After 30 years, NASCAR has lastly returned to North Wilkesboro with a points-paying Cup race, and it was the No. 22 Staff Penske Ford of Joey Logano holding off Denny Hamlin to say the win.
He lapped many of the subject, leaving simply six vehicles on the lead lap and placing everybody from eleventh on again not less than two laps down. It was a sensational exhibiting in a surprisingly clear race.
Monitor place was the whole lot, and penalties have been additional expensive due to that and the grueling green-flag runs. Here is a better have a look at the largest winners and losers from North Wilkesboro:
WINNER: Joey Logano returns with a vengeanceÂ
Watch: Logano: ‘It simply feels good to get again in Victory Lane’
Simply after we thought he was down and out, the Staff Penske driver reappears, main extra laps on Sunday night time than he ever has at some other race in his Cup profession. He led 323 of 450 laps and was unyielding regardless of fixed strain from Hamlin, profitable for the primary time this season. The victory launched Logano above the cut-line, and he is instantly again within the fray. It should not be a shock at this level with three titles and 38 profession wins, however Logano simply retains doing this. He falls out of sight, struggling for months, after which exhibits up in an enormous method, fully altering the trajectory of an otherwise-dismal season.
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LOSER: Gibbs and Blaney lose win shot on account of dashing penalties
Watch: Gibbs vents after expensive North Wilkesboro penalty
Two drivers who may have challenged Logano by no means received a correct probability. Ty Gibbs received Stage 1, however a dashing penalty put him in a deep gap for the remainder of the race. Nonetheless, he was nonetheless quick and clawed his method again to the entrance, even unlapping himself within the remaining stint to complete fourth. Blaney was one other driver creeping in direction of the entrance close to the top, and as Logano’s teammate, everybody was watching to see what he may do. Sadly, he sped getting into pit street throughout the remaining cease, leaving him two laps down in eleventh.
WINNER: Shane van Gisbergen along with his greatest oval weekend ever
Watch: SVG: ‘I received fairly excited’ taking the lead at North Wilkesboro
I feel it is protected to say that SVG has found out these ovals for probably the most half, and the one suppose holding him again at this level is how briskly his automotive can go. Van Gisbergen completed third within the Truck race, after which backed it up in Sunday’s 450-lap Cup race. Van Gisbergen was working inside the highest ten for your complete race past pit cease cycles, and led 49 laps — a brand new private document for him on ovals. He got here inside a automotive size of profitable Stage 1, and completed fifth (matching his career-best Cup end on an oval). He additionally had one of the best radio remark of the night time, telling the workforce: “I am main, what the f*** do I do now?” That exhibiting places him 54 factors above the cut-line with 5 races left within the common season.
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Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports
Picture by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Photos
Each single driver at HMS completed two or extra laps down at North Wilkesboro, and William Byron was their highest-placing driver in twelfth. Larson was caught deep within the pack after making an additional pit cease for repairs following a pit street collision, whereas each Byron and Chase Elliott have been trapped off the lead lap on account of an premature warning … brought on by their teammate, Alex Bowman. The No. 48 made a late name to pit, inflicting an incident proper after his teammates had pitted, derailing their nights as effectively. It was particularly brutal for Elliott, who had a prime 5 run going.
WINNER: Todd Gilliland continues underdog run for $1 million prize
Watch: Gilliland P8 at North Wilkesboro: ‘I am a fortunate man proper now’
The bracket-buster has performed it once more, as Gilliland defeated Chase Elliott with an eighth-place end at North Wilkesboro. After dispatching two Spire drivers and two Hendrick drivers, he’ll now face Blaney within the In-Season Problem champion’s spherical at Indianapolis. If he can end forward of Blaney, he’ll safe a $1 million prize in an enormous achievement for the Entrance Row Motorsports driver. And past the event, that end result was his better of the 2026 season, making him one of many clear ‘winners’ from Sunday night time.
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LOSER: NASCAR because the brief monitor bundle continues to frustrate
Joey Logano, No. 22 Staff Penske Ford; Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos
Sadly, passing was extraordinarily tough at North Wilkesboro, and the weaker bumpers prompted drivers to be extra timid on monitor. Whereas they might use each groove on the brief monitor, it was extraordinarily tough to make strikes by the sphere. Even Logano and Hamlin agreed that the winner was determined by whoever exited pit street with the lead on the ultimate pit cease. NASCAR simply took an enormous swing on the superspeeday bundle, however hopefully they do the identical with the brief monitor bundle within the near-future.Â
BONUS LOSER: Tyler Reddick’s dangerous luck streak continues
Watch: All angles of Bowman’s incident with Reddick at North Wilkesboro
Ever since he misplaced the factors lead, the once-invincible 23XI Racing driver has confronted a tsunami of misfortune. Mechanical gremlins, weird wrecks, lower tires, and extra have plagued him in latest weeks. He lastly righted the ship final weekend, just for issues to show bitter once more at North Wilkesboro. When Bowman abruptly turned all the way down to pit, it was Reddick he collided with, inflicting each vehicles to go spinning. Reddick limped dwelling to a Thirtieth-place end, and misplaced over 40 factors to Hamlin within the battle for the common season championship lead. For the primary three months of the 12 months, it was unimaginable for this driver to complete outdoors the highest 15, however now, he has 5 finishes of twenty fifth or worse within the final seven races.
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