NASCAR drivers facing unfamiliar venue with All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway
The new grandstands are shown at the North Wilkesboro Speedway on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Wilkesboro, N.C. North Wilkesboro Speedway was chosen to host the All-Star race for NASCAR's celebratory 75th anniversary season, and restoration on the track shifted into full gear. (AP Photo/Steve Reed)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Steve Reed]
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (AP) — William Byron has driven past North Wilkesboro Speedway on his way to the Blue Ridge Mountains. So has Brad Keselowski and many other North Carolina-based NASCAR drivers. But not many had been inside the track before this week. None have run a Cup Series event here. That should make Sunday night’s All-Star race at the restored .625-mile track all the more interesting and unpredictable when 24 drivers vie for the $1 million first prize at the refurbished track. Kevin Harvick said he wouldn’t even speculate on the type of a race, saying it’s impossible to predict since it hasn’t been done before in the NextGen cars. The last time the track hosted a Cup race was in the fall of 1996.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Crew members run to the car of Kevin Harvick for a tire change during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, April 23, 2023, in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Butch Dill