This Sunday, NASCAR will host the 41st annual All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Twenty of the 23 drivers in the field will have pre-qualified after fulfilling the eligibility requirements for the million-dollar race. One of three requirements must be met by a driver in order to be eligible for the Million Dollar Race in the NASCAR All-Star event: the driver must have won a Cup Series race during the current or previous season, be a previous All-Star Race winner, or be a previous Cup Series champion who is also competing full-time. The All-Star Open will determine the final three positions in the 23-car field. The race’s top two finishers will advance to the main event, while the final entry will be decided by a fan vote.
Let’s rank the five drivers vying for the All-Star Race fan favorite position
Fans picked the top five NASCAR drivers for the All-Star Race.
Van Gisbergen, Shane This year, Shane van Gisbergen, a three-time Australian Supercars winner, is participating in his first Cup Series season. Van Gisbergen, who is frequently referred to as the Kiwi, stunned the NASCAR world in 2023 by defeating multiple seasoned drivers in his first race at the Chicago Road Course. Last year, SVG concluded his inaugural season in the Xfinity Series, finishing with three race victories and a P12 overall. The Kiwi is still getting used to short tracks and oval racing, despite having demonstrated his skill on road courses.
#4 Ryan Preece
Following SHR’s announcement of their departure from the sport, former Stewart-Haas Racing driver Ryan Preece was left without a place in the Cup Series this season. But for the 2025 season, Brad Keselowski’s Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing was able to get a third charter and bring Preece on board. Preece would be making his first appearance in the All-Star race in his seven-year Cup career if he were to win the fan vote.
#3 Hocevar, Carson
Carson Hocevar, the #77 driver for Spire Motorsports, has recently gained attention for his outstanding Cup Series performance. Earlier this month, Hocevar, who won Rookie of the Year the previous season, earned his first Cup Series pole position at Texas Motor Speedway.
Despite his current driver ranking of P19, Hocevar is undoubtedly one of the leading candidates to win the fan vote.
Bubba Wallace, number two Out of all the drivers vying for the fan vote, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace has made the most appearances in the Million Dollar race. The 31-year-old Alabama native also comes in third place among active drivers’ best exhibition race finishes, behind only HMS’ Kyle Larson and the defending Cup Series winner Joey Logano. Wallace has a little advantage over other drivers on this ranking because of his success in the All-Star race, despite his poor performances this season.
First, Noah Gragson Noah Gragson, a driver for Front Row Motorsports, drives the #4 Ford in the Cup Series. Gragson, who is currently in his third full-time season at the highest level of NASCAR, is hoping to recover from a disappointing 2024 season with Stewart-Haas Racing. The 13-time NASCAR Xfinity Series race winner is still a favorite among fans in spite of his difficulties. In addition to winning the All-Star Race fan vote in consecutive years, Gragson has a good chance of winning it three times this season.
