Posted on by Adam Fenwick

After an extended break, the stars of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour are back in action Sunday with the running of the FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150 at North Wilkesboro Speedway (2 p.m. ET on FloRacing and The NASCAR Channel).

While the Modified Tour has raced on the same day or weekend at the same track as the NASCAR Cup Series before, this marks the first time the Tour has raced on the same day and same track as the NASCAR All Star Race.

This marks just the third race for the Modified Tour at North Wilkesboro in the 40-year history of the series. Matt Hirschman triumphed in the inaugural race at the track in 2023, and Justin Bonsignore dominated the 2024 edition of the event.

Tickets to Sunday’s FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150 at North Wilkesboro Speedway are available here. Below is everything you need to know about the third race of the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

Justin Bonsignore
Justin Bonsignore is the most recent Modified Tour winner at North Wilkesboro Speedway. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)

FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150 at North Wilkesboro Speedway

The NASCAR All Star Race is one of the biggest events on the Cup Series calendar. This year, with the addition of the Modified Tour to the race-day schedule at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the event is even bigger.

More than 30 drivers are entered to compete in Sunday afternoon’s FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150, and all of them will be looking to take the first elevator ride of the day to Victory Lane at the historic 0.625-mile asphalt oval.

Leading the charge will be Justin Bonsignore, the most recent Modified Tour winner at North Wilkesboro. The driver of the No. 51 Ken Massa Motorsports Modified dominated at North Wilkesboro last fall, leading 130 of 150 laps on his way to Victory Lane. He’ll be among the drivers to beat Sunday.

A trio of drivers with Cup Series experience will be among those looking to deny Bonsignore a return trip to Victory Lane at North Wilkesboro. Ryan Newman will make his second start of the season and first aboard the Mystic Missile No. 4 owned by Tim Connolly. Bobby Labonte, the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion, makes his first start of 2025 in the No. 38 fielded out of the PSR Products shop.

Corey LaJoie will make his first Modified Tour start since 2023. LaJoie, a series winner at Martinsville Speedway in 2022, has six previous Modified Tour starts. He’ll be driving the No. 77 Modified owned by Mike Curb.

Conner Jones, a winner in CARS Tour competition who has made starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will make his Modified Tour debut Sunday. It’ll be a busy weekend for Jones, who is scheduled to race in both CARS Tour races, the Truck Series race and the Modified Tour event at North Wilkesboro this weekend.

Matt Hirschman, who won the inaugural Modified Tour race at North Wilksboro in 2023, is in the field in pursuit of his first series win of 2025. Championship leader Patrick Emerling, a series winner already this year at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, will try to pad his advantage with a win at North Wilkesboro.

Other notable entries include Austin Beers, Luke Baldwin, Carson Loftin, Stephen Kopcik, Craig Lutz, Tommy and Trevor Catalano, Eric Goodale, Joey Coulter and Kyle Bonsignore, among others.

The complete entry list for Sunday’s FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150 is available here.

North Wilkesboro Speedway
Cars race past signage during the Brushy Mountain Powersports 150 at North Wilkesboro Speedway for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina on September 30, 2023. (Photo: Eakin Howard/NASCAR)

RACING REFERENCE

RACE FACTS

Race FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150
Date Sunday, May 18, 2025
Track North Wilkesboro Speedway
Layout 0.625-mile asphalt oval
Location North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Start time 2 p.m. ET
Laps 150
Posted Awards $136,805
Tickets Here
How To Watch FloRacing / The NASCAR Channel

SCHEDULE: Sunday, May 18 … Final practice from 10:15 – 10:45 a.m. ET … Qualifying at 12:45 p.m. ET … Start of the FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150 (150 Laps / 93.75 Miles) at 2 p.m. ET

QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150 is limited to 32 starters including Provisional Positions.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is nine (9) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. The tire change rule is two (2) tires per stop.

Posted on by Staff Report

From Kansas to Indiana to North Carolina — and back and forth a few times — this stretch of May has Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson logging almost as many miles on the race track as he does traveling in the air.

A knockout of the field last weekend at Kansas Speedway set the stage for a two-week stretch that will see Larson in three different car types, on multiple tracks, as he once again barrels toward The Double — an attempt at completing both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, May 25.

One day after his Cup Series win at the 1.5-mile track, Larson was in Kokomo, Indiana, in a High Limit Racing sprint car race at Kokomo Speedway. He charged from 17th to sixth in the main event, logging a top-10 finish as Rico Abreu won in spectacular fashion.

Now, it’s over to the big oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Indianapolis 500 prep this week, with the NASCAR All-Star Race looming.

Below is Kyle Larson’s schedule through the Coca-Cola 600.

Kyle Larson’s May schedule

All times ET.

Sunday, May 11

– 3 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway | Results

Monday, May 12

– 7:30 p.m.: High Limits Racing sprint car event at Kokomo, Indiana

Tuesday, May 13

– 12:15 p.m.: Indianapolis 500 ROP & Refreshers
– 2:15 p.m.: Indianapolis 500 practice

Wednesday, May 14

– Noon: Indianapolis 500 practice

Thursday, May 15

– Noon: Indianapolis 500 practice

Friday, May 16

– Noon: Indianapolis 500 practice
– 4:30 p.m.: NASCAR All-Star Race pit road qualifying practice (FS2)
– 5 p.m.: NASCAR All-Star Race practice (FS2)
– 6:15 p.m.: Indianapolis 500 qualification draw
– 7 p.m.: NASCAR All-Star Race qualifying (FS1)

Saturday, May 17

– 11 a.m.: Indianapolis 500 qualifying
-5:10 p.m.: All-Star heat races (FS2) (Hendrick Motorsports announced the No. 5 team will skip Saturday’s All-Star heat races) 

Sunday, May 18

– 1 p.m.: Indianapolis 500 practice (Top 12)
– 2 p.m.: Indianapolis 500 (Last chance qualifiers)
– 4:05 p.m.: Indianapolis 500 qualifying (Top 12)
– 5:15 p.m.: Indianapolis 500 last chance qualifying
– 6:25 p.m.: Indianapolis 500, Firestone Fast Six
– 8 p.m.: NASCAR All-Star Race (FS1)

Monday, May 19

– 1 p.m.: Indianapolis 500 practice

Tuesday, May 20

– Media Tour in New York City

Friday, May 23 (Carb Day)

– 11 a.m.: Indianapolis 500 practice
– 2:30 p.m.: Indianapolis 500 pit stop challenge

Saturday, May 24

– 10:30 a.m.: Indianapolis 500 public drivers meeting
– 1:30 p.m.: Coca-Cola 600 practice (Prime Video)
– 2:40 p.m.: Coca-Cola 600 qualifying (Prime Video)

Sunday, May 25

– 12:45 p.m.: Indianapolis 500
– 6 p.m.: Coca-Cola 600 (Prime Video)

Posted on by Alex Cadavid

Quietly putting together a remarkable season, Ryan Preece netted his fourth top 10 of 2025 in this past Sunday’s Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway, and he did so by being the only driver to have top-10 rankings across the board, per NASCAR Insights.

After his seventh-place finish, the No. 60 RFK Racing driver jumped two spots in the regular-season points standings and currently sits as the first driver out of the Cup Series Playoff picture through 12 races, eyeing to continue his career-best year.

MORE: Kansas results | NASCAR Insights analysis explained

After 400 miles in Kansas City, Preece had the second-best passing and pit crew ratings, fourth-best rating on restarts, eighth-best defensive rating and ninth-fastest car, per NASCAR Insights. To boot, he ranked better than race winner Kyle Larson in passing, restarts and on pit road, which showcases that Preece and Co. are operating on a level capable of contending for wins. The performance is also just one of several flashes the No. 60 driver has shown this season with his new team, as it marks their third top 10 on 1.5-mile tracks, with one of those finishes being third at Las Vegas.

In the grand scheme of things, Preece is on pace to have his best season at NASCAR’s highest level as he’s one race off from matching his season-most five top-10 finishes and on track to finish top 20 in points. His season averages, according to NASCAR Insights, show that he’s been nothing but steady by having the fifth-best Passer Rating and ranking in the top 15 in the other four categories this year.

The important thing Kansas did for Preece was break a run of four finishes of 20th or worse since Martinsville. With a few more intermediate tracks lined up after All-Star Weekend (Charlotte and Nashville), it allows the Berlin, Connecticut, native to build up momentum on more similar style tracks where he’s already had success this season. Plus, he will need more solid points days in the second half of the regular season to get to the plus side of the playoff bubble.

Other notables from Sunday:

— Kyle Larson now has top-five rankings in all five categories after his win and takes over the points lead for the first time this year.

— Chase Briscoe finished fourth after not ranking top 10 in any category across the board.

— The three fastest cars, according to NASCAR Insights, all finished top three.

view of stats post cup series race at Kanas.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

Kyle Larson put another drubbing on the field at Kansas Speedway, leading 221 laps — and topping 10,000-plus for his career in the process — en route to his third 2025 win of the season. He held off dirt rival Christopher Bell in the closing moments, and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver could be about to take center stage once again after a sizzling, early-season streak of three wins.

NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series contenders after the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway and before Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: 2025 Cup Series schedule | Full Cup Series standings

Analysis: Larson is not going to win every week, obviously, but there’s no other driver in the series right now who makes you think, “You know, maybe … “ With his latest stomping in the books, Larson will now shift his focus to Sunday night’s $1 million prize as he looks for a second All-Star Race win at North Wilkesboro.

Analysis: It’s a shame Byron’s race was derailed so early — and, worth noting, he fought back to finish 24th — as he likely had the speed to battle with his teammate for the win. No. 24 has been fast all year, and he’ll hope to show that off on Sunday night as he looks for just his third All-Star Race top 10.

Analysis: Bell hasn’t had as many words written about him lately as he did during his three-race win streak, but in reality, his performance hasn’t really dipped at all and actually just turned in his second-best points day of the season on Sunday at Kansas. You can bank on him landing his second All-Star Race top 10 on Sunday and being in the mix to win.

Analysis: “Clutch” jokes aside, Hamlin’s mechanical failure at Kansas was a bummer for him, as the potential for a fifth Kansas win felt very much in play otherwise. With a pair of recent runner-ups in the All-Star Race but no wins in a decade, expect him to be motivated to battle for victory on Sunday.

Analysis: Blaney continues to be among the fastest cars, if not the fastest, each week, and perhaps could have run down Larson if the race had a handful more laps. The 2022 All-Star Race winner hasn’t led an All-Star lap since claiming that checkered flag, but it’s hard to see how that doesn’t change this weekend.

Analysis: A P15 isn’t horrendous, and yet there’s perhaps no driver more looking forward to turning the page from Kansas and looking ahead to North Wilkesboro. Though he’s only won it a single time (2020), Elliott shines in the All-Star Race and has finished eighth or better in all but two of his nine starts.

Analysis: Surprisingly, Reddick was a non-factor at Kansas with no stage points and a P17, and all of a sudden his 86 laps led for the year look a little more glaring as we hit the one-third point of the season. Perhaps also worth noting, he’s never led a lap in an All-Star Race.

Analysis: We already knew Logano was back in business, but it’s still worth mentioning that Kansas’ ninth-place result marked his first back-to-back top 10s of the season. He returns to North Wilkesboro as the defending All-Star Race winner after toying with the field for 199 laps led last year.

Analysis: Bowman continues to take advantage of his incredible notebook at Kansas, adding his 11th top 10 there and looking like he’s capable of stealing a Round of 8 spot this fall. He’s another guy who seems to bring it at the All-Star Race as No. 48 hasn’t finished worse than eighth since 2018.

Analysis: Chastain’s average start this year (23.8) is the worst he’s compiled on a full-time basis since his Premium Motorsports days, yet he’s only a hair off his career-best average finish set in 2022 (13.3). His first top 10 in the All-Star Race came last year and he’s likely to get another one, even if he’ll have to come from the back for it.

Analysis: 23XI Racing — apart from Corey Heim’s bright spot of turning in a solid run in his fourth Cup start — had a miserable day at Kansas, Wallace not excluded. A quick rebound could be in order, however, as he has a top-six finish in three of his four All-Star Races.

Analysis: Briscoe can clearly make it happen when the factors are right, and four of his five top 10s this year have seen him finish inside the top five. Eventually, those will translate into wins, and despite missing the cut for last year’s All-Star Race, his last showing in the exhibition event in 2023 also netted a top five.

Analysis: It’s tough to say whether Buescher preferred his P8 garnered yesterday or his heartbreaking runner-up from a year ago, but either way, he continues to look the part of a contender and should find his way to Victory Lane sooner rather than later. Last year’s third-place All-Star finisher will likely have a shot this weekend, too.

Analysis: Decent day at Kansas for Cindric, who landed in the top five in Stage 1 but dipped just outside the top 10 in 11th at the checkered. After picking up a P3 in his first All-Star Race in 2022, No. 22 hasn’t finished better than 20th, but there’s a great chance he does on Sunday.

Analysis: Berry’s average finish is only slightly better than last year’s in a lame-duck season for Stewart-Haas Racing, but he’s been a factor in significantly more races this season, as we saw at Kansas. The sophomore didn’t make last year’s All-Star Race, but has one start in it in the past — when he won the Open and landed 15th in the race subbing for Bowman in the No. 48.

Analysis: Preece is now just one top 10 shy of matching his career-best of five set last year and it looks like he’ll genuinely be battling for a playoff spot this season, perhaps even clinching with a win. He’s yet to make an All-Star Race appearance, but looks like a solid bet to make the magic happen in the Open.

Analysis: Stenhouse isn’t setting the world on fire but is doing just enough to stay afloat, and sometimes that’s enough. He certainly made some headlines at last year’s All-Star event and hopes to pick up his first career top 10 in one on Sunday.

Analysis: Nemechek has now earned back-to-back top 10s for the second time this season as he continues to look sporty much more often than many anticipated. He’ll likely need to race his way in to make his first All-Star Race, and it looks quite possible from what we’ve seen.

Analysis: We still have a ways to go, but Busch is on pace to finish outside the top 10 in points for the fourth consecutive year after not having done that in back-to-back seasons at all since 2011-12. The past few All-Star Races for him haven’t been remarkable, either (on-track at least), and it doesn’t feel very likely he all of a sudden turns it around Sunday.

Analysis: Hocevar wasn’t able to sweep the weekend and take the Cup race after winning in the Truck Series, but he did lead the field for a handful of laps before landing 26th. One of the sport’s rising stars has All-Star Race appearances in his future, but he’ll likely have to race in this weekend if he wants the first one to come Sunday. 

Posted on by Staff Report

Before the 2025 All-Star Race on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), NASCAR Cup Series drivers not locked into the main event will do battle at the iconic North Wilkesboro Speedway in the All-Star Open (5 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

ENTRY LISTS: Cup Series All-Star Race | Cup Series All-Star Open | Truck Series 

Noah Gragson is one of 18 drivers slated to participate in the All-Star Open. Gragson has won the All-Star Fan Vote each of the last two seasons and currently ranks inside the top five in votes for this year’s running; cast your ballot before the polls close Saturday at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Here is the entry list for the All-Star Open:

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series pauses regular-season action for the star-studded 2025 All-Star Race scheduled Sunday at the iconic North Wilkesboro Speedway (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

ENTRY LISTS: Cup Series All-Star Race | Cup Series All-Star Open | Truck Series

On Monday, a late entrant in the field was revealed as Harrison Burton will pilot the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford in the main event. The 24-year-old driver, currently racing full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for AM Racing, triumphed at Daytona International Speedway last August for his first career Cup Series win and Wood Brothers Racing’s 100th victory in NASCAR’s premier series. Now, Burton will have the opportunity to perhaps leave his winning mark once again.

“The All-Star Race is one of those events you grow up dreaming about, so to have a spot on the grid is really special,” Burton said in a press release. “Winning at Daytona last year was a huge moment in my career, and I’m thankful to Rick and the entire RWR team for giving me the opportunity to make that win count by putting me in their car for the All-Star Race. We’ve been building some great momentum in the Xfinity Series, and I’m looking forward to carrying that into North Wilkesboro and competing against the best in the sport.”

The 2025 All-Star Race will be the first time Rick Ware Racing has participated in the celebrated exhibition.

Here is the entry list for the exciting event:

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rolls into North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend for Saturday short-track racing (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

ENTRY LISTS: Cup Series All-Star Race | Cup Series All-Star Open | Truck Series

Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch is scheduled to run the No. 07 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, while Xfinity Series regular Sammy Smith pilots the No. 7 entry this weekend.

See the full entry list for the Window World 250:

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — No one has ever dominated Kansas Speedway the way Kyle Larson did Sunday afternoon.

The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet paced the field for 221 of 267 laps — a whopping 82.7% of the event. Those are the most laps any one driver has ever led in a race at Kansas, a track that began hosting Cup in 2001 — 24 years ago. He also scored the first “perfect” race of 2025 — a Stage 1 win, a Stage 2 win, the race win and a bonus point for posting the Xfinity Fastest Lap of Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 — to leave the Sunflower State blooming with 61 points earned, seven playoff points added to his tally and an extended NASCAR Cup Series points lead.

RELATED: Race results | Cup standings

The accomplishments keep coming from Larson, along with the adornment of “Greatest of All-Time” from fans and competitors alike who can’t help but admire what he’s doing behind the wheel. So it’s that much more fitting that this win comes during the month of May, just two weeks before Larson will attempt the Memorial Day Weekend Double of the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day for the second straight season.

There is a sense of deja vu that comes with this victory. Larson sparked his 2024 Double campaign with a Kansas win too on the front side of May, with the California native going on to qualify sixth for his inaugural Indy 500 attempt. But on Memorial Weekend Sunday, Mother Nature offered the biggest buzzkill imaginable, both delaying the Indy 500 and shortening the Coke 600 to prevent him from ever getting into the Cup car that day. Making matters worse, a late speeding penalty at Indy dropped Larson from a likely top-10 finish down to 18th at the checkered flag.

So, as practice for the Indy 500 begins Tuesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, perhaps Sunday’s win at Kansas — his third of 2025 and second in four weeks — can be the start of a new, less frustrating journey toward accomplishing his long-targeted goal of completing 1,100 racing miles in one day in 2025. It is, at least, a step in the right direction.

“Obviously, confidence is something that’s important in everybody’s life, and right now he’s got a lot of it,” said Chad Knaus, a seven-time Cup champion as a former crew chief and currently Hendrick Motorsports’ vice president of competition.

Kyle Larson does a burnout at Kansas Speedway.
Chris Graythen | Getty Images

Larson has driven and will drive any type of race car you could imagine: stock car, open-wheel car, sprint car, go-kart. If it’s got wheels, Larson’s racing it — and more often than not, he’s competing to win in it. Last week was no exception. On Friday night, Larson was piloting a dirt sprint car at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas and was involved in a frightening crash. By Saturday morning, he was back in his Cup car like it never happened, rocketing to the pole for Sunday’s race. And after Sunday’s domination, he was on a plane to Indianapolis prepping to get behind the wheel of a sprint car on Monday at Kokomo Speedway.

MORE: Kansas photos

What crew chief Cliff Daniels sees on Sundays is the combination of Larson’s otherworldly talent paired with constant seat time, propelling the entire No. 5 team forward. But it’s also catapulted by Larson’s innate ability not to dwell on the highs or lows of his various endeavors.

“For him, as many times as he races — and he’s talked about this before — he just doesn’t carry stuff over,” Daniels said. “He had a heck of a spill the other night in the High Limit (sprint car) race and walks right into the NASCAR race ready to go. He doesn’t carry one race to the next. Obviously, momentum can be a real thing and is always a good thing. But for him, he’s racing all the time, so I think he’s just ready to go.”

Indeed, Larson attributes his “short memory” to the frequency with which he races. With another event on the docket, there’s no time to get caught up in the minutia.

“I do think it’s because I race a lot, I’m guessing,” Larson said. “I would say that that’s a big part of me being able to move on quickly from things, whether it’s a good race or a bad race, a wreck or good result, bad result, mistakes on track. Obviously, though, if (a poor result) happens multiple times in a row, it can kind of linger a little bit longer, but more so just hurt your confidence a little bit. But, yeah, I don’t know. I think I just race a lot.”

For now, the streak he’s on has been nearly entirely positive. To score three Cup wins in 12 races marks the quickest ascent to the hat trick of Larson’s decade-long career. He leads the series standings by 35 points over Hendrick teammate William Byron and has previously won at each of the next four stops on the NASCAR calendar: North Wilkesboro Speedway (host of this weekend’s exhibition All-Star Race), Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway and Michigan International Speedway. To score his third Kansas triumph with opportunities for more success ahead should come as a warning shot to the rest of the Cup Series field.

“It’s certainly going to help carry our momentum,” Daniels said. “A lot of the things that we’re going to take away from today that I think will be important for us moving forward — if you look at the end of Stage 1 and Stage 2, we were not as fast as we wanted to be. And so I still think that there’s things on the table as a team that we need to go find and go build from and execute a little bit better with adjustments or car balance, whatever it may be. It’s going to be those type of things coupled with, of course, the win and momentum, which is always a good thing.

“But when you can run up front and still walk away and have areas to improve, that is what we enjoy. That’s what we’re going to take away.”

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Denny Hamlin’s 36th-place finish in Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway was significant for the 44-year-old Virginia native, and not in the best of ways.

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who finished third-to-last in the 12th points-paying race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, suffered his second consecutive DNF, with Kansas a week removed from a last-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway. With the result, Hamlin was scored with back-to-back DNFs for the first time since 2013; the then-31-year-old wrecked at Kentucky Speedway (June 30) and Daytona International Speedway (July 6) that season.

RELATED: Kansas race results

For the four-time Kansas winner, Sunday’s finish was a disappointing one for a driver who looked to find Victory Lane for a third time this year. Despite finishing seventh and eighth in Stages 1 and 2, respectively, clutch issues within the No. 11 Toyota quickly became apparent, which required lengthy strategy discussions over the radio between Hamlin and crew chief Chris Gayle. A slow pit stop on Lap 127 due to problems with the Toyota’s right-front wheel exacerbated the issue when combined with the No. 11 crew having to push-start Hamlin out of the box. The concerns reached a tough conclusion during final-stage stops when Hamlin’s Toyota stalled, resulting in the No. 11 going to the garage with terminal damage.

“Yeah, I think eventually just broke the transaxle trying to leave the stall there,” Hamlin said when speaking about the final incident. “Unfortunate for the Progressive Toyota team. Just really fast again — just can’t keep it together right now.”

WATCH: Hamlin, No. 11 crew discuss clutch issues | Hamlin goes to garage following mechanical problem

With the finish, Hamlin sits seventh in the championship standings, dropping four spots following the Kansas result. And while it’s worth noting that Hamlin finished the 2013 season 23rd in the standings — he missed four races due to injury — the longtime racer already has two wins under his belt in 2025 (Martinsville spring, Darlington spring). As such, a NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs berth is secured, giving him plenty of leeway to right the ship and contend for his elusive first Bill France Cup.

Although not a points-paying contest, Hamlin will look to rekindle early-season momentum this Sunday at North Wilkesboro Speedway during the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The 2025 regular season will then resume at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25 for the Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Cup Series standings | Cup Series schedule

The good news for Hamlin? He is a former winner of the marathon crown-jewel race, triumphing in 2022. In other words, a turnaround could be right around the corner.

Posted on by Staff Report

FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150

North Wilkesboro Speedway

  • Entry list
Car No. Driver Organization Crew chief Chassis Sponsor
1 Patrick Emerling KPL Racing LLC Dale Hedquist LFR Fleetworks, Inc.
02 Joey Coulter IV Coulter Motorsports Harold Holly FURY Race Cars SRI Performance; Bilstein Shocks; PFC Brakes; Molecule; Simpson
3 Tyler Rypkema Boehler’s Racing Equipment Greg Fournier Boehler Racing USNE; Northeast Drilling
4 Ryan Newman Connolly Racing TBA FURY Race Cars IGA; First Sanitation; The Ragg Co.; Fairvalue; Findley Properties; Mathis Equipment
5 Kyle Ebersole Robert Ebersole Bob Ebersole FURY Race Cars Ebersole Excavating, Inc.
7 Luke Baldwin Tommy Baldwin Racing LLC Tommy Baldwin PSR Products Baldwin Automotive
8 John-Michael Shenette Eighty-Two Autosport Scott Morin LFR USNE Power; Eighty-Two Services
14 Jake Lutz Advantage Motorsports Bill Putney LFR Advantage Trucks; Washtronic’s; Anastasi Trucking
15 Joey Cipriano III Fueled Up Motorsports Ryan Plourde FURY Race Cars Dependable Energy; The Bass Plating Company
18 Ken Heagy Christopher Fleming Greg Gorman FURY Race Cars Hunter Mechanical
21 Stephen Kopcik Wanick Motorsports Nick Kopcik Troyer Wanick Constructions, Inc.; Newtown Pools
22 Kyle Bonsignore Kyle Bonsignore Keith McDermott FURY Race Cars MTT; ChaLew Performance; Munns Auto
23 Carson Loftin Brian Loftin Brian Loftin PSR Products L&R Transmission; LeBleu Water; QMF Solutions
36 David Sapienza Judith Thilberg Greg Kleila FURY Race Cars Sapienza Enterprises; Eastport Feeds
38 Bobby Labonte PSR Products Neal Cantor PSR Products Cook-Out
46 Craig Lutz Goodie Racing Douglas Ogiejko FURY Race Cars Riverhead Building Supply
51 Justin Bonsignore Kenneth Massa Motorsports, LLC Ryan Stone FURY Race Cars Phoenix Communications, Inc.
54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports Rick Kluth Troyer FX Caprara; USNE
55 Jeremy Gerstner GMR Enterprises Dawn Gerstner Troyer Garage Doors of the Triad; Jerry Hunt Supercenter; Cherokee Underground
56 Trevor Catalano Catalano Motorsports JJ Vece Troyer USNE Power & Construction
58 Eric Goodale Goodie Motorsports Rob Hyer FURY Race Cars GAF Roofing
59 Tyler Barry Jody Lauzon Billy Michael Chevrolet Pro Systems Integration; BNP Machine
60 Matt Hirschman Pee Dee/Elite Motorsports Mike Stein Troyer Pee Dee Motorsports
64 Austin Beers KLM Motorsports Ron Yuhas Troyer G&G Electrical Supply, Lumiere Electrical, AP Marquadt & Sons, Dell Electric, Andrew James Interiors, Hughes Motors, Fast Tra
77 Corey LaJoie Mike Curb Gary Putnam Troyer Curb Records / Mohawk Northeast
99 Conner Jones Mario Jamie Tomaino Eddie Harvey Troyer Jones Utilities Construction
112 Brian Sones DW Racing Dennis Wenner Troyer DW Machine & Fabricating Co.; Bergen Industries
129 Mike Marshall TLC Performance Kevin Ledoux Troyer MLM Diagnostics; Jusczak Electric
137 Jake Crum Jake Crum Racing Justin Link Troyer Platinum Utility Group; Mount Airy Toyota
140 Luke Fleming Chris Fleming Christopher Fleming PSR Products Smith Trucking; Taylor Auto Parts; Perkins & Associates; Hodges Realty; Simmons Powersports
155 Teddy Hodgdon IV THR LLC Ted Hodgdon FURY Race Cars Montanari Fuel; Business Time Motorsports
179 Joey Braun David Hill David Hill PSR Products EME Industrial; Stutts Marina; Highmark Building Efficiency