NASCAR All-Star format, explained: How rules, stages will work for 2023 North Wilkesboro race & All-Star Open

The NASCAR All-Star weekend will be at North Wilkesboro this year, as the sport's best head back to North Carolina following a three-year excursion to Bristol and Fort Worth.

Drivers will race at the .625-mile speedway as they go for the annual $1 million prize. This year, however, is going to look a little different.

Rather than being gimmick-based as in years past, NASCAR is looking to focus on the racing itself. So the 2023 iteration is going to do away with stages and instead just do one break at the halfway point.

MORE: North Wilkesboro Speedway photos, before and after renovation

It's a departure from the way the race has been handled, but arguably a welcome one. The All-Star Open will also determine some of the racers.

NASCAR All-Star Race format 2023

Qualifying

Twenty-two drivers have already qualified for the All-Star race in 2023, whether it be by winning a Cup Series race or winning a previous All-Star race.

Three more spots are still available: Two from qualifying via the All-Star Open and one via fan vote.

This year marks the return of the Pit Crew Challenge as well, in which the lineup will be set. Two heat races will decide who will be in the outside row and who will be on the inside.

Pit Crew Challenge

A four-tire pit stop will be each driver's qualifying time, making each team key. So while the rows will be set by the two heats, the lineup will be determined by the pit crews.

All-Star Open

While 22 drivers are already in the fold, two spots will be determined by the All-Star Open Sunday. That will be a 100-lap race with a competition break set at Lap 40.

MORE: NASCAR All-Star schedule for 2023 Cup and Truck Series races

All-Star Race

The All-Star race is straightforward compared to recent years. It is a 200-lap race in North Wilkesboro with a competition break at the halfway point in Lap 100. This is a far cry from the previous four-stage format.

“When we throw the green flag, we should just give them 100 straight laps of green-flag racing,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr. of the format, per NASCAR.com. “You know, if there’s a natural yellow (flag) in there, fine. but let’s take all the gimmicks out. Let’s just see these cars go around the race track. Let’s just watch these drivers struggle with the grip and the challenge of that surface and just watch and see who’s trying to save some tire, who’s maybe trying to take advantage of getting some track position early and let the race sort of play out.”

Here are the drivers who have qualified entering the weekend: