It is time to race for 1 million dollars! No points, no consequences, just straight heads-up racing for a big check at the end of 250 laps. There is much important information to cover about the All-Star Race weekend, so read up on the details before the action begins.
NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open and Race at North Wilkesboro Preview
Last time at North Wilkesboro, it would be future-three-time Champion Joey Logano going home with 1 million dollars. But that wasn’t the only action on the track, as we saw Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse fighting in the pits, making headlines across the nation.
Can Logano go two in a row? Or will the ‘world’s best driver, Kyle Larson, who is coming from Indianapolis 500 qualifying, begin the next week with a million-dollar win?
READ MORE: “Unfinished Business”, Kyle Larson to attempt “The Double” again in 2025
Race Preview:
The NASCAR All-Star Race and All-Star Open is different than the other 36 races of the season. If you won a race in 2024 or so far in 2025, have won the all-star race, and are a past series champion, you have automatic entry into the race.
If you don’t fit into any of those categories, you must race in the All-Star Open. The Open is a 100-lap event before the main event. The drivers who are racing in the open race are as follows
- Noah Gragson
- Ty Dillon
- Cody Ware
- AJ Allmendinger
- Bubba Wallace
- Todd Gilliland
- Riley Herbst
- Zane Smith
- Cole Custer
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Erik Jones
- Ty Gibbs
- Ryan Preece
- Chad Finchum
- Michael McDowell
- Carson Hocevar
- Shane Van Gisbergen
The top two drivers from the Open will advance to the All-Star race. A third driver, picked by the fans’ voting, will join the field. The prize purse for the Open race is $581,100.
The All-Star Race
Those who are locked into the All-Star race have another set of procedures. To set the field in the All-Star race, you have two heat races, both 75 laps. Heat 1 sets in the inside lanes, Heat 2 the outside. Your position in the heats is determined by a special qualifying format.
The qualifying format is a unique one. You will run a three-lap qualifying run, with a mandatory four-tire stop on the second lap. The fastest overall time sets the field.
The prize purse for the All-Star race is $2,421,400. The drivers qualified for the All-Star race are as follows:
- Christopher Bell
- Josh Berry
- Ryan Blaney
- Alex Bowman
- Chase Briscoe
- Chris Buescher
- Harrison Burton
- Kyle Busch
- William Byron
- Ross Chastain
- Austin Cindric
- Austin Dillon
- Chase Elliott
- Denny Hamlin
- Brad Keselowski
- Kyle Larson
- Joey Logano
- Tyler Reddick
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Daniel Suárez
The All-Star race has a special caution, called a promoter’s caution. Marcus Smith, owner of North Wilkesboro, can throw a caution any time he wants before lap 220. So, a long green flag run can be stopped by one yellow flag. This will spice up the racing action.
This year, there is an additional prize to be won, the Manufacturers Showdown. Equal teams from the three manufacturers will go head to head, with the manufacturer with the lowest combined total finishes winning the prize.
With $1 million on the line, here’s how the #AllStarRace is going down in 2025! ⭐️
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 23, 2025
The Track: North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro Speedway, located in Wilkes County, North Carolina, is one of NASCAR’s original tracks, opening in 1947 and hosting its first NASCAR race in 1949. The 0.625 mile speedway is known for its unique uphill and downhill straightaways. It became a beloved venue in stock car racing before closing in 1996 due to changes in the NASCAR schedule. After years of neglect, the speedway was revived in 2023, hosting the Cup Series, Truck Series, Modified Tour, and the CARS TOUR.
Kyle Larson set the lap record for the track since its revival, turning an 18.362-second lap in 2024. Logano and Larson are both tied with one win apiece at North Wilkesboro.
Drivers To Watch:
First, who in the Open has the speed to advance to the main event? Ty Gibbs has finished in the top two for each all-star open at North Wilkesboro. He’s got the speed and experience in this position, I think he advances for a third time in 2025. The next best driver in the open, Ryan Preece. He was the tenth fastest in the 2023 All-Star race practice and has had great speed in the 2025 season with RFK. I think he is the next best driver in the open and the second best car in the field.
For the fan vote, we have the latest standings from NASCAR on the leaders of the fan vote.
The #AllStarRace Fan Vote is coming down to the wire, but there’s still time to cast your ballot!
These are the top five vote-getters in alphabetical order. pic.twitter.com/AOh3xqrxaM
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 12, 2025
All-Star Race Winners:
Now for the All-Star race winner. I sound like a broken record, every week predicting Kyle Larson, but look at their performances in the past races. Larson does have the best average finish at North Wilkesboro with a 2.5 average finish. However, Larson will have to start at the back of the field since he will be missing the heat races to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.
Also, Ryan Blaney has been good at Wilkesboro. He had a 6th-place finish last year and 5th in 2023. He was the second fastest in practice last year. I think Blaney has the opportunity to make it two in a row for Penske and Ford.
Finally, Bubba Wallace has the speed at Wilkesboro to get Toyota’s first win at the revived race track. He finished second to Larson in 2023 and sixth in 2024. But this year, he will have to race his way into the all-star through the open or win the fan vote. I think he is a real contender to win the fan vote, but he will have to race his way through the field to be a contender to win.
How To Watch The All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway:
Friday, May 16:
- Practice, Pit Road Entry and Exit, Open Cars
- 4:00 PM EST
- Coverage is on Fox Sports 2 and the Motor Racing Network.
- Practice, Pit Road Entry and Exit, All-Star Cars
- 4:30 PM EST
- Coverage continues on FS2 and MRN.
- Practice, All Cars
- 5:00 PM EST
- FS2 and MRN
- Qualifying, Open Cars
- 6:00 PM EST
- Coverage switches to Fox Sports 1, MRN
- Qualifying, All-Star Cars
- 7:00 PM EST
- Coverage continues on FS1, MRN
Saturday, May 17:
- All-Star Race, Heat 1:
- 5:00 PM EST
- Coverage is on Fox Sports 2, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
- All-Star Race, Heat 2:
- 6:15 PM EST
- Coverage continues on FS2, MRN, and NASCAR Radio
Sunday, May 18:
- All-Star Open:
- 5:00 PM EST
- Coverage is on Fox Sports 1, MRN
- The NASCAR All-Star Race:
- 8:00 PM EST
- Coverage continues on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM, and driver in-car cameras on HBO Max
Stay connected with Last Word on Motorsports for all the updates from North Wilkesboro’s race weekend.
Main Photo: Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images
Recording Date: May 17, 2024
