#SrigleyStats Weekend Recap: North Wilkesboro Speedway
Taking a look back at an old-school weekend of racing at North Wilkesboro Raceway, as the track hosts its first NASCAR events since 1996.
Photo Credit: Jonathan McCoy, TobyChristie.com
If you were under the impression that Throwback Weekend at Darlington was old-school, then you probably lost your mind during All-Star Weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where NASCAR hosted its first events at the track since 1996.
The worn-our surface made for some incredible racing, but also provided us with a weekend dominated by 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson, who captured the victory in both events this weekend.
For those looking for the #SrigleyStats Sheet, don’t worry, that will be released to paid subscribers later this week! If you’re interested in gaining access to the #SrigleyStats Sheet, you can subscribe for $5/month or $50/year, down below:
NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway - Top-10:
#5 - Kyle Larson - Hendrick Motorsports
#23 - Bubba Wallace - 23XI Racing
#45 - Tyler Reddick - 23XI Racing
#14 - Chase Briscoe - Stewart-Haas Racing
#9 - Chase Elliott - Hendrick Motorsports
#12 - Ryan Blaney - Team Penske
#99 - Daniel Suarez - Trackhouse Racing
#43 - Erik Jones - LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
#54 - Ty Gibbs - Joe Gibbs Racing
#22 - Joey Logano - Team Penske
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series - Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro - Top-10:
#7 - Kyle Larson - Spire Motorsports
#98 - Ty Majeski - ThorSport Racing
#25 - Matt DiBenedetto - Rackley WAR
#42 - Carson Hocevar - Niece Motorsports
#1 - Bubba Wallace - TRICON Garage
#11 - Corey Heim - TRICON Garage
#88 - Matt Crafton - ThorSport Racing
#4 - Chase Purdy - Kyle Busch Motorsports
#41 - Ross Chastain - Niece Motorsports
#23 - Grant Enfinger - GMS Racing
#SrigleyStats Spotlight Driver - North Wilkesboro: Bubba Wallace
Photo Credit: Jonathan McCoy, TobyChristie.com
Before I get too deep into this, let me leave you a note. Kyle Larson was the obvious choice to be the Spotlight Driver this weekend at North Wilkesboro, considering he won both races dominantly. However, that seemed too on the nose.
So, this week’s #SrigleyStats Spotlight Driver is Bubba Wallace. As the series returned to North Wilkesboro, Wallace decided to run double-duty, picking up a ride with TRICON Garage for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tyson 250.
Driving the No. 1 Pristine Auction Toyota Tundra, Wallace showed pretty good speed and was looking likely to challenge for a top-10 result, but a strategy call by crew chief Seth Smith, put him in the lead in the race’s closing laps, but on older tires.
Wallace would manage to pull off a fifth-place finish, the first top-five for TRICON’s fifth part-time entry all season, and would gain himself momentum heading to the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday.
Much like Saturday, Wallace’s crew chief, Bootie Barker, played strategy, electing to put new tires on when the race’s only non-competition caution was shown at Lap 17, allowing him to drive to second place by the race’s halfway break.
The Mobile, Alabama native then kept his car at the front of the pack and was easily the “best of the rest” losing to only Kyle Larson, although in the biggest margin of victory in the history of the NASCAR All-Star Race.
Plus, this week, he won a Sports Emmy! I can’t argue against that.
Kyle Larson was strong at North Wilkesboro - despite his lack of experience at the 0.620-mile facility - leading the most laps in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events, and winning in both.
So, there isn’t a surprised person reading this to learn that when Larson crossed the start-finish line at the end of the NASCAR All-Star Race, he did it by 4.537 seconds, the largest margin of victory in All-Star history.