NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Nearly one week after a final-lap penalty that cost him dearly at EchoPark Speedway, Bubba Wallace arrived at North Wilkesboro Speedway with a measure of acceptance and a mind to move on. “Imean,youkindofhaveto,right?” Wallace said.
Wallace’s wild swerve with half a lap remaining in last week’s NASCAR Cup Series showdown carried his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota below the 1.5-mile track’s out-of-bounds markings. He crossed the start/finish line in second place with Toyota teammate Ty Gibbs pushing him to the stripe, but NASCAR officials issued a penalty after the checkered flag that demoted him to 29th — the final driver on the lead lap.
Wallace and members of his 23XI team met in the competition officials’ hauler in Monday morning’s wee hours after the rain-delayed 400-miler. The penalty stood, but Wallace said on the eve of Sunday’s Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) that he had a better grasp of what factored into the ruling.
“Imean,itiswhatitis,” Wallace said Saturday before Cup Series practice. “Wegotabetterunderstandingoftherule.Tome,Ialwaysthoughtitwaslikegainingposition,butno,it’sgainingtrackposition,whichItotallydid.So, itiswhatitis.IthoughttheywouldcareaboutthedatathatItriedtogive(the position)back,butthe damagewasalreadydone.So,unfortunate and hereweare.”
The decision was further explained in the latest edition of NASCAR’s “Hauler Talk” podcast, which noted Wallace’s No. 23 briefly nosed into the lead after his maneuver to the low lane. Trying to cede the position later, officials ruled, was immaterial.
The rule exists on superspeedway-style tracks (Daytona, Talladega, EchoPark) to keep the racing on the primary racing surface, aiming to avoid the perils of using the apron and barring drivers from creating dangerous merging situations to get back in line.
“I’veneverreallybeenkindofinthatscenario,” Wallace said. “I’vehadacouple of closecalls,butIwillsaylike,asImadethemoveand I’d seenwhereIwasgoingtoendup,Iknewitwasgoingtoputeverybodyinabadspot,andthatwasunfortunate.Idon’tknow.Imean,attheendoftheday,ifthe54(Gibbs)didn’tpushmeattheline,Iwouldhavefinishedthird,andI’mprettysuretheysaidthatwouldn’thavebeenapenalty.Soit’slike …Idon’tknow.IthinkNASCARdoesn’teverwanttobeputintoasituationwheretheyhavetomakethecall,andtheyalwaystellustonotputtheminthatsituation, andunfortunately,Iputthemthere.Soallinall, a rule’sarule.Crossovertheline, oh well.”
The 27-spot penalty in last week’s finishing order corresponded to a 27-point dent in the Cup Series standings with six races left in the regular season. Wallace sits 13th in the standings, 55 points on the plus side of the provisional 16-driver Chase field.
Wallace has been accustomed to weathering the pressures of the postseason bubble at points of his career, but he also expressed optimism in both his team’s performance and for the tracks remaining on the regular-season slate — including next week’s trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he’ll race as the defending Brickyard 400 winner.
It’s the first points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race at North Wilkesboro Speedway since 1996, and Sunday’s Window World 450 under the lights (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is bound to deliver some old-school, short-track flair.
With that in mind, expect the big dogs to be feasting on points and the checkered flag Sunday, particularly Christopher Bell, as the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver won the All-Star Race last year at the 0.625-mile bullring in the North Carolina Foothills and is still seeking victory No. 1 in 2026. Kyle Larson, also seeking his maiden breakthrough of the year, will certainly be a factor Sunday night.
North Wilkesboro will be a home-run opportunity for the sport’s best, but drivers who sit just below the cutline could strike gold and finally get some momentum as the regular season winds down. Read on to see other drivers worth watching, as well as Racing Insights’ full race projections for Sunday’s short-track marathon.
DRIVERS TO WATCH
JOEY LOGANO: Quite unprecedented to see a three-time champion outside the postseason picture late in the regular season. But North Wilkesboro may be exactly what Logano needs to turn his 2026 campaign around. He was the All-Star winner at the track in 2024 and has finished inside the top 10 in the last six short-track events. Logano enters Sunday’s race eight points behind Erik Jones for the final spot in The Chase.
RYAN PREECE: Just below Logano in the Cup standings is the driver of the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford. The journeyman has had a forgettable summer so far after being inside the top 16 in points early on in the season. However, North Wilkesboro will play into Preece’s favor as a short-track ace. He won the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in February and owns three top 10s in the last six short-track races.
TY GIBBS: What a season it has been for the fourth-year driver. The No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver sits fourth in points and isn’t fully out of the picture yet for the No. 1 seed. While he sits 126 points back of teammate Denny Hamlin, Gibbs is just quietly being consistent after scoring his first career victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in the spring. Gibbs owns top 10s in four of the last five events and finished fourth at Martinsville Speedway earlier this year on top of his Bristol win.
Track: North Wilkesboro Speedway Location: North Wilkesboro, North Carolina Track length: 0.625 miles When: 7 p.m. ET Where to tune in: TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Race purse: $11,233,037 Race distance: 450 laps | 281.25 miles Segments: 80 | 265 | 450 Sunday’s starting lineup| Pit-stall assignments
Turning back the clock for a historic track’s next milestone
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — It was 30 years ago that North Wilkesboro Speedway last hosted a points-paying event for NASCAR’s top division. How times have changed in the 10,885 days since.
Sunday night’s Window World 450 marks another step in the remarkable revival of the historic foothills oval, which hosts a by-God points race at a cornerstone track in stock-car racing’s foundation. It’s a crucial one, the semifinals of a lucrative In-Season Challenge tournament, plus another progress checkpoint before the Cup Series winds down the regular season to decide who races for a championship and who doesn’t. It’s also a reminder of the sport’s evolution and how the old-school formula that’s been here since NASCAR’s earliest days still works.
When the series, then known as the Winston Cup Series, last raced a full-fledged event here in 1996, there were no tournaments (in-season or otherwise), overtimes, playoffs, eliminations or Chase postseasons. The two drivers named Chase in Sunday’s field — Briscoe and Elliott — had blown out one birthday candle between them at that point, and two more current-day drivers — Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones — would be just months old then. All four would become Cup Series winners, nearly a generation-plus after North Wilkesboro’s supposedly final checkered flag flew.
Jeff Gordon was the no-surprise victor that seasonable September afternoon, leading 207 of 400 laps to score the last of his 10 wins in a meteoric breakout season. Thirty years later, he’s still with Hendrick Motorsports but as a senior executive in the team’s front office. Three generations of Cup Series cars have also passed in the three-decade interim since Gordon’s dominant Wilkes County drive, with the more advanced Next Gen racer replacing the Gen-4 model that made mid-’90s crew chiefs the sultans of skew.
Drivers have always had to watch their bumpers here, dating back to the days when Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison weaponized their cars like lancers trying to knock their opponents off their mounts. This weekend, NASCAR rules have mandated a less-rigid front bumper configuration, decreasing some of the energy-sapping foam and bracing to keep drivers from absorbing some of the hard knocks that come with short-track contact. The car may pay the penalty, instead.
“There’s nothing behind that bumper. I mean, all the foam is gone,” said pole-starter Ryan Blaney. “It’s just bodywork, so they’re gonna be pretty flimsy, for sure. I was fortunate in the previous generation car that that was what it was. You had to be really, really careful with the nose and the right side and stuff like that, so I feel like I have some experience [with how] you have to really be mindful of that stuff. Some guys, I think, who have only driven this car, they didn’t get to experience that in the other car, but that stuff is gonna be flimsy, so you’re really gonna have to be careful on stack-ups, laying the bumper to somebody.”
The on-track jockeying that’s sure to come Sunday night will have some big-picture corollaries in the points standings with just six races remaining in the Cup Series regular season. The heavyweight clash for The Chase’s top seed has already been a slugfest, and Denny Hamlin’s snug 24-point edge over early leader Tyler Reddick has the potential to be a back-and-forth affair — with recent riser Ryan Blaney possibly making it a three-driver fight.
The half-dozen races before the 16-driver Chase field is set should also be hotly contested near the postseason’s elimination line. Jones has a less-than-commanding grip on the provisional final spot, by just eight points over three-time Cup champion Joey Logano, with five more drivers within just a 50-point span behind that transfer position.
In the later years of its first era, North Wilkesboro traditionally held a late September date near the season finale. That placement on the racing calendar often made the 0.625-mile bullring a pivotal venue, where championship races could often hinge on the outcome.
The results didn’t matter in terms of Cup Series points the last three years, when North Wilkesboro hosted the annual NASCAR All-Star Race as part of the facility’s resurrection. But the atmosphere was the most electric of all the All-Star venues since the race went into a rotation mode post-COVID, feeding the prevailing thought that the historic track was deserving of a points event. A grandstand sellout, announced by the track Saturday afternoon, bears that out.
Two of the few things missing from fully reviving the North Wilkesboro tradition are a 1 p.m. start time and the lovingly prepared fried chicken that made up the track’s proper Sunday lunch. In later years, the locally favored Holly Farms poultry brand had been absorbed by corporate overlord Tyson, but it never stopped the customary meal from finding race-day plates, frizzled to a succulent golden brown.
The Sunday table is once again set for a pure throwback to the sport’s roots. Enjoy the feast.
“A full field for a full-length Cup race at North Wilkesboro? Come on!” Christopher Bell, last year’s All-Star winner here, told PRN Radio. “It’s gonna be a wild race, I think it’s going to be a great race. I’ve been excited about this one for a long time.”
James Gilbert | Getty Images
In the details …
Despite a fractured wrist, Christopher Bell has regained his peak form with three consecutive top-five results, including back-to-back runner-up results at Chicagoland Speedway and EchoPark Speedway.
The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver now owns five second-place finishes this season, joining a list of elite drivers who have been a bridesmaid many times in a single season. Can Bell finally break through for his first 2026 triumph at a track where he’s the most recent winner?
DRIVER
SEASON
SECOND-PLACE FINISHES
Harry Gant
1981
7
Terry Labonte
1982
6
Kyle Larson
2018
6
Glen Wood
1959
5
Richard Petty
1982
5
Kasey Kahne
2004
5
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2013
5
Chase Elliott
2017
5
Christopher Bell
2026
5
Contributing: Cameron Richardson
Speed reads
Race-day essentials:
• North Wilkesboro hub: Key information, pit stalls, additional results | Read more • Sunday Setup: See what crew chiefs have in mind for Sunday night | Read more
• In-Season Challenge: Bracket, format, schedule and more for Round 4 | Read more
• Analysis: How Blaney forced his way into Hamlin-Reddick title fight | Read more • Paint Scheme Preview: Fresh looks for Sunday’s 450-lapper under the lights | View gallery • Hauler Talk: NASCAR on reasoning behind penalizing Wallace for line violation | Listen now • NASCAR Classics: Reminisce with full-race replays from North Wilkesboro | Watch now
• Power Rankings: Hocevar backs up talk, shines, surges in EchoPark spotlight | This week’s ranks
Inclement weather at North Wilkesboro Speedway forced the cancelation of NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Saturday, with a delayed 50-minute practice session taking place instead. The starting lineup for the first points-paying Cup Series race at the track since 1996 was set according to the NASCAR Rule Book. The Window World 450 is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET start Sunday night (TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Ryan Blaney is set to lead the field to green in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford at the 0.625-mile North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, facility. Ty Gibbs will start alongside Blaney on the front row.
Ross Chastain is listed 13th in the starting lineup but must drop to the rear before the start and serve a pass-through penalty after taking the green flag following three failed pre-race inspection attempts.
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — The last time NASCAR Cup Series cars turned laps at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the setting was an organizational test in the short, frigid days of mid-January. Weather for the return trip this weekend has been quite the opposite.
Searing mid-July heat toasted the speedway grounds Friday and Saturday as anticipation built for Sunday’s Window World 450 (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the historic short track’s first Cup Series points race in nearly 30 years. Though Sunday’s main event will be held in the relative cooling of nightfall, temperatures cresting the 90-degree mark during the height of the day have created far different conditions for Sunday’s summertime showdown.
“Wedidlearnsomethings,buttosaywelearnedwhatthebalanceneedstobetocomebackhereinJulyisisprettyfar-fetched,” said Spire Motorsports crew chief Ryan Sparks, who estimated it to be “about 30 degrees” when his driver, Daniel Suárez, tested the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet here last winter. “Sowithextremetemperaturesthisweekend,youknowgripisgoingtobeatapremium.So,butit’sgood,old-fashionedshort-trackracing,justlookingformechanicalgrip.I’vegotagoodgroupofguysthatknowwhatthey’redoinghereandlookingforwardtojustgettingontrack.Butyeah,thetimesthatwe’vebeenhere,Idon’tthinkaregoingtorelateatall.Soyou’rejustgoingtohavetogowithyourgutinstinctonalotofthesecalls.”
Sunday’s event will also be vastly different from a procedural standpoint. North Wilkesboro has been a part of the NASCAR calendar since its revival from the ruins for the 2023 schedule, but the last three seasons, the track has hosted the non-points NASCAR All-Star Race for a shorter field running a shorter distance. The return of a points-paying event will mean a full 37-car grid set for a record 450 laps, later in the year than the mid-May All-Star exhibition and with a full field filling the allotment of pit stalls.
Another new wrinkle — a potentially literal wrinkle — is a new front-bumper configuration for Cup Series cars on short tracks. The rules update makes its debut this weekend, and the removal of some energy-absorbing foam and other bumper bracing is expected to discourage drivers from initiating harsh contact by increasing the potential for cars to sustain damage more easily.
The concern that introduces for teams is the likewise potential for terminal damage to the front-mounted radiator, something crew chiefs will coach their drivers to manage — especially on a tight 0.625-mile layout where close-knit contact and restart jam-ups come with frequency.
“Imean,obviouslyit’sstillabitofanunknown,” said Paul Wolfe, crew chief for Joey Logano’s Team Penske No. 22 Ford. “Welookeditoverthisweektogetherandjustkindoftalkedthroughit.Idon’tthinkanybodyreallyknowsexactlyhowit’sgoingtoreact,but it’s definitelynotgoingtoberobust like whatwe’vegottenaccustomedto,right?Sojustbeingmindful. Theradiatorandall, that’sthebiggestconcern, likeitusedtobe. That’swhatusedtohappen.We’dhavethosebigstack-upsandknockradiatorsoutofthem. So yeah, Ithinkuntilwejustgetontrackandreallyseewhattheyare,I don’t thinkwe’rereallygoingtoknowwhatwehave.Sowe’remindfulofit, andyoutrynottobetheonesthathavethefirstissue.”
One factor that could provide a constant is the Goodyear tire configuration for the weekend, a familiar setup that’s been used in other short-track settings — most recently at Martinsville Speedway in late March. Cup Series teams put the package to the test Saturday evening in a 50-minute practice, topped by 2025 North Wilkesboro All-Star winner Christopher Bell.
The session was held later in the day Saturday after pole qualifying was washed out by afternoon storms, potentially giving teams a more apt comparison point that aligns with a 7 p.m. ET start time. While those rains provided a brief respite from the punishing heat, another scorcher is expected for Sunday, when teams are expected to fight anew for grip.
“Imean,obviously, we kindofknowwhatourlimitsarewithload,cambers,toes, thingslikethat, soitputsusinagoodspotcominghere,” Sparks says. “ButlikeIsaid,thisisgoingtobesuchadifferentanimal we’re havingtoattack,with just the styleofthisrace trackandthewayitloadsupitself,andthenwiththeextremetemperatures.Soyoucan’tdoexactlywhatyourhistorical notes show,butyouatleasthavesomegooddatapointsonknowingwhathasbeenagooddirectionpreviously.”
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — “Great lap,” quipped Ryan Blaney on Saturday as he addressed reporters in the North Wilkesboro Speedway media center.
Of course, there was no lap after rain drenched the 0.625-mile short track and forced the cancellation of qualifying for Sunday’s Window World 450 (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
As a result, Blaney will lead the field to green in the first NASCAR Cup Series points race at the track in three decades.
Last Sunday’s winner at EchoPark Speedway, Blaney is third in the series standings, 65 points behind leader Denny Hamlin and 41 behind second-place Tyler Reddick.
With the top starting spot in Sunday’s race, he’s poised to make a dent in those deficits. Nevertheless, there are potential hazards that concern Blaney entering the race, notably the “softer” noses of the Cup cars.
“It’s the first race with the new bumper structure, and there’s nothing behind that bumper,” Blaney said. “I mean, all the foam is gone. It’s just body work, so they’re going to be pretty flimsy, for sure.
“Some guys, I think, who have only driven this car, they didn’t get to experience that in the other (previous generation) car, but that stuff is going to be flimsy, so you’re really going to have to be careful on stack-ups, laying the bumper to somebody.”
Ty Gibbs will take the green flag from the second position, with Christopher Bell and Carson Hocevar third and fourth, respectively, on the second row. Reddick is fifth on the grid, followed by Erik Jones, Hamlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Chris Buescher and Chase Elliott.
Blaney faces Bell in the semifinals of the $1-million In-Season Challenge, with Elliott taking on 18th-place starter Todd Gilliland in the other semi.
“I feel like that’s going to be a real heck of a battle between me and Christopher this weekend,” Blaney said. “They run really good on short tracks. We have a history of running really good on short tracks.
“He won the All-Star Race here last year, so he’s going to be really tough competition. So that’s going to be a heck of a battle… It’s been fun to be a part of it, that’s for sure. I got knocked out after Round 1 last year, so it’s been fun to go through the bracket and see who you’re up against.”
Three teams had inspection issues on Saturday. The No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Austin Hill and No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet of Connor Zilisch failed pre-race inspection twice and lost pit-stall selection and the services of their car chiefs.
The No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet of Ross Chastain failed three times. In addition to losing pit-stall selection and having car chief David Fero ejected, Chastain must drop to the rear of the field before the start and serve a pass-through penalty after taking the green flag.
Bell tops leaderboard in practice
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell topped Saturday’s delayed 50-minute NASCAR Cup Series practice session at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The driver of the No. 20 Toyota set the pace at 123.477 mph over teammate Denny Hamlin (123.382 mph) and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain (123.065 mph).
Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron (122.816 mph) and Chase Elliott (122.809 mph) rounded out the top five.
Ty Gibbs (122.803 mph), Kyle Larson (122.762 mph), Josh Berry (122.749 mph), Joey Logano (122.622 mph) and Chris Buescher (122.522 mph) completed the top 10.
While Chastain was quickest in five-lap average speed, Bell led the 10-, 15-, 20-, 25- and 30-lap averages.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series FaithFest 250 (12:30 p.m. ET, FS1, FOX One, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).