Entry List : North Wilkesboro Speedway

• Saturday, May 17th, 2025
• NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer

Keselowski Holds Off Late Chargers in Heat 1 Thriller to Secure All-Star Pole at North Wilkesboro

Brad Keselowski checked the second box on Saturday.

Having won the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race, Keselowski backed up his victory in Friday’s time trials with a win in Saturday’s first All-Star heat race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Already guaranteed the top starting spot, Keselowski will lead the field to green in Sunday’s $1-million-to-win exhibition event (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Though the box score shows Keselowski leading 74 of 75 laps in the first heat, his victory wasn’t easy.

During the competition caution at Lap 31, Keselowski stayed on the track on old tires, as did Tyler Reddick Austin Dillon and Josh Berry. William Byron, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Alex Bowman pitted for new tires at the break.

Over the final 38 laps, both Byron and Chastain took turns challenging for the lead, but Keselowski stubbornly held his position in the superior top lane and held off his challengers.

“That’s what this is supposed to be,” Keselowski said. “It’s supposed to be a fun race, and I think I ran beside the 45 (Reddick), the 1 (Chastain), the 24 (Byron) for at least a dozen or maybe two dozen laps. It was a good battle.

“I’m glad that we came out on top, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be, right?”

On Lap 54, Chastain nosed ahead to lead the lap as he and Keselowski raced side by side, but Chastain’s advantage was short-lived.

After finishing second in a 10-lap drag race against Byron, Chastain will start third in the All-Star Race, as the finishing order for the heat set the inside row grid positions for the main event.

Larson and the 19 drivers who competed in the heats on Saturday already are locked into the All-Staar Race. Two more drivers will be added to the rear of the field from the All-Star Open, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday.

An additional driver will be selected through the All-Star Fan Vote, which Noah Gragson has won for the last two years.

• Drivers Entered: 10
• Laps Scheduled: 75
• Margin of Victory: Under Caution Seconds
• Time of Race: N/A
• Average Speed: N/A
• Cautions: 1 for 6 laps
• Lead Changes: 2
• Green Flag Passes: N/A