“North Wilkesboro! Best short track on the schedule!”
It’s hard to disagree with NASCAR All-Star Race winner Christopher Bell after the sport’s stars put on one of the most electrifying midseason exhibitions of the event’s 41-year history. Over the final 28 laps around the 0.625-mile short track, Bell charged from sixth to battle door-to-door with defending series and All-Star champion Joey Logano, the two slamming fenders and leaning on one another for the $1 million prize.
Ultimately, Bell got the better of Logano, working over the three-time champion by running him up the track with 10 laps to go. But the fans are the ones who got the best end of the show Sunday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway. One of the oldest tracks on NASCAR’s calendar delivered an all-time, old-school, heavyweight bout between two championship contenders in an exhibition showdown. Is a points race next?
RELATED: Race results | At-track photos
Before we get ahead of ourselves, relishing the excitement of Sunday’s 250-lap throw-down showdown is top priority. Short tracks have a history of igniting short tempers, but that has been less common in recent years at the NASCAR Cup Series level. Exclude North Wilkesboro from that list, where in 2024 Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (and teams) exchanged post-race fisticuffs. This year, there were fewer physical altercations, but perhaps equal frustrations.
“I did all I could do to hold him off, and he got under me and released the brake and gave me no option,” a frustrated Logano told FOX Sports. “Kind of just ran me up into the wall, and if I could’ve got to him, he was going around after a move like that. I just couldn’t get back to him.”
Bell, all smiles and $1 million richer, was taken aback by Logano’s vocal displeasure.
“Joey was frustrated? He was frustrated? That is interesting. I genuinely would not have guessed that,” Bell said. “I had got to him a couple times before, and he made it very difficult on me, as he should. I got my run, and I took the moment, as I should. Yeah, I don’t think that I did anything that Joey has not done, and I’ve seen Joey do much worse.”
MORE: Logano laments Bell’s move | Bell responds
Disagreements — on the track or off — are a signature part of short-track racing. The duo made contact numerous times without physically driving either competitor into the SAFER barrier. And the result was, in part, thanks to soft Goodyear tires that mattered on a newer-but-quickly-aging asphalt surface. After sitting dormant from NASCAR national series competition from 1997-2022, North Wilkesboro’s aging asphalt sat worn, abrasive and largely overtaken by nature. That necessitated a repave before the 2024 edition of the All-Star Race, but the new pavement seems to be wearing quickly — which often leads to good racing.
“I’d say this tire is fairly matched up with the track,” Phil Surgen, crew chief of Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, said. “The year of age on the track, I think, is probably a bigger factor than what the tire was this year. And I’d say, another couple years and this place is going to be really racy, although it looked pretty good tonight. You’ve got a couple of lanes, three-wide at times, so it’s getting there with a little more aging.”
Indeed, there were multiple three- and even four-wide battles for position throughout the four Cup Series races this weekend — two All-Star heat races on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s All-Star Open and All-Star Race. There was full contact between competitors who fought tooth and nail for any advantage they could find. But they could also race each other with respect through a dominant top lane and a workable bottom lane that allowed for consistent side-by-side opportunities. That rapid evolution of the track surprised even Adam Stevens, winning crew chief of Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
“I did not see the bottom groove being as competitive as it was this time around,” Stevens said. “It seemed like it migrated middle (to) top last year, and you kind of had to be good there. But this time around, it almost seemed like middle-top of (Turns) 1 and 2 and lower in 3 and 4 could have been preferred, and then out of nowhere, Larson starts running the Homestead line almost and making time.
“This place is aging quickly and aging well and it’s got a lot of character, obviously, in more ways than one, and it races really competitive and gives you a lot of opportunities to do different things with your car and the driver to do different things behind the wheel to affect the balance.”
Couple that with an electric energy and sold-out crowd in rustic Wilkes County, and it made for a show fans and drivers loved alike — even for drivers who didn’t take home the $1 million prize.
“It looked like a great race for the win. I wish I could have been a part of it,” said fifth-place finisher Chase Elliott. “I thought the race was much better this year than last year, so that was cool to see. We had another great crowd here, great environment, for an All-Star Race, so hopefully everyone enjoyed that.”
WATCH: Bell praises North Wilkesboro’s revival
Bell agreed, noting the atmosphere was “bumping” all weekend. But perhaps there is a place down the road for North Wilkesboro as a points race rather than an exhibition event. In its current form, North Wilkesboro weekend splits the Cup Series field into All-Stars — this year, 20 of them — and hopefuls — this year, 18 of them. A full 38-car field for 400 laps around one of the most historic tracks in stock-car racing’s arsenal could produce its own drama if given the chance.
“We need more events like this, more races like this,” Bell said. “I love that we revived this race track. And now with Rockingham getting revived and had an amazing Xfinity race, I think just continuing to go to different race tracks, that’s the key for success. You can’t just beat the same race tracks up over and over and go to them twice a year.
“So I think continuing to diversify the schedule, get to where we’re going to every venue one time a year, and you’re going to see the crowds engage and have awesome electricity throughout the races. And yeah, it really is awesome to be a part of.”
Logano, for his part, was less thrilled after Sunday’s race.
“I’m glad you had a blast,” he said. “I’m pissed off right now.”
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