When Throwback Weekend in Darlington is over, the NASCAR spotlight will next fall on North Wilkesboro. Though the upcoming All-Star race is a non-points event that does little to help the progress of the ongoing Cup season, it is one of those age-old traditions that exhibit the grandness of the sport. Talking about it to the media in Darlington, William Byron reiterated its importance.
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He said, “I think it’s super important. I think that it is a sense of pride as a race team to be in the All-Star race. I think our All-Star race is more important than other sports. We actually put the same effort [as for the points paying races], same everything into it. We race the same. Maybe even more aggressive than other sports.”
Continuing, he noted that the race cannot be viewed as an off-weekend considering there is a lot to learn from it. Moreover, he believes that the $1 million prize that the winner gets is an added incentive to take the matter seriously. Byron’s teammate Kyle Larson was the race’s winner in 2023. As always, fans currently have the chance to vote for their favorite driver to be a part of the upcoming field.
Fans have until 5:30 p.m. ET on May 19 to cast their votes on the NASCAR website. As things stand right now, Josh Berry, Alex Bowman, and Bubba Wallace are amongst the top 10 drivers with the most votes. Drivers eligible for the vote are those who attempted to qualify for the 2024 Daytona 500, those who haven’t won a Cup Series race yet this season, or those who haven’t finished in the top two in the NASCAR Open qualifying race.
What makes the upcoming All-Star race a must-watch event?
Goodyear and NASCAR have agreed to test a new variant of tires during this year’s All-Star race. The option tires are expected to play an important role in team strategy considering that they are constructed to be highly wearable. The race will serve the added purpose of fixating on an effective solution that could improve NASCAR’s racing product on short tracks.
Elton Sawyer, the promotion’s VP of Competition, spoke to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his podcast recently and spoke about his hopes for the race. He said, “If the testing, what we’ve done, and the results of those tests, then we’re going to see some things at the All-Star Race that we’re going to be really happy about. … They’re going to have to manage that option tire from lap one.”
“It’ll be like, years ago, you go to Rockingham or Darlington.” With heroes from the current age and the eras of the past prepping for this celebrated race, fans will get to see the best of NASCAR soon after the curtains are shut in Darlington this Sunday.
