Carson Hocevar of Spire Motorsports and John Hunter Nemechek of LEGACY Motor Club transferred into the main event as the top two finishers in the All-Star Open.

Hocevar took over the lead when pole winner Shane van Gisbergen opted for four tires under the All-Star Caution at Lap 51. Van Gisbergen had led every lap from the start of the race, but five drivers, including Hocevar, opted for two tires during the stop and beat the New Zealander out of the pits.

When Riley Herbst spun in Turn 3 on Lap 78 to cause the second and final caution, Hocevar stayed out on old tires and pulled away after a Lap 84 restart, beating Nemechek to the finish line by 0.697 seconds.

“It’s great to win, especially being challenged by tires there,” Hocevar said. “I had my hands full. We definitely have to go to work here on our race car, because I didn’t really like it, but it’s a good sign that we didn’t like it and we were still pretty quick there.”

Nemechek, on the other hand, opted for two tires under the yellow and charged from eighth on the restart to second, clearing the Toyota of Bubba Wallace on Lap 90 to claim the second transfer spot.

“We have a shot to go win a million dollars,” Nemechek said. “Hats off to this 42 team. We unloaded and had pretty good two- or three-lap speed, but really no long run pace, so proud of them for the effort that they put in yesterday, and what they were able to find.

“Pitting on that last deal—I knew I couldn’t win from where I was at. We came and got two (tires), and that helped us out.”

Hocevar and Nemechek, both main event rookies, earned the 21st and 22nd starting positions, respectively. The final position in the All-Star Race went to Noah Gragson of Front Row Motorsports, who won the All-Star Fan Vote for the third straight year.

Hocevar finished 11th in the All-Star Race. Gragson was 13th and Nemechek 19th.

Ryan Preece was running second in a strong No. 60 Ford, but he was penalized for running over the V-shaped “choose” symbol on the track a lap before the final restart. Sent to the rear of the field, he had no chance to recover.

Preece said he couldn’t see the orange symbol painted on the track, which had been dulled by rubber laid down in a wild NASCAR Whelan Modified Tour race that preceded the Open.

“You can’t even see it right now,” Preece said. “A rule is a rule. I understand that, but at the end of the day, I made the mistake. I’m just frustrated with the decision.”

The symbol was repainted before the All-Star main event.

Chandler Smith Key Takeaways

• Stage One: 5th / Stage Two: 3rd / Race Result: 1st

• Chandler Smith made his first North Wilkesboro Speedway NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start this past Saturday. Early morning showers dampened the track, canceling qualifying and lining up the grid for the 250-lap race off of the metric scale. A practice session was held for the Truck Series, where Smith posted P1 speed. Smith was moved to the rear of the field after the team made adjustments to the No. 38 QuickTie Ford F-150. Once the green flag dropped, Smith got to work to put himself within the top-five, finishing fifth and third in Stage One & Two, respectfully. In NASCAR Overtime, Smith grabbed the lead on the last lap, crossing the start / finish line in first, securing his second win of the 2025 season and marked the 12th Truck Series win for Front Row Motorsports.

• “Words can’t describe how proud I am of this QuickTie team,” said Smith. “They brought a fast Ford F-150 and even when we had to start in the back, we kept our heads down and made our way to the front. I really enjoyed racing at North Wilkesboro. I liked how wide it got because you could race from the bottom or the top. Our truck favored the bottom all day and that made it a huge advantage for us being able to come from the back and get to the front, so a big tip of the cap to everybody at Front Row Motorsports for giving me a truck that’s got good maneuverability so we can make the most of it today.”

Layne Riggs Key Takeaways

• Stage One: 6th / Stage Two: 5th / Race Result: 2nd

• Layne Riggs made his second North Wilkesboro Speedway NASCAR CRAFTSMAN. Riggs posted the third fastest time in practice but with qualifying rained out, Riggs was set to start the 250-lap race in 27th. It didn’t take long for the No. 34 Ford F-150 to find its way into the top-10, finishing sixth and fifth in Stage One and Two to secure 11 stage points. In an overtime finish, Riggs crossed the start / finish line in second-place behind teammate Chandler Smith for Front Row Motorsports’ first ever 1-2 finish in the Truck Series.

• “This was a great race, not just for myself, but for Front Row Motorsports as a whole,” said Riggs. “We secured a lot of points today and showed everyone that were here to play. The speed that we showed off is a true testament to how hard the men and women at Front Row Motorsports work. This 34 team’s time is coming.”

FRM PR

Joey Logano did not go and win back-to-back in the NASCAR All-Star Race, but he certainly gave it everything he had. The Team Penske driver was in control of the race until the promoter’s caution was displayed with just under 40 laps to go.

The controversial new rule for this non-Championship points exhibition race allowed for the race promoter to throw one caution, whenever they want, between Lap 100 and 220 in the 250-lap event.

Logano ended up finishing second to Christopher Bell, and he wasn’t too thrilled with him or Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith.

“I’m glad you had a blast,” Logano told a NASCAR on FOX reporter. “I’m pissed off right now. Just dang it, we had the fastest car. The Shell-Pennzoil Mustang was so fast. You get to — I’m trying to choose my words correctly on the caution situation. Obviously I got bit by it, so I am the one frustrated obviously.

“Gosh, I don’t know. I felt like the falloff wasn’t too bad as the sun went down, and yeah, six cars or so stayed out with us. Thought maybe we could hold him off but the 20 [Bell] had a good enough restart, cleared too many of them too fast. I couldn’t get away in time. It took me six, seven laps to get my car up and rolling again.

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images

Logano continued, struggling to hold back his annoyance. “I did all I could do to hold him off and he got under me and released the brake and gave me no option. Kind of just ran me up into the wall, and if I could’ve got to him, he was going around after a move like that, I just couldn’t get back to him. Just too much to try to make up with the tire deficit.

“Just frustrated after you lead so many laps and the car is so fast and you don’t win, it hurts quite a bit.”

In a later media scrum, Logano spoke more about Bell’s race-winning move. “It is what it is,” said Logano. “I don’t know. I mean, sure. Sure. He did it good enough that I couldn’t get back to him because I was gonna show him what fair was, but I just couldn’t get there. I just couldn’t get there with the tires. I couldn’t get away fast enough. It took me six or seven laps after that restart to get rolling again and then he passed too many cars there the first couple laps and then he was there. I was doing all I can to play defense until my rear tires would come in and it just took too long, and then he was gone. I couldn’t catch back up. 

“It’s frustrating when you lead that many laps, you had the fastest car and a gimmick caution beats you. It just sucks, but it is what it is. You move on and we’ll be happy that we had the best car the last two times that we’ve been here. I wish we had two wins, though.”

When the promoter’s caution flew (via Michael Waltrip, who actually dropped it on the race track), most of the field pitted for fresh rubber. Logano was among five drivers who chose to stay out on old tires, hoping to hang on.

“I’m all about no gimmicks with the caution,” said Logano, who chuckled as he said it, but the frustration was clear in his voice. “I am all about that. I’m a little — me and Marcus Smith aren’t seeing eye to eye right now, okay? I’ve got to have a word with him.”

Photos from All-Star Race

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