Format Announced For 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race

The format has been set for this year's NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. (HHP/Jim Fluharty photo)

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. – NASCAR and North Wilkesboro Speedway officials revealed the format for next month’s $1 million-to-win All-Star Race Wednesday, with several tweaks like in previous years.

Since 1985, NASCAR has held its All-Star exhibition race annually, meant to showcase its best drivers in a special event for a big prize. In 2003, the winner's share of the purse increased to $1 million, and it has stayed that way since.

In 2023, NASCAR brought the race to the revived North Wilkesboro Speedway, coming back after leaving the speedway in 1996. Once again, the best in the NASCAR Cup Series will roll into the foothills of the Carolinas to race at the five-eighths-mile oval on Sunday night, May 18.

Points-paying race winners from the 2024 and 2025 seasons, as well as previous All-Star race winners and past Cup Series champions who compete full time, are locked into the main event.

Two 60-lap heat races on Saturday night will set the starting lineup for the drivers locked in, with heat one lining up the inside file and heat two setting the outside file of the grid.

Sunday afternoon will feature the 100-lap All-Star Open, where the top two finishers – plus the fan vote winner – will lock into the All-Star Race.

Qualifying will be on All-Star Friday presented by Raymer Oil for all drivers, setting the starting lineup for the All-Star Open and the two heat races. The time trial format is three laps and will see the drivers come to pit road and do a four-tire pit stop during their second lap.

Pit stall selection will be determined by the fastest pit stop as part of the Pit Crew Challenge presented by Mechanix Wear, while the total elapsed time will determine the Open and All-Star heat race grids.

Sunday night’s All-Star main event has been extended to 250 laps and will feature a competition caution on or near lap 100. New this year is a promoter’s caution which, if used, must be thrown after the lap-100 yellow but before lap 220.

If the promoter’s caution has not yet occurred and a natural caution flag falls after lap 200, the optional caution will no longer be in play.

Basically, this gives Marcus Smith and Speedway Motorsports the ability to throw a caution whenever they want, as long as it is prior to lap 220. It’s similar to the “fun flag” that was seen in the Superstar Racing Experience. This will keep drivers and teams on their toes, as a caution could fall at any time.

The main new element for this year is the Manufacturer Showdown. Manufacturer teams (Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota) will be equally represented. The members per team will be determined by the least represented manufacturer, and an equal number of drivers from the other two manufacturers will be selected based on their final All-Star grid starting positions.

Teams will be scored against each other and not by their overall All-Star finish. The lowest combined total of finishing positions will be the winning manufacturer. If there is a tie, the single best overall finishing position will determine the winner.

For example, if there are five Toyotas in the All-Star race, the five highest qualifying Chevrolets and Fords will be counted in the showdown, and whichever manufacturer has the best combined finish with their eligible cars will win.

“The NASCAR All-Star Race continues to evolve as one of the most fun and innovative events on our calendar,” said NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer John Probst. “Returning to historic North Wilkesboro Speedway for the third year in a row allows us to honor our sport’s roots while pushing the envelope with fresh competitive elements.

“The introduction of the Manufacturer Showdown brings a new layer of intensity and pride for our OEM partners, and fans can expect even more strategy, teamwork, and drama on race day.”

NASCAR has often used the All-Star Race as an experimental stage, where they try things out to see if they will make the product more entertaining and exciting for the fans and drivers.

Since it is not for points, drivers are encouraged to race aggressively to claim the massive paycheck at the end of the night, usually resulting in tempers flaring and action not often seen in the regular season.

“In the 40-year history of the All-Star Race, there has never been so much on-track action across the entire event week,” said Jessica Fickenscher, executive director of the NASCAR All-Star Race. “And with so much competition – from the pit crews to the manufacturers to the race teams and drivers – the biggest All-Star winners will be the fans with all they get to see at what’s become America’s throwback racetrack, North Wilkesboro Speedway.

“The entire week is truly the most jam-packed entertainment value in all of motorsports.”

Drivers already locked in the All-Star Race include William Byron, Daniel Suárez, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, Harrison Burton, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Josh Berry, and Kyle Busch.

In addition to all the NASCAR Cup Series activity, fans can enjoy zMAX CARS Tour feature races both Thursday (the pro late model Reverend Whiskey 75) and Friday (late model stock cars), along with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Window World 250 and a Jake Owen frontstretch concert Saturday.

Sunday’s on-track action begins with a NASCAR Whelen Modified Series race preceding the All-Star Open and All-Star Race.

Broadcast coverage of the All-Star festivities airs live on FS1, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, with coverage beginning at 5 p.m. ET on May 18.

NASCAR All-Star race week ticket packages, including all eight races, the Pit Crew Challenge, Jake Owen concert and all NASCAR qualifying sessions, start at just $130.

Race week packages or individual event day tickets and camping can be purchased online at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com.