A guide to the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race: Who will win? Predictions, odds
North Wilkesboro Speedway will host its third consecutive All-Star Race on Sunday.
That’s three years of racing on the racetrack that for nearly 30 years — from 1996 to 2023 — appeared to be left for dead.
That’s three years of NASCAR Cup Series cars skidding through the car-scraped walls, of drivers zooming down the elevation change on the frontstretch, of rivals throwing punches, of past champions in Kyle Larson and Joey Logano flexing their greatness.
So ... what will happen in Year 3?
Ask history, and you may assume that track positioning will be king. Logano led 199 of the 200 laps in last year’s event. The year before, Larson held a 13-second lead at one point and emerged from the car with a big smile and a statement: “That was an old-fashioned ass-whoopin’ for sure.”
But ask Ross Chastain, who went from last to second in a Saturday heat race, and he’ll say that passing opportunity is aplenty. Ask Brad Keselowski, Sunday’s pole-sitter, and he’ll say you’ll see racing where track positioning is important, but that there are multiple grooves on the racetrack — meaning Sunday could be “a dogfight.”
Ask Christopher Bell, and he’ll offer nuance.
“It’s so tough to say,” Bell said Saturday. “Last year, I know it was a little bit of a different tire. Joey won the race by staying out. ... And I was on the same strategy with Joey, and I ended up finishing last. So it seems like if you stay out, you really need to keep the lead.
“We saw the same thing in Heat Race 1, where he was able to win the race on the old tires. But Tyler Reddick, who had old tires, fell way back. It’s a very tough decision. And I’m thankful that I’m not in the crew chief’s box because it’s tough. And you know whatever you do, the opponents are going to do the opposite. So it’s tough, and I don’t really know how it’s going to play out.”
To help you sort out all the possibilities for the 2025 All-Star Race, here’s your day-of guide.
Fast facts about NASCAR race: How to watch, purse
Fans can watch the running of the race on Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m., and they can listen to it on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90).
Coverage on FS1 begins at 5 p.m. After all, the NASCAR All-Star Open, which locks two of the final three open cars into the All-Star race field, starts at 5:30 p.m. (The third and final open spot is determined by the NASCAR Fan Vote.)
Other quick facts:
- Track Length: 0.625 Mile Asphalt Oval
- Purse: $2,421,400 ($1 million goes to winner)
- Distance: 156.25 miles (250 Laps)
- Competition Break: At or around Lap 100
Top 10 driver odds to win NASCAR All-Star Race
Top 10 driver odds to win All-Star Race: Kyle Larson (+600), Christopher Bell (+600), Joey Logano (+700), William Byron (+750), Ryan Blaney (+800), Denny Hamlin (+800), Chase Elliott (+850), Brad Keselowski (+1000), Tyler Reddick (+1100) and Josh Berry (+1200).
Observer writers make picks for NASCAR All-Star Race
Shane Connuck: Christopher Bell. The Joe Gibbs Racing star has been among the best competitors in the Cup Series throughout this year, and it’s time he wins his first All-Star Race. Bell has speed at North Wilkesboro, earning the position to lead the second heat race field to green Saturday, and will start the main event in second place. It’s going to be difficult to pass once again — pole-sitter Brad Keselowski remained out in front for nearly the entirety of the first qualifying heat — and Bell will be starting up front. He’s already recorded a pair of Top 10 finishes at short tracks (P2 at Martinsville, and eighth place at Bristol) and has a great chance to give Toyota its first All-Star Race victory since then-JGR driver Kyle Busch in 2017.
Alex Zietlow: Brad Keselowski. The storyteller in me is begging for Kyle Larson to win. It’s unimaginative, maybe, but Larson has been at the center of the past two All-Star Races here — what with him winning the first in 2023 and descending onto the racetrack from a helicopter like a legend in 2024. But Larson won’t win. He simply has too much ground to cover; he missed qualifying because he was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway fulfilling some obligations ahead of his attempt at The Double next week, and will thus start 19th in the 23-car field. Instead, we’re rolling with Brad Keselowski. The pole-sitter also had a great heat race showing Saturday — and proved that racetrack positioning is king. This will be the 2012 champion’s first All-Star Race win.
Other NASCAR Cup Series bets to keep an eye on
All betting odds below are from Saturday evening, after the completion of Saturday’s heat races.
▪ Before the All-Star Race, let’s talk about the All-Star Open — which finalizes the All-Star Race field a few hours before the official 8 p.m. Cup event. Why? Because why not? DraftKings Sportsbook gives the best odds to “win” to Carson Hocevar (+185), who will start P2 in the Open. That said, Shane van Gisbergen, who will start the race on the pole, seems to have good value at +550. Remember: There are only 100 laps in this particular event on this short track — and passing, at least the past few years in these Next Gen cars, has come at a premium.
▪ Because it isn’t a points race, notching a “Top 10” isn’t something drivers are all that interested in. That’s why you see drivers feeling out the races come the final stage: They either begin pushing it to win — and collect their $1 million payout — or they lay back, keeping their equipment wreck-free while collecting valuable information about their short-track programs. In effect, there are very few driver props in this one. DraftKings does, however, offer “driver matchups” for this race — where it presents you two drivers and allows you to bet which finishes ahead of the other. Some notable matchups (with predicted winners bolded): Ryan Blaney (-180) vs. Ross Chastain (+130), and William Byron (-105) and Denny Hamlin (-130).
NASCAR All-Star Race starting lineup
The final three slots will be determined after the All Star Open, as aforementioned.
Position | Driver | Car Number |
1 | Brad Keselowski | 6 |
2 | Christopher Bell | 20 |
3 | Ross Chastain | 1 |
4 | Joey Logano | 22 |
5 | William Byron | 24 |
6 | Chase Elliott | 9 |
7 | Ryan Blaney | 12 |
8 | Kyle Busch | 8 |
9 | Alex Bowman | 48 |
10 | Chris Buescher | 17 |
11 | Josh Berry | 21 |
12 | Daniel Suarez | 99 |
13 | Tyler Reddick | 45 |
14 | Chase Briscoe | 19 |
15 | Austin Dillon | 3 |
16 | Austin Cindric | 16 |
17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 |
18 | Harrison Burton | 18 |
19 | Kyle Larson | 5 |
| 20 | Denny Hamlin | 11 |
| 21 | All-Star Open Winner | |
| 22 | All-Star Open Second Place | |
| 23 | Fan Vote Winner |
This story was originally published May 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
