RADIO
Joey Logano Dominates at North Wilkesboro for First 2026 Victory
Joey Logano dominated the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, leading 323 of 450 laps. The No. 22 Ford driver from Team Penske began the race from 11th position, but quickly showed that he had plenty of speed from the beginning as he moved up to third by the end of the first stage, scoring eight stage points. In the second stage, Logano gained the lead by passing Shane Van Gisbergen on lap 113. Logano went on to dominate the rest of the second stage without much competition. In the final stage, Logano was untouchable, with Denny Hamlin being his only real competitor who kept up with him in speed. Outside of pit stops, Logano never gave up the lead and went on to earn his first victory of the 2026 season. With the 38th win of his Cup career, Logano is now 15th in the regular-season standings and 49 points ahead of the cutoff for The Chase.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Denny Hamlin Places Second and Extends his Championship Lead at North Wilkesboro
Denny Hamlin was one of the most consistent contenders for the win during Sunday's Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Hamlin started seventh in the race after qualifying was canceled due to weather. In the first stage, Hamlin advanced to the lead halfway through the stage after a lap 39 caution by staying out of pit road while everyone else went to pit. As a result, Hamlin led for nine laps before being passed by Shane Van Gisbergen. The No. 11 Toyota driver fell to fourth by the end of the stage, but scored six stage points. In the second stage, Hamlin's team improved his car to the point where he could run in second behind who would eventually be the dominant driver of the race, Joey Logano. After scoring nine stage points from finishing second at the end of stage two, Hamlin spent the entire final stage chasing Logano for the win, but never had the speed to overtake him. Hamlin settled for second at the end of the race, but extended his regular-season points lead to 68 points over Tyler Reddick after 21 races this season.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Chase Briscoe Finishes Third After Starting 30th at North Wilkesboro
Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe finished in the third position in the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Briscoe had an uphill battle through Sunday's race as he started from the 30th position after qualifying was canceled, but had a fast car that easily made up positions. In the first stage, Briscoe went from 30th to eighth, gaining three stage points in the process. In the second stage, Briscoe moved closer to the front by passing a few more drivers, as he ended the stage in third and collected eight more stage points. From there, Briscoe stayed consistent without any issues and ran behind Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin throughout the entire stage. As a result, Briscoe settled into the third position for his third top-3 finish in four races this season. With 21 races now completed for the 2026 season, Briscoe is eighth in the regular-season standings with five races left before The Chase begins.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Ty Gibbs Recovers From Speeding Penalty to Finish Fourth at North Wilkesboro
Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing finished fourth in the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Gibbs began the race strongly from the second position and led the first 39 laps before the race's first caution. On the restart after the first caution, Gibbs lost the lead to Denny Hamlin after he stayed out of pit road during the caution, and spent the rest of the stage taking it back. After Shane Van Gisbergen took the lead from Denny Hamlin, Gibbs passed Hamlin and then barely beat out Van Gisbergen to win the first stage on the final lap. During pit stops during the stage break, Gibbs acquired a speeding penalty and was sent to the back of the field at the beginning of the second stage. The No. 54 Toyota driver spent the rest of the race recovering from the penalty, recovering to 12th by the end of the second stage. Gibbs continued to pass cars through the final stage and eventually made it up to his eventual finishing position of fourth after passing Van Gisbergen and Bubba Wallace late in the race. With his ninth top-5 finish of the season, Gibbs remains fourth in regular-season points after 21 races.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Shane Van Gisbergen Matches his Best Oval Result at North Wilkesboro
Shane Van Gisbergen, known as a road course specialist, had one of his best performances on an oval track in the Cup Series in the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Van Gisbergen began the race from the eighth position after qualifying was canceled and ran well throughout the entire race. In the first stage, he ran inside the top five and even took the lead from Denny Hamlin midway through the stage on a restart. He went on to lead through the rest of the stage until its last lap, where Ty Gibbs barely beat him out for the stage win. SVG acquired the lead again in the second stage after pit stops and led until lap 113, when Joey Logano passed him for the lead. From there, SVG was one of only a few drivers to remain on the lead lap through the rest of the race and run around the top five. SVG finished fifth at the end of the second stage and remained in that position throughout the final stage to eventually match his best oval finish. After 21 races, Van Gisbergen ranks 14th in the regular-season standings and is 54 points ahead of the cutoff for The Chase.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Bubba Wallace a Great DFS Option for All Formats at North Wilkesboro
Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing will start in the 26th position for this week's Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Wallace will start in that position thanks to NASCAR's qualifying metric after qualifying was canceled due to weather. In two All-Star race appearances at North Wilkesboro, Wallace has two finishes of sixth or better. After 20 races this year, Wallace has nine top-10 finishes with an average finish of 17.1. In practice for this week's race, Wallace ranked 14th in 20 consecutive lap averages, 13th in 25 consecutive lap averages, and eighth in 30 consecutive lap averages. The No. 23 Toyota driver has plenty of upside for Sunday's race and should be rostered in all DFS formats.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Could Austin Cindric be A Sneaky DFS Option for North Wilkesboro?
Austin Cindric of Team Penske will start in the 14th position for the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Cindric was given the starting position after qualifying was canceled due to rain, and starting positions were set by the qualifying metric from the NASCAR rulebook. In two All-Star race appearances at North Wilkesboro, Cindric has a best finish of 18th. Through 20 races so far this season, Cindric has four top-10 finishes, including an eighth-place finish at Martinsville, another short track. In practice for this week's race, Cindric ranked 10th in 15- and 20-consecutive-lap averages and seventh in 25- and 30-consecutive-lap averages. Although he does not have the track history to indicate a favorable finish, Cindric's practice speeds do indicate that he will be a top-10 contender. As a result, he can be a sneaky pick for all formats.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Ryan Blaney Awarded Pole at North Wilkesboro After Washout
Heavy rain cancelled qualifying at North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend, which means Ryan Blaney will lead the field to the green for the Window World 450 on Sunday evening. Blaney got the top starting spot thanks to the order being set by the metric. And with North Wilkesboro being a short, flat track, it can be expected that the No. 12 Ford will be strong all evening. Blaney won at Phoenix earlier this season (another flat track) and his Penske teammate, Joey Logano, has arguably had the best car here at North Wilkesboro over the last two years in the All-Star Races. This weekend, Blaney looked strong in practice, ranking sixth-best in 15-lap average. The In-Season Challenge is also continuing this weekend, and Blaney is matched against Christopher Bell, who is the favorite to win this race. That should be a good battle to watch on Sunday night as well, as both cars should contend for the race win.
Source: Jayski
Source: Jayski
Christopher Bell the Favorite to Win at North Wilkesboro
When it comes to short, flat tracks, Christopher Bell is always one of the favorites. And after a very impressive practice session at North Wilkesboro this weekend, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is the unanimous favorite to win Sunday evening's Window World 450 race. In practice, Bell led the way in 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, and 30-lap average. He's also the defending winner here at North Wilkesboro (last year's All-Star Race) and had the dominant car at Phoenix earlier this season (another flat track) before finishing runner-up to Ryan Blaney in that race. Bell starts third for this weekend's event at North Wilkesboro and should be the driver to beat. In DFS, he's a slam-dunk pick, and he comes in at an affordable price on DraftKings ($10.2K) as well--compared to his upside anyway.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Joey Logano Needs a Strong Run at North Wilkesboro
Heading into the 21st race of the season (North Wilkesboro on Sunday night), Joey Logano is 17th in the points standings and eight points behind the cutline for the final spot in the Chase. In other words, Logano needs a good run this weekend if he wants to keep his postseason hopes alive--and this is the perfect track for him to do so. Short, flat tracks are where Team Penske really thrives, and with North Wilkesboro being a 0.625-mile flat oval, it definitely fits that category. Over the last two All-Star Races here at North Wilkesboro, Logano has arguably had the best car, and the No. 22 Ford was strong in practice for the Window World 450 this weekend, ranking fifth-best in 30-lap average during the session. Logano will start from 10th-place for this weekend's race and should be able to run inside that mark all night. He's a solid DFS play on DraftKings at an affordable $9.5K salary.
Source: Catchfence
Source: Catchfence
Ty Gibbs an Interesting Option at North Wilkesboro
Ty Gibbs has been one of the strongest drivers all season long--thanks in big part to Toyota overall being so fast--and there's no reason to think that the No. 54 Toyota won't have speed again at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday evening. Despite starting back in 14th at Phoenix earlier this year (another flat track like North Wilkesboro), Gibbs rallied to a fourth-place finish and even led 12 laps. This weekend at North Wilkesboro, Ty will start from the outside pole, and his Toyota was very strong in practice on the long run, ranking fourth-fastest in 30-lap average. When it comes to DFS, Gibbs comes in at a very affordable $8.5K on DraftKings, making him a very interesting tournament option in the daily fantasy contests this weekend.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Ross Chastain Should be Avoided at North Wilkesboro
Ross Chastain was set to start from 13th place for the Window World 450 race at North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend, but an inspection penalty will nullify that. Since the No. 1 Chevrolet failed inspection three times, Chastain will have to drop to the rear for the start of the North Wilkesboro race and then also serve a pass-through penalty in the pits once the race goes green. For DFS and fantasy purposes, though, Chastain will still be scored from his 13th-place official starting spot. This will obviously make it difficult for Chastain to be competitive on Sunday night, as the No. 1 team will be in a big hole to start the race. When it comes to DFS this weekend, it's likely going to be best to stay away from Ross Chastain ($8.1K on DraftKings).
Source: Motorsport
Source: Motorsport
Ryan Blaney Dominates at Atlanta for his Second Win of 2026
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney was the dominant driver of the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway. Blaney started in the pole position in first and went on to lead every lap and dominate the first stage. During the stage break, Blaney lost the lead after coming out third after pit stops, but he was back fighting for the lead after a few laps. Although he faced challenges from Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Carson Hocevar, and Bubba Wallace, Blaney went on to dominate most of the second stage and eventually win it as well. Blaney lost his track position with a slow stop during the stage break before the final stage. He restarted the third stage from 16th, and it was not until midway through the stage, around lap 202, that Blaney returned to the front. From there, Blaney continued to trade the lead with several drivers until the final overtime restart. Although he fell behind Hocevar by the white flag, Blaney regained the lead and received a push from Christopher Bell to pass Hocevar and Wallace to seal his second victory of the 2026 season. Blaney remains third in the regular season standings after 20 races, but he gained points against Denny Hamlin for the regular season title, as he is only 65 points behind Hamlin.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Christopher Bell Gets his Fifth Runner-Up Finish of the 2026 Season at Atlanta
Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell finished in second place in the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway. The No. 20 Toyota driver started the race from 32nd and spent the first two stages slowly gaining positions through the pack. By the end of the first stage, he was 15th, while at the end of the second stage, he made it up to seventh and scored four stage points. In the final stage, Bell made it up to the top five and ran there throughout the entire stage while being a factor for the win. While he kept fighting Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, and Ty Gibbs for the lead, Bell led a total of five laps. Bell ended up being the deciding factor for Ryan Blaney's victory on the final restart, as when Bell could not make a move for the win on the final lap, he pushed Blaney ahead of Wallace and Carson Hocevar and put himself into second. This would be Bell's fifth time finishing in second this year, and he now moves to ninth in the regular season standings after 20 races.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Carson Hocevar Falls Short of Winning at Atlanta
Carson Hocevar was one of the main contenders to compete for the win throughout the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway. In the first stage of the race, Hocevar went from his starting position of 14th to competing for a top-5 finish. However, he did fade back slightly and ended the first stage in sixth, earning five stage points. In the second stage, Hocevar ran inside the top five through most of the stage and even took the lead from Ryan Blaney at a few points. At the end of the second stage, Hocevar got a flat tire in his car and fell all the way back to 30th, leaving him with no further stage points. In the final stage, Hocevar slowly recovered and returned to the front of the pack to trade the lead with Blaney and Bubba Wallace throughout the stage. Although Hocevar led during the white flag, Blaney got past him in turn one. Despite mounting a charge to regain the lead, Christopher Bell pushed himself and Blaney ahead of Hocevar, leaving Hocevar in third as his finishing result. With 20 races now completed in the 2026 season, Hocevar is eighth in the regular season standings with six races to go before The Chase begins.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
