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Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 FREIGHTLINER FORD MUSTANG
START: 16TH FINISH: 18TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Freightliner team navigated a challenging night in Sunday’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, coming away with an 18th-place finish in the annual exhibition event. After starting 16th and eventually racing inside the top 10, Cindric was caught up in a multi-car incident with Ross Chastain and Alex Bowman on Lap 113. The Freightliner Ford Mustang sustained right-side damage and headed to the attention of the crew for repairs and service, pitting twice. Despite going multiple laps down, the team stayed the course, eventually returning to the lead lap following a few cautions, closing out the night with an 18th-place run.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “We spent the first part of the race working on the balance and made some gains to get ourselves in a pretty good spot before that incident took us out of rhythm. The team did a nice job making repairs and getting us back on the lead lap so we could at least finish it out clean.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/WRANGLER FORD MUSTANG
START: 7TH FINISH: 16TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney was in contention for his second-career All-Star Race win Sunday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway, but a late-race restart did not fall the No. 12 team’s way as the Menards/Wrangler Ford Mustang settled for a 16th-place finish. Blaney worked his way into the top-five by the time of the competition caution on lap 102 and maintained that pace throughout the latter stages of the 250-lap event, reaching third on the leaderboard at the time of the caution on lap 175. Following the promoter’s caution with 34 laps remaining, the No. 12 team opted to stay out to take the ensuing restart from the inside of row one with 28 laps to go. On the second lap following the restart, contact with the No. 1 out of turn four got Blaney sideways and shuffled him back into the middle of three and four-wide battles towards the back of the field as the Menards/Wrangler Ford went on to take the checkered flag 16th.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “We tried to give it a shot at it by staying out at the end there but I got spun out off of [turn] four as I was trying to clear up and it was a rough two laps from there. Not a bad night. I wish we could have contended a little bit better but we got a lot better from Friday.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG
START: 4TH FINISH: 2ND
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano led a race-high 139 laps Sunday night in search of his second-consecutive All-Star Race win at North Wilkesboro Speedway, but ultimately settled for a second-place finish in the 250-lap exhibition event. After starting fourth, Logano quickly forced his way to the front from the drop of the green flag as the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang battled for the race lead alongside the No. 6 throughout the first run of the night. Logano took over the top spot for the first time on lap 80 and paced the field through the competition caution on lap 102. The Shell-Pennzoil Ford was back out in front on the ensuing run as Logano distanced himself from the field in the latter stages of the night before the promoter’s caution brought the field back together with 34 laps remaining. The No. 22 team opted to stay out under yellow, allowing Logano to control the restart from the outside of row one as the field lined up to take the green with 28 to go. With nine laps to go and teams on fresher tires making their way to the front of the field, the No. 20 got underneath the No. 22 in turn one and ultimately made the race-winning pass as Logano went on to take the checkered flag from second.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “It’s all you’ve got. I was hoping I could just fight [Christopher Bell] long enough to where the advantage would go away a little bit, but it just never did. I did as best I can blocking my butt off, but once [Bell] got under me he just released the brake and gave me no option to either fence it and wreck or run up in the marbles and spin out. It just stings. I’m upset because we had the best car. We had the best car by a long shot and we didn’t win.”
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 25. Coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 with in-car camera angles available all race long through the MAX Driver Cam.

Team Penske PR

The following press release is from Suzuki:

Brea, CA – Suzuki Motor USA, LLC and the Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki team presented by Progressive Insurance are proud to announce their rider lineup for the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship. As the team shifts gears from an intense Supercross season to the grueling summer of outdoor racing, the Suzuki RM-Z450s will be piloted by returning rider Colt Nichols (45) and new addition Benoit Paturel (102).

Colt Nichols carries momentum into the 2025 Pro Motocross season.

Nichols comes into the outdoor series fresh off a win at the Glen Helen warm-up race and is eager to carry that momentum into the 11-round championship. European motocross veteran Benoit Paturel brings international experience and proven racecraft to the team as he prepares for his debut season racing a full U.S. Motocross campaign.

Benoit Paturel (102), former MXGP race winner and 2016 MXoN champion, joins the Suzuki squad for his first full season of American Motocross.

Paturel, from Lyon, France, is a former MXGP race winner and a member of France’s winning team at the 2016 Motocross of Nations. As he joins the American motocross ranks, he brings valuable depth and world-class experience to Suzuki’s outdoor program.

“I am very excited to compete in my first full season of American Motocross,” said Benoit Paturel. “I have been testing on the motorcycle, and I am adapting well to the Suzuki platform.”

“The motocross season is long and challenging after a tough supercross campaign,” said Team Manager Larry Brooks. “The summer motos will test the team’s strength, and I feel we have prepared well coming into the start of the motocross season. Colt is coming off of a win at the Glen Helen pre-race, and Benoit is a fresh face with a ton of experience.”

Ken Roczen (94), who missed the final rounds of Supercross due to injury, is eyeing up a return at select Pro Motocross rounds later in the season, pending recovery.

Kyle Chisholm (11) will not compete in the outdoor series but plans to return for the SuperMotocross (SMX) World Championship later this year.

Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross and HEPMotorsports.com for more team news.

Christopher Bell celebrates after winning the NASCAR All-Star auto race Sunday, May 18, 2025, in North Wilkesboro, N.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)

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.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulled back the curtain on a side of his father few fans ever saw. In a candid podcast interview, he revealed Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s quiet plans to step away from racing slowly, not to retire, but to reshape NASCAR’s future.

The seven-time Cup Series champion, who died in the 2001 Daytona 500, aimed to trade firesuits for boardrooms. His vision? Grow Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) into a dynasty and guide NASCAR’s France family through pivotal decisions.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reveals Senior’s Unseen Boardroom Ambitions

The Intimidator’s grit on track was matched by sharp business instincts off it and by 2001, he’d become close to NASCAR’s front office. Earnhardt Sr. had his way on advising the France family on marketing, merchandise, and fan engagement, areas he’d mastered through DEI’s success.

“He was a very close confidant and friend of the France family,” Dale Jr. said on the “Rubbin’ is Racing” podcast. “He had their ear a little bit and I think he could have steered some things into some good directions and helped the France family go in some good directions. He was very smart about the business side of it, the marketability of the sport, and the souvenir side of it as well.”

Dale Earnhardt’s clout extended to protecting his son’s career. When rival Darrell Waltrip tried to sign a young Dale Jr. in the late 1990s, Earnhardt Sr. shut it down. “You stay away from him. You’ll pay him too damn much money,” he warned Waltrip.

“I won’t be able to compete with you. I got plans for him.” Those plans? A groundbreaking $10 million Budweiser deal at DEI, NASCAR’s richest sponsorship then.

“I think he would have done helped them make some great decisions to help the sport maintain and retain its popularity,” Dale Jr. said. “So he would have worked for it. He would have been an ambassador forever for the sport. He would have went anywhere they needed him to go.”

Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s Legacy Cut Short, Leaving What-Ifs

Earnhardt Sr.’s death didn’t just stun fans — it shattered a father-son bond that was finally healing through racing. Dale Jr. had spent years clashing with his dad, acting out for attention.

“Man, I was a troubled kid… I was really probably more of a disappointment up until probably 1996, ’97,” he told Danica Patrick in 2017. “I started driving in the Xfinity Series in a couple races for Dad and started showing ‘hey, there’s some purpose for me here and here’s direction for me.’”

For Junior, the answers lie in a podcast booth, not a trophy case. His father’s true legacy wasn’t just the titles — it was the future he never got to build.