Before NASCAR’s brightest stars take center stage in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the sport’s fastest pit crews will own the spotlight on Friday night. Speedway officials announced a new name for the pit crew competition, now known as the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge presented by Mechanix Wear.
Harkening back to NASCAR’s popular pit crew challenges of the 1980s and 1990s, the high-octane, Friday-night pit road spectacle will consist of each team performing a four-tire pit stop with no fuel. The results of the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge presented by Mechanix Wear will determine the lineups for Saturday’s All-Star heat races, as well as the All-Star Open on Sunday. Friday night’s event at North Wilkesboro Speedway will have a dramatic impact on the NASCAR Cup Series action all weekend.
For more than 25 years, Mechanix Wear has provided hand and knee protection to NASCAR and NASCAR teams. These partnerships have allowed the brand to test, develop, and improve products. Many of the innovations developed in NASCAR have made their way to consumer and commercial glove applications.
“Mechanix Wear is committed to providing high-performance work gloves with unmatched protection,” said Mechanix Wear Marketing Director Shawn Douphner. “Having been born in racing, we understand the demands of motorsports and have designed products to meet those challenges head-on.
“It was an obvious fit for our brand to be a part of this event, allowing us to help spotlight and champion these athletes who work with their hands and are so critical to the success of this sport.”
The NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge presented by Mechanix Wear is preceded on Friday by the first official practice sessions of NASCAR weekend with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series scheduled on track at 3:05 p.m. and the NASCAR Cup Series scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
At 5:45 p.m., the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge takes place and will air on FS1, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. All-Star Friday presented by Raymer Oil will conclude Friday evening with concerts by country music superstars Midland and Chase Rice in the North Wilkesboro Speedway Fan Zone starting at 7 p.m.