The story of North Wilkesboro Speedway shows just how wonderful the racing community can be, and how even the most unpredictable of scenarios can come true.
After hosting NASCAR Cup Series races from the late 1940s through 1996, the track was all but left for dead. The facilities were so far gone and the track nearly incapacitated when Dale Earnhardt Jr. arrived on the scene in late 2019. His goal was to clean the track up just enough to be scanned for the iRacing digital service to allow future generations to at least digitally experience what the track was like. That effort started a domino effect that ended with financing directed to the track and the local area revitalized the facilities to bring racing back to North Wilkesboro.
Bringing modern racing vibes to an old-school track, the yearly All-Star Race will be at North Wilkesboro Speedway for a third consecutive year. One could argue there’s no better spot for stock car racing’s finest to fight for a million bucks.
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Can Kyle Larson Claim the Million? | 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race Picks
Building Our Betting Model
North Wilkesboro fits firmly into the short track scene in the series, but it has quite a few unique touches as well. The front straightaway goes slightly downhill while the back straightaway goes slightly uphill, with three degrees of banking there and 14 degrees in the turns. The 0.625-mile oval is the newest surface in the sport, repaved after the 2023 race weekend, which was run on the old surface. Although it has no true comparisons, we can factor in other short tracks on the circuit, such as Phoenix, Richmond and Martinsville. All in, it makes for a more involved IBT Betting Model (powered by ifantasyrace.com) than I expected this week.
- 2024 & 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race Finish
- 2024 & 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race Average Position
- 2025 Phoenix Average Position
- 2025 Martinsville Average Position
- 2025 & 2024 Comp Track Average Finish
- Comp Track Total Speed Rankings Since 2024*
- 2024 & 2023 NASCAR All-Star Open Bonus
- Truck Series @ North Wilkesboro Bonus
*includes Gateway/World Wide Technology Raceway and Iowa Speedway.
With hopes of repeating, both of the North Wilkesboro All-Star winners, Kyle Larson in 2023 and Joey Logano in 2024, rank highly in the model this week. Below those top four, things start to spread out quickly; you don’t see a D rating in our top ten very often. As the cream of the crop rises to the top, it makes this week’s picks simpler than most to me.
2025 NASCAR All-Star Race Picks & Predictions
Kyle Larson (+500)
Kyle Larson is all you’re going to hear about for the next two weeks, so why not start here? Larson is once again balancing All-Star weekend festivities with qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. It didn’t slow him down in last year’s All-Star Race, finishing P4 despite starting out in the back.
When the No. 5 racer had a normal weekend here in 2023, the team led 145 laps and took home the grand prize. The California native also won the Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro that year as well.
Looking at the primary comp tracks in our model, Larson finished third at Phoenix and fifth at Martinsville. We know Kyle Larson can win anywhere, anytime, so it’s no surprise he’s the favorite once again this weekend.
Joey Logano (+800)
Joey Logano can only dream of 2025’s All-Star Race going as well as 2024’s event. The No. 22 led all but one of 200 laps, winning the million bucks and the checkered flag last year.
The Connecticut native earned a top-ten finish in the 2023 event and was P4 in the other 2025 exhibition race, the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Though Bowman Gray is significantly shorter than North Wilkesboro, tight corners and passing come at a premium, making it similar enough to be worth considering in my book.
As for the other comp tracks, Logano was 13th at Phoenix and earned a P8 at Martinsville. Some limited model inclusion of Gateway, where Joey Logano won in 2022, helps boost his ranking as well.
Chase Elliott (+1000)
Thinking outside the box/model and bringing in Bowman Gray statistics helps my case for Chase Elliott this weekend. The No. 9 led 171 laps to win the Clash this past February.
Don’t get me wrong, though; the Georgia native has been strong at North Wilkesboro as well. Elliott finished fifth in 2023 and eighth in 2024. In this year’s comps, he finished P4 at Martinsville and tenth at Phoenix.
The sport’s most popular driver winning on its All-Star night would certainly be a storybook ending.
Thanks for reading my 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race picks & predictions. Be sure to catch us live every Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. EST on The Backroad!
Also, follow me on Twitter/X @ehicks39 for more NASCAR takes and betting advice.
*Photo Credit: Randy Sartin – USA TODAY Sports*
