Everything About the Format of the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race; Which Drivers Are Eligible for the Race?

The 2025 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, a non-points exhibition featuring race winners from the prior and current NASCAR Cup Series seasons, is scheduled for May 18, 2025, at 5:00 PM ET. But NASCAR has introduced several format changes for this edition.

Eligibility criteria remain the same. Drivers locked into the main event include those who have won a points-paying race in 2024 or 2025, former All-Star Race winners competing full-time, and full-time past NASCAR Cup Series champions.

Based on that, the eligible drivers as of now include Christopher Bell, Josh Berry, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Daniel Suárez.

Additional drivers will punch their ticket through a 100-lap Open qualifying race. However, only three from the Open will advance: the top two finishers and the highest vote-getter in the fan poll.

Prior to the main race, two 75-lap All-Star Heat races will be held on May 17. Meanwhile, the main feature event has been extended to 250 laps.

In a twist designed to keep teams on their toes, NASCAR will throw a competition break near lap 100 and introduce an optional Promoter’s Caution that must occur before lap 220.

However, officials will not reveal when — or even if — that caution will come into play. If no Promoter’s Caution is issued and a natural yellow occurs after lap 200, the optional caution will be scrapped.

A new highlight this season is the Manufacturer Showdown, emphasizing brand pride. Each manufacturer — Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota — will field an equal number of drivers, determined by the least-represented make on the grid. The other two will match that number, selecting drivers based on their final All-Star starting positions.

Each manufacturer team will be scored independently of the overall race results. The lowest combined total of finishing positions among teammates will determine the winning brand. In the event of a tie, the team with the highest individual finisher will be declared the winner.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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