NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C – All-Star Weekend is officially underway at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Friday afternoon, the day began with the All-Star cars each getting an opportunity to practice for the Pit Crew Challenge. After the 17 drivers already locked into the All-Star Race completed this warm up, the lone 50-minute practice session began for all competitors. With two tire compounds in play this weekend, drivers opted to run more laps than normal to get a feel for the tires as well as the freshly repaved circuit.
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In practice, Chase Elliott led the way for Hendrick Motorsports with the fourth-fastest time of the session. During the 50-minutes, the No. 9 team ran 107 laps, one of five drivers to run over 100 circuits. Elliott also finished third on the 10 consecutive lap average chart.
William Byron put down the 11th-quickest lap of the day followed by Kevin Harvick, substitute driving for Kyle Larson in the No. 5 entry for the session, in 25th. Alex Bowman was right behind Harvick in the 26th spot.
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Following practice, Bowman and the No. 48 Ally Racing team were scheduled to qualify for the All-Star Open before rain hit North Wilkesboro. Just before the weather came in, the team did in fact take to the track. However, the surface had become slick moments before their designated time, forcing NASCAR officials to abandon the session and cancel qualifying as the rain picked up. The starting lineup for the Open will be set via owner points, putting the No. 48 Ally Racing Chevrolet in the second position for the race. Bowman will need to finish inside the top-two spots or win the fan vote to earn his position in the All-Star Race.
Unfortunately, the same rain caused the Pit Crew Challenge to be delayed. The competition has been moved to Saturday, May 18, at 11:40 a.m. ET with coverage on FS1.
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The event will still be used to set the starting lineup for the heat races which will begin at 5:20 p.m. ET. Catch all the action on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).