Long: Is it time for North Wilkesboro to host a NASCAR Cup points race? Here's an idea

NBC Sports

19-05-2025

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Talk started this weekend and grew after 250 laps of the best racing on a short track that NASCAR Cup fans have seen this year.
Is it time for North Wilkesboro to host a points race and move the All-Star Race to another venue?
Brad Keselowski suggested this weekend that NASCAR do so. He said the All-Star Race should move to Charlotte Motor Speedway. And then, he said, get rid of the Roval race.
Ryan Blaney said after Sunday night's All-Star Race that he liked Keselowski's idea.
Dustin Long,
But let's hold off just yet on moving the All-Star Race.
This was the second year since a repave. The track widened Sunday and the racing showed with an All-Star record 18 lead changes. The track should continue to get better.
'I thought the race tonight was really, really good,' Kyle Busch told NBC Sports. 'Put on a good show. There was actually a pass for the lead in the final 30 laps.'
Busch would like to see the All-Star Race remain at North Wilkesboro.
'I think it's good right now,' he said. 'Let's leave it good for as long as it is.'
Nate Ryan,
So, here's a thought.
Keep the All-Star Race in North Wilkesboro another year. NASCAR can then give this historic track in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains a points race in 2027.
That could allow NASCAR to move the All-Star Race to Bowman Gray Stadium, giving that track an event in May the week before the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
NASCAR then could move the season-opening Clash to another location, possibly an international destination. With no races before the Clash and a weekend off between it and the Daytona 500, NASCAR would have the flexibility to move the Clash outside the United States, a concept series officials want to do.
Also, making this change in 2027 gives NASCAR an additional year to figure out what track would lose a points race to North Wilkesboro. Much work has already gone into next year's schedule at this point.
Let's be honest, a short track should host the All-Star Race. The fans are close to the track and provide an energy and vibe that is harder for bigger tracks to replicate even with more people in the stands.
The All-Star Race is about energy. Drivers are introduced to fans while a DJ plays music and flames shoot skyward. At North Wilkesboro, drivers and their pit crews walk to the stands, high-fiving fans and throwing hats into the crowd.
North Wilkesboro is legendary for its fan interaction, whether it was fans tossing chicken bones after they finished eating to cheering local hero Junior Johnson's drivers.
'Man, they show up, and it's just absolutely incredible,' All-Star Race winner Christopher Bell said of the North Wilkesboro crowd.
'We go out for driver intros and the place was packed. … We need more events like this, more races like this. I love that we revived this racetrack, and now with Rockingham getting revived and had an amazing Xfinity race. I think just continuing to go to different racetracks, that's the key for success.
'You can't just beat the same racetracks up over and over and go to them twice a year. I think continuing to diversify the schedule, get to where we're going to every venue one time a year, and I think 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.'
Imagine what it could be like for a points race.