NORTH WILKESBORO, NC — A sold-out crowd at NASCAR’s oldest active racetrack saw a three-time Cup Series champion get his groove back.
A Cup Series points-paying race returned to North Wilkesboro Speedway in the hills of North Carolina for the first time since 1996 and Joey Logano reappeared in victory lane, ending a 45-race winless streak for the driver of the No. 22 Ford for Team Penske. It’s Logano’s first win since May 4, 2025 at Texas Motor Speedway.
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Logano led 321 laps, a personal record for him and the most of any driver in the Window World 450 on Sunday night. After starting 10th, Logano made his way to the front of the pack during the beginning of Stage 2, overtaking Shane van Gisbergen for the lead. The 36-year-old from Connecticut would remain upfront for most of the night on the .625-mile short track, winning Stage 2 and then taking the checkered flag while weaving through lapped traffic and holding off a trio of Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas in Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs, and road course ace van Gisbergen who finished fifth. An additional Toyota, Bubba Wallace, was sixth.
The victory was the 38th of Logano’s career in the top-level Cup Series and his 70th across NASCAR’s top three national touring circuits. He is now in sole possession of 23rd in all-time Cup Series wins, trailing Hall of Famers Matt Kenseth and Tim Flock by one win.
It’s Logano’s second win at North Wilkesboro. He won the All-Star race at the historic speedway in 2024 and added his signature to the weathered Winston cigarettes victory lane sign in the media center.
For Logano, the win came at a crucial time as he entered North Wilkesboro 17th in the point standings, one below the cutline for the postseason Chase. Logano jumped ahead of Erik Jones to get inside the top 16 when he finished third in the opening stage, which was won by Ty Gibbs.
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Gibbs, driver of the No. 54 Toyota, had a fast car, but was penalized at the beginning of Stage 2 for speeding during his exit off pit road. That pushed his car to the rear, but Gibbs battled back to a top-five finish.
Ryan Blaney was the pole-sitter for North Wilkesboro after qualifying on Saturday was rained out, but he was pushed to the rear at the start of the race for making unapproved adjustments to his power steering. Blaney battled to the front of the pack, running as good as third place, but was penalized in the third stage for speeding on pit road, sending him to the rear once more. Blaney, last weekend’s winner at Atlanta, settled for a 11th-place finish.
Blaney still finished ahead of Christopher Bell — his matchup in the In-Season Challenge — and will face Todd Gilliland for the $1 million prize next weekend at the Brickyard 400. Gilliland, in his No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, advanced with an eighth-place finish over Chase Elliott.
Josh Berry and AJ Allmendinger did not finish the race, both retiring to the garage during Stage 2. Berry’s No. 21 Ford spun and hit the wall after contact from Christopher Bell, while Allmendinger’s No. 16 Chevrolet had a broken toe link and suspension issues.
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Only six cars finished on the lead lap.
Five races remain in the regular season and Hamlin is still atop the point standings. The Cup Series returns to one of its crown jewels next weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The green flag will drop at 2 p.m. ET in the final race for TNT’s broadcast slate this year.
