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NASCAR announced on Wednesday that it is making changes to its All-Star Race format. One of those changes is already causing a bit of controversy among fans.
The 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race will take place on Sunday, May 18 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. It will be the third year in a row that the event will take place at the historic North Carolina track. The four-day weekend, which will also include races for the Craftsman Truck Series, Whelen Modified Tour and CARS Tour, will look a little different this year, however.
The past two years saw the main event contested at a length of 200 laps. In 2025, the All-Star Race will be expanded to 250 laps. It will also include a competition break at or near the 100-lap mark and the potential for an extra intermission, according to a NASCAR press release.
It’s that “potential for an extra intermission” that’s got some race fans a bit upset.
“A single, optional promoter’s caution flag potentially will be in the mix to reshape the race’s complexion,” NASCAR explained. “If that yellow flag takes place, it must fly before Lap 220 and cannot be used if a naturally occurring caution happens after Lap 200.”
Many NASCAR fans expressed displeasure with this additional twist being added to the All-Star Race.
“I’d like to know who exactly decides it and how,” one person wondered. “I’m picturing Marcus Smith in the tower going ‘OK…now!’ Or NASCAR officials hit the button when they’re bored?”
“You can’t write jokes this good,” another fan responded. “@NASCAR, the pinnacle of stock car racing on the entire planet, wants to use a ‘promoter’s caution’ to decide who wins a $1,000,000. What are we doing?”
“They have dice up in the control booth and when the promoter throws a Yahtzee, there’s the caution,” read another comment.
“Must be following the Rob Manfred playbook,” someone else wrote, sideswiping the MLB commissioner along the way. “Do nothing to fix the product and just float out a stupid rule change.”
Among the other changes to NASCAR All-Star Race weekend will be a revised qualifying structure. All-Star and Open drivers will compete in a combined qualifying session with the Pit Crew Challenge expanded to include every race team.
“A three-lap qualifying effort will include a mandatory four-tire pit stop on the second lap, and the total time will set both the All-Star Open starting lineup and the starting grid for Saturday’s pair of 60-lap All-Star heats,” NASCAR explained. “The fastest stop — measured by the elapsed time from timing lines one pit stall before and after a designated pit box — will determine the winner of the Pit Crew Challenge. Those results will be reflected in the order for pit-stall selection, with the winning team picking first.”
There will also be something called the Manufacturer Showdown, which “will include all drivers from the least represented manufacturer, and an equal number of drivers from the other two manufacturers selected based on their final All-Star grid positions. Team drivers will be scored against each other and the team with the lowest combined total of finishing positions will be the winner. Any tie would be broken by the best overall finish among the group.” What the winning manufacturer gets for winning, they didn’t say.