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How do you qualify for 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race? Who has qualified for the race?

NASCAR is headed to North Wilkesboro Speedway for its annual All-Star Race. We break down the drivers who have already qualified in the 2023 field.

By David Fucillo
Cars race during the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on July 15, 2020 in Bristol, Tennessee. Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season has reached the halfway point and all-star weekend is upon us. The All-Star Race will run on Sunday, May 21 at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina. The track closed after the 1996 season and was reopened last year. This marks the first Cup Series race since then.

The All-Star Race is a unique race that includes qualifying by prior performance and qualifying during race week. Drivers pre-qualify for the 2023 All-Star Race if they won a single race in 2022 or any of the races through this past Sunday’s Goodyear 400. Additionally, drivers pre-qualify if they’ve ever won the All-Star Race and any NASCAR Cup champions who had attempted to qualify for every race in 2022.

Those conditions have allowed 22 drivers to qualify for the race heading into race week. That group includes the following:

  • Christopher Bell
  • Ryan Blaney
  • Alex Bowman
  • Chase Briscoe
  • Chris Buescher
  • Kyle Busch
  • William Byron
  • Ross Chastain
  • Austin Cindric
  • Austin Dillon
  • Chase Elliott
  • Denny Hamlin
  • Kevin Harvick
  • Erik Jones
  • Brad Keselowski
  • Kyle Larson
  • Joey Logano
  • Tyler Reddick
  • Daniel Suárez
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  • Martin Truex Jr.
  • Bubba Wallace

Those 22 drivers will compete on Friday in a “Pit Crew Challenge” to determine the starting lineups for a pair of heat races on Saturday. They’ll be split into two heats of 11 drivers to determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s Race. Heat 1 will establish the inside row of Sunday’s Race and heat 2 will establish the outside row of Sunday’s Race.

The rest of the field that did not pre-qualify, will attempt to earn one of three spots during the All-Star Open. They will set the Open starting lineup through the Pit Crew Challenge on Friday. The Open will take place on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET and the top two race finishers will qualify for the 8:00 p.m. All-Star Race. Additionally, the winner of the All-Star fan vote will be eligible to compete in the All-Star Race.

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