PREVIEW: Late model stars look to climb NASCAR ranks at North Wilkesboro
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: MBM Motorsports, @MBMMotorsports
Saturday, May 18, 2024 (1:30 P.M. ET, FS1)
TRUCKS Race 10 of 23
Wright Brand 250 at North Wilkesboro
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Johnny Sauter
ENTRY LIST
Testing the North Wilkesboro track’s new pavement for the first time will be the Truck Series, which sees 37 drivers attempting the 36-truck field, meaning one will fail to qualify.
DRIVER CHANGE: #1-TRICON Garage
CARS Tour standout Brenden “Butterbean” Queen seeks his NASCAR national series debut on Saturday as he takes the place of 7th-place Darlington finisher Colby Howard in TRICON’s #1 Toyota. Queen carries sponsorship from Best Repair Company.
DRIVER CHANGE: #7-Spire Motorsports
With the XFINITY Series off this week, JR Motorsports driver Sammy Smith brings his Pilot / Flying J sponsorship seeking his third Truck Series start and first since his series-best 8th at Martinsville earlier this year. As at Martinsville, Smith drives Spire Motorsports’ flagship #7, the team which saw Kyle Busch score his first Truck Series last-place finish last Friday in Darlington.
RETURNING: #14-Trey Hutchens Racing
Trey Hutchens and his Quality Roof Seamers Chevrolet return to the circuit for the first time since mid-race suspension issues left him 35th in Bristol. Should he qualify, this will be his 13th series start and the first time since 2021 that he’s started more than one Truck Series race in a season.
RETURNING: #16-Hattori Racing Enterprises
Shigeaki Hattori’s Truck Series team has been missing from the garage since last fall’s Phoenix finale, where Tyler Ankrum finished 22nd in the flagship #16 with Jake Drew 33rd in the #61. The #16 makes its first attempt of the season with no less than Cup veteran Aric Almirola, whose last Truck Series start was on November 2, 2012, when he finished 9th at Texas. Toyota Tsusho is the listed sponsor.
DRIVER CHANGE: #22-Reaume Brothers Racing
After Mason Maggio came home 27th in Darlington, there was no driver listed for the Reaume team’s #22 entry. That changed by midweek as team owner Josh Reaume himself will pilot the Ford, which will be sponsored by Matrix CAD Design. This will be Reaume’s first start of the season and 75th of his career. He most recently finished 33rd last fall on the Milwaukee Mile.
RETURNING: #26-Rackley-W.A.R.
The Rackley-W.A.R. effort fields their second entry, the #26, for the first time since the 2022 race at Pocono. Joining full-timer Ty Dillon in the #25 is Dawson Sutton, who races Rackley’s late models. The 18-year-old from Lebanon, Tennessee seeks his Truck Series debut in his first attempt.
RETURNING: #75-Henderson Motorsports
One week after serving as Corey LaJoie’s spotter in the Cup race at Darlington, Stefan Parsons and the Henderson team return to action for the first time since a 9th-place showing in Texas.
WITHDREW: #90-Terry Carroll Motorsports
Justin S. Carroll was set to return for his third race of the 2024 season and first since his 32nd-place run in Martinsville, but the team withdrew by Thursday, trimming the entry list from 38 to 37.
RETURNING: #04-Roper Racing
Still another upstart from the late model ranks seeks his NASCAR national series debut this weekend. Clayton Green of Marble Falls, Texas has raced with limited sponsorship, but this time runs with Carquest sponsorship on Cory Roper’s #04 Chevrolet. The team finished last in this race last year when Johnny Sauter suffered an electrical fire.
CUP INVADERS: #45-Ross Chastain
Saturday, May 18, 2024 (5:20 P.M. ET, FS1)
CUP Exhibition Race
NASCAR All-Star Heat Races 1 and 2 at North Wilkesboro
2023 Last-Place Finishers: Erik Jones (Heat 1), Tyler Reddick (Heat 2)
ENTRY LIST
These 17 already locked-in drivers – including last Sunday’s winner Brad Keselowski – will participate in a pair of 60-lap heat races. Heat Race 1, which will start at 5:20 P.M. ET, will set the inside line of the 200-lap All-Star Main Event on Sunday. Heat Race 2, set for approximately 6:15 P.M. ET, forms up the outside line. Noticeably absent from these races will be Chicago Street Course winner Shane van Gisbergen, who does not plan to participate. Kevin Harvick will shake down Kyle Larson’s car as Larson attempts to qualify for his first Indianapolis 500.
#1-Ross Chastain
#5-Kyle Larson
#6-Brad Keselowski
#8-Kyle Busch
#9-Chase Elliott
#11-Denny Hamlin
#12-Ryan Blaney
#16-A.J. Allmendinger
#17-Chris Buescher
#19-Martin Truex Jr.
#20-Christopher Bell
#22-Joey Logano
#24-William Byron
#34-Michael McDowell
#45-Tyler Reddick
#47-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
#99-Daniel Suarez
Sunday, May 19, 2024 (5:30 P.M. ET, FS1)
CUP Exhibition Race
NASCAR All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Chandler Smith
ENTRY LIST
In this 100-lap race, the following 20 drivers will compete to either be one of the top two finishing drivers or the top fan vote winner. Those three drivers will transfer into the 200-lap main event that will be run later on Sunday night. The only “open” team joining the action this year is Motorsports Business Management, which brings Timmy Hill back to the #66 Ford which last ran at Martinsville.
#2-Austin Cindric
#3-Austin Dillon
#4-Josh Berry
#7-Corey LaJoie
#10-Noah Gragson
#14-Chase Briscoe
#15-Kaz Grala
#21-Harrison Burton
#23-Bubba Wallace
#31-Daniel Hemric
#38-Todd Gilliland
#41-Ryan Preece
#42-John Hunter Nemechek
#43-Erik Jones
#48-Alex Bowman
#51-Justin Haley
#54-Ty Gibbs
#66-Timmy Hill
#71-Zane Smith
#77-Carson Hocevar
Sunday, May 19, 2024 (8:00 P.M. ET, FS1)
CUP Exhibition Race
NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
ENTRY LIST
The 17 locked-in drivers, plus the top two finishers of Sunday’s Open race and the Fan Vote Winner will comprise the 20-car field for this 200-lap main event. The winner receives the $1 million prize.
Saturday, May 25, 2024
XFINITY Race 12 of 33
BetMGM 300 at Charlotte
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Parker Kligerman
The XFINITY Series takes the All-Star weekend off and returns to action for Memorial Day with a “Drivers Only” broadcast.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (May 17, 1987): Trevor Boys becomes the first last-place finisher of the Winston Open at Charlotte when his #08 Broadway Motors Chevrolet loses the transmission after completing just the opening lap. Boys was also the inaugural last-place finisher of the Atlanta Invitational the previous year.
