. But (Heim) was lights-out faster. So, a good win for them and they deserve it, but I wish we could been a little bit better to get up there and race with them.”

TICKETS:

Tickets for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race, as well as 2025 All-Star Race weekend events, can be purchased online by visiting www.northwilkesborospeedway.com.

MORE INFO:

Fans can connect with North Wilkesboro Speedway and get the latest news regarding NASCAR All-Star week and North Wilkesboro Speedway by following on X and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan.

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