Under the lights of North Wilkesboro Speedway, a million-dollar promise enveloped the air, like static before a storm. Engines idled in formation, and crew members made their final adjustments as the All-Star race started. For several top teams, it was a chance to reinforce their dominance. It was an opportunity for one reigning champion to add another conquest to their books. However, high stakes bear higher consequences, and Joey Logano’s team had to revel in their mistakes this time.

The race returned to its roots on the 0.625-mile track, promising 250 grueling laps with a softer tire that made strategy pivotal. The format was tighter than ever. With 18 lead changes, a new record for the All-Star race’s 41-year history, and a late caution, the script entirely flipped. The 2024 All-Star race and Cup Series Champion, Joey Logano, saw the win slip from his fingers and land in Christopher Bell’s lap.

The strategy that backfired for Joey Logano and Co.

The ending of the All-Star race was packed with drama, flaring tempers, and some silly antics. It started with the promoter’s caution that came out on Lap 215 as Michael Waltrip went up the flag stand and dropped the caution flag onto the track by accident! As the officials cleared that up, Team Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing deployed two different pit strategies to prepare for the final restart, ones that would eventually decide the race.

Bell opted to pit two right-side tires while Logano and Blaney stayed out to keep their track position. The #20 had an incredible restart and started hounding Logano until sliding him up the track with 10 laps to go to take the lead. Bell never lost it after that and took home the $1 million, winning by 0.829 seconds as Joey Logano was left empty-handed. Logano’s crew chief, Paul Wolfe, lamented this decision after the race, telling Matt Weaver, “Really tough call to make. We debated it and debated it. Obviously wasn’t the right call; we needed to come put tires on.”

“We had the best car and we didn’t win the race,” added Wolfe. “Second doesn’t mean anything, you know.”Their car had been fast all night, especially during the first half of the event. Joey Logano led more laps, 139, than anyone else and was in prime position to win until the caution, and to add to that, Bell was sixth on the restart! The #22 team’s hope was that track position and a buffer of lapped traffic would hold off any late charge. But that hope came crashing down. “There was a buffer there,” Wolfe explained. “We had buffer, but nobody was able to race him to hold him up.” Blaney, who had stayed out with Logano, spun sideways on Turn 4 and was unable to hold up Bell, letting the #20 climb through traffic after starting 6th on the restart.

The numbers speak for themselves, with Logano leading 139 laps; the reigning champ held off on old tires. It was Bell’s fresher tires and a cleaner line that made the difference in the last 20 laps. “Joey drove his butt off,” acknowledged Paul. However, his praise for Joey’s driving and lamenting his decisions also came with a slight toward Bell. Wolfe added, “Obviously, he [Christopher Bell] ultimately used us up to get by us, but it’s the All-Star Race. It’s for a million bucks. You expect it. It’s tough to take.” Bell notably ran Logano up the track and nearly into the wall to take the lead with 10 laps remaining, a move that Joey Logano was not a fan of.

Joey said after the race, “He [Christopher Bell] got under me and released the brake and gave me no option. Kind of just ran me up into the wall, and if I could’ve got to him, he was going around after a move like that.” His frustration was palpable. Team Penske was so close to yet another All-Star win, and getting done by a gimmicky caution, along with a bad strategy call, must have stung.

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Team Penske: Dominated, but denied

If any team appeared poised to cash in on the million-dollar prize, it was Team Penske. With Joey Logano leading nearly 56% of the race and teammates Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric both showing up in the top 10 in the qualifying, the team’s speed and strength were evident. However, Penske’s 2025 run has been marked by near misses, and their strategic mishap cost them a hefty sum of 1 million dollars. Logano reflected in vain about their run on Sunday, saying, “I’m p—- off right now. Just dang it, we had the fastest car. The Shell-Pennzoil Mustang was so fast.”

Meanwhile, his teammate also Blaney showcased consistent speed, finishing fourth in heat race one, which placed him eighth on the starting grid for the All-Star race. Throughout the event, Blaney remained within striking distance of the leaders. However, he ultimately finished 16th in the race after the aforementioned spin on the final restart left him stranded in traffic. Blaney reflected on his final restart misfortune, saying, “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.”

On the other hand, Austin Cindric faced a more challenging race. After finishing eighth in the heat race two, he started the All-Star race from the 16th position. Cindric battled handling issues throughout the race, which hindered his ability to move forward. However, the Penske man did as Penske does at short flat tracks, and worked his way up to even lead the race at one point until he even led the race! But a blown tire was his downfall with under 140 laps to go. Cindric said, “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.”

While the team drivers exhibited strong performances and moments of dominance, the combination of strategic decisions and race dynamics prevented them from securing the All-Star victory. Racing is often decided by fine margins and close calls, and that was on full display on Sunday as Team Penske was on the unfortunate side of it.