NASCAR Cup Series
Ty Gibbs Secures All-Star Open Pole with Assist from Mother Nature
May 17, 2024
Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace, and Noah Gragson will round out the 20-driver field for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Gibbs, driving the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, advanced into the main event on Sunday by capturing a convincing victory in the NASCAR All-Star Open, leading every single lap en route to his second berth in the $1-million showcase.
The 21-year-old driver started the preliminary event from the pole after qualifying was axed on Friday when precipitation attacked the historic 0.625-mile short track, reverting the lineup to being set by driver points.
“Yeah, we were pretty good,” said Gibbs after the Open. “I feel like we were pretty solid, so it’s good to make it. Good to see Bubba [Wallace] make it too, I think Waltrip did it once. Be cool to go win a million bucks and go buy some sprint cars or something.”
The Charlotte, North Carolina native will join his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Martin Truex, Jr. in the NASCAR All-Star Race.
Wallace, who advanced to the All-Star Race with a runner-up result in the Open, putting his No. 23 Alltroo Toyota Camry XSE in the show, joining his teammate at 23XI Racing, Tyler Reddick.
“We are just lacking a little bit,” said Bubba Wallace. “It is definitely different – a different feel than what we had in practice. We have a little bit of time to make minimal changes and make it better. All-in-all, we are in the show. I appreciate [Alex Bowman] and [Josh Berry] running clean there. That was fun — that was short-track stuff, right there. We were able to sneak away there and hang on to second. That is the most stressful spot to be in.”
Last season, the Mobile, Alabama native finished in second place in the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race, after getting a penalty at the halfway point of the race and driving through the pack to finish behind only Kyle Larson.
Josh Berry was one spot short of advancing to the NASCAR All-Star Race, finishing in third, while fellow Ford Performance drivers Justin Haley and Noah Gragson rounded out the top five. Gragson, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, was successful in securing the Fan Vote.
After a valiant challenge for a transfer position, Alex Bowman slapped the outside wall and dropped back to sixth. Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece were seventh and eighth place, with Austin Dillon and Carson Hocevar rounding out the top-10.
Hocevar, driving the No. 77 for Spire Motorsports, managed to continue in the event despite some early-race contact with Austin Cindric and Noah Gragson, which critically damaged the No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
Kaz Grala, Corey LaJoie, Harrison Burton, John Hunter Nemechek, Todd Gilliland, Daniel Hemric, Zane Smith, Erik Jones, Timmy Hill, and Austin Cindric also failed to advance to the NASCAR All-Star Race.
Photo Credit: Will Bellamy, Racing America
