CONCORD, N.C. – The 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race will be held at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Speedway Motorsports and NASCAR announced on Thursday morning in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The race will be held at the historic track as part of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season on Sunday, May 21, 2023, and broadcasted worldwide on FS1.
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The announcement was made in the capital city of North Carolina with NASCAR Hall of Famer and former Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. among those taking part in the unveiling of this news. Earnhardt Jr. recently ran a Late Model stock car race at the venue as part of a month of grassroots races held at the track and was also the catalyst for getting the track scanned for iRacing in 2019.
"Some of my best memories as a little boy were going to North Wilkesboro," Earnhardt said in a news release. "And it got even better when I raced there as a teenager. I never thought I’d see that place full again, and then I got to race there this summer in a late model before a full house. There’s just something special about it. I know the track, the fans, and the community will put on a show when we’re back with the Cup cars for the All-Star Race."
The 0.625-mile track hosted 93 NASCAR Cup Series races from 1949 to 1996 with Hendrick Motorsports’ sweep of the final season of points-paying races among its four wins at the facility. Jeff Gordon won the last NASCAR Cup Series race to date there on Sept. 29, 1996. Terry Labonte won the spring races in 1994 and 1996 and Geoff Bodine won the fall race in 1989.
North Wilkesboro Speedway becomes the fifth venue to host the annual all-star event. Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted the first such event in 1985 before Atlanta Motor Speedway served as the host in 1986. The race moved back to Charlotte from 1987 to 2019. Bristol Motor Speedway served as the host in 2020 and Texas Motor Speedway has been the site the past two seasons. The event has become known for different formats and the $1,000,000 payout to the race winner. The previous two editions have also included a pit crew competition element as well.
Based on previous eligibility rules, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers – Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman – are likely locked into the all-star field with their wins in the 2022 season.
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Additional information about the format, schedule and entertainment will be announced at a later date. Tickets will go on sale later this fall.
Hendrick Motorsports has won the non-points race 10 times in its history. Jimmie Johnson’s four wins (2003, 2006, 2012 and 2013) are the most in event history. Gordon’s three wins (1995, 1997 and 2001) are tied for the second-most with Dale Earnhardt. Labonte (1999), Elliott (2020) and Larson (2021) each have won one All-Star Race for the team.
The All-Star Race location announcement marks the latest piece of the 2023 schedule to be revealed. To date, four dates are known for next season’s slate of races with the full schedule announcement to come at a later date.
The Clash will be held Feb. 5 on FOX and take places at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the second straight year. The 2023 DAYTONA 500 will officially open the season two weeks later on Feb. 19. Downtown Chicago will host a temporary 12-turn, 2.2-mile street course for a race on July 2, on NBC. Phoenix Raceway will once again be the site for the 2023 Championship Weekend from Nov. 3-5.