The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro Speedway ended in controversy on Saturday as Corey Heim spun out while racing Layne Riggs on the final lap.

Heim and Riggs raced hard in overtime. Heim was leading with Riggs on his bumper as they took the white flag. Heim claimed the high line as Riggs went low. Heim slid up the track and Riggs was right on his door as they went down the backstretch.

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NASCAR Craftsman Truck driver Corey Heim during qualifying for the Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Nigel Cook/News-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

As the came around Turn 2, Heim spun out. Chandler Smith was able to maneuver around Riggs and took home the victory. Riggs finished in second place.

Heim delivered a message to Riggs after the race.

“Calm down or else I’m going to take care of you,” he said.

Needless to say, Heim was upset with how Riggs raced him and confronted him about it once everyone was back on pit road. Heim called Riggs’ decision on the final lap “scum racing.”

“Just why? More than anything. He tried to do it to the 7 (Carson Hocevar) last week for the win, and mission accomplished for him,” Heim said, via NASCAR.com. “I guess, this week – and it cost him one, too. I don’t know. We’ve given up so many of them this year after dominating the race. The 38 (Smith) was the only other guy that was rightfully good. 

NASCAR Truck Series driver Layne Riggs, #34, during qualifying for the Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Feb. 14, 2025. (Peter Casey-Imagn Images)

HOW TO WATCH 2025 NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE: SCHEDULE, START TIME, TV CHANNEL FOR NORTH WILKESBORO

“I felt like he deserved to win over anyone else, not the 34 (Riggs). I got really loose into (Turn) 3. Just struggled being loose on the short runs, and he had an opportunity, and he wrecked me. Just disappointed.”

Riggs defended his “strong move.”

“If I have a reputation of going for wins, I’m not going to regret that at all,” Riggs said. “You know, I feel like I came from short-track racing, last-lap battles, and feel like that’s what this kind of racing is made for. I feel like it’s not like we’ve seen at Martinsville in the past, and gotten upset. I feel like it was a strong move, and I thought it was going to pay off. 

“But sadly, didn’t get the win.”

Heim finished the race in 17th.

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Heim still leads the drivers standings with 450 points – 47 more than Smith. Riggs moved up to eighth in the standings.

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NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Brad Keselowski seeks the perfect weekend. Kyle Larson looks to go from the back to the front. And 21 other drivers also will be vying for $1 million in tonight’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Green flag for the All-Star Open is set for 5:38 p.m. ET. The winner, runner-up and fan vote winner from that race will advance to the All-Star Race.

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Green flag for the All-Star Race is set for 8:14 p.m. ET.

Here is what to watch for in tonight’s race:

Promoter’s Caution

The wrinkle in this year’s race is an promoter’s caution that can be used before Lap 220 of the 250-lap race. If the promoter’s caution has not yet been used and a natural caution occurs after Lap 200, the promoter’s caution will no longer be in play.

Starting lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway

Brad Keselowski will lead the field to the green flag in the exhibition race that pays $1 million to the winner.

Teams already know there will be a competition caution around Lap 100. How the promoter’s caution is used by Marcus Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports, could make a big impact on the race as Christopher Bell explains:

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“It will probably be in the play and then it will be decision time of what you think your best opportunity to win the race is. A lot of times that call depends on what other guys do as well. If you stay out and you have five or six guys stay out with you, then it’s the winning call to stay out.

“But just like the second heat race (Saturday), if you stay out and nobody stays out with you, it was a losing call.”

Can a team’s season turnaround tonight?

Brad Keselowski starts on the pole for tonight’s race and a victory — while it wouldn’t count toward playoff eligibility — would be significant for his team.

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Keselowski has never won this race — he’s finished second three times, which is tied for the most in the event without winning it. This season has been dreadful. Keselowski has finished 26th or worse in nine of the first 12 points races.

Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski score All-Star heat race wins at North Wilkesboro

Heat races set the lineup for Sunday’s All-Star Race.

“I think the team is a pretty resilient group,” Keselowski said after winning the pole. “I don’t care who you are as a team, we all need some positive reinforcement and encouragement.”

He also won his heat race Saturday. A victory tonight would complete a perfect weekend for the RFK Racing team.

Keep an eye on the back of the field

Kyle Larson will start last on the 23-car field because he had Justin Allgaier qualify his car while Larson was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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Larson’s team elected not to compete in Saturday’s heat race since it wouldn’t matter where the car finished because the car would in the rear for the All-Star Race due to the driver change.

Justin Allgaier provides Kyle Larson’s team with key feedback for NASCAR All-Star Race

With Kyle Larson at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Justin Allgaier drove Larson’s No. 5 in practice and qualifying Friday.

Larson will be one to watch.

“I felt like long-run pace, we were really good,” Allgaier, the reigning Xfinity Series champion, told NBC Sports. “When I look at lap 30 or 40 (on a run), our pace was right where we needed it to be.”

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Larson had to start at the rear of the field in last year’s race because he also was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Larson went on to finish fourth in last year’s All-Star Race.

Larson has three All-Star wins, one short of the record held by Jimmie Johnson.

This New Jersey importer deals in the world’s rarest and most desirable cars.

Inbound Motorsports regularly brings in six-figure sums when it puts the cars up for auction.

The company has been around since 2016, founded by Rami Fetyani.

But despite the high-end vehicles, Inbound Motorsports gets the cars imported in for a great price.

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It seems like more and more people are getting their cars through auctions these days.

Whether it’s a Toyota Camry TRD or a Ferrari 308, cars sold on auction often go for a great price.

But when it comes to rare cars brought in from abroad, Inbound Motorsports may well be in a league of its own.

The company has been around since 2016, when Rami Fetyani set it up in New Jersey.

It all began when he bought a car for himself while browsing online auctions in Japan.

Then he purchased a few more, and it snowballed from there.

In fact, the importer has done so well over the years that Fetyani has been happy to downsize its inventory.

Robb Report reportedly claimed that its overflow warehouse had 60 cars in it a year ago – now there’s only a handful at a time.

And it’s probably down to the incredible finds that come up at auction, including this rare surprise inside a salvage auction Corvette.

“It’s much easier for me to not have to manage this much overhead,” Fetyani said.

“And just do 5, 10, 15 transactions a month where I’m selling cars directly.”

The cars listed on the importer’s website as being recently sold are a who’s who of automotive gems.

A 1988 Mitsubishi Pajero Paris-Dakar, a 1979 Saab 900 Turbo, and a 1992 Honda Beat featured among its sales.

And although the cars sell for big bucks at auction, Inbound Motorsports is able to have them shipped in for a great price.

“If I’m buying stuff from auction in Japan at [large-scale auto auction house] USS Tokyo or whatever where it’s just run-of-the-mill basic business, it’s about 1,500 bucks,” Fetyani said.

That $1,500 covers importing the car and getting it registered for driving on the US streets.

When put like that, it’s an amazing price.

To keep up with the cars being sold through Inbound Motorsports, check out their website.

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Reigning world champion Max Verstappen wins for the fourth straight time at Imola, defeating McLaren’s Lando Norris and F1 drivers’ standings leader Oscar Piastri.

Max Verstappen has given his Formula 1 title defence a big boost with victory at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix after a daring overtake on standings leader Oscar Piastri at the start.

The Dutch driver built a commanding lead on Sunday that was wiped out when the safety car bundled the field back up. He still held on to win ahead of Lando Norris, who overtook his McLaren teammate Piastri for second with five laps remaining.

Verstappen took his second win of the season and first since last month’s Japanese Grand Prix and denied Piastri – who finished third – what would have been his fourth victory in a row.

Verstappen praised his Red Bull team’s “fantastic execution all round” as the team marked its 400th F1 race with a win.

“The start itself wasn’t particularly great, but I was still on the outside line, or basically the normal [racing] line, and I was like, ‘Well, I’m just going to try and send it round the outside,’ and it worked really well,” Verstappen said of his crucial overtake. “That, of course, unleashed our pace because once we were in the lead, the car was good.”

Norris’s late-race move on Piastri was almost a copy of Verstappen’s although Norris had the advantage of being on fresher tyres than his teammate.

“We had a good little battle at the end between Oscar and myself, which is always tense but always good fun,” Norris said, admitting that Verstappen and Red Bull were “too good for us today”.

Piastri’s lead over Norris in the standings was cut to 13 points. Verstappen rounds out the top three at nine points behind Norris.

Hamilton bounces back

Lewis Hamilton recovered from 12th on the grid to finish fourth in his first race for Ferrari in Italy.

Hamilton profited from a late-race fight between his teammate Charles Leclerc and Alex Albon of Williams.

Albon complained Leclerc had pushed him off the track as they battled for fourth, and Hamilton passed both drivers before Ferrari eventually asked Leclerc to yield fifth to Albon.

George Russell was seventh for Mercedes, ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr in the second Williams.

Isack Hadjar was ninth for Racing Bulls, and Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda was 10th after starting last following a crash in qualifying.

An action-packed ‘farewell’ to Imola

Overtaking was expected to be rare in what could be F1’s last race for the foreseeable future at Imola. Instead, the Italian fans were treated to Verstappen’s spectacular move at the start and plenty of other overtakes.

The narrow, bumpy Imola track has been a favourite among drivers, who have relished its old-school challenge since it returned to the F1 schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, its status as Italy’s second race – only the United States also hosts more than one – makes its position vulnerable.

“If we don’t come back here, it is going to be a shame,” Piastri said on Saturday.

Sunday’s race was the last under Imola’s current contract, and while it isn’t officially goodbye yet, there has been no word about next year.

NASCAR drivers are set to battle for $1M at North Wilkesboro Speedway

On Sunday, NASCAR Cup Series drivers will race for $1M to win in North Carolina. Results from heat races from Saturday’s portion of the show have been used to set the starting lineup for the NASCAR All-Star Race.

View NASCAR All-Star Race starting lineup and TV schedule below.

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CARS (PLM): Prac/Qual | Race
CARS (LMSC): Prac/Qual | Race
Trucks: : Prac/Qual | Race
Cup : Prac/Qual | Heats | Lineup | Open | All-Star Race

North Wilkesboro TV Schedule

North Wilkesboro Speedway
TV Schedule

Sunday
May 18, 2025

10:15am ET
No TV
NASCAR Whelen Modified
Practice 1

10:55am ET
No TV
NASCAR Whelen Modified
Practice 2

12:45pm ET
No TV
NASCAR Whelen Modified
Qualifying

2:00pm ET
FloRacing
NASCAR Whelen Modified
Race

5:00pm ET
FS1
NASCAR Cup Series
All-Star Open

8:00pm ET
FS1 | HBO Max
NASCAR Cup Series
All-Star Race

NASCAR.com
Press Pass: Post NCS Race

North Wilkesboro
Starting Lineup
NASCAR All-Star (Open)
May 17, 2025

Note: This is an LCQ race. The top two finishers from the All-Star Open will transfer into the All-Star Race. This race will run shortly ahead of the All-Star main event.

Pos | Driver | Best Time (Qual)

1. Shane van Gisbergen
1:28.684

2. Carson Hocevar
1:28.884

3. Noah Gragson
1:29.596

4. Michael McDowell
1:29.610

5. Ryan Preece
1:29.688

6. Zane Smith
1:30.477

7. Justin Haley
1:30.495

8. John Hunter Nemechek
1:30.841

9. Ty Gibbs
1:30.917

10. Ty Dillon
1:31.444

11. Cole Custer
1:32.050

12. Erik Jones
1:35.597

13. Riley Herbst
1:39.650

14. Cody Ware
1:39.791

15. Bubba Wallace
1:39.690

16. AJ Allmendinger
1:50.942

17. Todd Gilliland
2:02.694

18. Chad Finchum
2:24.024

NASCAR All-Star Race
Starting Lineup
North Wilkesboro Speedway
May 18, 202

Note: Heat race results from Saturday have set the lineup for positions 1-20. Results from the Open race on Sunday will set positions 21 and 22. One additional driver will transfer in front the Fan Vote.

Pos | Driver

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Christopher Bell

3. Ross Chastain

4. Joey Logano

5. William Byron

6. Chase Elliott

7. Ryan Blaney

8. Kyle Busch

9. Alex Bowman

10. Chris Buescher

11. Josh Berry

12. Daniel Suarez

13. Tyler Reddick

14. Chase Briscoe

15. Austin Dillon

16. Austin Cindric

17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr

18. Harrison Burton

19. Kyle Larson

20. Denny Hamlin

21. All-Star Open (Winner)

22. All-Star Open (2nd Place)

23. Fan Vote Winner

Heat Race Results

Links

North Wilkesboro Speedway | CARS Tour | NASCAR

The fate of the NASCAR All-Star Race largely rests on the whims of Marcus Smith, who is giving few hints about how he’ll deploy a new “Promoter’s Caution.”

It’s the latest goofy gimmick in an event defined by annual format changes designed to goose the competition in the name of fender-banging fireworks. At a randomly selected point Sunday night during the first 220 of 250 laps at North Wilkesboro Speedway, a yellow flag will fly and possibly wipe out a big lead while bunching the field for a race-altering restart.

The decision on when to throw the yellow rests solely with Smith, the president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, which owns the 0.625-mile track in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

“I’ll have a very special mystery guest with a little All-Star Race history of his own to help me out when it’s time to drop the yellow,” Smith said. “Hopefully, we’ll create a little chaos for the teams and some fun for the fans at the same time.”

It’s an attempt to restore some luster to the All-Star Race, which has lost touch with its no-holds-barred origins. The past two events at North Wilkesboro produced runaway victories for Kyle Larson and Joey Logano, who led 199 of 200 laps in 2024.

The most memorable event last year came after the race when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch engaged in fisticuffs after tangling for a mid-pack position. It was a far cry from the furious last-lap battles that once sent an All-Star Race winner to the emergency room (Davey Allison sustained a concussion in 1992 after crashing from contact with Kyle Petty at the checkered flag).

The Promoter’s Caution won’t guarantee a slam-bang ending, but it’s in the vein of an exhibition race with $1 million but no points at stake. While other pro sports have struggled to keep all-star events relevant, Cup Series drivers pride themselves on competing as hard as they would in a race with championship implications — and sometimes harder.

“The All Star Race is not just another race,” Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell said. “Everybody is more aggressive than a normal Sunday Cup race. Everyone has that win it or wear it attitude, and it races differently because of that.”

A sense of resignation from the All-Star Race’s annual format overhauls also makes it easier to accept the inanity of a random yellow.

“I have a hard enough time keeping up with all of the different format stuff,” Team Penske’s Austin Cindric said. “It doesn’t really bother me that much that we’re going to have a Promoter’s Caution because, unless I’m the caution, I can’t control it in any way. It’s just the racing gods, but maybe they’re on earth this time.”

Though its timing could cost him a win, Logano is fine with the Promoter’s Caution because “the All-Star Race presents the opportunity to try things outside of the box.

“I don’t think we should have a Promoter’s Caution in points-paying events,” he said. “But in this case, we do something different. It’s something everyone can talk about. And I just don’t know what they’re going to do. Are they going to put Marcus in the flag stand, and he’s just going to throw a yellow flag?”

The son of late NASCAR Hall of Famer Bruton Smith, who once lobbied for random yellows as the most bombastic promoter in Cup history, is coy about how the Promoter’s Caution will be unveiled.

“I’ve had no shortage of NASCAR experts from inside and outside of the garage giving me advice on what to do,” Marcus Smith said. “I’ve got a couple of scenarios in mind depending on what’s happening with the race. Or I could just go spur of the moment with my gut.”

Odds and ends

Christopher Bell (+350) is the BetMGM Sportsbook favorite, followed by pole-sitter Brad Keselowski (+600), Logano (+650), two-time defending Daytona 500 winner William Byron (+700) and Denny Hamlin (+800). Kyle Larson, who will start last after missing practice and qualifying while attempting to make the Indy 500, is listed at +1000. … Keselowski and Bell were the winners Saturday of the two 75-lap heat races that set the starting lineup for the All-Star Race. Keselowski already was guaranteed the top starting spot for Sunday night’s main event after qualifying on the pole position Friday. Bell will start second Sunday, followed by Ross Chastain, Logano and Byron. … After sitting essentially dormant for more than 35 years, North Wilkesboro Speedway is playing host to its third consecutive All-Star Race since a $20 million makeover. Keselowski wants to move a points race from Charlotte Motor Speedway’s “Roval” layout to North Wilkesboro Speedway and shift the All-Star Race back to Charlotte’s 1.5-mile oval (the host from 1987-2019). “This needs to be a points racetrack,” Keselowski said of North Wilkesboro. “I’m very strong about the Roval has got to go.”

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AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Nate Ryan, The Associated Press