Kyle Larson paced the field at North Wilkesboro Speedway during the sole 50-minute practice session on Friday, May 19. He posted the session-best time of 20.615 in the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 while running 69 laps.
RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski was second in the session with a 20.755-second lap. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin was third at 20.784 seconds, RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher was fourth at 20.821 seconds, and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe was fifth at 20.840 seconds.
Larson has the opportunity to win his third All-Star Race, and he could become the only driver in NASCAR history to win the $1 million prize at three different tracks. His first win was at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2019. His second was at Texas Motor Speedway in 2021.
Larson had the fastest single lap during the practice session, but 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick was the fastest with a 15-lap average time of 21.458 seconds.
“You hope that the speeds are low enough here that the dirty air doesn’t get in the balance of your car, but I ran into a train of four or five cars there and our balance was really off from where it should have been,” Reddick told FOX Sports during the session.
“When we ran there in a lot of clean air, the balance of the car was much more where it needs to be. So I think we’re pretty close. Needs just a little bit here and there.”
The 37 drivers competing in the 50-minute session pursued different goals. The main objective for 21 drivers was to gain as much knowledge as possible about tyre wear and shifting while preparing for the main event, the All-Star Race which pays $1 million to the winner.
The remaining 16 tried to gain as much experience as possible ahead of the 100-lap All-Star Open. Only the top-two finishers will move on to the main event along with the fan vote winner, so the drivers have to avoid mistakes.
Kaulig Racing’s Chandler Smith was the fastest of the Open drivers. His best lap in the #13 Chevrolet Camaro was 20.889 seconds, which put him ninth on the leaderboard.
The aged surface at North Wilkesboro Speedway caused problems for multiple drivers during the Craftsman Truck Series practice session as they lost control and hit the wall.
This trend continued early in the Cup Series session as the #99 of Daniel Suarez spun on only his second lap. The Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro scraped the wall, but Suarez avoided significant damage.
The rest of the session went green as the drivers avoided spins and contact with the wall. Legacy Motor Club’s Noah Gragson and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch both momentarily lost control and nearly hit the wall, but they hit a patch of asphalt that straightened their Chevrolet Camaros out.
Some drivers had separate issues while trying to pull into their slick pit stalls. Reddick slid through the stall in his #45 Toyota Camry while William Byron stopped too close to the pit wall in his #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.
With practice complete, the 37 drivers will now look forward to the action on Saturday, May 20. They will prepare for the two Heat Races that will set the starting lineups for the All-Star Open and All-Star Race.
The first Heat Race will take place at 19:20 local time Saturday May 20/09:20 AEST Sunday May 21.
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