NASCAR To Return $1 Million All-Star Race To North Wilkesboro Again In 2024

RALEIGH, N.C. — The NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race will continue to be held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2024, as this year’s event, the first NASCAR race held there in 27 years, drew a capacity audience thrilled to see stock car racing return to its roots.

Thursday at the North Carolina Legislative Building, state legislators joined NASCAR and track executives to proclaim that the 625-mile (1 kilometer) asphalt oval, located approximately 160 miles west of Raleigh, will remain on the Cup Series schedule for another year.

The non-points exhibition race on May 19 will continue to be held on the weekend preceding the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

NASCAR President Steve Phelps stated that the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro and the circuit’s first street race in Chicago were the marquee events of the 75th anniversary season of NASCAR in 2023.

Phelps stated that both of these occurrences were satisfactory. “We are ecstatic that the All-Star Race will be returning.”

North Wilkesboro was one of the original NASCAR venues, hosting more than 90 Cup races before closing in 1996 as the circuit attempted to expand into other markets. The oval disappeared until Dale Earnhardt Jr., local boosters, and state officials spearheaded revitalization efforts.

The NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race will continue to be held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2024.

Federal and state funds assisted in completing renovations, resulting in an announcement in September 2022 that it would return in 2023.

Thursday, NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports, which owns both the Charlotte and North Wilkesboro speedways, announced that North Wilkesboro will be repaved for the first time since 1981 before next year’s race.

This year’s race was conducted before 35,000 spectators on a patched asphalt track, and Kyle Larson won the $1 million prize in the winner-take-all competition.

The final state budget taking effect next week includes an additional $4 million for the speedway to perform repairs and improvements as long as it agreed to host one more NASCAR Series race there by the end of 2028.

The 2024 All-Star Race meets this requirement, according to state representative and budget expert Jason Saine.

It is proper to reside in North Carolina. It feels wonderful to have it in North Carolina,” Saine told reporters, “and it means that tourists from all over the world will spend a week spending money in North Carolina.”

The NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race will continue to be held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2024.

Gov. Roy Cooper also has strongly supported returning NASCAR to North Wilkesboro and attended this year’s race.

Phelps stated, “Feeling the state’s and its politicians’ affection is vitally important and influences our decisions.”

Whether Thursday’s announcement improves North Wilkesboro’s prospects of returning to a regular points race stop is still being determined. According to Phelps, holding races in non-traditional markets attracts individuals who have never attended a NASCAR race before.

“We want to remain true to the history, DNA, and roots of NASCAR, but continue to push the boundaries in bringing our sport to new locations,” he explained.

The All-Star Race was first contested in 1985 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, except in 1986, when it was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The event will return to Charlotte until 2021 when it will be held at Texas Motor Speedway for two years.

This year, Speedway Motorsports relocated the event to North Wilkesboro. The All-Star Race has only ever been held at Speedway Motorsports-owned venues.

SOURCE – (AP)