The NASCAR All-Star Race is this weekend at North Wilkesboro. There are going to be so many great paint schemes. This is a week where we get to see some special designs and unique looks.

North Wilkesboro is entering its third year as the All-Star Race venue for NASCAR. I think it has largely been a success, although the repave, albeit necessary, changed the way the track races.

Will we see one of these paint schemes take the elevator ride up to Victory Lane? Someone is walking away with $1,000,000 on Sunday night.

Ross Chastain No. 1 Busch Light Fan Vote Chevy

Busch Light knows how to do a great paint scheme. Trackhouse Racing and the design people there are also top notch. No wonder Ross Chastain has another banger for North Wilkesboro.

This car looks great and reminds fans to vote for their favorite driver. I think Chastain is up there among the most popular drivers in the sport, so he should have lots of votes. 8/10.

Brad Keselowski No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford

A purple paint scheme?! Thank you very much, Brad Keselowski. This is a great variation on the Solomon Plumbing designs we have seen the last few years.

RFK Racing needs this No. 6 team to get it together. Will the All-Star Race be that race that lets Keselowski find his footing again? 9/10.

Kyle Busch No. 8 Senix Chevy

Another veteran driver that needs good news. Kyle Busch has a great looking Chevy this week with Senix on board.

Rowdy is desperate for a win. He is doing all he can to get one. Is he going to win the $1,000,000 prize? He left last year with a sore face. 7.5/10.

Chris Buescher No. 17 Kroger/Tylenol Ford

While he was penalized 60 points this week, Chris Buescher won’t feel too bad. After all, he has Tylenol on his car this week, so headaches shouldn’t be a concern.

North Wilkesboro won’t let Buescher pick up points, but he can console himself with a seven-figure payday. Not too bad, if you ask me. 8.5/10.

Bubba Wallace No. 23 Logitech Toyota

Logitech has had some hit or miss NASCAR paint schemes. This is a hit for sure. A great blue color and Bubba Wallace is ready to take on North Wilkesboro again.

We have seen Wallace have some good runs at this track. I will be very interested to see how he performs this weekend. 8.5/10.

Todd Gilliland No. 34 Overplay Ford

A new sponsor for Todd Gilliland! I’m not sure what Overplay does, but they have a good looking car this week.

This NASCAR season hasn’t gone the way Gilliland likely thought it would. He is lagging behind expectations, but I think he could still surprise us this season with a few big performances. 7.5/10.

Ryan Preece No. 60 Boston Common Golf Ford

This looks like a Solomon Plubming scheme with a different sponsor on it, to be honest. Boston Common Golf, again, not sure what that is. But they make a nice race car design for Ryan Preece this week.

Preece has been having great runs this season. He has also had disappointment, like the DQ from Talladega. Will Preece get himself back to the front at Wilkesboro? 8/10.

Carson Hocevar No. 77 Gainbridge/WNBA All-Star Chevy

Gainbridge is a major partner of Cailtlin Clark and that continues to show with how they market the WNBA through other groups. Spire Motorsports is rocking a fantastic scheme on Carson Hocevar’s car this week.

An All-Star Game car for the All-Star Race? NASCAR and the WNBA coming together? I like it! 9/10.

INDIANAPOLIS – NASCAR star Kyle Larson crashed for the second time in the lead-up to the Indianapolis 500 on Friday when he lost control of his Arrow McLaren entry and hit the wall in the final practice session before this weekend’s qualifying runs.

The damage was relatively minor, though, and it only took Larson’s team about an hour to make repairs to the front and rear of the car. That allowed him to get in some precious laps with about 30 minutes left in the 6-hour session.

Larson, who also crashed on April 24 during an open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is taking his second shot at trying to complete “the Double” by running the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Larson finished 18th in the rain-delayed 500 last year, but he never ran a lap in the NASCAR race in Charlotte when rain there ended the race early.

“Obviously it’s tricky. I spun,” Larson said after leaving the care center. “I don’t know. Kind of caught off guard a little bit there, but I think we’ll be fine. I tend to get over things pretty quickly. I know I spun but my balance felt pretty close to being good.”

Larson waited until there were about 90 minutes left in Friday’s practice, which was marked by high temperatures and gusty winds that made for treacherous conditions, before trying his first qualifying simulation. He wasn’t far into the run when his No. 17 car went skittering up the track, bumped nose-first into the wall and then spun around and hit it again.

The crash came several hours after Kyffin Simpson hit the wall hard and nearly flipped his car.

Larson’s damaged car was put on a hoist and taken to Gasoline Alley, where Arrow McLaren went to work fixing it. Along with the late laps he got Friday, the team will have an hour-long practice Saturday morning before qualifying begins at 11 a.m. EDT.

“I’m sure at this point, we’ll want to get out there and shake it down,” Larson said. “If not, you still get time to make a few runs tomorrow. The track conditions will be better and I’m sure we’ll pack a little extra downforce to be safe that first run, and get a run in. Not too worried about it.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who retired from full-time NASCAR racing after the 2017 season, has revealed what would tempt him to expand his part-time Xfinity Series schedule.

The NASCAR Hall of Famer joined the ZMAX CARS Tour broadcast during the qualifying event at North Wilkesboro. During his appearance, he claimed that if NASCAR announces an Xfinity Series race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, then he would expand his racing schedule.

Earnhardt Jr.’s last Xfinity race was the 2024 Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. He commented at the time, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports:

“I mean, if I don’t ever run again, I’m happy at 50 years old to jump in once and run top 10.

“I know there was some guys named (Harry) Gant and (Bobby) Allison that were winning races in their 50s. So I know it’s damn doable. It’s not anything too crazy. But not doing it every week, man, you certainly come in here feeling like you’re handicapped, and you’ve gotta drink from the fire hose trying to figure out what’s going on and getting up to speed.

“I loved every lap. It was great.

“I mean, I got everything I wanted out of this, and I’ll miss it next year. I’m certain I’ll probably sign up for somewhere else. Trying not to already start thinking about, where would I run? Where do I want to run?

“But I definitely do want to take next year off, focus on my broadcasting and get my boots on and get back to work there, make sure I’m doing a good job for that. That’s my priority, that and my family.”

North Wilkesboro Speedway is hosting the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open and Race this weekend along with the Craftsman Truck Series and Whelan Modified Tour.

When are the NASCAR All-Star races at North Wilkesboro

Friday, 16 May

4.30 p.m. ET: NASCAR Cup Series – Pit Road Qualifying Entry/Exit Practice

5 p.m. ET: NASCAR Cup Series – Practice

6 p.m. ET: NASCAR Cup Series – Qualifying (All-Star Pit Crew Challenge)

Saturday, 17 May

9.55 a.m. ET: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Practice

10.35 a.m. ET: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Qualifying

1.30 p.m. ET: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Window World 250

5.10 p.m. ET: NASCAR Cup Series – All-Star Race Heat No. 1

6.15 p.m. ET: NASCAR Cup Series – All-Star Race Heat No. 2

Sunday, 18 May

10.15 a.m. ET: NASCAR Whelan Modified Tour – Practice 1

10.55 a.m. ET: NASCAR Whelan Modified Tour – Practice 2

12.45 p.m. ET: NASCAR Whelan Modified Tour – Qualifying

2 p.m. ET: NASCAR Whelan Modified Tour – FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150

5 p.m. ET: NASCAR Cup Series – All-Star Open

8 p.m. ET: NASCAR Cup Series – All-Star Race

Iowa corn is again sponsoring the Iowa Corn 350, using the NASCAR race to promote ethanol and connect with consumers.

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More than 1,000 farmers are expected to attend this summer’s event.

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Hendrick Motorsports have announced an update on Kyle Larson’s and the No. 5 car’s participation at this weekend’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro.

The 32-year-old will attempt the ‘Double’ for the second year running this month, attempting to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 in IndyCar and the Coca-Cola 600 in the NASCAR Cup Series on the same day next weekend.

Larson attempted the ‘Double’ – or the ‘Double Duty’ – last year, but was unable to achieve the motorsport accolade due to the Cup Series race ending early because of the rain.

Only Tony Stewart has completed all 1,100 miles of the ‘Double’, and Larson will be hoping to add his name to the list with Hendrick Motorsports and Arrow McLaren.

In just over a week, Larson will get to try again, but practice and qualifying for the race take place this weekend, meaning the Hendrick Motorsports star is missing some of the NASCAR action taking place in North Carolina.

READ MORE: NASCAR Cup Series 2025: All-Star Weekend start times, schedule and how to watch live on TV

No. 5 car set to miss qualifying heats at NASCAR All-Star weekend

Larson is automatically eligible for the All-Star race due to his status as a currently competing champion and a winner in the Cup Series for the past two years. However, he will miss Friday’s All-Star Race practice and qualifying sessions due to his commitment to the Indy 500.

That fact has been known for some time, with Justin Allgaier set to replace Larson for those sessions in the No. 5 Chevrolet.

However, in a press release ahead of the weekend, Hendrick Motorsports have revealed that Allgaier will not drive the No. 5 car in the qualifying heat races on Saturday night, which set the grid for Sunday’s main event.

Instead, the No. 5 car will sit out, which means that Larson is set to start Sunday’s race at the back of the field.

“Due to Indianapolis 500 commitments in pursuit of the #H1100, Larson will miss Friday’s NASCAR All-Star Race practice and qualifying sessions at North Wilkesboro,” Hendrick Motorsports explained.

“Justin Allgaier will drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in his place, and the team will skip Saturday’s heat races. Larson will return for Sunday’s All-Star Race.”

In the statement, it was also revealed that Allgaier will serve as the reserve driver for the No. 5 car at next weekend’s Coca-Cola 600.

READ MORE: NASCAR announce major Cup Series penalty after Kansas

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