There's a distinct possibility that the fastest pit crew in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, might not even get a chance to display their speed in Sunday's NASCAR All-Star Race.
Posting a time of 13.012 seconds, Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 54 Toyota Camry TRD crew posted the quickest time in Friday's Pit Crew Challenge, earning themselves a $100,000 bonus.
Alongside that six-figure cash bonus, the quick time will ensure that Gibbs starts on pole for Sunday's 100-lap All-Star Open at the historic 0.625-mile facility.
Daniel Suarez and Trackhouse Racing posted the second-fastest time in Friday's Pit Crew Challenge at 13.297 seconds, which will put the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro on pole for Heat #1.
Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Briscoe will complete the top-five starters in the first of two heat races.
Posting the third-quickest time in Friday's gauntlet of pit crews, Chris Buescher and RFK Racing will start from the pole in Heat #2 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Austin Dillon, William Byron, Ross Chastain, and Kyle Larson earned top-five starting spots in the second and final heat race, based on their times in the Pit Crew Challenge.
Josh Berry, whose No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports crew posted the fifth-best time overall in Friday's pit stop competition, will start on the outside of the front row for Sunday's All-Star Open.
Corey LaJoie (9th), Harrison Burton (11th), and Justin Haley (12th) will complete the top-five starters in the 100-lap qualifier, which allows drivers to punch their tickets into the NASCAR All-Star Race.
Of the 37 driver-team combinations that took a stab at securing the $100,000 bonus, 10 of them received a five-second time penalty, for mistakes made on pit road.
Brad Keselowski (RFK), Ryan Blaney (Penske), Chandler Smith (Kaulig), Christopher Bell (Gibbs), Ryan Newman (Ware), Noah Gragson (LEGACY MC), Tyler Reddick (23XI), and Erik Jones (LEGACY MC) were each penalized for having loose wheels.
Meanwhile, Kyle Busch (Childress) and JJ Yeley (Ware)were penalized for the crew jumping over the pit wall too soon. With five-second penalties applied, the best of those drivers ranked 27th overall.
Image Courtesy of Will Bellamy, Racing America
