Brad Keselowski may be buried in the Cup Series standings, but on Friday night, he stood on top of the NASCAR world. With a near-perfect pit road entry and a solid overall run, Keselowski grabbed the pole for the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race. Now, he’s set to lead the field to green on Sunday night under the lights at North Wilkesboro Speedway in a $1-million showdown.
This year’s All-Star Race weekend features a unique qualifying format that tested every part of the race team — from drivers to pit crews. With a three-lap time trial and a required four-tire stop included, execution was everything. And for the No. 6 RFK Racing crew, it was flawless.
Brad Keselowski Snaps Slump with Strong Qualifying Run
So far in 2025, Brad Keselowski has had little to smile about. He entered the weekend 33rd in points, with five DNFs and no top 10s through 12 races. But Friday’s performance gave him and his team a much-needed boost.
“This event, this format pushes you to your limits, from a driver perspective, a team perspective, pit crew,” Keselowski said. “I knew I stuck the entry (to pit road)… but it all came together for an excellent run.”
His total qualifying time was 87.363 seconds (77.264 mph) — fast enough to beat out Christopher Bell and Alex Bowman for the top spot. Keselowski now starts on the pole for both Saturday’s first heat race and Sunday night’s All-Star Race main event.
Keselowski credited his RFK team and crew chief Jeremy Bullins for setting him up for success.
“They just gave me the ball and said, ‘Go play,’ and that’s what we did.” – Brad Keselowski
Bell, who qualified second, had a shot at his team’s third straight Pit Crew Challenge win, but a small hiccup on the left-front tire cost them valuable time. Bowman rounded out the top three, followed by Chase Briscoe, William Byron, and defending All-Star Race winner Joey Logano.
Ex-Football Stars Shock the Field in Pit Crew Challenge
One of the biggest surprises of the weekend came from a team not even locked into the main event — the No. 71 Spire Motorsports crew for Michael McDowell. Their pit crew, made up of former football players, turned heads by winning the $100,000 Pit Crew Challenge.
Their blazing-fast stop of 12.587 seconds beat out 20 All-Star-level crews, including two-time defending champs Joe Gibbs Racing. Daniel Suárez’s crew came closest, but their 12.600-second stop just missed the mark.
“It’s a huge confidence boost for our guys,” McDowell said. “They work their tails off, and tonight showed they can hang with the best of them.”
The winning over-the-wall crew includes:
Dax Hollifield III (jackman)
Max Marsh (front tire changer)
Ty Boeck (rear tire changer)
Luke Bussel (tire carrier)
Brandon Chapman (fueler)
McDowell will still need to race his way into the All-Star main event through the All-Star Open. Only the top two finishers in that race earn a spot in Sunday’s big show.
SVG Grabs Open Pole; Tyler Reddick Tops Practice
Another standout performer Friday was New Zealand’s Shane van Gisbergen, who won the pole for the NASCAR All-Star Open. In his three-lap run with a four-tire stop, SVG posted a time of 88.685 seconds (75.112 mph) — good enough to beat Carson Hocevar by nearly two-tenths of a second.
“I did a decent job getting in and out of pit road,” SVG said. “But my guys did a great pit stop, too… It’s been difficult on the left-handed tracks, but I feel like we’re getting better.”
SVG’s time was more than a second faster than Joey Logano’s pole-winning time in last year’s All-Star event — a sign of how much things have changed since 2024.
Other notables in the Open qualifying included:
Noah Gragson (3rd-fastest, 75.338 mph)
Michael McDowell (4th)
As for practice earlier in the day, Tyler Reddick posted the fastest lap of the 38-car session at 123.640 mph, followed closely by Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and Erik Jones. Wallace and Jones are still trying to race into the All-Star Race via the Open but showed impressive single-lap speed.
Keselowski was seventh-fastest in practice — a strong hint that his qualifying run was no fluke.
In 10-lap averages, Reddick led again with a speed of 122.116 mph, followed by Bell, Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Josh Berry. Bubba Wallace had the best long-run speed among Open drivers, ranking 11th overall in that metric.
Elliott scraped the wall late in practice but didn’t suffer major damage. Defending champion Joey Logano was 10th-fastest, while Ryan Blaney (2022 All-Star winner) and Denny Hamlin were 17th and 18th, respectively.
Looking Ahead to Sunday’s $1 Million Showdown
With the field almost set, all eyes now shift to Saturday night’s two heat races — which will determine the inside and outside rows for Sunday’s main event. Keselowski’s pole win guarantees him the front-row starting spot, but the rest of the order is still up for grabs.
The top two finishers in the All-Star Open will complete the 22-car field for the All-Star Race. One additional fan-voted driver will also be added, rounding out the lineup for the $1 million prize.
Sunday night’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway goes green at 8 p.m. ET, airing live on FS1, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
News in Brief: Brad Keselowski Steals Spotlight with Pole Win
Brad Keselowski may have had a rough start to 2025, but his Friday night performance has reignited hope. His team executed perfectly under pressure, and now he’s got the best seat in the house for one of the sport’s most exciting events.
With fast cars lurking behind him — including Bell, Bowman, Briscoe, Byron, and Logano — Sunday night promises to be a dramatic battle under the lights. And with pit stops, short-track aggression, and a $1 million prize on the line, don’t be surprised if a new star or unexpected upset steals the show
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