Sunday afternoon during the All-Star Open, fill-in driver defied the odds as he won the race, this ensuring that Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet will race in Sunday night’s All-Star Race. The race was a wild one with many tempers flaring and on-track incidents occurring to break up the 100 lapper at North Wilkesboro.
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Ty Gibbs, the polesitter due to the No. 54 crew’s blistering fast pitstop during the Pit Crew Challenge held on Friday night, would cross the line in second, taking the second transfer spot. The third and final transfer spot would go to fan vote winner, Noah Gragson, who was involved in one of those on-track incidents as he clipped the problematically placed pit wall in turn 1. The incident would damage a rear toe link on the No. 42 Black Riffle Coffee Chevy. NASCAR officials would allow him to fix the issue so that he could race in the night’s main event.
Josh Berry is a big dog on campus tonight at North Wilkesboro! As reported by Peter Stratta, Berry feels like he has a strong car to compete with tonight, in spite of the little track data the team has acquired for night racing conditions.
JRM teammate down in the Xfinity Series, Brandon Jones, tweeted Berry his congratulations.
Hendrick Motorsports says that Josh Berry is the 23rd different driver to win in Cup competition for the organization.
Boomhauer7691 calls for NASCAR to gift Dale Earnhardt Jr. a charter so that he can field a No. 88 Chevy for Josh Berry next year. With no openings at Hendrick Motorsports, he wants to keep Berry in the Chevy/HMS family.
Tackleberry claims that Berry is actually better than Bowman and should replace him for the 2024 season.
This Chase Ellott fan is just elated that all 4 HMS Chevys are locked into the main event.
Every party has its pooper and Josh Berry fans just found theirs. Uncle Ruckus doesn’t think Berry should even be allowed to compete in the All-Star race.
Murph applauds the short track ace for putting on a clinic at the historic short track.
BlueFox98 says that Berry is the “real deal” and begs for someone, anyone, to give him a Cup ride for 2024.
Justin Robertson wishes Berry luck in his attempt to win the big check.
Bubba Elofskey tweets this humorous GIF of Josh Berry fist pumping in a Tire Pros ad.
Darian Gilliam, aka Black Flags Matter, reports that Josh Berry and Ty Gibbs advance to the All-Star Race. That they did!
Our very own Daily Downforce Twitter mod, Evan, reports that Berry won the All-Star Open, beating out Ty Gibbs.
PRN Radio reports that Josh Berry’s win comes with a sigh of relief.
Congratulations to Josh Berry for making it into the All-Star Race in 2023! Now, on to the Big Show!
Joe Gibbs Racing alleged that former competition director Chris Gabehart took a wide range of confidential team information regarding competitive performance data, engineering processes, financial records, and internal personnel details. But what exactly do the documents say was taken?
JGR states it is entitled to damages believed to exceed $8 million, potentially subject to enhancement, along with attorneys’ fees. The organization is also seeking multiple forms of relief, expected to exceed that amount, as well as a cease-and-desist order to prevent any use or disclosure of what it describes as trade secrets.
You can learn more about the lawsuit itself, the circumstances surrounding Gabehart’s departure, and the broader allegations in the article linked below
NASCAR isn’t nerdy enough. Not in a cringe way, not in a gimmicky way, but in a way that could quietly and organically grow the sport. After a Daytona weekend filled with spectacle and nostalgia, DJ Yee believes there’s a bigger opportunity sitting right in front of NASCAR, one that doesn’t change the racing at all but could completely change how fans engage with it.
Other leagues have turned analytics into conversation fuel. In baseball, stars like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani aren’t loud personalities, but advanced metrics tell their story anyway. NASCAR, meanwhile, has mountains of telemetry data but shares very little of it in a meaningful way. Throttle traces, brake usage, steering inputs, tire wear models, fuel efficiency ratings, clean air percentages, and even a “positions above replacement” type metric, the possibilities are endless. None of it would intrude on the racing. Casual fans could ignore it. But hardcore fans, creators, and analysts would suddenly have tools to build deeper narratives around drivers and performance.
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For the first time in a while, it feels like NASCAR fans see a bigger light at the end of the tunnel. The start of 2026 has brought real optimism, from improved racing to sharper marketing, and even an 11 percent bump for the Daytona 500 to 7.5 million viewers. After a rough couple of seasons, that kind of stability matters. The question now is simple, is this momentum real or just a honeymoon phase?
There’s been a noticeable shift. The marketing feels more modern without feeling fake. Broadcasts are embracing energy and meme culture without losing authenticity. Social media efforts are spotlighting drivers and personalities in ways that echo how legends like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart once drew fans in. NASCAR’s identity has always been edge, personality, and grassroots simplicity, and recent changes feel closer to that core. But none of it matters without patience. Jaret believes the foundation may be stronger right now, but consistency will decide whether this is a spark or a true turning point.
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