Report: NASCAR returning to North Wilkesboro for All-Star Race in 2024
While we don’t know what the full schedule is going to look like, NASCAR is reportedly going back to North Wilkesboro in 2024. Once again, the historic track that is North Wilkesboro Speedway will play host to the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race.
This season, NASCAR made its triumphant return to the short track. It hosted the All-Star event and a points-paying Craftsman Truck Series race. The stands were packed. Fans at home loved the throwback vibes, it was a success.
Jenna Fryer with the Associated Press reported on Thursday morning that Speedway Motorsports would announce the 2024 All-Star Race location later in the day. That announcement is expected to be at the North Carolina state capitol.
The All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro was a culmination of a lot of hard work. Dale Earnhardt Jr. set out to memorialize the track by digitizing it on iRacing. However, when he did that, no one expected this track to ever be raced on again in real life.
Then, the CARS Tour came and raced. All of a sudden, Speedway Motorsports and NASCAR were getting ideas. Now, the track is old and beat up, but the facilities are updated and look fantastic. It still contains some of that old charm of a historic short-track.
NASCAR returning to North Wilkesboro is awesome. Maybe when they get this short-track package figured out, we can see a real points race in the Cup Series there. For now, we’ll have to take what we can get.
North Wilkesboro back on the schedule for 2024
One thing NASCAR does well is push boundaries. While it has caused issues in the past, you can’t say they won’t try new things. They spent three years doing Bristol Dirt, figured it wasn’t working out, and are ditching it now. Year two of North Wilkesboro, what can we expect?
I think that the truck race this season was great. It was a lot of fun and the racing seemed to actually be good. With the heat races in the All-Star Race, it offered smaller races with a lot more bumping and rubbing. Drivers looking to make it to the main event really put it all out there and put on a show.
While Kyle Larson embarrassed the field, it was kind of fun watching him master this track, way quicker than anyone else. He did it in the Truck Series race and in the Cup Series. He also walked away a million dollars richer.
Let’s not forget that Larson had to start from the rear at one point due to a pit road penalty.
NASCAR is being careful about the 2024 schedule. There are certain aspects, due to the Olympics, due to certain venues, that just aren’t solidified yet. Usually, the schedule is out by now, but a couple of hangups, such as Montreal, are holding it back.