All-Star Open: Hocevar Wins, Nemechek and Gragson Advance to All-Star Race

Carson Hocevar won the NASCAR All-Star Open on Sunday at North Wilkesboro Speedway, punching his ticket to the All-Star Race.

Hocevar took the lead during the Competition Caution at the halfway mark of the 100-lap race, setting the final two spots for the All-Star field. The Michigan driver maintained the top spot throughout the second half, racing his way into the $1 million-to-win non-points showcase.

"That's super big for this group, this team," said Hocevar. "It's great to win, especially being challenged by tires there. I had my hands full. We'll definitely have to go to work here on our race car. I didn't really like it, but that's a good sign that we didn't like it and we were still pretty quick there.

"Hopefully, we can take advantage of it. I've seen Kasey Kahne win, Dale and others win from the Open and stuff. Hopefully we can take that advantage of having this notebook and move forward early."

Starting Lineup: 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro

John Hunter Nemechek finished second to secure his spot in the All-Star Race. Noah Gragson, who finished 17th, earned the final starting spot in the All-Star Race by virtue of the Fan Vote.

"Heck yeah. We have a shot to go win a million dollars," said Nemechek. "Hats off to this 42 teams. We unloaded and we had good two or three-lap speed, but really no long-run pace. Proud of them for the effort to put in yesterday and what they were able to find.

"Pitting there at that last yellow, I knew I couldn't win from where I was at. We came down and got two, and that helped us out. Hats off to the whole 42 team, proud of their effort."

While Gragson struggled in the All-Star Race, he is eager to take part in the All-Star Race after winning the Fan Vote.

"My fans are the GOATs," said Gragson. "It's awesome to be a part of this All-Star Race. I feel like we have a pretty good car. We struggled yesterday really hard in practice, qualified well. The pit crew did an unbelievable job, but we really struggled with the balance.

"Thank God for that Open race, because I felt like we got the balance pretty good, but we ran into some power steering issues. Hopefully, we get that cleaned up for the race. The car actually feels pretty fast."

Ryan Preece was in contention for a spot in the All-Star Race, lining up second for a restart in the final 25 laps. However, he was penalized for driving over the choose area before that restart, sending him to the rear of the field.

The NASCAR All-Star Race is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 18, with coverage on FS1.

-Photo credit: Dirk Bizuib, TobyChristie.com

NASCAR All-Star Open Results