2024 NASCAR All-Star Race: How to watch, schedule, preview for North Wilkesboro

NASCAR is sticking to its roots.

The Cup Series will head to historic North Wilkesboro Speedway for the All-Star Race this weekend, marking the second straight year the exhibition will be held at the track.

Previously, NASCAR hadn’t raced at North Wilkesboro since 1996. The North Carolina short track closed in the fall of that year, but it was revitalized with funding assistance from the state government and a push from NASCAR leadership. The track was repaved with fresh asphalt after last year’s All-Star Race, which should make events unpredictable this weekend.

Here’s everything you need to know for the 2024 All-Star Race format, schedule, participants and more:

When is the NASCAR All-Star Race?

The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race is set for Sunday, May 19, at 8 p.m. ET.

Before the race, there will be various other events to set the starting order and determine the full field of drivers. 

Practice and qualifying sessions will be on Friday, followed by the All-Star Heat Races on Saturday and the All-Star Open on Sunday before the main event.

What is the NASCAR All-Star Race weekend schedule?

Friday, May 17 (FS1 and streaming)

• Pit road practice: 4 p.m. ET, FS1, FoxSports.com
• Practice: 4:30 p.m. ET, FS1, FoxSports.com
• Qualifying, All-Star Open: 5:40 p.m. ET, FS1, FoxSports.com
• Qualifying, All-Star Pit Crew Challenge: 6:20 p.m. ET, FS1, FoxSports.com

Saturday, May 18 (FS2 and streaming)

• All-Star Heat Race 1: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS2, FoxSports.com
• All-Star Heat Race 2: 8:15 p.m. ET, FS2, FoxSports.com

Sunday, May 19 (FS1 and streaming)

• All-Star Open: 5:30 p.m. ET, FS1, FoxSports.com
• All-Star Race: 8 p.m. ET, FS1, FoxSports.com

What is the format for the NASCAR All-Star Open vs. Race?

Not every driver is qualified for the All-Star Race, but everyone has the chance to race their way in.

All 17 drivers who initially qualified for the race did so by winning a race in 2023 or 2024. Past champions and All-Star Race winners are also eligible if you haven’t won a race, but none of the drivers only fall into those categories. Here are the 17 drivers who are guaranteed to be in the show:

Car number	Driver	Team	Sponsor
1	Ross Chastain	Trackhouse Racing	Busch Light
5	Kyle Larson	Hendrick Motorsports	HendrickCars.com
6	Brad Keselowski	RFK Racing	Nexlizet
8	Kyle Busch	Richard Childress Racing	Lenovo
9	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports	NAPA Auto Parts
11	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing	Mavis Tire
12	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske	Menards
16	AJ Allmendinger	Kaulig Racing	LeafFilter/Campers Inn RV
17	Chris Buescher	RFK Racing	Fastenal
19	Martin Truex Jr.	Joe Gibbs Racing	Bass Pro Shops
20	Christopher Bell	Joe Gibbs Racing	Yahoo!
22	Joey Logano	Team Penske	Shell/Pennzoil
24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports	RaptorTough.com
34	Michael McDowell	Front Row Motorsports	Charlotte Knights
45	Tyler Reddick	23XI Racing	Monster Energy
47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	JTG Daugherty Racing	Kroger
99	Daniel Suarez	Trackhouse Racing	Freeway Insurance

If a driver doesn’t fit into any of those three categories, they will race in the All-Star Open qualifying race. That field consists of 20 drivers, including current playoff contenders, Rookie of the Year candidates and more:

Car number	Driver	Team	Sponsor
2	Austin Cindric	Team Penske	Keystone Light
3	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress Racing	SENIX
4	Josh Berry	Stewart-Haas Racing	Harrison's
7	Corey LaJoie	Spire Motorsports	Gainbridge
10	Noah Gragson	Stewart-Haas Racing	Overstock
14	Chase Briscoe	Stewart-Haas Racing	HighPoint.com
15	Kaz Grala	Rick Ware Racing	Remixers.com/Xemex
21	Harrison Burton	Wood Brothers Racing	Motorcraft/DEX Imaging
23	Bubba Wallace	23XI Racing	Alltroo
31	Daniel Hemric	Kaulig Racing	Poppy Bank
38	Todd Gilliland	Front Row Motorsports	Long John Silver's
41	Ryan Preece	Stewart-Haas Racing	Haas Tooling
42	John H. Nemechek	Legacy Motor Club	Dollar Tree
43	Erik Jones	Legacy Motor Club	Family Dollar
48	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports	Ally Financial
51	Justin Haley	Rick Ware Racing	Pinnacle Home Improvement
54	Ty Gibbs	Joe Gibbs Racing	Monster Energy
66	Timmy Hill	MBM Motorsports	AAA Route 66 Road Fest
71	Zane Smith	Spire Motorsports	Focused Health
77	Carson Hocevar	Spire Motorsports	NASCAR Day Giveathon

The All-Star Open will be 100 laps, with the top two finishers transferring into the main event. A third driver will advance courtesy of a fan vote, bringing the total field to 20 drivers.

What is the NASCAR All-Star Pit Crew Challenge?

Instead of using hot laps for qualifying, the Pit Crew Challenge will set the starting order for the heat races.

The Pit Crew Challenge is exactly what it sounds like – each team will be put to the test on pit road. Each car’s qualifying time will be based on a three-lap run, which includes one full speed lap, one lap where the driver hits pit road for a four-tire stop and one final lap at full speed.

The 17 drivers already locked into the All-Star field will be split into two groups for the 60-lap heat races on Saturday. So, the team with the fastest time will start first in Heat 1, the team with the second-fastest stop will start first in Heat 2, and so on.

The heat races will set the starting order for Sunday’s race. Heat 1 will establish the odd numbered starting spots, while Heat 2 will set the even-numbered spots.

How do I vote for the NASCAR All-Star Fan Vote?

The 20th and final spot in the All-Star Race will be awarded to the winner of the fan vote. Voting has been live online since last month and will close on Sunday, May 19, at 5:30 p.m. ET.

If the winner of the fan vote qualifies for the All-Star Race by finishing top-two in the Open, NASCAR will go to the driver who was second in the vote.

As of May 15, the top-five vote-getters, in alphabetical order, were Alex Bowman, Noah Gragson, Carson Hocevar, Corey LaJoie and Bubba Wallace.

You can vote for your favorite driver online right here.