NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Justin Allgaier accomplished his main goal in driving Kyle Larson’s car in practice and qualifying Friday at North Wilkesboro.

He didn’t put a scratch on the car.

His other goal was to help the team prepare the car for Larson to drive in Sunday’s All-Star Race.

“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.”

Several challenges, including a new NASCAR rule, make the feat of running in those signature races in the same day much more difficult.

Allgaier drove Friday for Larson, who was in Indianapolis as he prepared to drive in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day later this month. Larson was uninjured in a crash in practice Friday. Larson qualified 21st on Saturday for the Indianapolis 500.

Larson will not be at North Wilkesboro on Saturday. He will be in Indianapolis to qualify his car for the Indy 500. Hendrick Motorsports stated this week that Larson’s team would not take place in Saturday night’s heat race at North Wilkesboro. There was no need for the team to run because Larson will start at the rear of the All-Star Race due to the driver change.

Michael McDowell’s pit crew wins $100,000 bonus for the fastest four-tire stop.

So how does another driver prepare a car for Larson, the Cup points leader? Drive the car like one does and let the team adjust for Larson’s characteristics? Try to drive the car as Larson normally does?

“I think you’ve got to find the limit, find the limit of the tire and let them know where the limits are of the tire and then let them make adjustments that they feel would fit Kyle’s driving style or not,” said Allgaier, who drove Larson’s car in last year’s Coca-Cola 600 when Larson was delayed by rain in the Indy 500. “I think Kyle notoriously doesn’t complain about a loose race car nearly as much as probably most others do.

After dominant performances the past two years, the exhibition event will have a new format and length.

“… I think, for me, we exposed some areas in practice. I don’t know if I’d call them weaknesses but things we made adjustments and it made a significant change in balance. That gives them ammunition to be able to go when the race starts of understanding when we change this, make this adjustment, it’s going to change in the car.

“Kyle adapts so well to whatever is thrown at him. I would say that they’re going to want to free (the car) up a little bit for Kyle, especially managing traffic.”

Larson will start at the rear of the 23-car field since he missed qualifying. He also missed qualifying last year (Kevin Harvick drove the car) to be at Indianapolis and started at the rear of the All-Star field. Larson finished fourth in last year’s All-Star Race. He is a three-time winner of the event, including a victory at North Wilkesboro in 2023.

The results are in from the two NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race Heats, with Brad Keselowski and Christopher Bell coming out on top.

After setting the fastest time in qualifying on Friday night, Keselowski was guaranteed to start out front in Sunday’s All-Star Race, but that didn’t stop him from putting up a strong defence at times during the 75 racing laps in Heat 1, holding off the likes of Ross Chastain and William Byron at different times to take the heat win.

In fact, of the 75 laps, Keselowski led for all but three of them. As a result, the 2012 Cup Series champion will surely be feeling confident heading into Sunday’s main event as he chases his first All-Star Race victory.

In Heat 2, it was Bell who came out on top, with the Joe Gibbs Racing star edging the likes of Joey Logano in the No. 22 and Chase Elliott in the No. 9 to take the heat race victory.

As a result of the above, Bell will now start Sunday’s All-Star Race alongside Keselowski on the front row.

With that said, let’s take a look at the results from both heats, as well as the confirmed starting lineup, so far, for the All-Star Race itself.

READ MORE: NASCAR Race Today: All-Star Heats start times, schedule and how to watch live on TV

NASCAR Cup Series results: Who won the All-Star Race Heats?

All-Star Race Heat 1 Results

NOTE: With Kyle Larson taking part in Indy 500 qualifying today, neither he nor the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet ran in the heat race.

READ MORE: NASCAR legend Kyle Busch makes family announcement as new deal revealed

All-Star Race Heat 2 Results

READ MORE: Hendrick Motorsports announce Kyle Larson absence update ahead of All-Star Race

NASCAR Cup Series: All-Star Race starting lineup

After the above Heats, here is the confirmed lineup so far for the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race.

READ MORE: NASCAR announce major Cup Series penalty after Kansas

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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.”

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

Tonight was a big one for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his CARS Tour Late Model Stock series. A fantastic night of racing at North Wilkesboro. Landen Lewis gets the win, and while JR Motorsports didn’t do great, Earnhardt seems pleased with the overall product.

CARS Tour co-owners Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick both had drivers in this race tonight. Both were also calling the race from the FOX Sports broadcast booth along with FloRacing’s Eric Brennan.

Changed out of his suit and into his street clothes, Dale Jr. put out a message for fans. He is beyond thankful for all of the support for his short track series.

“Hey everybody. Just getting wrapped up here after the CARS Tour race at North Wilkesboro and reading some of the feedback on social media,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in a selfie video on social media. “I hope that you, if you watched the race I hope you enjoyed it. It was a big, big night for the CARS Tour. We’re very proud and it’s something we’re very, very passionate about. Just an incredible night.

“So, hope everybody enjoyed the broadcast. I had a lot of fun being part of it. But I think the world of this series and its drivers and teams, and I asked everybody to support it this weekend, and if you did, I just wanted to jump on here real quick and say, big thanks, from all of us.”

The race was a little sloppy at first. That is possibly due to the Cup Series tire rubber that was laid down on the track in practice and qualifying. A few CARS Tour drivers and the broadcast booth noted as much. Once the Hoosier Tires started to put rubber down, it was smooth sailing. Well, mostly.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is passionate about stock car racing. That passion is taking the CARS Tour to new heights every year.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. back in the broadcast booth

For NASCAR fans who have missed hearing Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his excited voice in the booth, tonight was a nice amuse-bouche. A little appetizer for what we are going to get this summer, starting next week at Charlotte.

The Coca-Cola 600 will be Dale Jr.’s debut on Prime Video. He will be in the broadcast booth with Adam Alexander and Steve Letarte. This is going to be a fun 10-race schedule from Prime Video to TNT Sports.

CARS Tour has now raced on FS1 for the first time. When can we get more of that? Motorsports in general are continuing to grow in the 2020s. There is a lot of interest in motorsports again, and the CARS Tour is a perfect late-night series to have on TV. If the right partner comes along.

For now, FloRacing has the rights to CARS Tour races. FloRacing was working together with FOX Sports on tonight’s broadcast and have continued to grow their partnership with the TV network. Would you watch the CARS Tour regularly on FS1 or FS2?

After a strong run at Kansas Speedway led to another NASCAR Cup Series victory, Kyle Larson continues to be one of the two top racers of the season thus far.

The season is one-third over entering this weekend’s All-Star Race, and the Hendrick Motorsports driver has already won three times, tying him with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell for the series lead. Throw in a pair of wins by JGR’s Denny Hamlin, and those three hotshots account for eight of the 12 checkered flags.

From an organizational standpoint, it runs even deeper: While JGR leads the series with five wins, HMS has been triumphant four times (counting William Byron’s Daytona 500 win) and Team Penske accounts for two victories (Austin Cindric, Joey Logano).

The lone outlier is Josh Berry’s Las Vegas win for Wood Brothers Racing — who have a technical alliance with Penske through Ford — meaning essentially three racing stables have scored all 12 victories so far.

That type of domination is evident in Larson, who will look to win the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday night for the second time in the sport’s third race since returning to North Wilkesboro Speedway in the mountains of North Wilkesboro, N.C.

In the 2023 exhibition race, Larson drove from the back of the field and led 145 laps, blazing his way around the reborn, historic short track and beating runner-up Bubba Wallace by 4.537 seconds in the 200-lap event.

The Elk Grove, Calif., native joined elite company with his third win in the non-points race, having previously prevailed in 2019 and 2021. He tied Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990, 1993) and Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997, 2001) with three All-Star wins. Jimmie Johnson has won four times (2003, 2006, 2012, 2013).

When it comes to dominating North Wilkesboro’s five-eighths-of-a-mile layout, nobody did it better than Logano a year ago when he earned the pole, led all but one of 200 in his No. 22 Ford and ousted Hamlin by 0.636 seconds in the 40th annual race.

Mired in a terrible 2024, Logano had been winless through 13 points races and used the momentum to start a run to his third championship.

In practice on Friday, Tyler Reddick topped the charts with a lap of 18.198 seconds (123.640 mph) to beat Chase Elliott and Wallace as drivers shook down their cars in long runs before their qualifying efforts.

Qualifying consisted of three laps with drivers pitting on the second time around for four tires and fuel before turning a final circuit.

Sporting the purple and gold colors of East Carolina University, RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski put his No. 6 Ford on the pole with a combined time of 1:27.362. Bell’s No. 20 Toyota was runner-up at 1:28.252.

“It’s one thing I’ve never done in my career,” Keselowski, who is 33rd in points, said of his pole-winning showing in the $1 million payday race. “Total team effort. Pit crew and team gave me a rock-solid car and a rock-solid pit stop … and I nailed the lap.”

The 2012 Cup title winner will have the pole for both a heat race on Saturday and the 200-lap main event on Sunday.

The Spire Motorsports crew of Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Chevrolet won the $100,000 Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge for the fastest stop during qualifying, 12.587 seconds.

–Field Level Media