NASCAR All-Star Race 2024 Schedule: Timings of Race and Qualifying at North Wilkesboro This Weekend

North Wilkesboro will turn hot this Sunday as NASCAR returns to the historic short track for the 40th running of the All-Star race. This is the second consecutive year that the track plays host to the exhibition race after a long absence from the Cup Series schedule since 1996. With the best of stock car racing set to grace the oval in North Carolina’s moonshine territory, here’s the schedule for the race weekend.

The CARS Tour and the Craftsman Truck Series will join the All-Star race on the trip to North Wilkesboro. The former will hold races on Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. (All Eastern Times). NASCAR’s fireworks will shoot up on Friday (May 17) at 3:00 p.m. with practice for the Truck Series. This will be followed by practice for the All-Star race at 4:35 p.m.

The All-Star Open qualifying session will quickly follow at 5:40 p.m. 40 minutes later, and at 6:20 p.m. the pit crew qualifying session will go down to mark the end of the day on the track. Saturday (May 18) will begin with qualifying for the Truck Series at 10:35 a.m. followed by the main race at 1:30 p.m. Once the trucks are out of the venue and done with their duties, the All-Star field will take command.

The two All-Star heat races that will determine the starting positions of the drivers will take place at 5:20 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. respectively. The curtains will then be drawn shut with a press conference. The final day of the weekend (May 19) will kick off with the All-Star Open at 5:30 p.m. This 100-lap race will allow its top two finishers and one fan-voted driver to join the main All-Star race field.

When and where to watch the All-Star race on Sunday?

Only when the All-Star Open comes to a close will the entire roster for the celebrated All-Star race be complete. The race will kickstart at 8:00 p.m. ET and can be caught live on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The race will be a 200-lap one. It is mandatory that teams begin their runs with Goodyear’s option tires. There will be two cautions, at Lap 100 and Lap 150. The first is a mandatory four-tire change stop.

As is well known, the winner of the event will get to walk away with the ludicrous $1 million prize money. Notably, North Wilkesboro is the fifth track to host the All-Star race. Charlotte, Bristol, Texas, and Atlanta have all played their duties in the past. After putting on quite a show in 2023, North Wilkesboro will be hoping to prove its worth once again this Sunday.