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- Christopher Bell won Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, scoring his first career All-Star win and Joe Gibbs Racing’s first All-Star triumph since 2017; Chevrolet won the Manufacturer’s Showdown with the best total finish of its top five cars
- Joey Logano led a race-high 139 laps and finished second with Ross Chastain third, Alex Bowman fourth and Chase Elliott fifth
- Speedway officials announced a sold-out crowd prior to the green flag; Fans can lock in their 2026 tickets by visiting www.northwilkesborospeedway.com
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 18, 2025) – Christopher Bell made a million-dollar move on Joey Logano in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race, and emerged victorious in one of North Wilkesboro Speedway’s most thrilling events in its storied history.
Logano led a race-high 139 of 250 laps and was poised to score his second straight All-Star win – but unlike Bell, Logano opted to stay out when the race’s final caution period, the Promoter’s Caution, came out with 35 laps to go. Bell took on new right-side tires, flew through the front-running cars in short order and engaged in a hotly contested duel with Logano for the $1 million winner’s prize.
Bell leaned on his superior grip and, after diving below Logano in Turn 2 with nine laps to go, took the lead by force. Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota slid up the track in Turn 3 and nudged Logano’s Team Penske Ford toward the wall. Logano had to lift, Bell took the point for good and beat Logano to the line by 0.829 seconds.
Logano, Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott rounded out the top five. Bell’s victory was JGR’s first All-Star Race triumph since Kyle Busch won in 2017.
Pole winner Brad Keselowski led 62 of the race’s first 64 laps, but crashed after hitting the Turn 3 wall and ended up 22nd. Kyle Larson – who won North Wilkesboro’s first All-Star Race in 2023 – led five laps before he made contact with the Turn 2 wall on Lap 215 and finished 21st.
Sunday’s 250-lap event featured an All-Star Race-record 18 lead changes among eight drivers.
The night offered positives for each of NASCAR’s three manufacturers. Bell’s Toyota won the race, Logano’s Ford led the most laps and posted a record 11th straight All-Star top-10, and Chevrolet – by virtue of having the best finishes among its top five cars – won the first Manufacturer’s Showdown.
CHRISTOPHER BELL, NO. 20 JOE GIBBS RACING TOYOTA (Race Winner): “North Wilkesboro, how about that one? That right there is absolutely incredible. North Wilkesboro, best short track on the schedule. (My pit crew) are the best. This sport can be so humbling because behind the wheel, I’m only a small part of the team. Without them, I’m nobody. Congrats to these guys.”
JOE GIBBS, NO. 20 JOE GIBBS RACING TOYOTA (Winning Car Owner): “We’ve had the toughest time winning this race. It’s only our third, and I think we’ve tried at least 30 times. I felt like (Bell) was going to be strong. He told me before the race it was one of the best cars he’s ever had.”
JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 TEAM PENSKE FORD (Runner-Up): “We had the fastest car. Our Shell-Pennzoil Mustang was so fast. We had six cars stay out with us, but the 20 (Bell) got a great restart and picked them off too fast. He got under me and ran me up toward the wall. If I could’ve gotten to him, he’d have gone around, trust me. It’s frustrating to lead so many laps and it hurts quite a bit.”
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 TRACKHOUSE RACING CHEVROLET (Third-Place Finisher): “I had no tires left. (Staying out) was definitely the right call. Once we’d get to the front, we could pretty much stay there. We made some good adjustments. A strong night for us. I just needed the guys up front to hit each other a little harder.”
TICKETS:
For 2026, fans who renew or put a down payment on North Wilkesboro Speedway NASCAR tickets and camping, Monday through June 17, will get a free pair of Shady Rays sunglasses along with the best available pricing. Tickets are available at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com.
KEEP TRACK:
Fans can connect with North Wilkesboro Speedway by following on X and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the North Wilkesboro Speedway mobile app.
