The NASCAR All-Star Race will keep things simple with its format, sticking to two heat races, a 100-lap All-Star Open, and a 200-lap main event at the .625-mile track. The winner of the main event will pocket a cool $1 million.
But there are some new things to look forward to, like a tire strategy twist, a revamped qualifying and pit crew challenge, and some new rules about when teams can pit.
During the weekend, teams might use three different types of tires: a regular “prime tire,” a “slick option tire” made from the same stuff as wet weather tires, and a “wet weather tire” for rainy conditions. Each tire type will have a different color label – yellow for prime, red for option, and white for wet weather.
Here’s the lowdown on the tires:
– Each team gets nine sets of tires for the weekend.
– For practice, qualifying, and the heats, teams get three sets of prime tires and two sets of option tires.
– For the main event, teams get two sets of each.
– All four tires on a car must be the same type.
– Only prime tires can be used in qualifying.
– Teams can start on any tire type for practice, heats, and the All-Star Open, but everyone starts on option tires for the main event.
John Probst, a bigwig at NASCAR, says they’re excited to bring the race back to North Wilkesboro Speedway. He thinks the focus will be on the crew chiefs and drivers as they plan their tire strategy. Soft tires are faster but wear out quicker, so it’ll be a challenge.
The All-Star Race will run for 200 laps, with two planned cautions at laps 100 and 150. At the lap 100 break, teams must do a four-tire pit stop with any tire they choose. All laps will count, and there’ll be NASCAR overtime rules if needed.
On Saturday, there’s the All-Star Open, a 100-lap race where the top two finishers and a fan-voted driver will move on to the main event.
The fun starts on Friday with qualifying and the pit crew challenge. This season, the qualifying will include a traditional run along with the pit crew challenge. The fastest pit crew will get to pick their pit stall first.
So far, 18 drivers are already locked into the main event, including big names like Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott.
