JGR star reflects on his ‘refreshing’ All-Star Heat Race as mandatory caution sparked uncertainty

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver Christopher Bell dominated the second All-Star Heat Race on Saturday, May 17, at North Wilkesboro Speedway. He led 69 of the 75 laps to secure a front-row starting spot for Sunday’s All-Star Race. Driving the No. 20 Toyota for JGR, Bell held off a strong challenge from Joey Logano and Chase Elliott to take the win.

He will start alongside pole sitter Brad Keselowski in the 250-lap feature event. Bell started the Heat Race from the pole and stayed out front for most of the race. The only time he didn’t lead came during a strategy twist at the mandatory lap 30 caution.

His teammate Chase Briscoe chose not to pit and briefly took over the lead. But the #19 JGR driver faded quickly on older tires and spun out after contact with Daniel Suarez on lap 42. Bell, who had taken two tires during the stop, regained the lead and never looked back.

After the race, Bell praised his team for the overnight changes to the car. He shared (via NBC Sports):

“I knew (Friday) in practice that if they could get some rear grip in it, I felt like I had a lot of car potential. The guys (at the #20 JGR team) did an amazing job on just making the car better overnight, and it was really refreshing to get out there and just cruise those first 30 laps.”

“Then, I didn’t know how it was going to work with having Joey (Logano) right behind me, but this thing was on rails,” Bell added. “I’m really happy and excited about the opportunity (on Sunday).”

Joey Logano and Chase Elliott, who both took four tires, finished just behind Bell but couldn’t catch him in the closing laps. Kyle Busch and Chris Buescher completed the top five.

---

Joey Logano explains JGR's failed strategy with Chase Briscoe

NASCAR: JGR driver Chase Broscoe at Wurth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY - Source: Imagn

Joey Logano, the defending All-Star Race winner, spoke about Joe Gibbs Racing’s bold but failed strategy during the second heat race at North Wilkesboro. The three-time Cup Series champion said JGR took a big gamble with Chase Briscoe staying out during the lap 30 caution, hoping to gain track position.

That plan didn’t work, and Logano said his own team had talked about trying the same move.

"There's a lot of opportunity there with different strategies," Logano shared (via Speedway Digest). "We saw the 19 stay out and go for it there, and it didn't work out for him. That's kind of an all-or-nothing call, and we were debating about it as well, so once we couldn't get the lead, we knew we were gonna pit. We made a good adjustment on our car and learned something for tomorrow night, so that's a good thing."

Logano started his Cup career with JGR in 2008 and raced full-time for the team from 2009 through 2012. Since moving to Team Penske in 2013, he has won three Cup championships and two All-Star races.

After a slow start to the 2025 season, Logano turned things around by winning the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas on May 11, locking himself into the playoffs. His teammate, Austin Cindric, had already secured his playoff spot with a win at Talladega the week before.