This article is part of our NASCAR Barometer series.
The second All-Star Race weekend hosted at North Wilkesboro Speedway was nearly a washout with most on-track activity cancelled in the days leading up to Sunday's events. With the preliminary heat races scrapped, the field was set through qualifying and the drivers would largely have to learn their way through the races on Sunday. The new track surface, along with a trial "option" tire from Goodyear, were meant to spice up the action and encourage passing on the tight oval. Instead, the winners of the Open and All-Star Races led all but one of the 300 laps raced. While the effect wasn't what NASCAR and Goodyear hoped to produce, Joey Logano wasn't complaining. He led 199 of 200 laps to dominate the marquee event to claim the million-dollar prize. It wasn't the points win that would earn him a spot in the playoffs, but it is still a signal of improvement from the No. 22 and the Ford contingent more broadly.
The regular season resumes this week at Charlotte Motor Speedway with NASCAR's longest race. Logano's Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney took the checkered flag in last year's race, and Penske will hope their good fortune continues into the biggest weekend in racing. The organization locked out the front row for the Indy 500 for the first time since 1988 and then put Logano in Victory Lane just hours later Sunday night. Team Penske swept victories at Indianapolis and Charlotte last season, and their success this past week suggests they may be able to do it again in 2024.
UPGRADE
Joey Logano - Logano started on pole and dominated Sunday night's All-Star Race, pocketing a million-dollar prize for the effort. He led all but one of the 200 laps to earn his first win of the season. While the win doesn't come along with the guaranteed playoff spot he is hunting, the paycheck that comes with the All-Star win is an extremely valuable prize. He credited the laps the team spent testing tires at the track, along with swift pit work during the race, for the victory and will attempt to use the breakthrough to reverse the circumstances that have kept him out of Victory Lane in points races this season. Logano has one Charlotte victory and an average finish of 13.1 from his 25 career starts. He finished 21st in last year's 600-mile race. HIs last top-10 at the track came in 2020, and his best finish in the last three races there is 17th.
Denny Hamlin - Hamlin was the early favorite to win at North Wilkesboro. Unfortunately, his qualifying effort of 11th, coupled with the difficulty of completing passes, meant Hamlin spent too much of the night clawing his way forward. Had he been closer to the front from the beginning, Hamlin might have had a better chance at the win, but he and the team had to settle for second place when all was said and done. Despite not winning, this driver and team continue to be among the fastest in the field and will likely be one of the favorites again this coming week, too. Hamlin won the 600-mile race at Charlotte just two seasons ago, and he also has an impressive 20 top-10 finishes at the track from 32 career starts. He also led 20 laps in last year's race before a tangle with Chase Elliott near the halfway mark ended his chances of another top finish.
Ty Gibbs - Gibbs leapt out to a comfortable lead from pole in Sunday's All-Star Open, going on to dominate the race to win and transfer into his second All-Star Race. He led all 100 laps of the prequel to Sunday's big show before finishing 13th in the main event. He might have been able to finish even higher, but a bump from Kyle Busch in the second half of the race sent the No. 54 car spinning. Gibbs currently holds down the 10th playoff position in the regular-season standings and is working to guarantee that position with a victory. The team has come close early in 2024 and will continue that charge when the chase for points resumes this coming week at Charlotte. Gibbs has one prior 600 start, last season. He started 19th and finished 26th, but he does claim an average finish of 2.7 with a win from three Xfinity Series races at the track.
Bubba Wallace - Wallace qualified on the second row for the All-Star Open. That track position, plus a good car and driving, enabled him to move forward to second place for the finish, which was enough to secure a spot in the main event. Wallace flexed some muscle in the main event, too. Despite starting all the way back in 19th position, Wallace finished sixth. He was the biggest mover in the race, climbing 13 positions to nearly finish in the top five. Wallace's best Charlotte finish came last season when he finished fourth. His average finish at the track prior to that was just 26.3, three finishes of which were DNFs. Wallace is in a tight battle for the 16th and final playoff position. He is six points behind Chase Briscoe and on the outside looking in. Another top-five at Charlotte might be enough to help close that gap.
Kyle Larson - Larson might have been at a disadvantage for not practicing his car at North Wilkesboro due to his qualifying effort for the Indy 500, but the effects weren't noticeable. Kevin Harvick filled in at the NASCAR event Friday while Larson proceeded to qualify fifth in his first outing in the IndyCar Series and the famous race. After hopping out of his car at Indianapolis, Larson made his way to North Wilkesboro in time to start the All-Star Race. Despite starting 12th and the track being very difficult to pass on, Larson climbed into the top three with less than 20 laps remaining and finished fourth after losing a late spot to Chris Buescher. Larson's weekend efforts show how competitive he can be on any type of track in any type of car. The big prizes are at stake this coming week, though. Larson will be the first to attempt the double since Kurt Busch did it in 2014.
DOWNGRADE
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - While trying to make ground up at the start, Stenhouse took an opening in the middle of a three-wide battle on the first lap. On his outside, Kyle Busch slid into the outside wall and ricocheted back into Stenhouse's No. 47 machine. The contact angered Busch, who then tracked down Stenhouse to hit him from behind. That punt sent Stenhouse into an overcorrection, crashing the car hard into the outside wall and ending his night. Stenhouse drove his car to pit lane, parked his car in Busch's pit, and then waited for Busch by the haulers after the race. After some discussion, Stenhouse took a swing at the former champion, igniting a brief brawl. The pair will need to refocus ahead of resuming the regular season at Charlotte, though. Stenhouse has been pretty good at the oval in the past with five top-10 finishes from the last seven visits.
William Byron - A slight bump in the track off of turn exit caused Byron to get loose and smack the outside wall, bending a toe link and sending him to pit road for repairs. While the crew was able to make the fix, Byron was significantly behind when he returned to action. He finished 14 laps behind the leader in 19th in a dismal night for the No. 24 squad. The good news is that Sunday's trouble doesn't impact the team's position in the championship. With three 2024 wins so far this season, is going to the playoffs. The team will need to be careful that poor finishes like Sunday's don't carry over into that push, though. At Charlotte, the team has been fast. Byron started inside the top five in five of seven races there, including three pole positions. He has never converted those starts into a win, but he did lead 91 laps in a runner-up finish last season.
Austin Cindric - Contact with the outside wall in Sunday's Open ended Cindric's chances of advancing to the All-Star Race and extended his string of poor finishes. While Sunday's events were not a points-paying affair, the weekend could have been a way to gain some momentum before returning focus to the championship this coming week at Charlotte. Cindric sits 20th in the standings, 90 points away from playoff positions. His 20th-place finish in the Open was also his fourth finish of 20th or lower from the last five. He has just one top-10 finish still this season, which was a fourth-place finish all the way back at Atlanta in February. His best finish since then was 15th last month at Dover. Cindric's average Charlotte finish from two series tries is also a lowly 32.5. Fantasy players would be advised to look elsewhere until Cindric and his No. 2 team begin turning their trajectory around.
Brad Keselowski - A week after snagging his breakthrough win at Darlington, Keselowski was on track for another top finish in the All-Star Race. The owner/driver put his car on the front row in qualifying and then proceeded to race among the frontrunners throughout the night. In the final laps, things came unraveled, though. In the dying miles of the race, Keselowski fell through the field to be the last finisher on the lead lap in 16th position. He and teammate Chris Buescher both stayed out on old tires versus pitting on their final chance of the night, and the move just didn't pay off for the No. 6. Keselowski will look to put that last green-flag run behind him and get back to Victory Lane again in Charlotte. He has two prior wins at the track, including the 2020 Coca-Cola 600. He had a quick car last year to qualify third but was only able to finish 19th in the race.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Justin Haley - Despite coming up short in his bid to transfer into the All-Star Race, Haley still put on an impressive display Sunday afternoon. The Rick Ware Racing driver was lacluster in qualifying, starting just 16th among 20 cars. However, Halley surged forward when the racing began. He finished the 100-lap event in fourth position as one of the biggest movers in the race. In short, it has been a good few weeks for Haley, who scored his first top-10 of the season at Darlington and then backed it up by nearly advancing in the All-Star Open. The team is finding its groove and it will be interesting to see how long they can keep this streak going. Haley has just three prior Charlotte starts with an average finish of 23.3. He finished 15th in last year's race, which could suggest the potential that this good form extends another week for the No. 51.
