2025 All-Star Open Predictions at North Wilkesboro: Best NASCAR Bets, Expert Picks to Win & Odds

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to North Wilkesboro for the 2025 All-Star Race - preceded by the All-Star Open - all of which you can tune into on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET (FS1).

Let’s dive into our NASCAR All-Star Open odds and expert predictions for this weekend’s action, featuring Carson Hocevar, Michael McDowell, and A.J. Allmendinger. 

📊 2025 All-Star Open odds & favorites at North Wilkesboro

Here are the latest All-Star Open odds and favorites at North Wilkesboro via BetMGM as of Thursday afternoon.

🥇 All-Star Open betting favorites 🥇

• Ty Gibbs, +175 ($10 to win $17.50)
• Bubba Wallace, +275 ($10 to win $27.50)
• Carson Hocevar, +600 ($10 to win $60)
• Ryan Preece, +600 ($10 to win $60)
• Noah Gragson, +1400 ($10 to win $140)
• Erik Jones, +1600 ($10 to win $160)
• Michael McDowell, +1800 ($10 to win $180)
• Todd Gilliland, +2000 ($10 to win $200)
• Zane Smith, +2000 ($10 to win $200)
• Justin Haley, +2200 ($10 to win $220)
• AJ Allmendinger, +2200 ($10 to win $220)
• John H. Nemechek, +2500 ($10 to win $250)

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🏁 All-Star Open predictions, expert picks & best bets at North Wilkesboro

When North Wilkesboro Speedway returned to the schedule in 2023, it did so with a whimper: Kyle Larson dominated the All-Star Race by leading just under 75% of the laps. The track received a repave that summer, and the 2024 race was even worse: Joey Logano led all but one of the laps to win.

Last year’s All-Star Open was similarly uninspiring. Ty Gibbs led all 100 laps from the pole. The Open’s format, which rewards the drivers who finish first and second with a bid to the All-Star Race, detracts from close racing at the front of the field.

The driver who starts on the pole for the 2025 All-Star Open will likely win it. I predict Carson Hocevar will win the All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro.

🏆 Pick to win All-Star Open: Carson Hocevar +650 via Hard Rock ⭐⭐⭐

If the driver who starts first is likely to finish first, handicapping this race comes down to evaluating qualifying performance on short, flat ovals like North Wilkesboro.

We’ve seen two races at such venues thus far in 2025: Phoenix and Martinsville. While Bristol is a higher-banked short track, it’s still a half-mile. We’ll look to drivers’ qualifying performances at those tracks to handicap this one.

Of every driver in the Open field, none earned a better starting spot at either track than Hocevar.

The controversial young driver earned the third-place starting position at that venue, and, importantly, each of his Spire Motorsports teammates started inside the top 10. The team didn’t have much speed at Martinsville, but Hocevar started ninth at Bristol.

This pick also comes down to value. Ty Gibbs (+175) and Bubba Wallace (+275) have an equipment advantage, but that’s more than priced into their odds.

The duo finished one-two here last season, so their short odds should be no surprise. If Spire and Hocevar can show the same speed in qualifying they did in Phoenix, look out. Check out our best sports betting sites to shop around for other Hocevar odds. 

💎 Best value bet to win All-Star Open: Michael McDowell (+2250 via Hard Rock) 

If we’re talking about qualifying, we’ve got to talk about McDowell. The veteran driver has the 10th-best average starting position this year (13.9) and the second-best of all drivers in the All-Star Open field, trailing only Bubba Wallace (11.4).

He qualified seventh at Phoenix, 15th at Martinsville, and 13th at Bristol, good for an average of 11.7, which clears every other Open driver. McDowell’s best runs may have come on road courses and superspeedways, but he can also wheel it on short tracks.

Last year, he posted a pair of 11th-place results at Bristol. In 2023, he scored in the top 10 at Bristol, Richmond, Phoenix, and Gateway. His odds of +2250, which would yield a $225 profit on a $10 bet, don’t reflect the advantage he’ll have should he continue to run well in qualifying.

🎯 Best long shot to win All-Star Open: A.J. Allmendinger (+3000 via Hard Rock) ⭐⭐⭐

If +3000 doesn’t meet your standard for a long-shot bet, I understand–but there is no driver with longer odds worth betting on. Seriously. Cole Custer, Ty Dillon, Riley Herbst, and Shane Van Gisbergen will not win this race. Cody Ware and Chad Finchum are essentially field-fillers. 

Like McDowell, Allmendinger is known mostly for his success on road courses. However, he has won on at several ovals in the Xfinity Series, including Bristol. This year, he qualified 16th at Phoenix, 23rd at Martinsville, and eighth at Bristol. That’s just enough speed for the +3000 to intrigue me.

📈 All-Star Open trends & North Wilkesboro Speedway history

Here are a few All-Star Open trends to consider before betting on Sunday's race at North Wilkesboro Speedway:

🏎️ Since the All-Star Open moved to North Wilkesboro, the driver starting on the pole has advanced based on finishing position each time: Ty Gibbs (P2) in 2023 and Ty Gibbs (P1) in 2024. The polesitter also led the most laps in each event. 

🏎️ Don’t expect a ton of passing at the front. In 2023, each driver who finished inside the top 5 started no worse than the 10th. In 2024, only one driver who finished inside the top 5 started worse than 10th (Justin Haley).

💡 How to bet on NASCAR at North Wilkesboro Speedway

The NASCAR All-Star Open has gone through several different iterations over the years. In years past, drivers could advance by simply winning a stage in this race, leading to some weird “winners."

Those rules are no longer in place, though, so here are my NASCAR betting strategy tips for handicapping this race:

• Pay attention to qualifying. With how much of an advantage pole-sitters have in this event, especially for drivers not named Gibbs or Wallace, you’ll probably be able to steal some serious value once the odds for the All-Star Open come back online.

• Don’t bet too much on this race. The All-Star Open and All-Star Race aren’t points-paying events. The winner of either race won’t secure a postseason bid. Teams don’t have nearly as much incentive to spend their resources this weekend as they do on others, so why should you?

🏆 Past All-Star Open winners

Here is a look at the last 10 All-Star Open winners entering Sunday's race. Asterisks (“*”) denote a driver who won the All-Star Open after other drivers advanced by winning earlier stages, removing them from the rest of the race.

📺 How to watch the 2025 All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro

📅 Race date: Sunday, May 18
🕒 Start time: 5:30 p.m. ET
📍 Track: North Wilkesboro Speedway (North Wilkesboro, N.C.)
📺 TV: FS1 | Streaming: FOX Sports App 

❓ 2025 NASCAR All-Star Open FAQs

Who is favored to win the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Open?

Ty Gibbs is favored to win the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Open with odds of +175, which would yield a $17.5 profit on a $10 bet.

What are the odds for the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Open?

Behind Gibbs, Bubba Wallace (+275), Carson Hocevar (+600), and Ryan Preece (+600) are other favorites to win the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Open.

What time is the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Open?

The 2025 All-Star Open starts at 5:30 p.m. ET (FS1) on Sunday, May 18, from North Wilkesboro.

How to watch the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Open

You can watch the All-Star Open on FS1 or stream it via the FOX Sports App.

Who won the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Open last year?

Ty Gibbs won the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Open after starting on the pole.

💵 Best NASCAR betting sites

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