TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
North Wilkesboro Speedway
May 16-18, 2025
The NASCAR Cup Series will see a break in its regular season competition this weekend with drivers and teams in the sport’s top division vying for the $1 million grand prize in the 41st running of the NASCAR All-Star Race.
The annual exhibition race will head back to the hallowed grounds of North Wilkesboro Speedway for the third-straight season, with the Bowtie brigade looking for its second triumph at the .625-mile venue since its revival. For the Craftsman Truck Series, a trip to the historic North Carolina short-track will mark the start of the second-half of its regular season schedule.
Chevrolet’s All-Star History
Chevrolet commands the series in All-Star Race crowns with 21 wins in the annual exhibition race, with the manufacturer’s winning ways dating back to Darrell Waltrip’s win in the inaugural race in 1985. Among those victories includes a combined total of 13 by the event’s top-four winningest drivers, led by Jimmie Johnson with a series-best four triumphs. A trio of past champions are tied for second on the event’s all-time wins list with three wins each, including NASCAR Hall of Famers, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr., and Kyle Larson. Chevrolet’s past four All-Star wins have come over a six season timespan, with each of those victories coming at a different venue, including Larson’s three wins (Charlotte Motor Speedway – May 2019; Texas Motor Speedway – June 2021; North Wilkesboro Speedway – May 2023) and Chase Elliott’s victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in July 2020.
LOCKED-IN
Team Chevy heads into the North Wilkesboro race weekend with a manufacturer-leading nine drivers already locked into the NASCAR All-Star Race main event, including former champions and past All-Star Race winners Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch. The Bowtie brand’s other six guaranteed entries earned their chance at competing for the $1 million grand prize by virtue of a win during the 2024 season, including Hendrick Motorsports teammates, William Byron and Alex Bowman; Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon; Trackhouse Racing teammates, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez; and Hyak Motorsports’ Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Just four drivers that are already locked into the All-Star Race starting lineup have earned top-10 results in each of the two events held at North Wilkesboro Speedway. That elite list includes the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Larson and Elliott, with Larson and the No. 5 Chevrolet team taking it one step further with results no worse than fourth, including his win in NASCAR’s return to the track in 2023.
QUEST TO THE DOUBLE BEGINS
Carrying the momentum of a dominating weekend at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson is on the horizon of arguably his two busiest weeks of the 2025 season. The career Chevrolet driver will make his second attempt at making history as just the fifth driver to accomplish the Memorial Day weekend “Double”. Collecting his series-leading third NASCAR Cup Series win of the season, the 32-year-old Elk Grove, California, native made the trek to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to get back behind the wheel of the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet to kick-off on-track activity for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Before making his way back to North Carolina to compete for his fourth NASCAR All-Star Race triumph, Larson will make his qualifying attempt for the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. One year ago, Larson quickly put his name on the map among the NTT INDYCAR SERIES field – advancing his way into the Fast Six before locking in a fifth-place starting position for his series debut. With a qualifying lap of 232.846 mph, Larson became the second-fastest rookie on a four-lap average in series’ history – just behind Tony Stewart’s record of 233.100 mph set in 1996.
Larson to the Lead
In similar fashion to his first attempt at the “H1100”, Larson will enter the Indianapolis 500 as the NASCAR Cup Series points leader. With a stage win sweep and a race-high 61-point day at Kansas Speedway, Larson and the No. 5 Chevrolet team took over the points lead from his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, by 35 markers. The victory marked Larson’s third win of the season, with the driver becoming the series’ second three-time winner of the season with just 12 races complete. The Chevrolet driver is now a 32-time winner in NASCAR’s top division, bringing him 29th on the series’ all-time wins list to match NASCAR Hall of Famer, Dale Jarrett. The dominating victory at the Midwest oval came after tallying 221 laps led to bring his total to 817 laps led on the season – more than double the next leading competitor, teammate Byron, with 386. It was enough for Larson to check off yet another milestone feat. With now 10,073 laps led in his Cup Series career, Larson became just the 22nd driver in NASCAR history to accomplish 10,000 laps led in the division.
ENFINGER HUNGRY FOR FIRST WIN
Steady gains by Grant Enfinger and the No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet team continues to prove that their first trip to victory lane of the season is right around the corner. While the loss of track position late in the race took them out of contention, the 40-year-old Fairhope, Alabama, native left Kansas Speedway with a race-high 45-point day – enough to move the Chevrolet driver up to the fifth position in the points standings to start the second-half of the series’ regular season.
It was this race one year ago that the No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet team turned their season around. Earning a runner-up finish at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the team went on to tally top-four results in five of the final seven races to close out the regular season. Enfinger is one of only two drivers that have earned top-10 results in the pair of events held at the revived North Carolina short-track.
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 12 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:
Wins: 4
Poles: 7
Laps Led: 1,647
Top-Fives: 24
Top-10s: 55
Stage Wins: 11
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 12 NASCAR Xfinity Series races complete:
Wins: 10
Poles: 8
Laps Led: 1,763
Top-Fives: 40
Top-10s: 76
Stage Wins: 19
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 9 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races complete:
Wins: 5
Poles: 2
Laps Led: 585
Top-Fives: 22
Top-10s: 42
Stage Wins: 6
BOWTIE BULLETS:
· Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 21 NASCAR All-Star Race victories, including four of the past six events:
2019: Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet (Charlotte Motor Speedway)
2020: Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (Bristol Motor Speedway)
2021: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (Texas Motor Speedway)
2023: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (North Wilkesboro Speedway)
· The top-four winningest drivers in NASCAR All-Star Race history earned each of their victories in the annual exhibition race with Chevrolet, including four-time winner, Jimmie Johnson, and three-time winners, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Kyle Larson.
· In two NASCAR All-Star Races held at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson is the only driver to earn top-five finishes in each event, including his win in the series’ return to the historic venue in 2023.
· Chevrolet has earned at least half of the top-10 finishing results in seven of the 12 points-paying races thus far this season, including a season-high seven top-10 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
· In 120 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 56 victories – a winning percentage of 46.7%.
· With its 43 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 870 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.
TUNE-IN:
NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR All-Star Race
Sunday, May 18, at 8 p.m. ET
(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Window World 250
Saturday, May 17, 1:30 p.m. ET
(FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
How fun is the All-Star race to you?
“Any chance to race I love, and any chance to win a bunch of money, I love. It’s fun to go to a track like North Wilkesboro that has so much history and to have the All-Star race there is cool. We’re fortunate enough to be locked in so that part is nice. It’s fun to have my pit crew with me at driver intros. They are a great group of guys and have a lot of personality and are fun to be around so it’s nice they get the opportunity to walk out into the fans with me too.”
Talk about your paint scheme for this weekend.
“It’s a cool looking Busch Light Chevy this weekend. The scheme was voted on by the fans and it’s neat to give them an opportunity to play a role in how the car looks. NASCAR fans are very loyal and I hope they enjoy seeing this scheme run during the All-Star race.”
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
What are your thoughts about this weekend’s All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway?
“I’m looking forward to getting back to North Wilkesboro Speedway. Last year, we brought a fast Chevrolet to the All-Star Open and learned a lot that we were able to apply to other short track races later in the season. Being locked into the big show this year makes it even more special. Racing for a million bucks in a place with that much history? That’s what it’s all about. We’d love to take that elevator ride to Victory Lane on Sunday night.”
How does this race stack up for you, and what strategies are you focusing on to tackle North Wilkesboro Speedway’s unique challenges?
“I enjoy the All-Star race atmosphere and the challenge of the track. It’s a place that means a lot to my family and our Richard Childress Racing team. There’s some extra motivation. Tire management and track position are going to be key. We’re focused on being smart, staying patient, and putting ourselves in the right spot when it counts”.
Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
You are an open entry this weekend, how do you feel about making it into the All-Star race?
“I’m excited to race North Wilkesboro this weekend with the 7 team. We’ve found a lot of speed recently and hopefully we can put it in the big show this weekend.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
“It’s cool that the All-Star Race is at North Wilkesboro Speedway again. It’s a really cool track. It has a lot of history to it. I hear that the elevator for victory lane is back and operational, so that would be really special to celebrate that way with your team. I love racing for $1 million all-out, short-track style, and there would be nothing cooler to bring that home.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
“The All-Star Race is always intense – no points on the line, just pride and a big check. It’s a chance to go out there, take some risks, and really show what your team is made of. I’m excited to mix it up and hopefully give the fans something to cheer about.”
Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Does the All-Star Race take some of the pressure off from a normal race weekend?
“It’s fun to have a couple of weeks at home and have more shop friends, family and crew members there. As far as it being a pressure-free weekend—it’s not. It really isn’t, because you want to win. You want to make it into the All-Star Race.
We were a few laps away from not having to think about the Open race in Texas, but North Wilkesboro is a fun weekend. It’s a cool racetrack. It feels like a little time capsule, and you get back to some of the grassroots that we have. The scoreboard there, the walls, the fans – it’s just fun. It’s a cool place, and we look forward to the weekend.”
Talk about the importance of qualifying well at short tracks.
“You’re racing for the top two spots, so every lap counts and everything matters. We saw that. We were close to racing our way in a couple of years ago. Just like every weekend, you have to qualify well, and you’ve got to have a good car because everybody’s so close. It’s an elbows-out kind of grind for sure. You always have the fan vote to fall back on, but I’ve never put a lot of emphasis on that. I did when I drove the No. 95. They did a little campaign because they wanted to have some fun. I love my fans. I have great fans. Obviously, I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’m super appreciative. But I’m also that guy who would just rather earn it on merit, so we’ll see what happens this weekend.”
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
North Wilkesboro has hosted racing since before the sports’ inception. What does it mean to you to have the chance to compete on such hallowed grounds?
“Any time we can go to tracks that have a long history in the sport, it means a lot. North Wilkesboro was no longer on the schedule when I was younger, but I love racing and I’ve seen the old footage of the races there. It’s a place that is so important to the history of stock car racing and to see it brought back to life, and hosting the Cup Series, is really cool. I’m thankful that it’s something I get to be part of.”
Last year you put in a lot of effort to garner fan votes to advance to the All-Star Race, but this year you’ve been a bit quieter. Does that change in approach reflect the confidence you have in yourself to advance on track?
“I think so. I was a rookie last year, I didn’t have a lot of experience and I knew going in how tough guys race when there’s money on the line. I leaned on my personality a lot, but I feel like people know who I am now. We’ve had some really good runs and we get better each week. The No. 77 team has shown a lot of improvement on the short tracks and I think we learned a lot last year that will help us this time around.”
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
A top-20 on an oval last weekend, equaling your best oval finish this year. Have the ovals been more difficult than you thought they might be?
“Yes and no. I never expected them to be easy, but I thought I was making strides last season in Xfinity and really getting some good results halfway through the year. This year we’ve had glimpses but really qualifying is my weakness; then in races, once you are buried, it’s so hard to pass in these cars. I need to be a bit better with car placement and getting up to speed quicker. It’s so difficult when you only have 15-20 minutes of practice, then straight into qualifying. It’s hard to get up to speed on these places I haven’t been before. It will take time and I’m not trying to force it or get desperate. Just going to keep working and building.”
What do you think of the All-Star Race?
“I think it is going to be fun to do something different. The format looks pretty cool with qualifying involving the pit crew. It’s pretty awesome that I’m a top-5 driver in fan votes, thanks to all my supporters! Hoping we can race for a million dollars on Sunday.”
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
What are your thoughts on the All-Star Race this weekend?
“It’s a lot of fun. North Wilkesboro is an amazing place. It was like going back in time with the fans so close and racing on the short track. It was very, very cool. Fans told me they grew up going to that track so it meant a lot to them to bring it back. It was special for them. It’s funny I didn’t know Wilkesboro existed five years ago. So, I learned about its history and the sport’s history. We are going to go there Sunday and fight for a trophy. The money is great, but just like the old days, we really want the trophy. All of us started racing not for the money but for the trophy.”
What would you do with a $1 million check?
“We would have a really big party at my house.”
How beneficial is it to have races at home?
“We will drive to North Wilkesboro this weekend for the All-Star Race and we are home in Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600. It is really nice to be able to sleep in your own bed especially for my crew guys. This is an exciting time of the year for everyone in NASCAR. I am always looking forward to this stretch of the season. We can spend some extra time with friends and family.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2024): 43
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)
Most recent: 2024
Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2024): 33
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)
Most recent: Kyle Larson (2021)
Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021
Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)
2025 STATISTICS:
Wins: 4
Poles: 7
Laps Led: 1,647
Top-Fives: 24
Top-10s: 55
Stage Wins: 11
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 870 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 760
Laps led to date: 254,358
Top-fives to date: 4,393
Top-10s to date: 9,062
Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:
General Motors: 1,204
Chevrolet: 870
Pontiac: 154
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65
Ford: 843
Ford: 743
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 191
Chrysler: 59
Toyota: 194
About General Motors
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