By Roy J. Akers — www.skyviewsports.net
The All-Star Race comes one week before the halfway point of the CUP regular season. SVG has given Chevy it’s fourth win of the regular season. For the season, Toyota has seven wins, four for Chevy, and one for Ford.
NASCAR Driver Power Ratings
 There are five Ford Racing drivers who are locked in for the final 200-lap segment that will feature 26 cars. Josh Berry, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are all guaranteed spots after posting at least one victory last year. The remaining drivers can make their way into the field through either the fan vote or by having one of the lowest combined finishing positions from the first two segments.  MULTIPLE ALL-STAR WINNERSLogano’s win in 2024 put him in a select group of Ford drivers who have won the NASCAR All-Star Race more than once. The only others to do it are Davey Allison and Mark Martin. Allison was the first driver to win the non-points exhibition in back-to-back years (1991-92) and then Jimmie Johnson joined him (2012-13). Martin’s victories came in 1998 and 2005 driving the famed No. 6 Ford for car owner Jack Roush. Logano could become the fifth person overall to win the event more than two times if he finds Victory Lane on Sunday. |
  |
 RYAN BLANEY: “When I was growing up, the All-Star race was always a fun two weeks at Charlotte. You go from the All-Star race, to the [Coca-Cola] 600. Watching dad go through it was always unique, understanding it’s a ‘no holds barred’ type of race. I was fortunate enough to win it a few years ago, and I think it’s unique that they’ve switched it around. Everyone knows what you’re going for, and no one’s worried about points. You make a weekend out of it, especially when you get to go to new places. Moving that race to a different racetrack like Dover is fun. Throw everything out the window, old money racing.” |
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NOAPS/NCTSS
Reddick Continues Hot Start… While the Cup Series will take a week off from points racing, Tyler Reddick has continued his torrid early-season pace through the first 12 points-paying races. Last weekend at Watkins Glen International, Reddick extended his top-five streak with a series-leading eighth top-five finish of the season after charging through the field during the final green-flag run. His fifth-place finish at the Glen helped him extend his points lead over fellow Team Toyota driver Denny Hamlin, who now trails Reddick by 129 points in second place. The series resumes points racing in two weeks with the Crown Jewel Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend.
Bell seeks All-Star repeat … Christopher Bell arrives to All-Star Race weekend in search of his second consecutive event victory after a thrilling win at North Wilkesboro Speedway last year. The Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver started second in the event and led 28 laps on his way to victory, Toyota’s third ever in the All-Star Race and first since 2017.
Toyota aims for fourth straight Dover triumph … Dover Motor Speedway has been a favorable track for Team Toyota over the last several years in the Cup Series. This weekend, the Toyota Camry XSE drivers look to capture the manufacturer’s fourth straight victory around the one-mile concrete oval. Denny Hamlin has won the last two Cup Series races at Dover, with Martin Truex Jr. beginning the win streak in 2023. Overall, Toyota has won nine times at Dover dating back to 2008.
Crews continues to impress… Despite missing four races early in the season before becoming eligible for full-time O’Reilly Series competition following his 18th birthday, Brent Crews has already climbed into the provisional Chase field after a sixth-place finish last Saturday at Watkins Glen. Crews has made up significant ground in the point standings with four top-five and seven top-10 finishes in his first nine starts this season. The North Carolina native heads to the Monster Mile this weekend looking for his sixth consecutive top-10 finish. Crews currently sits 11th in the standings as he prepares to make his Dover O’Reilly Series debut.
| With 21 All-Star victories to its name, Chevrolet leads the way as the series enters the 42nd rendition of the annual non-points paying event. Dover Motor Speedway will become the sixth different host of the All-Star Race, with its longest tenure coming at Charlotte Motor Speedway when the circuit hosted the first 34 events (1985, 1987-2019). Once NASCAR made the decision to explore new homes for the All-Star Race, the next six events saw appearances at three different venues including Bristol Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and, most recently, North Wilkesboro Motor Speedway. |
| With each event’s debut at a new facility, it was a Chevrolet driver that picked up the grand prize including Chase Elliott’s 2020 victory at Bristol, with two of Kyle Larson’s three career All-Star crowns coming at Texas (2021) and North Wilkesboro (2023). Also earning the win in the event’s final race at Charlotte (2019), the reigning champion is one of just nine drivers in series’ history with multiple All-Star wins on his resume. |
 Chase ElliottNo. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet2020 All-Star Race WinBristol Motor Speedway   Kyle LarsonNo. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet2021 All-Star Race WinTexas Motor Speedway |
| HITTING A STREAKIt’s been a momentum-hitting stride for the Bowtie brand as the NASCAR Cup Series enters an one-week pause in its points-paying competition. With yet another statement road course performance, Shane van Gisbergen’s victory at Watkins Glen International marked Chevrolet’s third consecutive trip to victory lane in the division – an effort that matches the longest win streak by a single manufacturer thus far this season. Accompanying each of those victories has been a strong presence of Team Chevy drivers in the top-10 with the Watkins Glen event marking the third-straight race that the manufacturer has owned 50 percent of the top-10 results. Last weekend, the feat was accomplished by drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations, each of which earned their best result of the season including Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell (second); Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon (sixth) and Kyle Busch (eighth); and Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger (seventh). |
