Christopher Bell got physical with Joey Logano with 10 laps to go, moved past the No. 22 Ford and won NASCAR’s $1 million payday, the All-Star Race, on Sunday night at historic North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.
Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 became the third Toyota to win the prestigious race when he went high on Logano and beat the defending champion by 0.829 seconds on the tiny track in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina.
Following Logano, who led a race-high 139 laps, were Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott.
It was the third All-Star Race win by JGR and the first by Toyota since 2017 when Kyle Busch won at Charlotte. Bell, who led for 28 laps, won his first All-Star Race after capturing three races earlier this season.
Kyle Larson returned from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, started in Row 10 in the 23-car field and finished 21st.
Starting from the pole position, Brad Keselowski and his No. 6 RFK Racing Ford were under attack from the start as former teammate Logano, Bell and Elliott made hard charges to the front to try to steal the lead, all to no avail.
Keselowski held the high line and got his best challenge from Logano, who raced out of the Penske stable with the 2012 champ until the 2022 season. Keselowski stayed up high, while Logano could not muster the pass and leaned on his tires from the low lane.
The first caution flew just before the field turned 60 circuits on the 0.625-mile short track. Keselowski, William Byron and Busch decided on just a two-tire change while most of the field chose four.
Just after Lap 100, NASCAR threw a scheduled competition caution, and every team hit pit road for service — with Bell, Logano and Elliott emerging as the top three.
With 100 laps left in the high-stakes race, three-time champ Logano led Bell, teammate Ryan Blaney, Elliott and Bowman, alternating hot laps and backing off to save his tires at times.
After Keselowski’s problems with less than 80 laps left forced another caution, Larson gained six spots and took the lead when his crew gambled on a two-tire stop.
From the flagstand, Michael Waltrip waved the promoter’s caution with 35 laps left, then dropped the flag on the track as fireworks went off between Turns 3 and 4 before Logano restarted the race with the lead with 28 laps remaining.
