NASCAR NOTES: Kyle Larson scores $1 million All-Star win at North Wilkesboro

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Bob Pocras

Fox NASCAR Insider

NORTH WILKESBORO, NC – The venue was all-star Sunday night.

North Wilkesboro Speedway, which is another PLAIt hosted a NASCAR Cup Series event in 1996was electric for NASCAR All-Star Racea million dollar winning exhibition event featuring race winners from the past 15 months and past champions.

Kyle Larson He was the only driver who seemed to have a spark like him He led the last 96 laps and 145 of the 146 starts in a 200-lap race in front of a sold-out crowd of about 30,000.

“The atmosphere was amazing, and the racing was fast as well,” said Larson. “It was fun. It was fun that my car was so good. It was just an amazing night.”

Takeaway from the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s victory as he crosses the finish line ahead of his 23XI Racing teammates Bubba Wallace And Tyler Reddick. Chase Briscoe was the fourth and Chase Elliott was the fifth.

Larson is very dominant

The 2021 Cup Champion won the All-Star Race for the third time in his career, with a lap of 4.537 seconds.

“It’s great to be so dominant and to kind of do it like you’ve seen people dominate the races in the ’80s and ’90s,” said Larson.

He pitted about 15 laps under caution and had to go to the rear due to a speeding penalty, but quickly made his way through the field, having 12 laps to go when a competition caution was called out on lap 100.

Kyle Larson Cruises

Check out the final laps of the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Larson never gave up the lead except when pitting under a competition caution.

“When I was licking people, I could get in [to the corner] Very quickly upon entering,” Larson said.

Wallace said there wasn’t much he could do to catch Larson.

“He pulled away on that restart [after the competition caution]Wallace said “Could I have been more aggressive and got away from him? I don’t think it would have mattered.

“I think he would have come back across the field.”

23XI Racing is getting close

Wallace and Reddick didn’t have quite as much as Larson, but to put the 23XI race cars second and third it should be considered a strong day.

“We didn’t have the full potential that we needed,” Wallace said. “Get out of here again? We’ll take her.”

Riddick said he would have liked to see what he could have done if he hadn’t been swamped by traffic.

Highlights of the NASCAR All-Star Race

Returning to North Wilkesboro for the NASCAR All-Star Race was a weekend to remember as Kyle Larson dominated for the win.

“It was good,” Riddick said. “It would have been interesting to see if the roles had been reversed, what would have happened if we were up front and he was trying to piss us off.

“Obviously they were really strong. They did a good job of running the field boldly. I should have been more aggressive on my end.”

McDowell Gibbs Tangle

In a race open to drivers who do not have an automatic bid to the main event, Ty Gibbs entered Michael McDowellwho then entered Justin Haley.

McDowell’s car was damaged and when T. Gibbs tried to lap him, McDowell pinched Gibbs near the inside wall but did not destroy him. Gibbs went on to finish second and advance to the main event while McDowell was eliminated.

“I’m just not going to wave it off,” McDowell said of the response strategy. “I’d have him roaming around outside and he’d still want to try to get through the bottom, which he’d put himself in, and I’d have to run him in the barrels.” [of sand by the inside wall] He described it as good.

Thoughts quick

Bob Pocras analyzes what should be next on the North Wilkesboro Expressway.

Gibbs said McDowell met him several weeks ago in Martinsville.

“I 100 percent understand his frustration,” Gibbs said. “I got him out of the way. They fenced us in and completely wrecked us for 18th at Martinsville out of nowhere. It’s just a learning experience,” he said.

McDowell said it will be over next week.

“He’s over it,” McDowell said. “I’ve been over it a hundred times. It’s not an earth-shaking thing. It just bugged me I was on the bad end.”

Bob Pokeras covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene, and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobocrassand subscribe to FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pokras.

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