RCR Race Preview: North Wilkesboro Speedway

A Race Track Revival: NASCAR Returns to North Wilkesboro Speedway… For the first time since 1996, the NASCAR Cup Series visits North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend for the sport’s annual All-Star Race, a non-points-paying, invitation-only exhibition race featuring 2022 and 2023 NASCAR Cup Series race winners, past All-Star race winners, past NASCAR Cup Series champions, the top-two finishers from Sunday’s All-Star Open race, and the NASCAR Fan Vote winner. Drivers are competing for a sizzling $1 Million.

Richard Childress Racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway… In 44 NASCAR Cup Series starts at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has five wins, all by Dale Earnhardt: 1986 (spring), 1987 (spring), 1989 (spring), 1991 (fall) and 1995 (spring). Earnhardt was running at the finish in all 27 races at North Wilkesboro that he ran with RCR. Team Owner Richard Childress made 19 starts at North Wilkesboro as a driver, racking up eight top-10 finishes.

RCR in the All-Star Race… Although this weekend marks the first All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the race has a long history in the sport and RCR has found past success. RCR has four wins in the NASCAR All-Star Race, three with Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990, 1993) and one with Kevin Harvick (2007). Earnhardt is also tied with Jimmie Johnson for most top-five finishes in the All-Star race (9).

All-Star Race Format… The All-Star race will consist of 200 laps (all laps count) with NASCAR Overtime rules in effect. There will be a “competition break” on or around lap 100. Starting positions are set via two 60-lap All-Star heat races on Saturday, with the lineup for the heat races determined by a Pit Crew Challenge event on Friday evening in which teams will make a four-tire pit stop without fuel.

Follow Sunday’s Action at North Wilkesboro… The NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, May 21 beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1 and FOX Deportes. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

This Week’s BREZTRI AEROSPHERE™ (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at North Wilkesboro Speedway… Austin Dillion, who has made three previous All-Star race starts, returns to the exhibition race after not transferring into the main event one year ago at Texas Motor Speedway. Dillon was locked into this year’s All-Star race with his race win at Daytona International Speedway in August 2022, which also locked him into the 2022 NASCAR Playoffs. This year’s All-Star race weekend moves to North Wilkesboro Speedway for part of NASCAR’s revival weekend at the .625-mile oval. While no drivers entered into this weekend’s race have previously competed at the track in the NASCAR Cup Series, Dillon has made laps there as one of three drivers who participated in a Goodyear Tire test in the Spring.

Short Track Momentum … Dillon enters this weekend’s All-Star race on the strength of a series of strong short track performances in the NASCAR Cup Series. He finished second in the non-points-paying Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum exhibition race in February, finished 12^th at Martinsville Speedway in April and third at the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track, also in April.

BREZTRI AEROSPHERE™ (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Sponsors the No. 3 at North Wilkesboro Speedway … BREZTRI is an AstraZeneca product and the sponsor of the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at North Wilkesboro Speedway with Austin Dillon. You can learn more at breztri.com. AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.

Meet Austin Dillon… Dillon is scheduled to make an appearance at the Team Chevrolet Stage in the North Wilkesboro Speedway Fan Midway for a Q&A session on Sunday, May 21^st at 12:15 p.m. ET. He’s also scheduled to greet race fans at the RCR Merchandise Trailer in the Fan Midway at 12:45 p.m. ET on Sunday. Come meet the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet and get new RCR gear.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

A lot of drivers have North Wilkesboro Speedway circled as one of the most exciting races on the schedule this season. What are your thoughts about racing there?

“I’m excited to race in the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.. It’s such a huge event for our sport. I remember as a kid my dad won a Late Model race there and we got to take the elevator ride up to victory lane. Hopefully, we can do it for $1 million. We participated in the tire test in March. The tire fall-off is going to be fast, so managing tires during a long run will be important. I personally love old-school short-track racing. It’s going to be a physical race that my Richard Childress team is ready for.”

What does it mean to you to be a part of the group of drivers that gets to bring back racing at this historic track,?

“I think it’s very cool and important for our sport, and I’m thrilled that I get to be a part of history as one of the drivers competing in this year’s All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. I know they’ve done so much work to the track and the community is excited about having us there. North Wilkesboro Speedway is one of those racetracks where Richard Childress Racing has had a lot of success. I think we won five times with Dale Earnhardt. When I tested a couple of months ago, it was clear that it’s just a nostalgic place and I’m excited to run the All-Star race and see what we can do. Having a sold-out crowd to race in front of, there’s going to be nothing like it.”

What are you most looking forward to about the All-Star Race?

“I think the atmosphere is going to be electric. I love the format NASCAR came up with getting the pit crews involved. People are excited about it. I think this can become our Master’s event for NASCAR. It’s pretty much a second throwback weekend in a row, following Darlington Raceway. It’s going to be electric and we all want to have fun at the All-Star race. This is the track we can do that at. It’s going to be an experience – maybe even the best experience of the year for our sport. It’s something different, and I personally love the nostalgia associated with the track. I’m sure everybody is excited to see how the racing turns out and I think it will be great. It will be a blast from the past.”

The Dillon family has a lot of history at North Wilkesboro Speedway …

“It’s pretty cool because my dad, Mike Dillon, was really good at North Wilkesboro Speedway. He earned two trophies there in the Late Model division, and has a second-place finish there as well. I’ll be walking the track with him to see if I can get any pointers. It’s been a minute since he earned one of those trophies, but I feel like a guy that’s good at a track is always good at it. My dad’s nickname back in the day was The Hurricane. One of the newspapers in Myrtle Beach named him that. He went to Myrtle Beach Speedway and rocked them like a Hurricane, I guess. The name Hurricane Mike definitely fits my dad very well. As a kid, when he would get mad he was like a hurricane.”

You’re racing for a Million dollars this weekend. You are one of the few drivers who had the opportunity to test there. Do you have an edge up on the competition, and how are you going to capitalize?

“It was great to participate in the Goodyear tire test to see the track, get on the track and test it out a little bit. We’ve got to get our car a little better. I think we’ve done that. It’s one of those things where you always want to make it better, and we can use what we learned at the test to try and do that. Racing at North Wilkesboro is going to be so special. We’re racing for a million dollars and those opportunities don’t happen every weekend for us. It’s a huge weekend for our sport and we’re going to do our best.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Thorntons Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at North Wilkesboro Speedway… Kyle Busch will make his first career start at North Wilkesboro Speedway in the NASCAR All-Star Race. While Busch has not competed at the historic North Carolina short track, the Las Vegas native has participated in 17 prior All-Star events and won the non-points race in 2017. The driver of the Thorntons Chevrolet is the all-time lap leader in All-Star Race history, leading a total of 324 laps (22.8 percent). Busch has claimed six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes and is tied with Bill Elliott for most poles (four) at the All-Star race. Busch also holds the all-time qualifying record and leads all active drivers with a 5.176 average starting position. 

Welcome, Thorntons… Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Thorntons, part of the bp portfolio, operates more than 200 stores that provide high quality fresh foods, beverages, and fuel in six states: Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Florida. Thorntons’ mission is to be people’s favorite place to stop when they are on-the-go and people’s favorite place to work. Thorntons has its own blending plants, transportation fleet and food commissary. Thorntons has a passion for giving back to the communities where Guests and Team Members live and work. Thorntons volunteers make their communities better through community service, humanitarian day events and fundraising projects. Learn more about Thorntons by visiting www.mythorntons.com. Connect with Thorntons on Facebook www.facebook.com/thorntonsllc, Instagram @thorntons_llc and Twitter @ThorntonsLLC.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

Tire wear will be a huge factor at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Is that an advantage to veteran drivers?

“Tire wear will be a huge factor at North Wilkesboro. It’s going to be crazy on how much guys will vary, whether they push early on and try to ride or whether they ride and then push late. It’s always a tough gamble. You never really know how it’s going to pay off. I think nobody has really raced there, so guys being able to take part in the Truck Series or late model races might have a better understanding and feel for the track and how it changes.”

Austin Dillon was one of the few drivers who recently tested at North Wilkesboro Speedway. How much have you leaned on him to prepare for this race?

“I’ve talked to Austin a lot about North Wilkesboro and his test that he had there and what all they did. I feel like we’re going to go back with something way different than what they tested. The basis of everything that I’ve heard is just absolutely no grip, feels like you’re on ice. You’re going to be skating the whole time so it’s going to be tough for everybody to get the feel that they’re looking for and that they’re going to be comfortable with. It’s going to be whoever is going to be most comfortable being uncomfortable.”      

Would you be in favor of moving the All-Star Race to different tracks in different markets?

“I feel like moving the All-Star Race to different tracks in different markets is definitely something that should be looked at. I think that the biggest thing is showcasing different racetracks you know, maybe different short tracks around the country that are cool and that put on great races with late model stock cars and or super late models. It’s all about what makes sense for the industry. It’s really cool to have North Wilkesboro play a factor in that this time around.”