If you were watching the madness at North Wilkesboro Speedway, you already know the vibe was electric. It’s the kind of night where the million-dollar prize matters, sure, but the bragging rights at a restored legendary track matter more. Christopher Bell took home the win in the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race, finally securing that elusive $1 million paycheck after a tactical masterclass and some seriously aggressive driving in the closing laps.
The win wasn't a cakewalk. Honestly, for about 139 laps, it looked like Joey Logano was going to walk away with the trophy for the second year in a row. He was dominant. But the All-Star race is basically designed to punish the comfortable.
How Christopher Bell Won The All Star Race Last Night
Strategy is everything on a 0.625-mile short track where passing is like trying to thread a needle while riding a roller coaster. The turning point came late. With roughly 35 laps to go, the "Promoter’s Caution"—a specific wrinkle for this event—bunched up the field. This is where teams had to make a choice: track position or fresh rubber.
Joey Logano and a handful of others decided to stay out. They banked on the idea that the "clean air" in front would be enough to hold off the chargers. Christopher Bell’s crew chief, Adam Stevens, didn't buy it. He pulled the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota onto pit road for two fresh right-side tires.
It was the winning move.
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When the green flag dropped for the final 28-lap sprint, Bell restarted in sixth. He carved through the top five like they were standing still, eventually finding himself glued to Logano’s bumper. On Lap 241 of 250, Bell made his move. He got underneath the No. 22 Ford, drifted high, and basically forced Logano to find a different zip code.
"I knew once I got the lead, I had the tire advantage," Bell said after the race. He won by a margin of 0.829 seconds. It was a massive statement for Toyota, marking their first All-Star win since Kyle Busch did it back in 2017.
The Full Leaderboard and Surprising Stats
While everyone is talking about Bell, the rest of the field had a wild night too. Ross Chastain, who has a reputation for being... let's say "involved" in a lot of incidents, actually drove a remarkably clean race to finish third. He survived a spin earlier in the night involving Austin Cindric and Alex Bowman, which is sort of a miracle.
Here is how the top ten shook out:
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- Christopher Bell (Winner)
- Joey Logano (Led race-high 139 laps)
- Ross Chastain
- Alex Bowman
- Chase Elliott
- William Byron
- Tyler Reddick
- Kyle Busch
- Chase Briscoe
- Chris Buescher
Something most people missed? Chevrolet actually won the inaugural Manufacturer Showdown. Even though a Toyota took the big check, the collective performance of Chastain, Bowman, Elliott, and Byron meant the "Bowtie" brand took home the brand-specific honors.
The Drama Behind the Scenes at North Wilkesboro
The track itself was a character. North Wilkesboro was once abandoned, left to rot before a massive revival brought it back to the schedule. Drivers love it because it's gritty. Bell called it the "best short track on the schedule" during his post-race interview.
There was also the story of the "transfer" drivers. Carson Hocevar won the All-Star Open earlier in the evening to earn his spot in the main event. He even walked out for driver intros wearing a Caitlin Clark jersey, which honestly felt like the most Gen-Z move possible in a sport rooted in old-school tradition. Hocevar finished a respectable 11th.
Kyle Larson had the craziest weekend of anyone. He was bouncing between Indianapolis for Indy 500 qualifying and North Wilkesboro. He started at the back (19th) because of the driver change—Justin Allgaier had been practicing the car for him—and managed to fight his way up to the front briefly. He ended up 21st after some late-race struggles, but just showing up was a feat in itself.
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What’s Next for NASCAR Fans?
The All-Star race is great, but it’s an exhibition. No points. Just money and pride. The real grind restarts next week.
- The Coca-Cola 600: The Cup Series moves to Charlotte Motor Speedway for one of the longest, most grueling races of the year.
- The Prime Video Era: Next week marks the start of the new broadcast partnership. You’ll need to tune in to Prime Video to catch the 600-mile marathon.
- Points Standings: Keep an eye on Christopher Bell. Winning an All-Star race doesn't give you points, but it gives you a massive boost in momentum and a million bucks to fund whatever upgrades Joe Gibbs Racing has in the pipeline.
If you’re looking to get deeper into the technical side of why those two tires worked for Bell while Logano’s stay-out strategy failed, check out the post-race tire wear reports from Goodyear. The fall-off at North Wilkesboro was much higher than teams anticipated, which basically turned the leaders into sitting ducks.
To stay ahead of the curve for next week's Charlotte race, track the practice speeds on Friday. Charlotte is a "quad-oval" and rewards raw horsepower and aerodynamic efficiency much more than the short-track bumping we saw last night. Setting your fantasy lineup early based on long-run averages from last year's 600 will be your best bet for a win.