See the event schedule at North Wilkesboro Speedway leading up to the NASCAR All-Star Race
This story has been updated after scheduling adjustments due to weather on Tuesday.
All eyes will be on the foothills of North Carolina as NASCAR makes its return to North Wilkesboro Speedway this week.
The NASCAR All-Star Race, which will run Sunday night, is the obvious headliner. But racing events and festivities will take place at the vaunted venue all week.
Here’s what you need know.
North Wilkesboro Speedway schedule
Tuesday: Weather canceled qualifying and postponed the ASA STARS National Series’ ECMD 150 Race to Wednesday. The feature will still roster NASCAR Cup Series stars Chase Elliott, William Byron, Daniel Suárez, Noah Gragson and Erik Jones.
Wednesday: The ECMD 150 will run Wednesday night. Also on Wednesday will feature the CARS Pro Late Models race and CARS Late Model Stocks race. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was a key player in resurrecting North Wilkesboro, will be racing on Wednesday night. So will Kevin Harvick, who’ll be in a throwback number and paint scheme.
Here’s a look at Wednesday’s new schedule:
Friday: Truck practice begins at 3 p.m. Cup practice begins right after that. At 5:45 p.m., the Pit Crew Challenge will commence — where pit crews of all the drivers in the All-Star Race will complete a four-tire stop, and the times of each team will determine the qualifying order for Saturday’s heat races. That will then be followed up by concerts from North Carolina-bred country music star Chase Rice and American country band Midland.
Saturday: The Tyson 250. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to North Wilkesboro for the first time since 1996. Gates open at 10 a.m., and the race begins at 1:30 p.m. You can also catch the two NASCAR Cup Series heat races starting at 7:35 p.m.
Sunday: The All-Star Race. Sunday’s schedule will be thoroughly packed, but here are some highlights. The Fan Zone opens at 11 a.m. Pre-race concerts featuring Tim Dugger and Dierks Bentley begin in the early afternoon. The All-Star Open, which will feature drivers not previously eligible for the All-Star Race running 100 laps to see who can get in the race, will begin at 5:30 p.m., and then the All-Star Race will begin at 8 p.m. The winner of the heralded race, as per tradition, gets a cash prize of $1 million.
Additional links for North Wilkesboro information
▪ For day-to-day tickets, visit the Speedway Motorsports website.
▪ For all your parking and shuttle information, check out the SMI website again. (It’s worth printing here, too: The racetrack is asking for attendants to carpool, to download the Waze app on your mobile device and to be patient on race day.)
▪ For more information on the All-Star Race’s format, as well as other stories throughout the weekend, stay up-to-date on the Charlotte Observer website.
This story was originally published May 15, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
