It’s All Star time and they have returned to the historic track of North Wilkesboro. The last time the Cup Series raced at North Wilkesboro in 1996, seven drivers in the field today were not even born yet! None of the current Cup Series drivers have ever run any laps in a Cup car at North Wilkesboro.
The track has not changed, only the stands and fan amenities have been updated. Pit road is new and some of the walls are new. The track is full of patches, slick, and gritty like sand.
The drivers get a full 50 practice before the All Star race with all of the drivers on the track together.
Normally driving the number four car, for his final All Star Race, Kevin Harvick returns to the number 29 car.
On only his second lap, Daniel Suarez gets loose and backs it into the wall.
Cars first raced at North Wilkesboro in 1947…on a dirt track. It wasn’t until several years later that the track was paved. NASCAR first ran on the track in 1949 and ran until 1996.
The drivers will not make a normal qualifying run for the All Star race; on Friday night the running order for the heat and Open races will be set by the Pit Crew Challenge. The heat results will set the field for the main race with the top two finishers in the Open, and the Fan Vote winner finishing out the field.
Unlike any other oval track, North Wilkesboro has an 18 foot elevation difference between turn one and turn three.
While Alex Bowman won a race last year and is eligible to run in the All Star race, Bowman is still out of his car with a back injury. As a result, Josh Berry in the number 48 car will have to race his way into the All Star race via the Open.
Mike Joy revealed that in the 74 races run at North Wilkesboro, seven drivers have won 37 of them…and all seven of those drivers are members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
With less than five minutes of practice remaining, the drivers are practicing making pit stops in preparation for the Pit Crew Challenge.
Kyle Larson won practice when it comes to speed, but Chris Buescher takes the prize for most laps run with 81.
For the Pit Crew Challenge…
All of the cars will make a four tire pit stop including a fuel stop – fuel tanks will be empty. The drivers will start from six pit boxes away with the clock beginning one pit box away and the clock will stop one pit box past the stop. The fastest stop will earn the pole…and a $100,000 prize.
Drivers who are locked in for a starting spot in the All Star Race:
Ross Chastain
Austin Cindric
Austin Dillon
Kyle Larson
Brad Keselowski
Kyle Busch
Chase Elliott
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney
Chris Buescher
Martin Truex Jr
Christopher Bell
Joey Logano
Bubba Wallace
William Bryon
Kevin Harvick
Erik Jones
Tyler Reddick
Daniel Suarez
The order of pit stops is reverse point standings with the four non-Cup points drivers at the top.
NASCAR officials will check all four tires to ensure the lug nuts are properly secured after each stop.
the Pit Crew Challenge starts off with Chandler Smith who posted a time of 14.004 seconds. One of his lug nuts was not properly secured and resulted in a five second penalty.
Next up is JJ Yeley whose crew came over the wall too soon. The result is a five second penalty.
Josh Berry
Josh Bilicki
Ryan Newman who had a loose wheel, resulting in a five second penalty
Ty Dillon
Noah Gragson who had a loose wheel, resulting in a five second penalty
Austin Dillon
Harrison Burton
After nine cars, Josh Berry leads the Open cars with a time of 13.677 seconds.
Ryan Preece
Chase Elliott who left a fire on pit road
AJ Allmendinger
Aric Almirola
Erik Jones
Justin Haley
Corey LaJoie
Todd Gilliland
Michael McDowell
Halfway through, Chase Elliott sits at the top with a time of 13.572 seconds.
Austin Cindric
Ty Gibbs and puts up a time of 13.012 seconds to top the field. Ty Gibbs will sit on the pole for the Open race.
Daniel Suarez
Chase Briscoe
Bubba Wallace
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Chris Buescher
Joey Logano
Kyle Busch whose crew came over the wall too soon, resulting in a five second penalty
Tyler Reddick who got a five second penalty for a loose wheel
Kyle Larson
Brad Keselowski who received a five second penalty for a loose wheel
Ryan Blaney who received a five second penalty for having a loose wheel
Martin Truex Jr
William Byron
Denny Hamlin
Kevin Harvick
Christopher Bell received a five second penalty for a loose wheel
Ross Chastain
The 54 crew for Ty Gibbs wins the $100,000 prize after posting a time of 13.012 seconds.
Heat One starting lineup:
Daniel Suarez
Chase Elliott
Joey Logano
Denny Hamlin
Chase Briscoe
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Austin Cindric
Kevin Harvick
Ryan Blaney
Christopher Bell
Erik Jones
Heat Two starting lineup:
Chris Buescher
Austin Dillon
William Byron
Ross Chastain
Kyle Larson
Martin Truex jr
Bubba Wallace
Brad Keselowski
Kyle Busch
Tyler Reddick
The lineup for the Open race:
Ty Gibbs
Josh Berry
Corey LaJoie
Harrison Burton
Justin Haley
Michael McDowell
Todd Gilliland
Ryan Preece
Aric Almirola
AJ Allmendinger
Josh Bilicki
Ty Dillon
Chandler Smith
Ryan Newman
Noah Gragson
JJ Yeley
Tonight the drivers will run in two heat races to set most of the field for the All Star race with the final three spots being set on Sunday with the top two finishers I the Open race and the announcement of the Fan Vote winner.
After the Truck Series race, Mother Nature stepped in and dropped some rain on the track. While the drivers will not run in the rain, NASCAR has told the heat one drivers to put the wet weather tires on the cars and as soon as the rain stops, they will take to the track.
An old track, NASCAR cannot run the heavy duty air titans to help dry the track. The force of the hot air could bring up parts of the old asphalt.
Each heat race is 60 laps with every lap counting.
In heat number one Daniel Suarez sits on the pole with Chase Elliott alongside. Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Austin Cindric, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, and Erik Jones fill out the field for heat number one.
This weekend in his final All Star Race, Kevin Harvick is driving the number 29 car, the car he began his Cup Series career with after the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. Mike Joy reports that the Kevin Harvick merchandise table has sold out of everything with the number 29.
The rains have stopped and the teams are getting the cars ready to race.
About 30 minutes after the original start time, the heat one drivers are moving on the track and making pace laps.
Once the track is dry, NASCAR will throw a competition caution and bring the drivers down pit road to change to the dry weather racing slicks.
Daniel Suarez brings the field down for the green flag start of heat number one from the inside lane. Suarez gets out in front for the lead but Chase Elliott comes up on the outside to battle for the lead. Chase Elliott passes Daniel Suarez for the lead.
Denny Hamlin battles Joey Logano for third.
Lap four the top five are Chase Elliott, Daniel Suarez, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Chase Briscoe.
The battle between Deny Hamlin and Joey Logano for third continues. Chase Briscoe comes up to join the battle.
Kevin Harvick tried to run the high line but could not make any progress.
Drivers are running times faster than practice on slicks Friday afternoon.
Lap eleven, Chase Elliott has a lead of nearly a second on Daniel Suarez; Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 16, Chase Briscoe challenges Joey Logano for third.
Kevin Harvick reports that he is “plowing tight”.
Lap 18, Ryan Blaney has joined Joey Logano and Chase Briscoe in a battle for third.
Lap 19, Daniel Suarez has caught up to leader Chase Elliott and beginning to challenge for the lead.
Lap 22, Chase Elliott has a narrow lead on Daniel Suarez; Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five; Denny Hamlin, Austin Cindric, Christopher Bell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Kevin Harvick, and Erik Jones complete the field.
Lap 27, Daniel Suarez passes Chase Elliott for the lead. Suarez pulls away from the field.
Lap 30, halfway, Daniel Suarez has a lead of a second and a half on Chase Elliott; Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
There are still a few misty sprinkles around the track.
The caution flag comes out on lap 32 for the competition caution so that the crews could change tires – they are changing from wet weather to wet weather tires. This is a non-competitive pit stop – the drivers cannot gain any positions on pit road.
The drivers are reporting that they have more grip with the wet weather tires than they did with the racing slicks during practice.
This is a historic event for the Cup Series – never before have the drivers run an oval on wet weather tires.
Daniel Suarez brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 40 and gets out in front for the lead. Joey Logano and Chse Elliott battle for second.
The top five are Daniel Suarez, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Blaney.
Chase Elliott falls to sixth place with 15 laps to go.
Daniel Suarez leads the race with Joey Logano in second; Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Joey Logano and Chase Briscoe battle for second. Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney battle for fourth.
Ten to go, Daniel Suarez has a half second lead on Joey Logano; Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five. Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Austin Cindric, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Erik Jones round out the remainder of the field.
With seven laps to go, second place driver Joey Logano is holding up the field.
Five to go, Daniel Suarez has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Joey Logano.
Three to go, Daniel Suarez has a second and a half lead on Joey Logano; Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Daniel Suarez takes the white flag.
Daniel Suarez wins heat number one.
The results of heat one:
Daniel Suarez
Joey Logano
Chase Briscoe
Christopher Bell
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney
Chase Elliott
Kevin Harvick
Austin Cindric
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Erik Jones
In heat number two Chris Buescher will bring the field to green with Austin Dillon alongside; William Byron, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr, Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Tyler Reddick fill out the field.
Before heat two begins, NASCAR is deciding whether or not they will equip the cars with racing slicks or wet weather tires.
The drivers are on the track running “a few exploratory laps” to determine which tires will be used.
NASCAR has determined that heat two will be run on the racing slicks.
Chris Buescher brings the field down for the green flag start of the heat with Austin Dillon on the outside. Chris Buescher edges out for the lead with Austin Dillion taking second; William Byron, Ross Chastain, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Lap four, Chris Buescher has a lead of over half a second on Austin Dillon. Larry McReynolds reports that the lap times are slower than the drivers in heat number one who ran on wet weather tires.
Lap eight, Chris Buescher has a lead of nearly a second on Austin Dillon with William Byron, Ross Chastain, and Kyle Larson rounding out the top five. Martin Truex Jr, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, and Kyle Busch round out the field.
Lap eleven, Chris Buescher has a lead of over a second on Austin Dillon; William Byron, Ross Chastain, and Kyle Larson round out the top five. There has been no movement among the leaders since the heat started.
Lap 16, the top five remains Chris Buescher, Austin Dillon, William Byron, Ross Chastain, and Kyle Larson.
Lap 18, Chris Buescher continues to extend his lead and is now a second and a half in front of Austin Dillon; William Byron Ross Chastain, and Kyle Larson continue to round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out on lap 24 for rain at the track.
NASCAR has called for the crews to change to wet weather tires. This will be a non-competitive pit stop. Even though Ross Chastain came off of pit road first, he will have to drop to his spot in fourth with Chris Buescher in the lead.
Chris Buescher brings the field down for the green flag restart with 27 laps remaining in the heat. Chris Buescher gets out in front with William Byron taking second; Austin Dillon, Ross Chastain, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Kyle Larson passes Ross Chastain for fourth. Bubba Wallace and Martin Truex Jr also pass Chastain.
in a heavy mist and 23 laps to go, Chris Buescher has a lead of over half a second on William Byron; Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five. Martin Truex Jr, Brad Keselowski, Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, and Kyle Busch round out the field.
Brad Keselowski passes Martin Truex Jr for sixth and is in a battle with Bubba Wallace.
With 17 to go, Bubba Wallace passes Kyle Larson for fourth with Brad Keselowski following.
Just 15 laps to go, Chris Buescher has a lead of over half a second on William Byron; Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.
Ten to go, Chris Buescher has led every lap so far with William Byron in second; Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five. Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, and Ross Chastain round out the field.
Brad Keselowski has been hitting hard on Bubba Wallace’s bumper and with seven laps to go has finally passed him for fourth.
Austin Dillon has passed William Byron for second. Dillon is over a second behind leader Chris Buescher.
Three to go, Chris Buescher has a lead of over a second on Austin Dillon.
Chris Buescher takes the white flag and after leading every lap, wins heat number two.
The results of heat two:
Chris Buescher
Austin Dillon
William Byron
Brad Keselowski
Bubba Wallace
Martin Truex Jr
Kyle Busch
Kyle Larson
Ross Chastain
Tyler Reddick
The starting lineup for the All Star Race:
Daniel Suarez
Chris Buescher
Joey Logano
Austin Dillon
Chase Briscoe
William Byron
Christopher Bell
Brad Keselowski
Denny Hamlin
Bubba Wallace
Ryan Blaney
Martin Truex Jr
Chase Elliott
Kyle Busch
Kevin Harvick
Kyle Larson
Austin Cindric
Ross Chastain
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Tyler Reddick
Erik Jones
Open winner
Open 2nd place finish
Fan Vote winner
The big night has finally arrived for the annual All Star Race; but first the drivers who are not locked in to the race will get their chance to get into the race with the All Star Open where the top two finishers will move on to the main race. Sixteen drivers will run in the 100 laps race with Ty Gibbs on the pole and bring the field to green with Josh Berry starting alongside on the front row.
The lineup for the Open race:
Ty Gibbs
Josh Berry
Corey LaJoie
Harrison Burton
Justin Haley
Michael McDowell
Todd Gilliland
Ryan Preece
Aric Almirola
AJ Allmendinger
Josh Bilicki
Ty Dillon
Chandler Smith
Ryan Newman
Noah Gragson
JJ Yeley
Jamie McMurray joins Mike and Clint Bowyer in the broadcast booth for the Open race.
The crews have only one set of sticker tires in the pits. NASCAR has called for a competition caution on lap 40.
Ty Gibbs brings the field down for the green flag start of the race before a packed house and jumps out in front for the lead as drivers get three wide across the track.
NASCAR has announced that the start is under review.
Lap two Ty Gibbs leads the race with Josh Berry in second; Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie, and Todd Gilliland round out the top five.
The start has been approved.
Lap four, Ty Gibbs has a lead of over half a second on Josh Berry; Justin Haley, Todd Gilliland, and Aric Almirola round out the top five.
Corey LaJoie’s car cannot hold the bottom line and is falling through the field.
Lap seven, Ty Gibbs has increased his lead to nearly a second and a half on Josh Berry; Justin Haley, Todd Gilliland, and Aric Almirola round out the top five.
Lap eleven, Ty Gibbs has a lead of over a second on Josh Berry; Justin Haley, Todd Gilliland, and Aric Almirola round out the top five. Harrison Burton, Chandler Smith, Michael McDowell, Ryan Preece, and AJ Allmendinger fill out the top 10.
Lap 14, Ti Gibbs continues to lead the race. Reports are that he is running the race in fourth gear. Second place driver Josh Berry is reportedly running in fifth ger to save the tires.
Lap 18, Ty Gibbs has a two second lead on Josh Berry; Justin Haley, Aric Almirola, and Todd Gilliland round out the top five. There has been little passing among the drivers so far.
Tenth place driver AJ Allmendinger reports that he has no grip anywhere on the track.
The drivers are only running about 60 percent around the track.
Lap 23, Ty Gibbs has increased his lead to two and a half seconds on Josh Berry; Justin Haley is in third three and a half seconds back with Aric Almirola and Todd Gilliland rounding out the top five.
Lap 30, Ty Gibbs now has a three second lead on Josh Berry. The tires have fallen off two seconds since the race start.
Lap 31, Josh Bilicki is one lap down.
Drivers are comparing driving on the track to driving on snow…with no snow tires.
Lap 33, Ty Gibbs puts Ty Dillon a lap down.
Lap 35, Ty Gibbs has a two and a half second lead on Josh Berry; Aric Almirola, Justin Haley, and Todd Gilliland round out the top five.
NASCAR waves the yellow flag for the competition caution on lap 41.
Ty Dillon is the “lucky dog”.
Drivers come down pit road for fresh tires and service with Josh Berry winning the race off of pit road after taking only two tires. Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton’s teams also took only two tires.
Josh Berry brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 47 and goes side by side with Justin Haley. Josh Berry gets out in front for the lead with Ty Gibbs in second; Aric Almirola, Justin Haley, and Michael McDowell round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out on lap 51 for a wreck involving Ryan Newman, Noah Gragson, Chandler Smith, and Todd Gilliland. All laps count for the Open race.
Chandler Smith’s car is being towed to the garage and Todd Gilliland drove to the garage. Both drivers are out of the race
Josh Berry brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 56 with Ty Gibbs alongside.
Josh Berry takes the lead. Justin Haley gets turned around and collects Michael McDowell with both drivers getting into the wall. Ty Gibbs bumped McDowell and sent him around.
Something was embedded in the safer barrier and safety crews had to remove it.
Justin Haley takes his car to the garage. Michael McDowell is on pit road for repairs.
Josh Berry brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 62 with only three drivers on the outside lane. Josh Berry and Aric Almirola go side by side before Berry gets out in front with Ty Gibbs coming up to take second.
Lap 64, the top five are Josh Berry, Ty Gibbs, Ryan Preece, AJ Allmendinger, and Aric Almirola.
There are eleven cars on the lead lap with three cars out of the race.
Lap 67, Ty Gibbs battles with Ty Gibbs for the lead with Gibbs taking the spot; Ryan Preece, AJ Allmendinger, and Aric Almirola round out the top five.
Thirty to go, Ty Gibbs leads the race with Josh Berry a half a second back; Ryan Preece, Aric Almirola, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five.
Lap 73, Aric Almirola passes Ryan Preece for third with Ty Gibbs in the lead over a half a second in front.
Lap 77, Michael McDowell makes contact with Ty Gibbs when Gibbs tries to pass McDowell; Josh Berry passes Ty Gibbs to take the lead.
Twenty to go, Josh Berry has a narrow lead on Ty Gibbs; Aric Almirola, Ryan Preece, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five. JJ Yeley, Noah Gragson, Ty Dillon, Josh Bilicki, and Harrison Burton fill out the top 10.
The past few laps Josh Berry has run the fastest laps on the track. He has a Half second lead on Ty Gibbs with 15 laps to go.
With 12 laps to go, the leaders approach Michael McDowell to put him another lap down. McDowell slows Gibbs up a bit.
Ten to go, Josh Berry has a lead of over half a second on Ty Gibbs; Aric Almirola is in third over a second back.
Seven to go, Josh Berry has a lead of over a second on Ty Gibbs. Aric Almirola has closed the gap on second place driver Ty Gibbs.
Four to go, Josh Berry holds on to the lead by over a second on Ty Gibbs.
Leaders approach lapped traffic with two laps to go.
Josh Berry takes the white flag.
Josh Berry wins the race with Ty Gibbs in second. Both drivers will join the main event.
Clint Bowyer announces that Noah Gragson is the fan vote winner! Gragson said that his fans are awesome and thanks them for their support.
After the tussle with Ty Gibbs, Michael McDowell said that he didn’t have the budget for a fine otherwise he would be down in the pits…
Noah Gragson’s crew takes the car to the garage for some repairs before the main race begins.
The starting lineup for the All Star Race:
Daniel Suarez
Chris Buescher
Joey Logano
Austin Dillon
Chase Briscoe
William Byron
Christopher Bell
Brad Keselowski
Denny Hamlin
Bubba Wallace
Ryan Blaney
Martin Truex Jr
Chase Elliott
Kyle Busch
Kevin Harvick
Kyle Larson
Austin Cindric
Ross Chastain
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Tyler Reddick
Erik Jones
Open winner – Josh Berry
Open 2nd place finish – Ty Gibbs
Fan Vote winner – Noah Gragson
One third of the field in tonight’s race – eight – were not born the
last time NASCAR raced on the track at North Wilkesboro.
Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds will join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer in the broadcast booth. Waltrip has 10 wins at North Wilkesboro.
The last points race held at North Wilkesboro was won by Jeff Gordon with Ray Evernham as the crew chief. Tonight Evernham will be waving the green flag to start the race and Gordon will be driving the pace car.
NASCAR Hall of Famers Darrel Waltrip and Richard Petty give the command to start the engines.
NASCAR has planned a competition caution around lap 100. The crews have four sets of sticker tires in the pits but will only be allowed to use one of them after the competition caution.
Daniel Suarez brings the field down for the green flag start of the race from the inside lane with Chris Buescher alongside. Suarez jumps out in front for the lead with Joey Logano in second.
Daniel Suarez leads lap one.
Lap three, Daniel Suarez leads the race with Joey Logano in second; Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five. Denny Hamlin and William Byron pass Christopher Bell.
Lap five, Daniel Suarez has a quarter of a second lead on Joey Logano; Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, and William Byron round out the top five.
Lap seven, Denny Hamlin and William Byron pass Chase Briscoe; Hamlin is in third.
Lap 10, Daniel Suarez holds on to the lead with Joey Logano in second; Denny Hamlin, William Byron, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Lap 12, Denny Hamlin passes Joey Logano for second. Hamlin started the race in ninth place.
Lap 13, Daniel Suarez has a half second lead on Denny Hamlin; Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and William Byron round out the top five.
Kyle Larson has fallen through the field with an ill handling car.
The first caution flag of the race comes out on lap 16 when Ricky Stenhouse Jr spins out after contact from Erik Jones.
Drivers at the back of the field come down pit road for service. Kyle Larson was caught speeding on pit road.
Daniel Suarez brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 21 with Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin in a battle for second.
Lap 24, Daniel Suarez has a narrow lead on Denny Hamlin; Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.
Kevin Harvick says that his car is terrible, driving like “a dump truck”.
Lap 29, Daniel Suarez holds on to his narrow lead on Denny Hamlin; Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott round out the top five.
Lap 31, Kevin Harvick has dropped to 20th with his ill handling car.
Lap 33, the cars have gotten spread out through the field and are single file. Daniel Suarez has led every lap so far.
Lap 35, Kyle Larson has begun moving through the field on fresh tires and is now just outside the top 10 in eleventh.
Lap 44, Daniel Suarez has a quarter of a second lead on Denny Hamlin; Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Chase Elliott round out the top five with Kyle Larson in sixth.
Brad Keselowski got high on the track and is now in 16th.
Lap 48, Kyle Larson is passing drivers on the inside and outside. Since restarting the race from the back of the field, he has moved up to fourth and battleing Joey Logano for third.
Lap 51, Daniel Suarez continues to lead the race with Denny Hamlin in second; Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Lap 54, Kyle Larson passes Denny Hamlin for second and has passed Daniel Suarez for the lead.
All of the drivers who took fresh tires on lap 18 during the caution have made significant advances on the track.
Lap 62, William Byron makes a green flag pit stop.
Lap 63, Saying that he is wrecking everywhere, Kyle Busch comes down pit road for service.
Lap 67, Kyle Larson has pulled out to a three second lead on Daniel Suarez; Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Brisoce round out the top five.
Lap 69, Kyle Larson continues to extend his lead on the field and is now over four seconds out in front. He is approaching slower traffic.
Lap 73, Kyle Larson now has a lead of nearly six seconds on Daniel Suarez; Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five. There are 20 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 77, dominating the race, Kyle Larson is “driving it like he stole it” with a lead of over seven seconds.
Lap 80, there are now 19 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 81, Kyle Larson is now over eight seconds out in front with 18 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 86, Kyle Larson continues to expand his lead and is now over nine seconds out in front!
Lap 87, the top five are Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, and Chase Briscoe. Bubba Wallace also took new tires during the caution.
With just 17 cars on the lead lap, Kyle Larson has put over eleven seconds – half the track – on Daniel Suarez.
Lap 91, there are now just 16 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 94, Kyle Larson is now over 12 seconds in front of Daniel Suarez with 16 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 96, Bubba Wallace passes Daniel Suarez for second.
Lap 100, Kyle Larson has a lead of over 12 seconds on Bubba Wallace.
NASCAR puts out the yellow flag for the competition caution of lap 101. Martin Truex Jr is the “lucky dog”.
Drivers come down pit road for fresh tires and service. Kyle Larson wins the race off of pit road, even beating out Bubba Wallace who took only two tires.
Ross Chastain was caught speeding on pit road.
Joey Logano and Christopher Bell were charged with having an uncontrolled tire on pit road. Logano’s crew had two tires get away from them.
Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 110 with Larson jumping out in front for the lead.
Lap 112, Kyle Larson leads the race with Bubba Wallace in second; Daniel Suarez, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Lap 113, Kyle Larson has a half second lead on Bubba Wallace; Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five. There are 17 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 116, Kyle Larson has dominated the race since taking the lead and now has a one second lead on Bubba Wallace; Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Darrell Waltrip noted that Kyle Larson has a feel for the car.
Lap 120, Kyle Larson has a lead of over a second on Bubba Wallace; Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, and Chris Buescher round out the top five. The top three drivers are also the same ones who made a pit stop during the caution on lap 18.
Lap 122, Chase Elliott bumps Chase Briscoe to take sixth place.
Lap 123, Kyle Larson has a second and a half lead on Bubba Wallace; Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.
There are 17 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 130, Kyle Larson is now two seconds out in front of Bubba Wallace; Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.
Lap 135, leader Kyle Larson continues to extend his lead on Bubba Wallace and is now over two and a half seconds out in front.
Mike Joy said that there is not a driver in NASCAR that has the car control of Kyle Larson. Kyle Larson does not use the simulator to prepare for a race, he doesn’t feel it is authentic.
Just 55 laps remaining in the race with Kyle Larson over two and a half seconds out in front; Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.
Fifty to go, Kyle Larson now has a lead of over three seconds on Bubba Wallace.
In the history of the All Star Race, Rick Hendrick has won a total of 10 races and has 51 top tens.
With 42 laps to go, Kyle Larson is just under four second out in front of Bubba Wallace; Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.
With 34 laps to go, Kyle Larson now has a lead of over four seconds on Bubba Wallace; Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.
Chase Briscoe is in fourth place but he is running the fastest laps on the track.
With 25 laps to go, Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick are very slowly cutting into Kyle Larson’s lead; Larson has a lead of just under four seconds.
Twenty to go, there are 16 cars on the lead lap with Kyle Larson over four seconds out in front; Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.
Fifteen to go and leader Kyle Larson is mired in slower traffic. He has a four and a half second lead on Bubba Wallace.
Ten to go, there are 14 cars on the lead lap; Kyle Larson holds a lead of over four seconds on Bubba Wallace.
Eight to go and just 12 cars on the lead lap.
Six to go, Kyle Larson passes Brad Keselowski to leave just 12 cars on the lead lap. Larson has a lead of over four seconds on Bubba Wallace.
Ross Chastain and Joey Logano are in a battle for tenth place.
Kyle Larson takes the white flag.
With a lead of nearly four seconds, Kyle Larson wins the All Star Race and the $1 million prize. It is a Kyle Larson sweep this weekend after he won the Truck Series on Friday night. Larson did a burnout lap in celebration. This is the third All Star win for Kyle Larson at three different tracks.
The results of the All Star Race:
Kyle Larson
Bubba Wallace
Tyler Reddick
Chase Briscoe
Chase Elliott
Ryan Blaney
Daniel Suarez
Erik Jones
Ty Gibbs
Joey Logano
Ross Chastain
Christopher Bell
Denny Hamlin
Martin Truex Jr
Josh Berry
Chris Buescher
Austin Dillon
Kevin Harvick
Brad Keselowski
William Byron
Austin Cindric
Kyle Busch
Noah Gragson
Ricky Stenhouse Jr