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The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race had a different aura going into the event. Perhaps it was a certain driver looking to make history in his quest for the Indy/Charlotte double. Or maybe it was the newly repaved surface at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the first in over 25 years. How about a new tire compound brought to the race, a softer configuration? Of course, having $1 million on the line helps as well.
Defending All-Star winner Kyle Larson had a wild weekend. He qualified for the Indianapolis 500 Saturday afternoon and slotted himself fifth on the grid for the biggest race in the world. Larson flew immediately to North Wilkesboro, where he started in the rear, after missing all All-Star activities throughout the weekend.
Rain plagued Wilkes County on Saturday, as the track was turned into a water park, with over five inches of rain in just 90 minutes. Tires were floating across pit road, the track experienced power outages, and race cars and trucks were floating on pit road. The track wasn’t green, however, as the Truck Series concluded their race the morning of the race.
After the Truck race and All-Star Open, it was clear that multiple grooves were going to play a factor in the race, unlike last year’s edition. Couple that with the new alternate softer tire, in addition to a lack of track time, the 2024 All-Star Race was set to be one for the ages! Here’s everything that happened.
What you need to know:
Calamity found itself early in the race as Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. battled hard for the opening two laps. Stenhouse pinched Busch into the wall, going three wide, to which he retaliated by clipping the 47 in the rear, sending him into the outside wall and bringing out the first caution of the night.
Stenhouse retired from the race, but not before making his frustrations known. He parked his 47 Camaro in the 8’s pit stall before climbing out of the car and having a quick conversation with crew chief Randle Burnett on his way to the infield care center. Busch continued on for the race, seemingly unbothered after sending Stenhouse to the garage.
Ricky chose to stay in the infield to wait for Busch to finish the race. When reporters asked how he would handle the situation, he said, “Watch after the race.”
After the race, Stenhouse found Kyle Busch and had a heated exchange in regards to the incident. What started out as a discussion escalated to Stenhouse taking a swing at Kyle Busch, which broke out into the pit crews getting involved in a massive scuffle between the 8 and 47 teams. Both drivers and teams were separated, but this will be something to keep and eye on going into the rest of the season.
Most of the field chose to start the race on the soft tire. Following the Stenhouse caution, many drivers elected to come to pit road and change to the primary tire, hoping to use the soft tire later in the race due to the lack of wear. Only four drivers stayed out on the soft compound: Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, and Tyler Reddick.
The Fords managed to keep themselves in the top four, while Christopher Bell was the only driver who pitted and worked his way through the field in quick fashion. Logano led the opening 110 laps, despite staying out, while keeping a healthy second lead over Buescher early on. Coming off their first win of the season at Darlington, the Blue Ovals continued their strong momentum throughout the race.
After around 70-75 laps, the tires began to equalize among the hard and soft tires, but the advantaged stayed with the soft compound teams, who pulled away early in the race. For the opening 100 laps, the teams who used the soft tires held the top four spots.
Logano battled hard with Bubba Wallace for the final 15 laps. The 23 tried to stay on the lead lap, but holding up the leader allowed Chris Buescher to get on the bumper of the 22. Wallace fended off multiple bump-and-runs from Joey to stay on the lead lap, while Joey kept Buescher at bay, coming to the All-Star Caution to lead every lap of the first half.
Seeing the red tire go all 100 laps for the top four, many teams either stayed on the softer compound or switched from the yellows to the reds. Logano held onto the lead, while Christopher Bell took advantage of his number one pit stall, making up two spots and restarting third. Only Tyler Reddick and Ty Gibbs chose the yellow tire and by the end, most of the field finished the race on the soft compound.
During the second half, Busch was nearly sandwiched by JGR’s Martin Truex Jr. and Gibbs. Busch hit the rear of Gibbs’ Camry going into turn one, sending the 54 around. Busch apologized after the spin, which brought out the caution for the third time. Gibbs fell one lap down after coming onto pit road for repairs.
Many fans were taking note of Busch’s incidents. First Stenhouse then Gibbs, all with the driver of the 8 in connection.
Joey Logano put together one of the most dominant performances in All-Star Race history. The 22 led all but one lap all night, despite challenges from Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Chris Buescher. After a struggling start to the season, Logano put that behind him by winning the 2024 All-Star Race and taking home the $1 million prize, just over six tenths over Denny Hamlin. It was the second All-Star win for Logano in his career, putting Ford in victory lane in back-to-back weeks.
This was an all-star race to remember. With so many challenges for drivers and from mother nature, the race provided a nail-biting finish despite the dominant performance from Logano and even a fight at the end of the checkered flag. Larson nearly went from Indy 500 qualifying to All-Star victory lane, and Ford looks to be back on track. However, the softer tire did not perform the way many had expected, as teams were able to go 100+ laps on the red compound. Perhaps it’s the new surface? There’s still work to do, but it’s a step in the right direction.
That’s it for the 2024 All-Star Race. Stay tuned to DailyDownforce.com for all the latest news and insights in the NASCAR world.
