Following Kyle Larson's dominant performance at Kansas, the NASCAR Cup Series visits the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday night for the running of the All-Star Race.
There will be no points on the line, but rather a $1 million prize for the winner as North Wilkesboro hosts All-Star Weekend for the third consecutive season. Each year, NASCAR tweaks the All-Star format and this weekend is no exception. From the All-Star Open that precedes the All-Star Race to some notable changes within the main event itself such as the new promoter's caution and Manufacturer Showdown, there is a lot to be familiar with prior to cars hitting the track on Sunday.
So, let's dive right into the All-Star Race with the starting lineup as well as all the info about the TV broadcast, start time and more that fans need to know ahead of the green flag.
All-Star Open and All-Star Race starting lineup: Full NASCAR qualifying results
Here's a look at the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying results at North Wilkesboro and the starting lineups as a result:
All-Star Open Starting Position | NASCAR Cup Series Driver |
|---|---|
1st | Shane van Gisbergen |
2nd | Carson Hocevar |
3rd | Noah Gragson |
4th | Michael McDowell |
5th | Ryan Preece |
6th | Zane Smith |
7th | Justin Haley |
8th | John Hunter Nemechek |
9th | Ty Gibbs |
10th | Ty Dillon |
11th | Cole Custer |
12th | Erik Jones |
13th | Riley Herbst |
14th | Bubba Wallace |
15th | Cody Ware |
16th | AJ Allmendinger |
17th | Todd Gilliland |
18th | Chad Finchum |
All-Star Race Starting Position | NASCAR Cup Series Driver |
|---|---|
1st | Brad Keselowski |
2nd | Christopher Bell |
3rd | Ross Chastain |
4th | Joey Logano |
5th | William Byron |
6th | Chase Elliott |
7th | Ryan Blaney |
8th | Kyle Busch |
9th | Alex Bowman |
10th | Chris Buescher |
11th | Josh Berry |
12th | Daniel Suarez |
13th | Tyler Reddick |
14th | Chase Briscoe |
15th | Austin Dillon |
16th | Austin Cindric |
17th | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
18th | Harrison Burton |
19th | Kyle Larson |
20th | Denny Hamlin |
21st | All-Star Open winner |
22nd | All-Star Open second-place finisher |
23rd | Fan Vote winner |
Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen is on the pole for the All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro on Sunday. With a time of 88.685 seconds in the unique qualifying format on Friday that included three laps and a four-tire pit stop at the end of the second lap, van Gisbergen bested the other 17 drivers that are not currently locked into the All-Star Race.
Spire Motorsports' Carson Hocevar, Front Row Motorsports' Noah Gragson, Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing's Ryan Preece rounded out the top five. Although McDowell was only fourth fastest, his pit crew took home the $100,000 prize on Friday for having the quickest time in the Pit Crew Challenge. Notables outside the top five include Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs (ninth), 23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace (14th) and Kaulig Racing's AJ Allmendinger (16th).
RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski is on the pole for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro on Sunday night. He posted a time of 87.363 seconds to secure his first career pole in the All-Star Race. The rest of the starting lineup was set after Saturday night's heat races, with heat 1 determining the inside row and heat 2 the outside row.
Rounding out the top five are JGR's Christopher Bell, Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain, Team Penske's Joey Logano and Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron. Notables that will be starting outside the top 10 include 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick (13th), HMS driver Kyle Larson (19th) and JGR's Denny Hamlin (20th). Larson has been at Indianapolis Motor Speedway qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 in preparation for the Indianapolis 500-Coca Cola 600 double for the second straight season. Since he was unable to qualify the car, Larson will start at the back.
NASCAR race start time today: When does the All-Star Race green flag wave?
Sunday's All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro will begin shortly after 8 p.m. ET. The All-Star Open, which determines the final three spots in the field, will start around 5:30 p.m. ET. According to AccuWeather, the temperature is forecasted to be in the low 80s for the Open and dropping into the 70s for the All-Star Race with partly cloudy conditions. There is no rain in the forecast.
All-Star Race format explained
Unlike traditional points-paying weekends that feature stage racing, All-Star Weekend is a little different. For the Open, it will consist of 100 laps with a competition break at or around Lap 50. All laps count and there will be one attempt at NASCAR Overtime if needed. The top two finishers, plus the Fan Vote winner, will advance to the All-Star Race and start at the back.
Unlike the last two years, the All-Star Race will see an increase from 200 laps to 250 laps on Sunday night. All laps count and there will be a competition break at or around Lap 100. In addition to a new Manufacturer Showdown that rewards the best combined finish of the three manufacturers, there is a promoter's caution that could be used. It must occur before Lap 220, but cannot be used if a naturally occurring caution happens after Lap 200. The All-Star Race features the same overtime rules as the regular season events and the winner will take home the $1 million prize.
All-Star Race TV channel, broadcast and streaming info
The NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro on Sunday will be broadcast on FS1 with the pre-race coverage beginning at 5 p.m. ET ahead of the All-Star Open at 5:30 p.m. ET. The All-Star Race will begin shortly after 8 p.m. ET. Both races are also available on MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and streaming on Max.