CLARINGTON, ON – Canadian Tire Motorsport Park started its 2025 major event calendar with a busy weekend of action in the Castrol Victoria Day SpeedFest. The May long weekend tradition featured the NASCAR Canada Series, FEL Radical Cup Canada, Super Production Challenge, Nissan Sentra Cup and F1600. Here’s a recap of podium finishers for each race.

NASCAR Canada Series

The Clarington 200 saw the NASCAR Canada Series complete 51 laps for its season opener. A caution during a pit cycle shook up the order, with Malcolm Strachan leading the most laps in a Jim Bray-owned car. The race was ultimately decided in a familiar fashion to past events at the track – some last-lap contact and a pass for the win, this time between Marc-Antoine Camirand and Gary Klutt.

A full race recap can be found here. Race weekend video interviews from the various series can also be seen on our Instagram page.

Clarington 200 podium:

1. Marc-Antoine Camirand
2. Gary Klutt
3. Malcolm Strachan

FEL Emzone Radical Cup Canada presented by Michelin

The FEL Motorsports Radical Cup Canada held a pair of 40-minute races, one each on Saturday and Sunday. For a full recap, click here.

Race One – Overall podium

1. Brady Clapham
2. Cayden Goodridge
3. Francesco Esposito

Race One – Masters class podium

1. Jake Latham
2. Daniel Earle
3. Cedric Ohayon

Race Two – Overall podium

1. Brady Clapham
2. Cayden Goodridge
3. Kenny Riedmann

Race Two – Masters class podium

1. John Painter
2. Jake Latham
3. Daniel Earle

Super Production Challenge

The Super Production Challenge held a trio of 30-minute races to begin its 15th season.

Race One – Super Production class podium

1. Guillaume Labbé
2. Nathan Blok
3. Brad Ranson

Race One – Production class podium

1. Blake Kelley
2. Zack Lalonde
3. Peter Hanson

Race One – Compact class podium

1. Maïka Chamberland
2. Éric Coulombe
3. Jean Audet

Race Two – Super Production class podium

1. Alexandre Fortin
2. Nathan Blok
3. Gabriel Lacombe

Race Two – Production class podium

1. Blake Kelley
2. Zack Lalonde
3. Peter Hanson

Race Two – Compact class podium

1. Fred Bernier
2. Maïka Chamberland
3. Eric Coulombe

Race Three – Super Production class podium

1. Guillaume Labbé
2. Alexandre Fortin
3. Chris Bernier

Race Three – Production class podium

1. Zack Lalonde
2. Blake Kelley
3. Peter Hanson

Race Three – Compact class podium

1. Fred Bernier
2. Eric Coulombe
3. Maïka Chamberland

Nissan Sentra Cup

The Nissan Sentra Cup opened its season with a 30-minute race on Saturday and a 40-minute event on Sunday. It was an eventful finish to the first race, as a cell of heavy rain ended the session a few minutes early, marking the most intense weather of the weekend.

Race One podium

1. Simon Vincent
2. Nicolas Barrette
3. Nicolas Lévesque

Race Two podium

1. Valérie Limoges
2. Simon Vincent
3. Marc-Antioine D’Amour

*Nicolas Lévesque initially won race two but was later disqualified.

Toyo Tires F1600 Championship

The Toyo Tires F1600 Championship contested three 22-minute timed races at CTMP.

Race One – F1600A podium

1. Stewart Ross
2. Parker Gill
3. Christain Menezes

Race One – F1600B podium

1. Steve Bodrug
2. Andrew Mason
3. Bill Tebbutt

Race Two – F1600A podium

1. Stewart Ross
2. Henderson Knox
3. Christain Menezes

Race Two – F1600B podium

1. Steve Bodrug
2. Dylan McPherson
3. Jason Sharpe

Race Three – F1600A podium

1. Stewart Ross
2. Christain Menezes
3. Boss Patel

Race Three – F1600B podium

1. Steve Bodrug
2. Jason Sharpe
3. Andrew Mason

Christopher Bell loves North Wilkesboro Speedway, and Joey Logano hates the “Promoter’s Caution.”

Those were the main takeaways from the top two finishers in an action-packed NASCAR All-Star Race at the 0.625-mile oval in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

In a slam-bang affair that set a record for lead changes, Bell beat Logano by 0.829 seconds to earn his first All-Star Race victory. Bell, who won three consecutive Cup Series races earlier this season but had a previous best All-Star finish of 10th, delivered the third All-Star Race win for Joe Gibbs Racing.

“That right there is absolutely incredible,” Bell said. “North Wilkesboro, best short track on the schedule.”

He also is a fan of Marcus Smith, the president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports that owns North Wilkesboro Speedway. In a new All-Star Race wrinkle, Smith was allowed to choose when to throw a “ Promoter’s Caution ” that would bunch the field for a late restart.

Smith sent two-time Daytona 500 winner and Fox Sports personality Michael Waltrip to the flag stand to display the random yellow flag on Lap 217 with Logano leading by about a half-second over Bell.

Logano, who was trying to win his second consecutive All-Star Race, elected to stay on track rather than pit during the caution, and the decision proved costly. Bell pitted for two fresh tires, restarted in sixth and needed only five laps to catch Logano. After a battle for first that lasted a dozen laps, Bell took the lead for good on Lap 241 of 250.

“I’m pissed off right now,” said Logano, who led a race-high 139 laps. “Just dang it, we had the fastest car. I’m trying to choose my words correctly on the caution situation. Obviously, I got bit by it, so I am the one frustrated.”

It was a stark turnaround for the defending Cup Series champion, who recently said he supported the “Promoter’s Caution” because “the All-Star Race presents the opportunity to try things outside of the box.” But he was questioning its validity after Sunday’s race.

“Yeah, I’m all about no gimmicks with the caution,” Logano said. “I am all about that. Me and Marcus Smith aren’t seeing eye to eye right now, okay? I’ve got to have a word with him.”

Ross Chastain finished third, followed by Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott.

The “Promoter’s Caution” was introduced to guarantee an exciting finish, but the All-Star Race hardly needed much help this year.

After lackluster showings in the first two outings, the All-Star Race delivered much more action in its third year at North Wilkesboro Speedway. There were 18 lead changes, breaking the mark of 13 (set in 2016) for the most in the event’s 41-year history.

Pole-sitter Brad Keselowski and Logano traded the lead twice in the first 10 laps and often ran side by side for the lead. There were six leaders and 10 lead changes in the first half of the race, which topped the total number of leaders (four) and lead changes (five) in the past two All-Star Races combined.

After leading 62 laps, Keselowski’s bid for his first All-Star Race victory ended with a crash on Lap 177.

All-Star Open results

Capitalizing on pit strategy, Carson Hocevar led the final 46 laps to win the All-Star Open earlier Sunday and advanced into the NASCAR All-Star Race.

Runner-up John Hunter Nemechek also advanced to the main event by finishing second in the 100-lap warmup race. Noah Gragson won an online fan vote to earn the final transfer spot to the All-Star Race, whose field will included 20 other drivers competing for $1 million.

Pole-sitter Shane van Gisbergen finished 13th after leading the first 54 laps on the 0.625-mile oval. The New Zealand native, who is in his first full Cup Series season after winning three Supercar championships in Australia, fell from first to sixth on a four-tire pit stop during the halfway caution.

“I don’t know whether to smile or cry,” said van Gisbergen, who is ranked 35th in the points standings with one top 10 this season. “It’s been a dismal year for us, but I feel like we’re getting better every week. This shows it.”

More money

The All-Star Race winner’s share has been $1 million since the 2003 event, and some drivers have grumbled that an increase for inflation is well overdue.

“I definitely think it should get raised,” 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney said this week. “That’s the only thing about the All-Star Race I’d probably change. I don’t want to get greedy, but I think you can raise it to $3 million.”

Bubba Wallace said he’d suggest $5 million but would be good for a bump to $3 million.

“They’ve got more TV money, so why not,” Wallace said, referring to NASCAR’s media rights raising to $1.1 billion annually in a deal starting this year.

Up next

The Cup Series will race May 25 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race of the season. Christopher Bell won last year’s race, which was shortened from 600 to 374 miles by rain.

Kyle Larson missed the 2024 race after arriving late because the Indianapolis 500 was delayed by rain. The Hendrick Motorsports star again will attempt to become the fifth driver to race the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Chevrolet took the crown in NASCAR’s first Manufacturer Showdown at the 2025 All-Star Race. All five Team Chevy contenders that were vying for the honors took the checkered-flag in the top-eight positions – led by Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, who drove his No. 1 Busch Light Chevrolet to a third-place result after rebounding from damage sustained early in the race.

· Chastain led a trio of Hendrick Motorsports teammates, with Alex Bowman in fourth, Chase Elliott in fifth and William Byron in sixth, with Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch driving home with an eighth-place finish.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:

POS. DRIVER

3rd – Ross Chastain

4th – Alex Bowman

5th – Chase Elliott

8th – Kyle Busch

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 12 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:

Wins: 4

Poles: 7

Top-Fives: 24

Top 10s: 55

Stage Wins: 11
UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 25, at 6 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on Amazon Prime, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 3rd

It was a hard fought race for you, but it was arguably probably one of your best All-Star races. How was your night?

“Yeah, we got turned around there early in the race and hit the left-rear and the left-front, so something is bent. It really didn’t drive much different after that, even when the wheel was off. For everyone on this No. 1 Busch Light Chevy team — we’ve all seen the struggles we’ve had, so just to be able to see the front and be right there with them the last couple of weeks is really cool. We want more of that, for sure, and we’ll keep working. We have a lot of strong things to take away from here this weekend. A lot of effort has already gone into Charlotte, and that continues tomorrow.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 4th

“I’m just really proud of everyone on this No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team. We were so bad yesterday and the guys made the right adjustments. Our hands are pretty tied on what we can or can’t change, and they made a lot of really good calls to take us from struggling pretty bad to at least having a shot at it there at the end. Really happy for this team. Obviously, fourth doesn’t really mean anything here, but it was a big improvement from yesterday.”

Is there anything you can learn from this race for shorter, flatter tracks in the future?

“I think we certainly came here just to do that – try to learn things. It pays $1 million, but honestly winning a regular Cup race, with the playoff implications and everything, it adds up to more than that. So yeah, just came here to learn. Obviously what we had, we struggled with at first, but maybe we have our heads wrapped around it a little bit better.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 5th

“It looked like a great race for the win.. I wish I could have been a part of it. I thought the race was much better this year than last year, so that was cool to see. We had another great crowd here, great environment, for an All-Star race, so hopefully everyone enjoyed that.

Our No. 9 Prime Chevy was pretty good. We were in the mix, but we just needed a little bit more to be there with Joey (Logano) and Christopher (Bell). We were solid, better than we’ve been, and it’s just a nice step in the right direction. We just had a good solid night. Obviously needed a little bit more, but overall, it was pretty solid.”

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 6th

“All four of the Hendrick Motorsports Chevy’s were pretty fast. For us personally, we just have to continue to improve. We were good to start the weekend and good to start the race, but it just seemed like it kind of went away on us. We just have to figure out what exactly that was, but I’m overall happy with the result. I feel like we did a good job throughout the weekend. I don’t know if I was expecting to win, but I was hoping we’d have a shot to win and I think we were right there. We just didn’t have quite enough.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 8th

What did you think of the race tonight?

“We had a decent night for our No. 8 SENIX Chevrolet. I felt like there around halfway, we jumped to the outside lane and I think we led a lap. We just kind of faded on the long run. I didn’t quite have the complete package with all the grip that I was looking for. I don’t know that all of the Chevy guys did. We’re just a little bit behind on that front, but overall, we made great adjustments all night. The team worked hard overnight to try to find something that would make us better, so that was good progress”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 14th

“We had a fast No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Our Chevy started with a loose balance and lacked right-rear grip, but crew chief Richard Boswell made solid adjustments throughout the race. Our pit crew was consistent all night, which helped us race inside the top 10 and climb as high as seventh. With 25 laps to go, we made a strategy call to take right-side tires only, knowing it was our best shot at the win. Unfortunately, as the race went green to the finish, the car tightened up, and we didn’t gain the track position we had hoped for. I’m proud of everyone at Richard Childress Racing. We’re making steady improvements every week, and our short-track program is definitely heading in the right direction.”

GM PR

SALISBURY — At a special meeting Thursday, May 15, the Board of Selectmen tabled the issue of approving a permit for traffic rerouting on Route 112 Friday and Saturday, June 27 to 28.

Lime Rock Park is hosting a weekend of NASCAR events. In anticipation of a large crowd, estimated between 12,000 at 15,000 in attendance, LRP has asked to have one-way traffic on Route 112 (Lime Rock Road) from Route 7 to White Hollow Road and the main track entrance between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and again between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on both days.

Tom Burke, Director of Facility Safety at Lime Rock Park, told the selectmen that this option was chosen because it does not involve detours on local roads. At their regular monthly meeting Monday, May 5, the selectmen had expressed dismay and concern at an earlier proposal to route traffic over narrow and windy Brinton Hill Road.

Burke said there will be at least two electronic variable message boards used and traditional “hard” signs.

And there will be state troopers deployed to assist motorists.

Public comment was negative. Victor Jermack said the entire idea seemed unreasonable to him, and Michael Klemens, who chairs the Planning and Zoning Commission, voiced concern about what he called “programmatic creep” at the track.

Sarah Wolf, who lives on White Hollow Road, wanted to know how people in the neighborhood were supposed to go about their usual business during the periods of one-way traffic on Route 112.

First Selectman Curtis Rand asked if the track’s representatives had been in touch with the neighbors. Burke said no, because they are waiting on final approval before informing the neighbors.

“That’s a lot of pressure on me,” Rand replied, adding he is wary of signing off on the plan without much input from the public.

He also asked why he has to sign off on the plan at all, since the traffic disruptions take place on a state highway. He said he was going to call the state Department of Transportation and ask the same question.

Selectman Kitty Kiefer pointed out that there is another event Thursday, June 26, that the selectmen could not discuss because it was not on the special meeting agenda. By state law special meeting agendas cannot be modified, whereas regularly scheduled meeting agendas may be amended at the start of a meeting.

The Lime Rock Park website lists the Thursday event as a “Pit Stop Party and Hauler Parade” at the White Hart Inn in Salisbury, with details to come.

Selectman Chris Williams said that while it doesn’t help the immediate situation, the town and track need to consider the town’s infrastructure, or lack thereof, when planning events that draw large crowds.

Ultimately the selectmen agreed to table the matter and resume at another special meeting. Rand said he was going to consult the town attorney in the interim.

The selectmen will have another special meeting Wednesday, May 21, at 2 p.m.

Joseph maintains the role of Managing Editor for TobyChristie.com, while also working as an Editor for Racing America. Additionally, Joseph graduated from the University of Windsor in 2022 with a Business Administration degree, a specialization in Supply Chain Management and Data Analytics, and a minor in Mathematics.