Latest news with #NorthWilkesboro
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
NASCAR driver threatens rival after crash at All-Star race: 'I'm gonna beat his a**'
Just a few days before arguably the biggest weekend in all of motorsport, the NASCAR All-Star Race produced some tension between two drivers. The race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday night saw a heated confrontation between Ty Dillon and Zane Smith. Smith qualified sixth for the All-Star Open race while Dillon qualified tenth, but both cars ran in the top-five for a large portion of the 100-lap race. However, late in the proceedings, with Dillon ahead of Smith coming out of turn 4, the two cars made contact. While neither car was dumped out of the race, Dillon believed that Smith's actions cost him position. Dillon finished third in the All-Star Open race, three spots ahead of Smith. Dillon, the driver of the No. 10 Chevrolet, was none too pleased about his opponent's driving style - confronting him on pit lane before speaking to reporters. 'If he wrecks me again I'm just going to beat his ass.' Ty Dillon is not happy with Zane Smith — Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) May 18, 2025 NASCAR driver Ty Dillon had words for racing rival Zane Smith after the All-Star Open Sunday 'Coming off (Turn) 4, I think I gave him plenty of room, and he just doors me halfway down the straightaway. … There's something about the younger guys in the sport now. They never had to deal with consequences,' he said, via Dirty Mo Media. 'So, what I told him was if he wrecks me again, I'm just gonna beat his a--.' Smith heard Dillon's comments and responded to the post on X, writing, 'Ain't beating nobody's a**.' This coming weekend is a big one for NASCAR as it hosts the final race in the 'Big Three' races typically held over Memorial Day weekend. While the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 typically grab the headlines, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway tests drivers with varying track conditions throughout the longest race on the NASCAR calendar.
Fox News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Ty Dillon threatens fellow NASCAR driver after All-Star Open race
NASCAR Cup Series drivers Ty Dillon and Zane Smith built up some tension between themselves during All-Star Race festivities at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday night. Dillon finished in third place in the All-Star Open, six spots ahead of Smith. Unfortunately, neither driver made it to the final All-Star Race as Carson Hocevar and John Hunter Nemechek finished first and second, respectively, and earned a shot to win the $1 million grand prize. Dillon took issue with how Smith was driving and suggested it cost him a spot in the final race of the night. He was asked what he told Smith after the race. "Coming off (Turn) 4, I think I gave him plenty of room, and he just doors me halfway down the straightaway. … There's something about the younger guys in the sport now. They never had to deal with consequences," he said, via Dirty Mo Media. "So, what I told him was if he wrecks me again, I'm just gonna beat his a--." Smith responded in a post on X. "Ain't beating nobody's a--," he wrote. The next race for the NASCAR Cup Series is the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night. It was one of the most anticipated races on the Cup Series schedule. All eyes will be on Dillon and Smith to see if there's any kind of retaliation. Smith is ahead of Dillon in the points standings going into the race. He sits at 22nd, and Dillon is in 30th. Christopher Bell won the NASCAR All-Star Race and secured the $1 million prize. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Drivers say North Wilkesboro Speedway deserves Cup points race after All-Star Race success
For his first act as a NASCAR All-Star Race champion , Christopher Bell chose to praise the revitalized 78-year-old racetrack that delivered a memorable night of racing. 'Let's go!' Bell shouted to roaring approval from a capacity crowd of 25,000 as he made the case Sunday night during his frontstretch celebration that North Wilkesboro Speedway was due a Cup Series points race.
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
North Wilkesboro, after NASCAR All-Star Race success, has a good kind of problem
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — As NASCAR has expanded into new markets over the past few years, some of these additions have seen fan support taper off by the third year, the shiny new toys losing their luster. North Wilkesboro Speedway found itself in similar territory this weekend. The rustic short track, once left for dead only to be brought back to life, hosted NASCAR's non-points All-Star Race for a third consecutive year. Would fans continue to pack the place as they did when NASCAR first returned after a nearly 20-year absence and make it the exception to the rule? Advertisement This question was answered emphatically Sunday night, even before Christopher Bell outdueled Joey Logano in the closing laps to claim the $1 million winner's prize. The sold-out crowd was amped during pre-race ceremonies, singing along to various songs over the public address system and loudly cheering and booing during driver intros. Then came the race itself, which more than delivered. 'For the third straight year, we've had tremendous support from fans not only in North Carolina but around the world who are captivated by the return of North Wilkesboro Speedway to the NASCAR circuit,' said Speedway Motorsports president and CEO Marcus Smith, whose company owns the facility. 'Like Lambeau Field to football and Fenway Park to baseball, North Wilkesboro Speedway has become America's throwback racetrack.' If the idea is that the All-Star Race is supposed to be a special event that causes the crowd to be juiced to another level while also producing a stirring race, then Sunday night's 250-lapper certainly checked these boxes. North Wilkesboro proved to be a worthy ongoing host, erasing the skepticism a track often faces in its critical third year, which heavily factors into whether it sticks around on the Cup Series schedule. Going forward, the question surrounding North Wilkesboro isn't about whether it should remain as host for the All-Star Race, but whether it should host something bigger — a points race. 'I think it deserves it,' Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman said. 'I'm sure it has its challenges to pull it off, but it's a great racetrack. It's got a great vibe, and it's a special place.' Many others shared Bowman's sentiment throughout the weekend, and this was before the green flag even waved on the main event. Moving forward, expect this drumbeat to grow louder. Even the FS1 broadcast got in on it, with commentators Mike Joy, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer stumping for this to happen. "NORTH WILKESBORO – BEST SHORT TRACK ON THE SCHEDULE."- Christopher Bell after his All-Star win — FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 19, 2025 Bringing a points race to a new track is rarely straightforward. There is, however, a realistic path for North Wilkesboro. As NASCAR has worked to overhaul its calendar over the last five-plus years, decision-makers have learned that the sport is best with a schedule featuring greater variety in the tracks across the 38-race schedule (36 points races and two exhibitions). They've also become more amenable to making bold changes. Advertisement This mindset already worked in North Wilkesboro's favor in 2023, when the track landed the All-Star Race, something few thought possible. Similar thinking would need to happen this go-round too. With the Cup schedule already at capacity, adding a new track somewhere requires a spot to be cleared. And this is where it gets complicated. NASCAR isn't likely to shift a date from one of the tracks it owns to an outside company, not when each date is worth millions and millions in television dollars and they're exploring other markets. This means, in all likelihood, Speedway Motorsports would need to shift one of the 15 dates it has within its portfolio. These 15 races are held at one of 10 tracks the company owns outright and another at a venue it rents, Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. A frequent suggestion is to shift the spring race at nearby Bristol Motor Speedway to North Wilkesboro. Attendance has been so-so at the Tennessee short track, and recent racing has left something to be desired. But, again, there are complications. Although Bristol's spring race may appear to have sparse crowds, this is somewhat deceiving. The venue can accommodate 140,000-plus spectators, so a race at Bristol that is only one-third full will still outdraw a sellout at North Wilkesboro, where the max capacity is somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000. (Speedway Motorsports is a privately owned company and doesn't release its exact attendance figures.) There are other factors in play too. NASCAR already has several races in the Mid-Atlantic region, with eight tracks (Atlanta, Bowman Gray, Bristol, Charlotte, Darlington, Martinsville, North Wilkesboro and Richmond) hosting a combined 13 races. Bristol also has strong corporate support in the form of Food City, which since 1992 has served as entitlement sponsor for the spring race — the second-longest active race sponsorship. COTA is widely considered the likeliest candidate to move, since its contract with Speedway Motorsports is up for renewal, but this confined geographical setup makes moving a race from Texas to North Wilkesboro a head-scratcher. Advertisement 'Whatever Marcus wants, it's his place,' Trackhouse driver Ross Chastain said. 'So if he wants to go to NASCAR and pitch something; I'm sure there's a lot more than just saying, What do we want?' It's up to the track owners and promoters and our sanctioning body, so for me to even begin to comment, I'm like, 'Whatever they want to do.' But that was a great race. We definitely better keep coming back here.' It's a good problem to have for North Wilkesboro. Definitely better than what would've likely come if Sunday's race failed to produce strong ticket sales and a solid race. Instead, the fans showed out, the racing delivered, and North Wilkesboro's spot on the Cup schedule — one way or another — is very much secure. (Top photo of Sunday's NASCAR All-Star Race: David Jensen / Getty Images)
Associated Press
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Associated Press
Drivers say North Wilkesboro Speedway deserves Cup points race after All-Star Race success
For his first act as a NASCAR All-Star Race champion, Christopher Bell chose to praise the revitalized 78-year-old racetrack that delivered a memorable night of racing. 'Let's go!' Bell shouted to roaring approval from a capacity crowd of 25,000 as he made the case Sunday night during his frontstretch celebration that North Wilkesboro Speedway was due a Cup Series points race. 'The best short track in NASCAR,' Bell said. 'It is absolutely incredible. It's just going to get better and better. Man, that was an amazing race.' In its third edition as host of the $1 million exhibition event, the speedway produced All-Star Race records for lead changes (18) and green-flag passes for the lead (59) as its remarkable rebirth continued from a dilapidated and rotting hulk just three years ago. Speedway Motorsports announced that grandstand seating and premium hospitality were sold out for the 41st All-Star Race, which drew fans from 43 states and nine countries to North Wilkesboro, which is 80 miles north of Charlotte. SMI president and CEO Marcus Smith proclaimed that 'like Lambeau Field to football and Fenway Park to baseball, North Wilkesboro Speedway has become America's throwback racetrack.' Bell was among several drivers who say the short track deserves its first Cup Series points race in 30 years when NASCAR releases its 2026 schedule, which is expected in a few months. 'I don't see why not,' seven-time most popular driver winner Chase Elliott said about the possibility after finishing fifth. 'I think it's plenty capable of hosting, and obviously, the crowd seems extremely receptive to the idea, too. Whatever NASCAR decides on that, I'm good with. It put on a good race for sure, so it's hard to argue against that.' Aside from a smattering of minor-league races in 2010-11, North Wilkesboro Speedway had sat dormant since Jeff Gordon won its most recent Cup race on Sept. 29, 1996. A $20 million renovation ( spurred by federal funding from the American Rescue Plan ) began in 2022 and led to being awarded the 2023 All-Star Race. Its first two All-Star Races were lackluster, but North Wilkesboro's racing came to life Sunday. The 0.625-mile oval's surface has widened into multiple lanes since a repaving last year, and Sunday's race featured 1,426 green-flag passes that electrified the jammed grandstands. 'Man, they show up,' Bell said. 'We go out for driver intros, and the place was packed. It's just bumping. We need more events like this.' Joe Gibbs, whose team scored its third All-Star Race victory with Bell joining previous winners Kyle Busch in 2015 and Denny Hamlin in 2017, credited Smith and support from the community for putting the track in line for points race consideration. 'I won't be making that decision,' Gibbs said. 'But I think the way this race turned out and the crowd and everything, that'll have a lot to do with it.' Budding rivalry Already sour about a 'Promoter's Caution' that erased his late lead and left him vulnerable on older tires, runner-up Joey Logano took issue with Bell's winning pass in the No. 20 Toyota. After the drivers made contact that squeezed his No. 22 Ford into the outside wall with nine laps remaining, Logano vowed retaliation if he'd been able to catch Bell. 'I did all I could do to hold him off, and he got under me and released the brake and gave me no option,' said Logano, who led a race-high 139 of 250 laps. 'If I could've got to him, he was going around after a move like that. I just couldn't get back to him. Just frustrated after you lead so many laps, and the car is so fast, and you don't win. It hurts quite a bit.' Bell was bemused by Logano's frustration. 'I had got to him a couple times before, and he made it very difficult on me, as he should,' Bell said. 'I got my run, and I took the moment, as I should. I don't think that I did anything that Joey has not done, and I've seen Joey do much worse. We will continue on.' Notable With top-five finishes by Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott, Chevrolet beat Ford and Toyota to win the All-Star Race's first 'Manufacturer's Showdown' that was based on the combined results for each automaker. … Jon Edwards, the former PR rep for Kyle Larson who died last month, was honored with 'The Byrnsie Award' that is voted on by Fox's NASCAR broadcast team in tribute to late broadcaster Steve Byrnes. Fox has presented the award since 2016 to celebrate those who embody Byrnes' principles of preparation, teamwork and family. ___ AP auto racing:
