diff --git a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel/Infrastructure/KestrelThread.cs b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel/Infrastructure/KestrelThread.cs
index 5b7d998f8e..d8cb804fbb 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel/Infrastructure/KestrelThread.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel/Infrastructure/KestrelThread.cs
@@ -52,6 +52,11 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel
             _post = new UvAsyncHandle(_log);
             _thread = new Thread(ThreadStart);
             _thread.Name = "KestrelThread - libuv";
+#if !DEBUG
+            // Mark the thread as being as unimportant to keeping the process alive.
+            // Don't do this for debug builds, so we know if the thread isn't terminating.
+            _thread.IsBackground = true;
+#endif
             QueueCloseHandle = PostCloseHandle;
             QueueCloseAsyncHandle = EnqueueCloseHandle;
         }
@@ -79,12 +84,6 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel
 
         public void Stop(TimeSpan timeout)
         {
-#if !DEBUG
-            // Mark the thread as being as unimportant to keeping the process alive.
-            // Don't do this for debug builds, so we know if the thread isn't terminating.
-            _thread.IsBackground = true;
-#endif
-
             if (!_initCompleted)
             {
                 return;