NASCAR CUP SERIES
NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 17, 2024

 Kevin Harvick met with the media in advance of the practice and qualifying session for the NASCAR Cup Series’ All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where Harvick will be filling the seat of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1.

Media Availability Quotes:

This double duty is a little different than what it probably meant to you before…

“It’s definitely not the attire that I thought I would be wearing this year. But it’s been a fun process. Sometimes there are phone calls that you react to different than others. When Rick (Hendrick) called and said what he needed and I said OK, everyone at FOX was kind enough to let us take the day to do what we needed to do. It’s been a fun process to be able to go through everything with Cliff (Daniels) and everybody at Hendrick. They’ve been true pros about it. SHR has been great to give us our seats and seat rails and make the fitting process a little bit less complicated. So it’s gone well. But definitely not something I expected to be doing this year.”

When you stepped out of the car at Phoenix, how does that affect your sense of finality in terms of how your driving career came to a close last fall?

“Obviously my full-time career is over. I think that sometimes there are just things that pop up that are fun. This’ll be fun for me, it’ll be fun for Cliff and it’ll be fun just to relate and talk to Kyle about what’s happening here today. Obviously he has a lot going on. So to get back in the car six, seven, eight months later, whatever it’s been, you’re definitely not as sharp as you would have been than if you had gotten right back in and run all the races. This is really more to help those guys out in this scenario. I think they were just looking for somebody who had been in a car. This car is a lot different to drive than an Xfinity car or any of the other cars that you would run. Really just having a good time with it, and we’ll see how it goes.”

You spent about 20 years driving a Gen 4, Gen 5, Gen 6 chassis, which were all kind of related to each other before the Next Gen. Is it more difficult to get back in this car and take to it knowing it is so different from what you ran for all but two years of your Cup career?

“I’ll let you know in about an hour. I don’t know that answer.”

Was there ever a point where Mr. H called to ask you to drive one of his racecars over the last 20 years? And how much of this is kind of a personal accomplishment to say that you’ve now driven for Mr. H?

“Any time that these conversations had come up in the past, I had been in the middle of a situation that I was happy with and good with. It’s always been a casual conversation about things. Rick being involved in Stewart-Haas Racing when I started, there obviously was a conversation that happened there to go to SHR. To have that relationship with the engine shop and all the sharing of the information, he still had to be good with it. I did have to sit there and put my Xfinity deal together in Rick’s office and let him work all that out. It’s not the first time we’ve had interaction. But it’s the first time it’s worked out to get into one of his cars and drive it on the Cup side. It’s fun.”

Does it feel different that you’re driving the 5?

“I don’t know. I’ve climbed in and out of it at the shop. The last time I got into one of these vehicles for the first time was 2013 at the open test that was basically all Hendrick with Rodney (Childers) working on the car for the first time. It’s different because I’ve been sitting in the booth watching the 5 car do what it does on the racetrack. My only job today is to get it into the pit box and try to understand the difference in the tires. It’s fun to see how the guys have approached it with something that is literally for one 50-minute practice. But we’ve approached it like we’re going into a race weekend because they want to do everything they can do to get Kyle prepared to come from the back of the pack to try to win the All-Star race. It’s been very methodical with how they’ve gone about everything. I’ve sat in all the team meetings and been in the simulator and done all those things as we’ve led up to like they were preparing for the race. Hopefully I can do my part.”

Your thoughts on the All-Star race coming back here, and is this a good venue for it?

“Seeing the venue lit up last year with all the changes and the event itself, and everybody loves the short tracks and North Wilkesboro has been talked about for a long time… so I think with the repave, now it’s what North Wilkesboro is going to be as we go through this year and next year. I guess it will be our last race of the season next year. It’s close to home, so that’s a good thing.”

Compared to SHR and elsewhere, has anything struck you or stood out about how HMS does things?

“I heard from the owner twice in two weeks, so that’s different! It’s interesting to see just the race shop, the structure and the way that everybody goes about it differently… there’s a million different ways you can do things. The thing that sticks out for me about Hendrick Motorsports in general, it’s truly run like a business that is part of an actual structure of how things flow and who you talk to. There’s just the depth of the business side and the racing side, it’s deep. That’s pretty eye-opening – just the structure from the whole thing. And I like structure. That’s something that has been good to see.”

To see behind the scenes at Hendrick and to have the success that you did knowing that you at times were able to beat them…

“The 4 team itself was very structured. We had a great group of people that communicated well and did a lot of little things well, but also took the burden of some things that weren’t as structured within the organization. To be able to do those things and still run well was a burden for all the guys on the team. I had a very special group of people that succeeded in a structure that wasn’t as structured as what we’re in currently in this situation. I had a lot of success at Stewart-Haas Racing and all the things we did, I’m super proud of. I love the relationships that we had. It’s just vastly different cultures.”

How important is it for you in the analyst chair to know what’s going on with these cars and translate it for the people at home?

“It’s priceless. This sport evolves quickly. To be understand the tires, the scenario that goes with how long these tires will last, how fast they go, what the feeling is and what all the scenarios are… listening to someone else’s team, I took my team for granted because we had been around for so long. To hear other people’s thoughts and process and understand all those things to be able to relate to the fans, it’s a pretty big deal to get a mid-year check of things that go with the evolution of our sport. It evolves quickly and can leave you behind quickly. To be still engrained in it and understand where everything’s at is always good.”

Going from a part-time broadcaster to full-time, what’s been the biggest challenge?

‘It’s just a different group of people. I’m intrigued with how to communication with people and how things are structured. On the television side, it’s a lot of people. To be able to know and understand how that process works and be able to work with different people… I just have a different team that I work with. I’ve been fortunate to not to have to get to know Clint (Bowyer). Mike (Joy), I’ve not known personally, but to get to know him and be able to be comfortable in the booth, we’ve had a good time calling the races and have been able to evolve and get better as the year has gone on. It’s been very different living outside the infield. The things I’ve been had to worry about the most this year is where we’re going to eat dinner at night. It’s much different than how you function in the infield.”

How much do you appreciate or are you intrigued with how another team operates?

“Like I said earlier, I was fortunate to have a very, very good race team at Stewart-Haas. To walk into another very, very good race team and see the things that go on and happen, it’s fun to get a look behind the curtain. Kyle is very good at whatever he races, but Cliff is also very understanding the fact that he’s off racing other things. How they talk about things and when they go through things with Kyle is very interesting. It seems like they want him to keep being Kyle. To be able to talk about the things they need in their car, how they structure things with Kyle and when they meet with him and why they do, that part to me is very insightful because we all tick a little different. Kyle likes to race all the time. Some guys don’t want to race all that. They just want to race the Cup car and show up on the weekend and do that. Some guys like to race the Xfinity car. There’s a balance for everybody that gets the most out of them. It seems they’ve leaned into letting Kyle be Kyle. That’s not always the case with everyone that drives in the Cup Series. Letting Kyle do Kyle things is surrounded by a group of people that want to be there because of him and how good he is.”

It’ll be a benefit for you to be in the car to stay current on how it’s reacting, but what about the repave and knowing how the track feels when you go back to the booth?

“All that. If we run this race on Sunday on slick tires and you’ve got the tires going on and off, just understanding how far the soft tires will go… There’s a good possibility that if you do that and the soft-tire guys have to come to pit road under green, just all the little nuances of little things. The more detail that we have, the more we have to talk about and relay to the people and you guys to understand. I look at it that we want to teach people about what our sport is, as well, and the things that are happening. There’s a number of things that go into that in order to make the car go around the racetrack that people just have no idea.”

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 CUP SERIES
NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 17, 2024

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Media Availability Quotes:

Did you hear the announcement about the tournament bracket that they’re going to have for next year?

“Yeah.. I don’t know probably every single detail about it, but I have heard of it. Yeah, it sounds interesting, especially starting at Atlanta (Motor Speedway) with it now being a speedway thing. But yeah, I think it has potential to add some excitement to our year and doing something a little different. I don’t have any issues with that.”

Should they give a playoff spot to the winner?

“A playoff spot to the winner? They’re already going to be in.”

This place for so long was lost relic. Last year, everyone was so excited to see this place be revived and revitalized. Coming back this year and to know that we’re coming back for the All-Star Race next year, as well, what is it like now to come to North Wilkesboro and know that it’s normal for us to be racing here?

“Yeah, I think it’s a good thing. This place has been around for a long time. It’s kind of in the heart of ‘NASCAR land’, with Charlotte being right down road and all that stuff. So yeah, I think it’s a good thing. Personally, I was excited to see that NASCAR or whoever spent a bunch of money to repave the place because that just told me that it was going to be around for a while, and they made that commitment pretty quickly. Yeah, I think it’s all positive. The fan turnout was great last year, and I hope that continues. I’ve seen a couple times in my career where we’ll have something new; it’ll go really good the first time and then it won’t after that. So, I just hope that this continues to be a positive event because it was last year, and I think that led to the money being spent on the racetrack, the resurface and all that stuff. Seemingly, it’s sticking around, so I hope the fans’ support and excitement continues now that the racetrack got the support that it needed to live on.”

You were a part of the first attempt to revive this place back in 2010. That revival was pretty short-lived. What do you think is the biggest difference between that and now what SMI and NASCAR has done with it?

“Just money.. They have the money to spend and the resources to support it like it needs to be supported. Nowadays, asphalt racetracks across the country that aren’t affiliated with NASCAR, ISC, SMI or whatever you want to call them, struggle. They just do and I hate to say that, but a lot of them do. This place needed NASCAR’s involvement to become what it once was.”

If Richmond goes away and we take that race to Mexico City or whatnot..

“So Richmond will go away totally.. that’s the rumor?”

Well one of the two.. so, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had said on his podcast that he felt like it was the beginning of this kind of movement to get away from short-track racing again. The 1.5-mile racing is so good.. Are you worried as a short-track, pavement guy, that even at the Cup Series level, we might be getting rid of more short-tracks to have more 1.5-mile tracks, more road courses, stuff like that?

“Yeah, I could kind of see where he’s coming from on that, right? Because the short-track racing has been so bad the last couple of years. And we all see it – the races at the mile-and-a-half tracks have been really good. But I don’t think that’s always a reason to get more of them. I always feel like less is more. The Bristol night race is a perfect example of less is more because you go there once a year; it’s super exciting and everybody loves the Bristol night race. And it’s because it only happens one time a year and it makes it special. Road course racing was really special and really cool because we used to do it twice, and now we do it 12 times, seemingly, a year and it’s become not-so-cool. So, I just think that the more that you do that, you lean into a direction and you just add more, more, more.. You can easily make things that are really exciting and neat still really quickly. So, I think we just need to be careful not to do that and put enough emphasis and importance into making our short-track package better because we do have great short-tracks around the country that we can lean into and race at. We just need to make our cars structured into a position that we can put on better shows, and I think we can do that. There’s no reason why we can’t. We’ve had it before, so why can’t we recreate that moving forward? So, I would rather see just a better product on the short-track stuff than taking them away, for sure.

And I don’t think they’re taking them away, but I would hate to see a movement away from that, just because it’s an important part of our sport.”

How excited are you to get back into a super late model?

“I’m looking forward to it. The last time I guess was New Smyrna there at the beginning of the year, so I’m excited to go run with those guys again. I hope we continue to progress and improve. It’s tough hitting one every two or three months, but I am excited to go and hopefully have a little fun. We’ll see.”

A lot of professional athletes, you can go and look at their contracts or look at their money situation. Where do you fall in that idea?

“I don’t have a preference. It’s not up to me, I guess, at the end of the day, but I don’t really care one way or another.”

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
NASCAR Cup Series
All-Star Media Advance | Friday, May 17, 2024

Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher came to the infield media center prior to today’s All-Star Race practice and qualifying sessions to answer questions about last week’s race at Darlington and expectations for Sunday night.

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW HAS QUALIFYING EVOLVED? “At least now we get laps on racetracks. It’s certainly quick. Twenty minutes. Fortunately, we have a lot of SMT data to go through. It turns into a lot of your practice time that used to be on track is now spent studying, trying to prep and be ready for those handful of laps. I think the next part of it is our adjustments are just extremely limited. The same can really be said for our teams, where our setup development is not done at a racetrack near as much now as it is back at the shop and back on simulation and trying to be prepped to where we can get to where we need to be within the tight parameters that we have on practice day now.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Nexlizet Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW IMPORTANT IS SPEED IN QUALIFYING IN TERMS OF PIT ROAD SELECTION? “Week to week it varies. Last week, I thought it was critically important. The way that Darlington played out with the first pit stall and the proximity that it had to the timing lines and the pit out line is just such a significant advantage, and then I think we see other tracks where it’s not a big deal. It seems like Daytona and Talladega and those places the way it plays out there it’s not a factor in the race. So, week to week I think it varies significantly. Obviously, you always want to qualify well. There’s nothing bad about qualifying well usually, although we had that race at Atlanta this year where the 22 car started a lap down and it was the best thing that happened to him. Usually, qualifying well is a good thing and pit stalls are one of the reasons why.”

AS INTERMEDIATES BECOME THE BETTER RACING WE HAVE ARE SHORT TRACKS BECOMING A MORE ENDANGERED SPECIES? “It’s always interesting to see, at least from my perspective, how the racing evolves and there’s all these kind of lagging indicators. When you think about the schedule and the races, it’s like it takes the schedule three to five years to catch up with the racing, maybe even longer sometimes, where you’re like, ‘Oh, this type of racing is excellent. We should have more of these types of races.’ And inherently our racing seems to evolve, for whatever reason, in those time spans and what might be a good racetrack for us competitively changes. I think I would go back to the start of the Next Gen era when we were coming off the Gen 6 erar and the mile-and-a-half races were probably less compelling than short track races, and I feel like when we went to the Next Gen race car that completely flipped to where the mile-and-a-halves are more compelling than the short tracks. So it’s funny how that dynamic works. I’m almost positive with my experience in the sport that that will evolve again and it will evolve to where eventually short track racing seems to be really, really good and the mile-and-a-half racing not as good and by then we’ll have evolved to having more mile-and-a-half races. It always seems to be a struggle to get the schedule in step with the racing and how it works as far as the most compelling events for whatever reason. I think that puts more emphasis on the moves that NASCAR has made and even SMI to some extent of going private with the tracks, so that time cycle can be more in tune with the racing that you see and what’s more prevalent. I think you’re gonna see that in the years to come get utilized perhaps in a more equitable way, but it is interesting right now to see our circuit and schedule and the mile-and-a-halves being so great. I don’t know how you can argue that the mile-and-a-half racing isn’t the best racing in NASCAR right now and three years ago if I would have told you that, you would have probably laughed. It’s just funny how that shifts so quickly and it’s so important for our sport to be nimble to be able to adapt and really capture that.”

CHRIS BUESCHER CONTINUED – IS THE MILLION DOLLARS ENOUGH INCENTIVE FOR THE IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT OR SHOULD THERE BE A PLAYOFF POINTS INCENTIVE AS WELL TO MAKE THAT MORE IMPORTANT? “I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that I don’t think it’s gonna change what we do week in and week out. It is gonna be another storyline and something we can talk about and lean into at times, but I don’t think it’s gonna change how we show up at the racetrack at any point during that timeline. I think we’re gonna show up to figure out how to win races. A million dollars is significant.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI CONTINUED – “It goes to the team? I thought it went to a gambler. This might change my answer. OK. That’s good. You (looking at Chris) get like 100-grand and I get the rest (laughter). That’s gonna get negotiated in some driver contracts. I thought it went to a fan. I have no idea how this works.”

CHRIS BUESCHER CONTINUED – “We actually had this conversation this week, neither of us gamble so this is kind of uncharted territory for me and Brad both.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI CONTINUED – “We can only race one year at a time and that’s next year, so I have no idea.”

CHRIS BUESCHER CONTINUED – “We’re going to the racetrack to win races every week, so from where I’m at I don’t know how it changes your initial look on the weekend or how you approach it. I guess it may change if you end up in a strange situation with damage and laps down you may work a little harder knowing the situation. You could certainly see Daytona, Atlanta, something like that if there’s some of that in the bracket. I have no clue.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI CONTINUED – “So it’s kind of like a Winston Million for the whole field? Yes? OK. Clearly, we have a lot more studying to do. I don’t know if that answered your question, but I thought it was all like a gambling thing. We don’t gamble, so that shows us what we know. I still want to win it now that I know I can win it, but being that it’s a year from now it’s kind of like, ‘OK, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.’ A lot can happen in a year.”

CHRIS BUESCHER CONTINUED – WHERE IS THE LINE IN THAT SPORTS CROSSES A LITTLE TOO FAR AND BECOMES MORE ENTERTAINMENT? HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? “I ran heat races while racing locally growing up, so that was actually a throwback to more of your grassroots type of racing for me. We’ve gone a little bit beyond that in some ways and I know we’re staring at (a set of Goodyear tires). They’re all black from this side, but I know one of those is red and yellow and we have different options to give it a go here. I guess with that it’s opening up opportunities for this race as a perfect example. It gives us an opportunity to go try something. I think we actually tried heat races on the Xfinity side close to 10 years ago, didn’t we? I actually enjoyed that, but I also remember Bristol there is a fear of getting something wadded up and not being able to continue on in your primary. It can really mess up your year long outlook on it just by doing that, so it’s a little tricky in that sense. Heat races growing up a lot were to make sure that we established a field and sent home 40 percent of the cars that were at a racetrack. For us, we’re all on track and most always we’re all making the race, so it has a little different purpose here, I guess, and it becomes a little bit more of an entertainment value, but I don’t see anything wrong with a lot of it to keep the entertainment up and keep us searching for different strategies and different ways to go about our weekends.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI CONTINUED – DO YOU THINK DRIVER SALARIES AND CONTRACT DETAILS SHOULD BE MORE TRANSPARENT TO THE PUBLIC? “Generally, I’m a fan of transparency in all aspects of my life. Generally, I think I’m a fan of that stuff being more public. It’s not and the way this sport is structured the drivers work for teams as independent contractors in most cases and that creates contracts that for a number of reasons tend to be more private in nature. I wouldn’t have an issue at all with that stuff being more public personally as long as it was public for everyone. It doesn’t make sense to be public for one person and not for everyone, so I don’t know that I would say that’s the number one thing in our sport to be working on. I probably wouldn’t prioritize that, but transparency is generally a good thing in my eyes.”

CHRIS BUESCHER CONTINUED – “To add a little bit to that, I feel like when I was a kid watching on the couch, and I may be way off base on this, but it used to be advertised a little bit more of what the purse was for a weekend and where everything paid out. I know we really don’t know that. This is the one weekend where we actually talk about it. I think we talked about it at the 500 this year because it has exponentially grown as an event, but you really don’t talk about it on the race side of things either. Like Brad said, it’s not at the top of our minds I guess most times until you put it on the billboard that it’s a million to win this weekend.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI CONTINUED – “Most of us are, we’re incentivized to win by money don’t get me wrong. I don’t ever want to leave the impression that we’re not, but for the most part, I think most of the drivers are incentivized by pride and probably a little ego, maybe a lot of ego in some cases, and the money is a complement to that, but I don’t think, I can’t speak for everyone, but I don’t think it’s a primary factor in what race car drivers at this level compete for.”

CHRIS BUESCHER CONTINUED – WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE BACK AT THIS TRACK KNOWING IT HAS GONE FROM A LOST SPEEDWAY TO A PLACE WE GO TO REGULARLY AGAIN? “It’s kind of neat sitting here right now, actually me and Bayley Currey, who is out there in a truck right now, came up here and volunteered when Dale Jr. was asking for volunteers to come clean up this place when it was at its absolute worst. I remember that pretty clearly, walking into this room and it looking like a post apocalyptic war zone. Gurneys were flipped over across the floor. Medical equipment just thrown out and trashed. It was rough, so to see where it came from for last year, understanding and seeing what the surface did and how it changed into a repave for this season and getting the news we’re gonna be here beyond is really exciting from way back when I used to be watching on TV. I don’t know growing up if I ever got to watch a race live or on TV that was current year at North Wilkesboro. We haven’t been here in a really long time, so it’s been special to be a part of coming back and a miniscule part of helping that clean up to and just see it have the potential to come back online and be a part of our schedule. It is really neat to see where it’s come from and see it stick to its roots and Marcus and their group working so hard to make sure that it has a lot of that nostalgic feel to it so that we can keep true to what it was, too.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI CONTINUED – YOU ARE WATCHING BRENDEN QUEEN INTENTLY. ANY THOUGHTS ON HIM? “Yeah, he ran the late model race here last year and kicked our butts. I’m just glad he’s getting the opportunity. I haven’t seen cars on the track here since they repaved it, so we’re all eager to get back to the hauler and watch some truck practice.”

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at North Wilkesboro Speedway… In 44 NASCAR Cup Series starts at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has five wins, all by Dale Earnhardt: 1986 (spring), 1987 (spring), 1989 (spring), 1991 (fall) and 1995 (spring). Earnhardt was running at the finish in all 27 races at North Wilkesboro that he ran with RCR. Team Owner Richard Childress made 19 starts at North Wilkesboro as a driver, racking up eight top-10 finishes.

RCR in the All-Star Race…RCR has four wins in the NASCAR All-Star Race, three with Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990, 1993) and one with Kevin Harvick (2007). Earnhardt is also tied with Jimmie Johnson for most top-five finishes in the All-Star race (9).

Pacing the Field … Childress, a legendary NASCAR team owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer, has been named as the Honorary Pace Car Driver to help get the NASCAR All-Star race underway on Sunday evening on the historic 0.625-mile short track where one driver will earn a lucrative $1 million pay day. Childress will lead the field to green in a Chevrolet Camaro.

All-Star Race Format… The All-Star race will consist of 200 laps (all laps count) with NASCAR Overtime rules in effect. There will be two All-Star cautions at lap 100 and lap 150. At the 100-lap break, teams must perform a four-tire stop using any tire of their choosing. Starting positions are set via two 60-lap All-Star heat races on Saturday, with the lineup for the heat races determined by a Pit Crew Challenge event on Friday evening in which teams will make a four-tire pit stop without fuel. The signature new element in this season’s format centers around tire type and allotment. Potentially, three different tires will be utilized throughout the event weekend— a “prime tire” (the baseline tire assessed in last month’s Goodyear Tire Test at North Wilkesboro Speedway), an “option tire” (slick tires, but made with the same rubber as the wet weather tire, making it a softer tire with more grip and faster wear) and “wet weather” (the wet weather tire only used if the track is wet).

Wide-Open Opportunity…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 100-lap Open will have an All-Star caution at Lap 50, at which time teams must perform a four-tire pit stop. Three Open drivers will advance to the main event: the top two race finishers plus the Fan Vote Winner. NASCAR All-Star Race Fan Voting is now open on www.NASCAR.com/fanvote.

New Surface at North Wilkesboro…North Wilkesboro Speedway has been repaved just in time for the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race. Prior to the fresh pavement, the last time the track was repaved was in 1981.

Saturday Night Heat Races…Saturday night will feature two 60-lap heat races that will determine the starting lineup for the All-Star Race among drivers already locked into the field. There will be an All-Star caution at lap 30 of each heat race; teams must perform a four-tire pit stop. The results of Heat 1 will establish the inside row, and the results of Heat 2 will establish the outside row.

Happy Anniversary to the All-Star Race…The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race will be the 40th running of the special event, which debuted in May 1985 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Perhaps the most popular finish in All-Star Race history came in 1987, when Dale Earnhardt won the race in a fender-banging classic battle with Bill Elliott, highlighted by Earnhardt’s thrilling save on the frontstretch in the closing laps.

Follow Sunday’s Action at North Wilkesboro… The NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, May 19 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The All-Star Open will be televised live beginning at 5 p.m. ET on the same broadcast channels.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 SENIX Tools Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at North Wilkesboro Speedway… Austin Dillon, who has made four previous All-Star race starts, will have to race his way into Sunday’s main event this year. A top-two finish in Sunday afternoon’s All-Star Open will transfer him to the main event. Dillon finished 17th in last year’s All-Star race.

A Family Tradition … Dillon’s father, Mike Dillon, earned two trophies at North Wilkesboro Speedway in the Late Model division and had a second-place finish there in the early 90’s.

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Meet Dillon… Dillon is scheduled to appear at the SENIX Tools display in the Fan Midway at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday at 12:45 p.m. ET. He’s also scheduled to stop by the RCR Merchandise Hauler in the North Wilkesboro Speedway Fan Midway on Sunday at 1:15 p.m. ET. Stop by to meet the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet and get new merchandise to wear on race day.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

What are your thoughts on racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway?

“I look forward to going back to North Wilkesboro Speedway and welcoming everyone from SENIX Tools to the track this weekend. I love the format NASCAR came up with getting the pit crews involved again this year and the new tire compounds teams can choose from. People are excited about it. We will have to race our way into the All-Star race from the Open race on Sunday, but I think everyone on the No. 3 team is excited and up for the challenge. I am looking forward to seeing how the different compound tires will affect the strategy for 100 laps.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Lenovo Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at North Wilkesboro Speedway…Kyle Busch will make his second start at North Wilkesboro Speedway in the NASCAR All-Star Race. In 18 previous All-Star starts, Busch has collected six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes, including winning the non-points racing in 2017. In the 2017 race, Busch started second and led the race just once, covering the final 10 laps. His average running position in the event was 3.27. The driver of the Lenovo Chevrolet is tied with Bill Elliott for most poles (four) all-time at the All-Star race.

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KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

What did you learn last year at North Wilkesboro Speedway that you can apply for this race?

“I think the only things we learned at North Wilkesboro Speedway last year were where the outside wall is and I think the apron in Turns 3 and 4 is the same. That’s about it. I think everything else has changed. The asphalt has changed and they moved the inside wall some. It’s going to be a completely different race.”

North Wilkesboro has been repaved. How do you prepare to race on the new surface when you haven’t been able to test there?

“I think the preparation for how to get ready for the race is now going to be based on the notes and the test that happened there. Our Chevy key partner teammate William Byron did the test there so we’re relying on him and his notes and the video capture that they got and being able to just watch and listen to the throttle on time and the things they did when they were there.”

This year’s All-Star race will have several new features including a tire strategy element. What effect do you think that will have in the race? Do you think it has the potential to make the racing better?

“I don’t know if the tire strategy will really factor in as much as people think because we all know when the strategy will be and when you want to put those tires on. We all have to start the race on the option tires. We all know we’re probably going to want to finish on those tires, so the two other sets that you’re going to have you’re probably going to run one of those sets in the middle of the race. I don’t know that it’s really going to create much pit strategy separation. The race isn’t long enough for that.”

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging team are headed to North Wilkesboro Speedway for this weekend’s All-Star races.

It’s a familiar venue for the No. 21 team as the Wood Brothers ran 46 races there from 1957 until the track lost its Cup date in 1996. They had two poles there, both by the late team founder Glenn Wood (in 1958 and 1959) and two wins, both by the late Marvin Panch (in 1963 and 1964).

All told the team had 14 top-five finishes and 23 top-10s.

The 5/8-mile track lay dormant after the 1996 races and the prospects of racing there again seemed unlikely, but has experienced a revival in recent years, and this weekend’s event is the second straight All-Star race to be held there.

“Obviously it’s really cool to be racing again at such a historic venue as North Wilkesboro,” said Jeremy Bullins, crew chief of the Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Mustang Dark Horse, which is entered in the Open race as drivers in that preliminary event seek to earn a starting berth in the All-Star race.

Bullins said this year’s All-Star weekend events will be unique due to the different tires available to teams this year and because of the new pavement that has been added since last year.

Goodyear will offer a convention tire known as the “Prime” tire, and fans can identify them by the yellow lettering on the tires.

An “Option” tire will be offered as well. The Option tires are essentially a wet weather tire but with slick tread.

These tires, which will carry red lettering, are expected to offer more grip initially but wear quicker, leading to more fall off of lap times.

Then, if rain wets the track, there’s the regular wet weather tire, which will have visible treads and carry white lettering.

“This year, with the repave, is likely to look like a much different race,” Bullins predicted. “And everyone has a lot of questions about how the Option tire is going to drive and how long will it last.

“Hopefully we can learn what we need to in practice to race our way through the Open and get in the big show for the All-Star race.”

Practice at North Wilkesboro is set for Friday at 4:35 p.m. Eastern Time to be followed by Open qualifying at 5:40 and All-Star qualifying at 6:20.

The 100-lap Open race is scheduled to start just after 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. The top two finishers will advance to the All-Star race along with one driver selected by a fan vote.

The 200-lap main event should get the green flag just after 8 p.m. Sunday.

FOX Sports 1 will carry the TV coverage.

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About DEX Imaging
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:
Reducing Operating Costs
Reducing Paper Consumption
Increasing Productivity

DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.

About Motorcraft®
Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to under hood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford Dealers and Lincoln Retailers, independent distributors and automotive-parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty* of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.
*See your dealer for limited-warranty details.

About Quick Lane® Tire & Auto Center
Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine maintenance, serving all vehicle makes and models. Quick Lane provides a full menu of automotive services, including tires, oil change and maintenance, brakes, batteries, alternator and electrical system, air conditioning system, cooling system, transmission service, suspension and steering, wheel alignment, belts and hoses, lamps and bulbs and wiper blades plus a thorough vehicle checkup report. Service is performed by expert technicians while you wait at any of nearly 800 locations in the U.S., with evening and weekend hours available and no appointment necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.
*See your dealer for limited-warranty details.”

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company’s Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for customers and deepen their loyalty. Ford develops and delivers innovative, must-have Ford trucks, sport utility vehicles, commercial vans and cars and Lincoln luxury vehicles, along with connected services. The company does that through three customer-centered business segments: Ford Blue, engineering iconic gas-powered and hybrid vehicles; Ford Model e, inventing breakthrough EVs along with embedded software that defines exceptional digital experiences for all customers; and Ford Pro, helping commercial customers transform and expand their businesses with vehicles and services tailored to their needs. Additionally, Ford is pursuing mobility solutions through Ford Next, and provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford employs about 177,000 people worldwide. More information about the company and its products and services is available at corporate.ford.com.

About Ford Performance
Ford Performance is based in Dearborn, Mich. It is responsible for Ford’s performance vehicle development and major racing operations globally, including NASCAR, IMSA, SRO British GT, FIA World Rally Championship, Supercars Championship, World of Outlaws, Ultra4, SCORE-International, FIA Rally-Raid, Formula Drift, NHRA, Rebelle Rally, Thailand Super Series and our latest commitment in Formula 1 with RedBull Ford Powertrains. Ford Performance also maintains a constantly evolving fleet of electric performance demonstrators to showcase the limits of electrification technology. In addition, the organization also oversees the development of Ford’s racing engines, as well as the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts. For more information regarding Ford racing’s activities, please visit Performance.Ford.com or follow @FordPerformance on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.