5 NASCAR drivers to look out for in the upcoming race at North Wilkesboro

Modified May 17, 2024 07:03 GMT

NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race — 5 drivers to see for the upcoming All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway

North Wilkesboro Speedway is set to host another edition of the NASCAR All-Star race. The 200-lap run returned to the 0.625-mile oval last year after a long hiatus since the last Cup Series race in 1996.

The race will witness 20 drivers, from which, 17 will be selected solely based on their standings. However, two of the remaining three cars will be the frontrunners during the Open run on Saturday and the 20th driver for the main race will not be decided based on points but on fans' votes. All the drivers will be battling for the $1 million prize money.

As the NASCAR fraternity eyes savoring the million-dollar 200-lap run, here's a list of the top 5 drivers with a high probability of raking the All-Star Race title.

#1. RFK Racing driver Brad Keselowski

Keselowski is naturally brimming with confidence, courtesy of the recent end of his dismal winless streak of 110 races at Darlington Raceway. Moreover, his five top-5s and six top-10s have placed him 11th in the rankings. After a poor footing in the initial races, the #6 Ford driver ramped up his game and started collecting top-5s and top-10s.

Keselowski could've won earlier but missed his ride to the victory lane for two consecutive times; at the Texas Motor Speedway and the Talladega Superspeedway.

#2. NASCAR's top-ranked driver Kyle Larson

The #5 Chevrolet driver is in his top form this season. Though there have been instances where Larson didn't clinch a promising result, his overall performance has been quite consistent and his two wins, six top-5s, and six top-10s from 13 runs serve as a testament to it.

Furthermore, the versatile HMS driver has three wins at the All-Star Race, with the most recent coming from last year, making him a favorable pick for another triumph at the 200-lap race.

#3. RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher

Buescher is one place short of his teammate Brad Keselowski in P12. However, from the start of 2024, the #17 Ford has consistently churned satisfactory results. After a poor Daytona 500 result, Buescher went on to bag five top-10s, from his next six NASCAR runs.

Moreover, the RFK Racing driver came inches close to his first win this season, but Kyle Larson stole the triumph by a bristle-thin margin of 0.001 seconds at Kansas Speedway. With that, the Texas native remains hungry for a win this year and his consistent form might help his pursuit of dominance.

#4. Team Penske driver Joey Logano

The #22 Ford Mustang driver has 13 starts in the All-Star Race and is well-versed in the strategies required to ace the million-dollar race. Logano finished inside the top 10 for nine consecutive times and has the longest active streak in the 200-lap run.

The majority of the 2024 season has not gone well for the Team Penske driver, but instances of his dominance became evident in a few races. So, another influx of superiority is what Logano needs at the North Wilkesboro Speedway to end the unwanted winless streak. Joey Logano is placed 17th in the rankings and has just met the threshold for a direct entry into the All-Star Race.

#5. 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace

Bubba Wallace at the Würth 400 - Practice

According to NASCAR's All-Star Race Fan vote, the top five drivers picked by the fans are Alex Bowman, Noah Gragson, Carson Hocevar, Corey LaJoie, and Bubba Wallace.

The 23XI Racing driver concluded his 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season at career-best tenth place. Moreover, he was runner-up at the previous year's $1 million race, where he lost the highly-coveted battle to Kyle Larson and couldn't help but see the win going into the HMS driver's arsenal.

Bubba Wallace has bagged three top-5s and five top-10s and this year has seen the #23 Toyota driver performing better than the veteran Joey Logano. He had successives DNFs at the Talladega Motor Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway. However, the 30-year-old bounced back in Kansas with a 17th-place finish before ending seventh in Darlington.

Edited by Neelabhra Roy