NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR is hoping a repaved track and softer tires will make for more competitive short track racing for Sunday night’s All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
It can’t get much worse than last year.
After months of hype leading up to the first race at the renovated track since 1996, the All-Star race turned out to be a snoozer, with Kyle Larson running away with the victory and the $1 million prize. He was in front for 145 of 200 laps and at times led by nearly 11 seconds, or more than half of a lap on the .625-mile short track.
That caused Larson to boast afterward “that was an old school (butt)-whipping, for sure.”
And it didn’t make for compelling television.
But William Byron is optimistic that this year’s race will be much closer, with NASCAR experimenting with softer tires on the short track in what has been a rain-soaked weekend at North Wilkesboro.
“This place is so different and unique, we almost need a couple more practices to get everyone closer," Byron said. "I think there will be a lot of comers and goers, and the gaps will be closer because the pace is up and there is less falloff. But I still think it will be tough to complete the passes.”
Logano captures pole
Joey Logano will start up front for the NASCAR All-Star race after turning a lap of 1:29.75 on Saturday during qualifying at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The two 60-laps heats that were to determine the remainder of the field for Sunday night's race were postponed Saturday after heavy rains pounded the area, leaving portions of the track under about a foot of water. NASCAR is determining how the remainder of the field for the All-Star race will be set, so Kyle Larson's starting position remains unclear.
The weather was so severe that it brought down power lines on the road outside of the racetrack, cutting off power and internet access to the track.
The Trucks Series race was postponed until 11:45 a.m. Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Logano was all smiles after winning his first All-Star race pole.
“It’s a very special pole, maybe the most special pole I’ve ever had because it’s a great example of how hard everybody works and I’m proud of that,” Logano said. "It’s a lot of work that goes into the minute-and-a-half out there.”
William Byron, one of the final drivers on the track, appeared to beat Logano's time but was assessed a 10-second penalty for speeding on pit road during the stop.
Logano, driver of the No. 22 Ford, turned the top lap even though his pit crew only had the fifth-fastest stop, which means he made up significant time on the track.
But Logano called it a team win and a “momentum booster."
“This qualifying session is the most fun session of the year,” Logano said. “And it really takes the whole team. The car has to go fast. We have to execute getting onto pit road, the spotter has to do a good job of getting everyone on the same page and the pit crew has to do their part, and then it's back on to the track (to finish). So it really takes every crew member.”
Christopher Bell’s team won the pit crew challenge for the second straight year and the No. 20 Toyota team will have its choice of the top pit stall Sunday night.
Bell's pit crew earned $100,000 for winning the pit crew challenge.
“What can you say about these guys, it’s two in a row,” Bell said as his crew celebrated. “They have been awesome and I’m incredibly happy for them. It’s an honor to be their driver.”
As part of the pit crew challenge, drivers took the green flag, ran one full lap at speed, and on the second lap proceeded to one of two NASCAR designated pit stalls for a four-tire stop with mock fuel delivery. Then the cars exited pit road and raced back to the checkered flag. The qualifying time was determined by the total elapsed time from green flag to checkered flag.
Harvick steps in
Larson is still hoping to race Sunday night after spending the week preparing for the Indianapolis 500.
In the meantime, Kevin Harvick came out of retirement to drive Larson's No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet during practice, something he never anticipated.
“It’s definitely not the attire that I thought I would be wearing this year," Harvick quipped as he wore the Hendrick Motorsports fire suit.
But Harvick, who now works in the broadcast booth, said it has been a fun week.
His former employer, Stewart-Haas Racing, even helped out by sending the seats and seat rails Harvick used while he was racing for it so he would fit better.
“Sometimes there are phone calls that you react to different than others,” Harvick said. “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.”
Fill out your bracket
Chase Elliott said he's intrigued by NASCAR's experiment next year with an in-season bracket-style tournament, similar to what the NBA did this season.
“It sounds interesting, especially starting at Atlanta (Motor Speedway) with it now being a speedway thing,” Elliott said. "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.”
Buescher vs. Reddick
There could be some bad blood this weekend between Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick. Buescher went after Reddick on pit lane after last week's race at Darlington, where Reddick drove him into the wall, ruining his chances of winning the race.
"When you are racing for the win, you are racing for the win," Reddick said. “In that moment I was trying to think how I could take my car that was in second place to first place.”
Reddick explained that "the obvious thing is I drove in so deep that I needed the entire racetrack. I didn't have enough tire left to keep the outside lane open. So I'm just trying to learn for next time.”