NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C – With rain storms popping up at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Saturday afternoon’s on-track activity has been cancelled. Sunday afternoon will begin with the NASCAR All-Star Open followed by the 200-lap All-Star Race.
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Earlier in the morning, the Nos. 5, 9 and 24 pit crews competed for their starting positions in All-Star Qualifying. By the end of the session, Kevin Harvick (substitute driving for Kyle Larson) and the No. 5 team were the highest finishing Hendrick Motorsports team in 12th. However, with Larson missing qualifying on Saturday, the team will go to the rear of the field for a driver change. The group will begin the 200-lap main event from the tail end of the field.
William Byron followed closely behind his teammate with the 13th-fastest qualifying run. However, the pit crew performed the sixth-quickest stop of the competition, the best of any Hendrick Motorsports pit crew. The team's overall qualifying result was hit with a 10 second penalty as Byron exceeded pit road speed while coming down for his four-tire service.
Earning the 15th position was Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team. While starting towards the back is less than ideal for the group, Elliott’s lone victory in the event came at another short track (Bristol Motor Speedway) and on that night, he started from the 13th position. Watch out for the group on Sunday.
After All-Star Open qualifying was rained out on Friday, the field was set via owner points. Because of this, Alex Bowman will roll off in the second position. He'll aim to finish in the top-two spots to lock himself into the All-Star Race.
Action at North Wilkesboro will begin with the Open at 5:20 p.m. ET with coverage on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90). Following the Open, the 200-lap main event will go green at 8 p.m. ET with coverage also on FS1.