NASCAR: 2024 All-Star Race qualifying updates, full starting lineup
By Asher Fair
From 1985 to 2019, the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race was contested at a total of two different tracks. One of those tracks, Atlanta Motor Speedway, hosted only one of those races in 1986. The other 34 were contested at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
But COVID-19-restriction-related schedule changes resulted in the race being moved to Bristol Motor Speedway in 2020, and that ultimately signaled the start of a trend.
The race was again moved to Texas Motor Speedway in 2021, and after being run at Texas again in 2022, it was moved again in 2023. This time, it was moved to a track that hadn't hosted any Cup Series races since 1996: North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The four-turn, 0.625-mile (1.006-kilometer) North Wilkesboro, North Carolina oval is back on this year's Cup Series schedule as the host of the All-Star Race, and following its repave after last year's race for $1 million, there have been calls for it to be added to the official 36-race calendar as a points race.
Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but for now, the series is indeed back at a track that was once considered gone for good.
In addition to the 200-lap All-Star Race, the track is scheduled to host the 100-lap All-Star Open to fill two of the final three spots in the main event. The other spot goes to the winner of the NASCAR Fan Vote, or at least the highest finisher among those not already locked into the race (and with a car that hasn't been wrecked in the Open).
The 17 drivers already locked into the All-Star Race include former Cup Series champions and former All-Star Race winners who still compete full-time, as well as Cup Series race winners from either the 2023 or 2024 season.
NASCAR All-Star Race: Full North Wilkesboro starting lineup
All-Star Open
*starting lineup set by driver standings due to rain.
1st - Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2nd - Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
3rd - Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
4th - Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
5th - Noah Gragson, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
6th - Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
7th - Josh Berry, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
8th - Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
9th - John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
10th - Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
11th - Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
12th - Ryan Preece, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
13th - Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
14th - Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
15th - Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
16th - Justin Haley, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
17th - Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
18th - Kaz Grala, No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford
19th - Zane Smith, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
20th - Timmy Hill, No. 66 MBM Motorsports Ford
All-Star Race (heat race lineups)
Due to the rain on Friday night, the qualifying session for the All-Star Race heat lineups has been moved to Saturday morning. Live updates can be found here.
Next. NASCAR: Surprising mid-season decision leads to bigger questions. NASCAR: Surprising mid-season decision leads to bigger questions. dark
Fox Sports 1 is set to provide live coverage of the All-Star Open from North Wilkesboro Speedway beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 19, and the All-Star Race itself is set to be shown on the same network beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson is the reigning race winner. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss it!
feed