NASCAR Cup Series Race Report - North Wilkesboro

May 19, 2025

NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race - North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro, N.C. - May 18, 2025

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 FREIGHTLINER FORD MUSTANG

START: 16TH     
FINISH: 18TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Freightliner team navigated a challenging night in Sunday's All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, coming away with an 18th-place finish in the annual exhibition event. After starting 16th and eventually racing inside the top 10, Cindric was caught up in a multi-car incident with Ross Chastain and Alex Bowman on Lap 113. The Freightliner Ford Mustang sustained right-side damage and headed to the attention of the crew for repairs and service, pitting twice. Despite going multiple laps down, the team stayed the course, eventually returning to the lead lap following a few cautions, closing out the night with an 18th-place run. 

CINDRIC'S THOUGHTS: "We spent the first part of the race working on the balance and made some gains to get ourselves in a pretty good spot before that incident took us out of rhythm. The team did a nice job making repairs and getting us back on the lead lap so we could at least finish it out clean."

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/WRANGLER FORD MUSTANG

START: 7TH     
FINISH: 16TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney was in contention for his second-career All-Star Race win Sunday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway, but a late-race restart did not fall the No. 12 team's way as the Menards/Wrangler Ford Mustang settled for a 16th-place finish. Blaney worked his way into the top-five by the time of the competition caution on lap 102 and maintained that pace throughout the latter stages of the 250-lap event, reaching third on the leaderboard at the time of the caution on lap 175. Following the promoter's caution with 34 laps remaining, the No. 12 team opted to stay out to take the ensuing restart from the inside of row one with 28 laps to go. On the second lap following the restart, contact with the No. 1 out of turn four got Blaney sideways and shuffled him back into the middle of three and four-wide battles towards the back of the field as the Menards/Wrangler Ford went on to take the checkered flag 16th. 

BLANEY'S THOUGHTS: "We tried to give it a shot at it by staying out at the end there but I got spun out off of [turn] four as I was trying to clear up and it was a rough two laps from there. Not a bad night. I wish we could have contended a little bit better but we got a lot better from Friday."

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG

START: 4TH     
FINISH: 2ND

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano led a race-high 139 laps Sunday night in search of his second-consecutive All-Star Race win at North Wilkesboro Speedway, but ultimately settled for a second-place finish in the 250-lap exhibition event. After starting fourth, Logano quickly forced his way to the front from the drop of the green flag as the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang battled for the race lead alongside the No. 6 throughout the first run of the night. Logano took over the top spot for the first time on lap 80 and paced the field through the competition caution on lap 102. The Shell-Pennzoil Ford was back out in front on the ensuing run as Logano distanced himself from the field in the latter stages of the night before the promoter's caution brought the field back together with 34 laps remaining. The No. 22 team opted to stay out under yellow, allowing Logano to control the restart from the outside of row one as the field lined up to take the green with 28 to go. With nine laps to go and teams on fresher tires making their way to the front of the field, the No. 20 got underneath the No. 22 in turn one and ultimately made the race-winning pass as Logano went on to take the checkered flag from second.

LOGANO'S THOUGHTS:  "It's all you've got. I was hoping I could just fight [Christopher Bell] long enough to where the advantage would go away a little bit, but it just never did. I did as best I can blocking my butt off, but once [Bell] got under me he just released the brake and gave me no option to either fence it and wreck or run up in the marbles and spin out. It just stings. I'm upset because we had the best car. We had the best car by a long shot and we didn't win."

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 25. Coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 with in-car camera angles available all race long through the MAX Driver Cam.