The NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series will return to the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway for the second straight year in 2024 for the NASCAR All-Star Race. The weekend is scheduled for 17–19 May.
“We are very grateful that NASCAR and FOX Sports have supported our efforts to bring the NASCAR All-Star Race back to North Wilkesboro in 2024,” commented Speedway Motorsports head Marcus Smith. “While NASCAR’s current seventy-fifth anniversary season still has some memorable moments to come, it’s hard to imagine a more magical moment than what we witnessed with NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway this past May.
“The success of the 2023 All-Star Race with fans coming from all fifty states and seven foreign countries would not have been possible without the support of the NASCAR industry, our state legislature, Governor Roy Cooper, and the Wilkes County community. We’re thankful to have the opportunity to bring back an international spotlight for the second consecutive year to North Wilkesboro and the great state of North Carolina.”
North Wilkesboro, an original NASCAR circuit that had hosted Cup races since the inaugural season in 1949, was reopened in 2022 after a two-decade dormancy, receiving the All-Star Race in 2023. The track underwent an extensive renovation process that continues even after racing returned, which will include repaving the surface before the All-Star; the pavement was last updated in 1981.
Kyle Larson swept the All-Star weekend in 2022, claiming both the Truck race and the All-Star. The weekend also saw the return of the Pit Crew Challenge, a competition to see whose team could complete a pit stop the quickest, with winner Ty Gibbs starting on the pole for the All-Star Open.
“As part of NASCAR’s seventy-fifth anniversary, the return to racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway was one of the indelible moments of the 2023 season,” added Ben Kennedy, Senior Vice President of Racing Development and Strategy for NASCAR. “We look forward to bringing the NASCAR All-Star Race with the NASCAR Cup Series, along with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, back to North Wilkesboro next season to create new generational memories at this historic venue.”
A race format was not immediately revealed. The All-Star and the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum are the Cup Series’ only exhibition races.
