On Wednesday, NASCAR revealed the format for the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, and it features some new wrinkles from last year’s event.
As was the case last year, All-Star Race and Open Qualifying will be conducted in a unique session, where drivers will complete three on-track laps with a pit stop mixed in. The qualifying speeds among All-Star Open competitors will set the starting lineup for the All-Star Open race.
The All-Star Open will be a 100-lap event, where all laps count, and one overtime attempt is allowed. The race will have a “Competition Break” at or around Lap 40, and at the end of the 100 laps, the top two finishers and one fan-vote winner will advance to the All-Star Race.
The fastest qualifier among All-Star competitors will take the pole position for the first of two All-Star Race Heat Races as well as the pole for the All-Star Race Main Event.
The All-Star Heat Races will be 60-lap events, where all laps count, and one overtime attempt will be permitted if needed.
The results of Heat 1 will set the inside row for the All-Star Race starting lineup, while Heat 2 will determine the outside row of the starting lineup.
As far as the All-Star Race, the event will consist of 250 laps (50 laps more than 2024’s edition of the race), where all laps count, and normal endless overtime attempts are in place. There will be a competition break at or around Lap 100. New this year, there will be an optional Promoter’s Caution, which must be executed prior to Lap 220. If the Promoter’s Caution has not been utilized and a caution occurs after Lap 200, the optional caution will no longer be available for use.
“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.”
An additional new feature in this year’s All-Star Race will be the NASCAR Manufacturer Showdown. For this showdown. The amount of contestants per manufacturer 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.
Manufacturers will be scored against each other and not by their overall All-Star finish. The combined total of finishing positions will be the winning manufacturer. In the event of a tie, the single best overall finishing position will determine the winner.
NASCAR is proud of the new Manufacturer Showdown aspect of the All-Star Race.
“The NASCAR All-Star Race continues to evolve as one of the most fun and innovative events on our calendar,” said 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.”
The NASCAR All-Star Open will take place on Sunday, May 18 prior to the start of the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Both races will be broadcast on FS1. The All-Star Open Race broadcast will kick off at 5:30 PM ET, and will be followed by the NASCAR All-Star Race at 8:00 PM ET.
One Response
Could they POSSIBLY make it any more complicated ?