NASCAR All-Star Race: How to watch, format, everything to know for North Wilkesboro

Following an exhilarating Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, the NASCAR Cup Series is headed to North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend for their All-Star Race.

Ahead of the race, FOX’s Bob Pockrass has provided the latest information on the race, revealing everything there is to know about how to watch, the format and all the little details in-between. It should be an awesome event once again, as it’s the second year in a row NASCAR returns to the track.

As the excitement begins to build, here are all of the essential details to rev up your engines ahead of All-Start Weekend for the NASCAR Cup Series.

How to Watch the NASCAR All-Star Race:

When: Sunday, 5/19 | 5:30 p.m. ET (Qualifying races; All-Star Open); 8:00 p.m. (All-Star Race)
Channel: FS1
Where: North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Carolina

The main event for All-Star Weekend is of course the All-Star Race, which will take place at 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday evening. Prior to that, NASCAR will hold heat races to determine the order for the race, and the All-Star open, where a driver can win their way into the All-Star Race, beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Who’s in the NASCAR All-Star Race:

You can receive an automatic berth in the main event, the All-Star Race, through two methods: 2023-24 race winners no matter whether a full-time Cup driver or not are in, as well as past Cup champion/All-Star winners who are full-time Cup drivers. The rest will try to race their way into the show.

NASCAR All-Star Race Drivers: Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, William Byron, Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Daniel Suarez.

As for the rest of the field, “The Open (Sunday, 5:30 p.m. ET, FS1) is a 100-lap race, all laps count with one attempt at overtime. Teams can start on any tire. A caution at Lap 50 where they must make a four-tire stop. Top-two advance to All-Star race and fan vote winner gets into All-Star race,” Pockrass explained.

NASCAR All-Star Open Drivers: Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Josh Berry, Corey LaJoie, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, Kaz Grala, Harrison Burton, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Hemric, Todd Gilliland, Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek, Erik Jones, Alex Bowman, Justin Haley, Ty Gibbs, Timmy Hill, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar.

Format for the NASCAR All-Star Race, Qualifying:

The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race will follow the usual format, which is a 200-lap race for all the marbles between the best of the best in the series.

“The NASCAR All-Star Race (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, FS1) is a 200-lap race, all laps count, overtime rules in effect,” Pockrass wrote. “Teams have two sets of regular tires and two sets of softer tires. Must start on the softer tire. Caution at Lap 100 with a mandatory four-tire stop. Caution at Lap 150 with no requirement whether to pit.”

Additionally, Pockrass noted how qualifying will work for both the All-Star Open and the All-Star Race, as well.

“Open qualifying (Friday, 5:40 p.m. ET, FS1) will be NASCAR’s regular short-track qualifying — two laps with the best lap counting. All on the regular tire. These teams will not compete in the pit crew challenge,” Pockrass elaborated.

“Cup qualifying/pit crew challenge (Friday, 6:20 p.m. ET, FS1) will be three laps (all on the regular tire), with at the end of the second lap, a four-tire pit stop (fueler must engage fuel can but won’t fuel the car). The fastest three-lap time will be the polesitter for the first heat race and all-star event. The fastest stop, based on timing lines on pit road from one box prior and one box past the pit stall, will determine the pit crew champion as well as the order for pit stop selection.”

More information regarding the tires for the NASCAR All-Star Race:

Alas, one of the larger storylines ahead of the All-Star Race is the situation with the tires. Teams will be able to choose from multiple options, as Pockrass explained.

“There are three sets of tires: The regular tire, or what NASCAR is calling ‘prime’ tires. This is the short-track tire they have been using. It is one of the softest tires made by Goodyear that is designed to wear,” Pockrass wrote. “The softer tire, or what NASCAR is calling “option” tires. This is a new tire that uses the rubber on the rain tires. The idea is that when the rain tires have been used, drivers have liked the way it wore out.

“The rain tire, or what NASCAR often calls the “wet weather” tires because they are used more in the damp than the rain. This is the tire that was used last year at North Wilkesboro during the heat races.”

As you can tell, the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race should be a special evening in North Wilkesboro. We’ll see who comes out on top, and if Kyle Larson can win back-to-back iterations of the event.