NASCAR Review: Winners & Losers From 2024 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway

The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway saw the sport try its luck at different tire strategies in light of the Next Gen Cup car’s problematic history on short tracks. Drivers were also greeted by a newly repaved track for this year’s return to the historic venue which has been resurrected recently.

Meanwhile, here are the biggest winners and losers from the 2024 All-Star weekend:

Winner: Joey Logano

2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano managed to visit victory lane after not having the best start to his 2024 campaign. Missing out on his title defense to Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney last year as well as not being able to make a significant impact during the first half of the ongoing season, Logano logged in his first NASCAR victory since the 2023 spring race at Atlanta.

The 2X Cup Series champion’s victory at North Wilkesboro was a show of dominance from the #22 Ford Mustang driver, with him leading 199 out of the 200 lap-long event.

Loser: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

JTG Daugherty driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s race was over within two laps under the green flag as the #47 Chevy driver seemingly rubbed Kyle Busch the wrong way during the start of the event. Busch was seen immediately retaliating by putting his bumper to the back of the #47 car’s driver, sending him into the outside wall and ending his race.

The duo was later seen involved in a brawl post-race as Stenhouse Jr. waited to voice his frustrations with Busch on the track.

Winner: Bubba Wallace

Logging in his second consecutive top-10 finish after a string of bad luck, 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace seems to have found his feet once again in the highest echelon of American stock car racing. Having had consistent finishes throughout the season, Wallace fell behind recently with back-to-back finishes outside the top 10.

The #23 Toyota Camry XSE driver has managed to reel that trend back in, with a P7 finish at Darlington followed by a P6 at North Wilkesboro.

Loser: Kyle Busch

Despite managing to finish the complete 200-lap-long event unlike Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch was visibly frustrated throughout the race as well as after getting out of his #8 Chevrolet. An early scrape with the wall which ultimately led to his altercation with the JTG Daugherty driver and a generally haphazard race saw him finish just inside the top 10.

Winner: Chris Buescher

RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher proved to be a contender during the final laps of the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race as the Ford Mustang driver tried to take the lead away from Joey Logano during the race. Buescher was always within touching distance of the lead, however, failed to make a move during the event to challenge for the same.

This is Buescher’s third consecutive challenge at the sharp end of the field, highlighting the strides in performance Brad Keselowski’s team seems to be making.

Loser: William Byron

William Byron had the worst finish out of the three Hendrick Motorsports entries into the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race. The #24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver was seen getting loose on the track before making contact with the outside wall with the right-rear corner of his car, knocking the toe-link off.

The rear toe-link is a part of the suspension that helps maintain the rear tires’ direction on NASCAR’s Next Gen Cup Series car. After a broken toe link, Byron headed into the pits for lengthy repairs.