DailyFanRacing NASCAR Preview - North Wilkesboro
What’s up, everyone?! It’s Dustin Maybin (@CUPharmDFS) back again with your weekly DailyFanRacing newsletter!
Last Weekend
Man, oh man. Darlington was just as exciting as we expected, though Sunday was for reasons we’d like to forget. The weekend started off with a bang as DailyFanRacing members scored takedowns on the Truck and Xfinity Series slates. Hoping to keep the momentum rolling into Sunday, Mr. Chastain ruined any chances of that happening in the Cup race.
Young guns, Christian Eckes and Corey Heim, dueled it out for the Truck Series win on Friday with Eckes ultimately reigning supreme after questionable pit strategy by Heim’s team. Surprisingly, Cup drivers William Byron and Bubba Wallace were non-factors in the race, but contributed to the GPP takedown below.
In Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, Kyle Larson showed why he was the best driver in the race as he edged out John Hunter Nemechek who had the best car in the race. The two put on a great battle until the final turn. Everyone else fell into place as well, allowing an even bigger takedown than Friday.
Sunday didn’t see as much DFS success. We were right in choosing Martin Truex Jr and Kyle Larson as the main dominator options on the slate. However, Ross Chastain limited that upside with his own dominator points before eventually wrecking Larson. One week after going viral with a right jab to Noah Gragson’s face, Chastain is back under fire for his aggressive style.
Overall this week was one of the biggest yet for our DailyFanRacing community! Combine that with takedowns in 6 different tournaments the week prior, and you can see why we are the best DFS providers in the business. If you haven’t joined yet, what are you waiting for?! Check us out now for pricing and join the winning side!
Track Preview
F1 was originally scheduled to race in Italy this weekend, but the race has been called off for the time being due to flooding in the area. That means all eyes will be on little old Wilkes County, North Carolina as North Wilkesboro Speedway hosts All-Star Race weekend for its first NASCAR-sanctioned events since 1996.
Fans have hoped for a revival of the worn-down racetrack seemingly since it was removed from the schedule in the mid-1990s in favor of larger intermediate tracks like Texas Motor Speedway. For years, however, that thought seemed more like a pipedream than a possible reality. With a campaign to bring back racing to the facility, led mostly by Dale Earnhardt Jr. during the pandemic, Marcus Smith and Speedway Motorsports Inc. saw the potential for the speedway and went to work on renovating it.
Now, the return is finally here, and I am overwhelmed with the nostalgia of days gone by. It’s truly remarkable to see the renovations that have been done while still staying true to many of the original aspects that fans loved about North Wilkesboro, including the raised victory lane and hand-painted advertisements.
Needless to say, I’m pumped for the action coming our way this weekend, assuming the track’s abrasive surface is able to hold up. The Craftsman Truck Series will set the stage with the Tyson 250 on Saturday, followed by All-Star race festivities.
North Wilkesboro Speedway is listed as a 0.625-mile oval with 14° banking in the turns. Its surface was last paved in 1984, so managing tires will be crucial this weekend. Throwing another wrench into the preparation is that the track climbs uphill on the backstretch and descends downhill on the frontstretch. While there isn’t really anything that correlates to this uniqueness, drivers will have to be alert, knowing which turn they’re going into, a la Darlington’s unique egg-shape.
We’ll see how practice goes, but short flat tracks are likely the best correlation we’ll have going into the weekend. For the Cup Series, Richmond appears to be the closest comparison as it is a 0.75-mile oval with the same 14° banking and a worn-out surface. In theory, Martinsville and New Hampshire could also be analyzed. Both are 12° in banking and true oval shapes, similar to North Wilkesboro. For the Trucks specifically, while these same tracks are in play, the closest comparison is Lucas Oil Raceway, a 0.686-mile oval with 12° banking.
All-Star Race Format
The All-Star Race has seen many different formats over the years in an attempt to try new things to gain a bigger audience. Unfortunately, especially in recent years, the format has become more and more convoluted, pushing away the casual fans who don’t know what’s happening and the diehard fans who just want to see good racing.
Fans clamored for the race to move away from Charlotte Motor Speedway as intermediate tracks were widely criticized for their lack of passing and excitement. Ironically, tracks like Charlotte have put on the best races since the debut of the Next Gen car last season, but I digress. The good thing is that NASCAR did a great job simplifying the format this year, so let’s break it down.
Drivers who are already eligible for the event include race winners from 2022 and 2023, full-time active drivers who have won an All-Star Race or a Cup Series Championship. All other drivers will have to compete in the All-Star Open, where the top two race finishers and a fan vote winner will advance to the All-Star Race.
On Friday night, a pit crew challenge will determine the starting lineups for the Open and two 60-lap heat races scheduled for Saturday night. The results of Heat 1 will set the inside row for Sunday’s race, while Heat 2’s finishing positions will establish the outside row. Drivers who advance via the Open or fan vote will start the All-Star Race from the rear of the field.
With me so far? The All-Star Race on Sunday night is set for 200 laps with one competition caution at the halfway point. Teams will have 4 sets of tires at their disposal, mainly in the event of damage, but after the halfway point, only one additional set can be used, regardless of how many remain in the pits. The winner wins the $1,000,000 prize.
Final Lap
I cannot wait to see the action on track this weekend! No matter how the racing goes, I’m already satisfied with the fact that they’re back at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway. Despite the unknowns, I am confident that we will have you prepared for whatever is thrown our way. Join us at DailyFanRacing as we attempt to take down more tournaments this weekend!
If you haven’t done so already, join our FREE DailyFanRacing Discord, where we are chatting about NASCAR and F1 every day.
As usual, for premium members, we will have full driver-by-driver breakdowns, expert rankings, and projections for both races this weekend, in addition to a slate strategy article and podcast for Cup.
Have a great week, and enjoy the show!