STEVE REED Keynote USA
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. – NASCAR hopes a repaved track and some softer tires will make short track racing more competitive for Sunday night’s All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
It can’t be much worse than last year.
After months of excitement leading up to the first race at the renovated track since 1996, the All-Star race turned out to be a dream, with Kyle Larson taking the win and the $1 million prize. He led for 145 of 200 laps and at times led by nearly 11 seconds, or more than half a lap on the 0.625-mile short track.
That prompted Larson to brag afterward that “that was an old-school (butt) beating, 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 on what has been a rain-soaked weekend at North Wilkesboro.
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“This place is so different and unique that we almost needed a couple more practices to get closer to everyone,” Byron said. “I think there will be a lot of coming and going, and the gaps will be closer because the pace is faster and there are fewer falls. But I still think it will be difficult to complete the passes.”
Harvick intervenes
Larson is still hoping to race Sunday night after spending the week preparing for the Indianapolis 500.
Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick came out of retirement to drive Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet during practice, something he never anticipated would happen.
“Definitely not the outfit I thought I would wear this year,” Harvick joked while wearing the Hendrick Motorsports fire suit.
But Harvick, who now works in the broadcast booth, said it’s been a fun week.
His former employer, Stewart-Haas Racing, even helped by sending him the seats and seat rails that Harvick used while racing to make him fit better.
“Sometimes there are phone calls that you react to differently 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.”
Complete your support
Chase Elliott said he’s intrigued by NASCAR’s experiment next year with an in-season pool-style tournament, similar to what the NBA did this season.
“It sounds interesting, especially starting at Atlanta (Motor Speedway), now that it’s racing,” Elliott said. “But yeah, I think it has potential to add some excitement to our year and do something a little different. I don’t have a problem with that.”
Buescher vs. Reddick
There could be some bad blood this weekend between Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick. Buescher chased Reddick into pit lane after last week’s race at Darlington, where Reddick pushed him into the wall, ruining his chances of winning the race.
“When you run for victory, you’re running for victory,” Reddick said. “At that time I was trying to think how I could get my car that was in second place to first place.”
Reddick explained that “the obvious thing is that I drove so deep that I needed the entire race track. I didn’t have enough tires left to keep the outside lane open. So I’m trying to learn for next time.”
betting line
Denny Hamlin is a 19-4 favorite to win the All-Star race, a slight favorite over three-time champion Larson, according to BetMGM.
Logano on pole
Joey Logano will start on the pole for the NASCAR All-Star race after turning a 1:29.75 lap Saturday during qualifying at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Christopher Bell’s team won the pit crew challenge for the second year in a row and the No. 20 Toyota will get to choose the best pit spot for the $1 million race on Sunday night.
The remainder of the field for the All-Star Race will be determined later Saturday following two separate 60-lap heats around the .625-mile track. Logano won’t have to worry about how he will do in his heat after winning his first pole.
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