Posted on by Alex Cadavid

Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano have spent more than a decade proving one thing: When the stakes are high, they’re usually not far apart. Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at North Wilkesboro Speedway was the latest example, with the two veterans spending much of the 450-lap marathon running first and second in another memorable chapter of their rivalry.

Tempers often flare at short tracks, with drivers not afraid to make contact inside their cars or out — a movie we’ve seen a handful of times between Hamlin and Logano alone. Whether it was a scuffle at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2013 or memorable post-race mockery at Martinsville Speedway in 2019, these two past teammates have had a handful of notable clashes through the years.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: North Wilkesboro

North Wilkesboro offered something different.

Instead of another flashpoint, Sunday’s battle became a showcase of mutual respect. Hamlin spent much of the night stalking Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford but never crossed the line, while Logano withstood the pressure to earn his first victory of the season.

After an extra-long celebration, Hamlin sought out Logano on pit road. Gone were the heated exchanges and post-race theatrics that once defined their rivalry. Instead, the two shared a handshake, a thumbs-up and mutual admiration — an understated moment that reflected just how much both competitors have evolved.

Sunday’s finish marked just the sixth time Hamlin and Logano have finished 1-2 in a Cup Series race, with each driver owning three victories in those head-to-head results.

“Just wildly impressive,” Hamlin said post-race. “I thought it was a really impressive drive from him. Maneuvered through traffic really well. Did everything that we know Joey to do.”

It wasn’t the reaction many would have expected from two drivers whose rivalry once produced some of NASCAR’s most unforgettable confrontations. But after years of battling one another, appreciation has become just as much a part of the relationship as competition.

“The last run was definitely tougher,” Logano said. “I ran harder than I wanted to early in the run when Denny was putting the pressure on us. Our weakness was the short run. He got to us. I had to run pretty hard there.”

A clash that once made headlines for confrontation now has room for acknowledgment, too.

Posted on by Zack Albert

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Shane van Gisbergen’s progression on NASCAR ovals took another significant step in Sunday night’s showdown at North Wilkesboro Speedway. A milestone of sorts came early, when his No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet rocketed into the lead, bypassing veteran short-track ace and Cup Series points leader Denny Hamlin, no less.

Van Gisbergen feigned at least a measure of surprise.

“I’m leading. What the [expletive] do I do now?” van Gisbergen cracked through the No. 97 team communications.

The road-racing specialist knew more than he let on, maintaining a steady presence in the top five throughout Sunday’s Window World 450 and sealing a fifth-place result — a Cup Series career-best on a short track. The outcome capped a consistent weekend at the 0.625-mile circuit, where he backed up a noteworthy third-place run in Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series race.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: North Wilkesboro

Getting the better of Hamlin in the 52nd of 450 laps to top the scoring pylon provided both a statement and the opportunity for some levity.

“Yeah, I’m just having fun,” van Gisbergen said post-race after dousing himself with water and pausing to recover from the heavy evening heat. “Yeah, just pretty cool to get up front and then be able to pass for the lead genuinely, and just got to enjoy ourselves.”

Van Gisbergen started eighth in the 37-car field, but vaulted to fourth place when crew chief Stephen Doran opted for a two-tire stop in the first cycle through pit road. From there, SVG picked off three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in a row — Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and ultimately Hamlin — to lead for the first time on an oval track since Nashville in late May. The charge forward came at the expense of his rear-tire grip, and Gibbs caught him in the final lap of Stage 1 to take the green-checkered flag by half a car-length.

The remaining portions of the race morphed into a show of dominance by eventual race winner Joey Logano with a valiant pursuit by Hamlin, the runner-up. But van Gisbergen kept both his poise and his positioning the rest of the way, netting not only his first short-track top five but his first such result inside the top 10.

Van Gisbergen led four times for 49 laps — second only to Logano’s impressive 323. Post-race, he said he enjoyed the company up front and the change of pace.

“I mean, it’s just calmer when you get up there,” van Gisbergen said. “Everyone’s racing really respectful. … I passed Denny and mucked that up and let him back through, like it’s a lot friendlier type of people up there.”

The oval-track lessons he’s learned since joining the Cup Series full-time last year have been valuable, but the knowledge from participating in Saturday’s Truck Series event here was a worthwhile supplement.

“It was just a real solid day,” Doran told NASCAR.com. “You speak about the the race yesterday, I feel like that helped him a ton. Just learned the track. He used some of the lines that he figured out yesterday in the truck, so thanks to Spire for letting him do that. I feel like it benefits us a ton at these places, so the more of those we can do, the better, the more laps he can get at these tracks. He’s so good. He’s just got to figure out how to make the speed, and that just gives him a step ahead when we get to our stuff, if he has laps in a truck or an O’Reilly car.”

Shane van Gisbergen races at North Wilkesboro.
Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media

Intriguingly enough, some of the old habits from his road-racing background also translated to the venerable, old-school bullring.

“It’s a bit like a road course here,” van Gisbergen said. “I tried right-foot brake for a bit. Half the race, I right-foot braked and just felt comfortable doing that. It’s a real balance track, and you can really affect the car with your driving technique. So yeah, I felt comfortable doing that.”

Additional comfort came after the points were tabulated. Van Gisbergen now sits 54 points above the provisional Chase elimination line, a 23-point jump in his bid to make the 16-driver Cup Series postseason for the second consecutive year.

MORE: Cup Series standings

Last year’s playoff berth came via a win-and-in format, where his road-course excellence provided him easy passage to championship eligibility. Van Gisbergen’s quest this year — while aided by two road-race wins — will require a greater measure of consistency on ovals. Five races remain in the regular season to close that goal out, and though van Gisbergen said there’s more work to be done on intermediate-sized tracks, Sunday’s short-track effort produced another sizable leap.

“It’s a huge one for the numbers,” Doran said. “We had a little buffer, but not big enough to be comfortable by any means. I haven’t looked at what they are after this, but those stage points help, all of it helps. So yeah, a little bit more comfortable, but still got to keep pushing.”

More strides like Sunday’s and those appearances in the lead won’t seem so surprising. Don’t expect it, however, to keep van Gisbergen and his No. 97 group from mining for the occasional laugh over the team radio.

“I think that’s the M.O. of this team,” Doran said, smiling once reminded of SVG’s Stage 1 transmission. “We have fun with all of it. We try to stay light. There’s a lot of inside jokes going on throughout the race between him, myself, Josh (Williams), the spotter. Just keep it fun. That’s why we all do this, to have fun, win races. So it’s fun to run up front like that.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Joey Logano had a gleam in his eye and a lilt in his voice as he readied to climb into the No. 22 Team Penske Ford for the start of Sunday night’s Window World 450.

“I think we have a fast car,” Logano opined optimistically before taking the green flag in the first NASCAR Cup Series points race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 30 years.

Logano was right, but his assessment turned out to be a massive understatement. After leading a single-race career-best 323 laps, Logano crossed the finish line 0.859 seconds ahead of series leader Denny Hamlin to win for the first time since May 2025 when he triumphed at Texas Motor Speedway.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: North Wilkesboro

The victory was Logano’s first in a points race at the 0.625 short track, though he also won the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race at revitalized North Wilkesboro. In front of an enthusiastic sell-out crowd, Logano recorded the 38th Cup victory of his career, the 23rd-most all-time.

“It’s good to get back into Victory Lane,” Logano said. “It’s been a tough year. So getting the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang doing some big, smoky donuts around this place felt really good.”

The victory was a distinct bright spot in a troublesome season for the three-time Cup Series champion, who vaulted from 17th to 15th in the series standings, 49 points clear of the current cutline for the postseason Chase.

“(Crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) put together a good car,” Logano said. “I think I know exactly what I need to go fast around this place. He’s able to give it to me.

“I knew coming into this weekend, we’ve got to capitalize on the points. A win was great, but we really need the points. Really capitalized on those tonight.”

Hamlin was able to stay close to Logano in the final stage, but the race winner worked traffic adroitly and never gave Hamlin a chance to close within striking distance.

The critical juncture came during a green-flag pit stop cycle in the final stage, with Hamlin steering his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to pit road on Lap 359 of 450. Logano followed a lap later and exited the pits roughly a half-second ahead of Hamlin.

That pit cycle proved decisive.

“Yeah, the pressure was there, for sure,” Logano said. “Denny got really good there the last run. Honestly, it was whoever was out front was going to win the race.

“We were pretty dominant. But as the race went along, Denny got better at the last run. Just did a decent job keeping up with the track. They did a good job keeping up.”

SHOP: Winner gear

Though his extended pursuit of Logano proved fruitless, Hamlin expanded his series lead over second-place Tyler Reddick to 68 points, with five races left before The Chase field is set.

“You just have to compliment them on a great day and a great drive,” Hamlin said of Logano’s effort. “They were really good. There were a lot of times that I felt like my car was really close to where it needed to be; it was just a smidge off.

“Great battle. At least I was able to keep them honest there, but he had a lot of speed and never gave up on the short run or the long run, so great job to our whole Progressive Toyota team for keeping us in the ballgame, but we will have to go regroup.”

Chase Briscoe ran third and Ty Gibbs fourth, despite an early pit road speeding penalty. Shane van Gisbergen, who maintained a presence in the top 10 for the entire race and led 49 laps (second most to Logano), placed fifth and climbed one position to 14th in the standings, 54 points above the current Chase cutoff.

In the semifinal of the NASCAR Cup Series In-Season Challenge, Todd Gilliland continued his unlikely march to the winner-take-all $1-million payday with an eighth-place finish to Chase Elliott’s 17th.

Elliott was buried two laps down when caution for a collision between the Chevrolet of Alex Bowman and the Toyota of Reddick — as Bowman turned across traffic trying to enter pit road on Lap 183 — interrupted a cycle of green-flag stops.

Elliott finished three laps down after a late pit stop.

Ryan Blaney, who finished 11th, two laps down, after a speeding penalty, ousted Christopher Bell from the In-Season Challenge. Like Elliott, Bell was a victim of the Lap 183 caution after pitting early in the cycle. He finished 19th, three laps down.

Blaney will face Gilliland for the In-Season title in next Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The race featured five cautions for 43 laps, with the final stage running caution-free for 175 green-flag laps. There were 17 lead changes among nine drivers, the majority coming during green-flag pit cycles.

Gibbs won the first stage before drawing his speeding penalty, with Logano exerting his dominance in winning Stage 2.

Sixth-place Bubba Wallace was the last driver to finish on the lead lap. Brad Keselowski, Gilliland, Daniel Suarez and Ryan Preece — all one lap down — completed the top 10.

Stage 2 recap

Joey Logano scored the Stage 2 victory at North Wilkesboro Speedway in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.

Denny Hamlin was second ahead of Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace and Shane van Gisbergen, who nabbed points in both stages Sunday night. Carson Hocevar, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Todd Gilliland and Daniel Suárez concluded the top 10.

Two mid-stage incidents shook up the running order and trapped multiple contenders one lap down.

A Lap 183 caution altered the event when Alex Bowman dove across Tyler Reddick’s nose exiting Turn 2, sending both cars into a spin. Bowman was attempting to pit but was running in the outermost lane with Reddick to his left. The incident occurred in the midst of green-flag pit stops, trapping multiple drivers like Chase Elliott, William Byron, Chris Buescher, Austin Cindric and Christopher Bell two laps down at the time of caution before taking advantage of the wave-around rule, earning one lap back.

At the time of the Lap 193 restart, just 15 cars remained on the lead lap.

Shortly thereafter, Bell got loose entering Turn 3 while racing with Josh Berry, sliding high into Berry’s left rear. Berry spun and smacked the SAFER barrier in Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 199, breaking left-side suspension parts that sent the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford to the garage for repairs.

MORE: Stage 2 results | Watch Logano seize Stage 2 victory

Logano has led over 160 laps, his most since the 2022 season finale in which he won the Cup Series championship. Among the drivers who were trapped one lap down were Hendrick Motorsports teammates Elliott, Kyle Larson and Byron as well as Reddick and Bell.

Stage 1 recap

Ty Gibbs eked out a Stage 1 victory over Shane van Gisbergen in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Carson Hocevar completed the top five after 80 laps at the historic 0.625-mile short track. Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric and William Byron rounded out the top 10.

RELATED: Stage 1 results | Watch Gibbs clinch Stage 1 win

The yellow flag waved for the first time on Lap 40 when contact between Zane Smith and John Hunter Nemechek sent Nemechek for a spin through Turn 2. Hamlin was the only driver who stayed out under that caution period midway through the first stage. Kyle Larson and Connor Zilisch made contact on pit road, however, during those stops on Lap 45. Larson was leaving his stall after a two-tire stop and exited just in front of Zilisch, whose left-front fender slammed Larson’s right-front wheel. Both continued without apparent issue, but Larson only mustered a 34th-place finish at the conclusion of Stage 1.

Ross Chastain started from the rear due to multiple inspection failures on Saturday and had to serve a pass-through penalty at the start of the race, losing a lap early. However, the Trackhouse Racing driver received the free pass when the yellow waved to end Stage 1 and started Stage 2 back on the lead lap.

Gibbs won the race off pit road during the stage break but incurred a penalty for speeding on pit road, sending him to the rear of the field for the restart to start Stage 2.

Contributing: Staff report

Note: Post-race technical inspection concluded without issue, confirming Logano as the race winner. No cars were taken back to NASCAR’s R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series will be in action at North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend, highlighted by the first points-paying Cup Series race at the historic track in the North Carolina foothills since 1996. Bookmark this page for everything you need throughout race weekend, including qualifying orders, practice speeds, race results and more.

RELATED: Full weekend schedule | TV listings

NASCAR Cup Series

Race day: Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on TNT Sports. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Tires: Ten sets for the weekend (eight new sets for the race, one set for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and one set for practice). Teams will also have 4 wet-weather sets available, if needed.

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Starting Lineup
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Race day: Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Tires: Five sets for the weekend (three new sets for the race, one set for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and one set for practice). Teams will also have 3 wet-weather sets available, if needed.

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Starting Lineup
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

Posted on by Staff Report

Polesitter Ryan Blaney will drop to the rear at the start of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at North Wilkesboro Speedway (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The No. 12 Team Penske driver told TNT Sports that the team needed to fix a power steering issue, which falls under the unapproved adjustments guidelines.

RELATED: Live leaderboard | At-track photos

A NASCAR spokesperson later confirmed that Blaney will drop to the rear before the Window World 450 — the first points-paying Cup race at North Wilkesboro since 1996.

Blaney enters the Window World 450 third in points, just 65 points back of Denny Hamlin for the No. 1 seed in The Chase. Ross Chastain will also start Sunday’s race from the rear after his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection three times on Saturday, also resulting in the ejection of car chief David Fero and necessitating a pass-through penalty after the green flag.

This story will be updated.

Posted on by Brandon White

NORTH WOODSTOCK, N.H. – Prior to Sunday afternoon, luck had never been on the side of Patrick Emerling at White Mountain Motorsports Park.

The current points leader’s best finish across those three events was 15th, which he accomplished twice during the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s visits to White Mountain in 2020. Emerling’s attempt to improve upon his White Mountain average last year ended 17 laps from the finish due to a mechanical failure.

RELATED: Complete results from the Thunder in the Mountains 200

Emerling finally shook off the White Mountain misfortune and kept his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points lead intact with his second straight victory of the 2026 campaign. After securing the pole via the redraw, Emerling trusted the raw speed of his No.1 USNE Motorsports Modified to guide him to Victory Lane

“We’re super lucky for some reason drawing those 1’s,” said Emerling, who has redrawn the pole in each of the last two races. “Some other guys were really good right at the beginning, but I knew we were going to have the best long run car. We unloaded similar to what we did last year. We were really fast, but we had a parts failure that ended our day, so we were pretty hungry for this one.”

Even though Emerling ended Sunday on top, it initially appeared bad luck would once again spoil another White Mountain outing for him.

On Lap 46, the air cleaner fell off Emerling’s car after a stud broke on the carburetor. Rather than let the adversity deter them, Emerling and his team used the opportunity to put on a fresh set of tires while repairing the air cleaner.

The decision came at the expense of Emerling’s track position, but he held out hope another caution would bring most of his competitors into the pits for tires themselves. Emerling got his wish when Trevor Catalano suffered a mechanical failure with 83 laps remaining, cycling him to the front row for the restart after nearly everyone ahead of him pitted.

Once Emerling took the lead from rookie Paulie Hartwig III, he faced no significant opposition from either the field or White Mountain itself. By overcoming the early obstacle, Emerling earned his 11th career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory and further established himself as a title favorite.

Following Emerling across the finish line in second was Austin Beers, who controlled the Thunder in the Mountains 200 during the middle portion until the Catalano caution brought most of the field to pit road. White Mountain was a much-needed jolt for Beers, as he had not led a race since the season-opener at New Smyrna Speedway.

Yet the reigning NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion came away from White Mountain feeling he left a win on the table.

“I feel like with a late caution, we would have won,” Beers said. “We’re getting better and better every race. This is one that got away from us. We lost too much time with [Kopcik] when we had that little scuffle in [turns] three and four. It took 20 laps to get back going and get those guys back. What are you going to do?

“It was our best finish of the year, but we’re still disappointed for sure.”

With the top four in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings only separated by 10 points entering White Mountain, every position matters going forward. Emerling knew he needed to find his way back to the front following the broken air cleaner or risk finding himself in a deficit that was simultaneously big and small.

Patrick Emerling
Patrick Emerling bolstered his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points lead with his second consecutive victory of 2026. (Photo: Chris Dehney/NASCAR Regional)

From a statistical perspective, White Mountain could have very easily tripped up Emerling again. The last thing Emerling wanted was a misstep after a slow start by his standards, but he controlled his own destiny at White Mountain to overcome his past misfortune.

“At the beginning of the season, we kind of had a little bit of a tough stretch where we weren’t running that bad but weren’t running how we wanted to,” Emerling said. “We just knew we needed to get into our groove and do our thing.

“This year is so competitive, you need to get into your groove and get confident to pull these things off.”

Hartwig followed up a strong top five outing at Claremont Motorsports Park with a career-best NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour finish in third. Tyler Rypkema placed fourth in Ole Blue, with Matt Hirschman rounding out the top five.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be back on the track next weekend for the Duel at the Dog 200 powered by USNE at Monadnock Speedway; the third and final leg of the Whelen Midsummer Championship. The green flag is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday evening and the race will air live on FloRacing.

Posted on by Staff Report

Thunder in the Mountains 200

White Mountain Motorsports Park

  • Race results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Laps Diff
1 1 Patrick Emerling USNE Power 200  —
2 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply; Fastrack Electric; Dell Electric; Lumiere Electrical; Andrew James Interiors; AP Maquardt & Sons; Hugh 200 1.953
3 73 Paulie Hartwig III* Professional Therapy LLC; Jersey Shore Contracting 200 4.34
4 3 Tyler Rypkema Northeast Drilling; SYP 200 6.928
5 60 Matt Hirschman Bar Harbor Bank & Trust; Pee Dee Motorsports 200 7.52
6 31 Mike Christopher Jr. Elite Towing; Elite Racing; Baker Racing 200 7.87
7 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing Riverhead Building Supply 200 9.629
8 28 Doug Coby Nucar 200 10.587
9 82 Andrew Molleur Horton Avenue Materials 200 12.062
10 05 Teddy Hodgdon* Business Time Motorsports; The Landau Team of Re/Max; Montanari Fuel 200 13.414
11 21 Stephen Kopcik Wanick Construction; Newtown Pools 200 14.376
12 79 Jon McKennedy Stuarts Automotive; Christopher’s Towing; Hillsboro Ent.; Leone’s Corp; Levasseur HVAC 199 1 Lap
13 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara; USNE Power 199 1 Lap
14 9 Jayden Harman* Wanick Construction; Harman Funeral Home 198 2 Laps
15 18 Ken Heagy Merkel Racing Engines 196 4 Laps
16 95 Cory Plummer Apex Race Cars; Tuckers Fabrication & Welding; Apex Racing; Croteau Machine 196 4 Laps
17 8 John-Michael Shenette USNE Power Charlotte; Eighty-Two Services; Heintz Performance 131 69 Laps
18 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 116 84 Laps

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Thunder in the Mountains 200

White Mountain Motorsports Park

  • Qualifying results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 60 Matt Hirschman Bar Harbor Bank & Trust; Pee Dee Motorsports 11.611 77.513 2 2
2 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara; USNE Power 11.732 76.713 2 2 0.121
3 31 Mike Christopher Jr. Elite Towing; Elite Racing; Baker Racing 11.783 76.381 2 2 0.172
4 82 Andrew Molleur Horton Avenue Materials 11.787 76.355 2 2 0.176
5 79 Jon McKennedy Stuarts Automotive; Christopher’s Towing; Hillsboro Ent.; Leone’s Corp; Levasseur HVAC 11.794 76.31 2 2 0.183
6 1 Patrick Emerling USNE Power 11.82 76.142 2 2 0.209
7 73 Paulie Hartwig III* Professional Therapy LLC; Jersey Shore Contracting 11.851 75.943 2 2 0.24
8 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing Riverhead Building Supply 11.857 75.905 2 2 0.246
9 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply; Fastrack Electric; Dell Electric; Lumiere Electrical; Andrew James Interiors; AP Maquardt & Sons; Hugh 11.863 75.866 1 2 0.252
10 21 Stephen Kopcik Wanick Construction; Newtown Pools 11.869 75.828 1 2 0.258
11 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 11.922 75.491 2 2 0.311
12 05 Teddy Hodgdon IV* Business Time Motorsports; The Landau Team of Re/Max; Montanari Fuel 11.923 75.484 2 2 0.312
13 3 Tyler Rypkema Northeast Drilling; SYP 11.931 75.434 1 2 0.32
14 28 Doug Coby Nucar 11.953 75.295 2 2 0.342
15 8 John-Michael Shenette USNE Power Charlotte; Eighty-Two Services; Heintz Performance 11.967 75.207 2 2 0.356
16 95 Cory Plummer Apex Race Cars; Tuckers Fabrication & Welding; Apex Racing; Croteau Machine 11.99 75.063 2 2 0.379
17 9 Jayden Harman* Wanick Construction; Harman Funeral Home 12.137 74.153 2 2 0.526
18 18 Ken Heagy Merkel Racing Engines 12.164 73.989 1 2 0.553

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Thunder in the Mountains 200

White Mountain Motorsports Park

  • Practice results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 79 Jon McKennedy Stuarts Automotive; Christopher’s Towing; Hillsboro Ent.; Leone’s Corp; Levasseur HVAC 11.553 77.902 47 64
2 1 Patrick Emerling USNE Power 11.586 77.68 36 46 0.033
3 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply; Fastrack Electric; Dell Electric; Lumiere Electrical; Andrew James Interiors; AP Maquardt & Sons; Hugh 11.612 77.506 78 78 0.059
4 31 Mike Christopher Jr. Elite Towing; Elite Racing; Baker Racing 11.614 77.493 55 62 0.061
5 73 Paulie Hartwig III* Professional Therapy LLC; Jersey Shore Contracting 11.633 77.366 48 49 0.08
6 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara; USNE Power 11.654 77.227 58 58 0.101
7 60 Matt Hirschman Bar Harbor Bank & Trust; Pee Dee Motorsports 11.656 77.213 60 68 0.103
8 21 Stephen Kopcik Wanick Construction; Newtown Pools 11.661 77.18 42 55 0.108
9 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing Riverhead Building Supply 11.69 76.989 11 65 0.137
10 3 Tyler Rypkema Northeast Drilling; SYP 11.693 76.969 23 58 0.14
11 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 11.726 76.753 48 53 0.173
12 18 Ken Heagy Merkel Racing Engines 11.741 76.654 49 50 0.188
13 8 John-Michael Shenette USNE Power Charlotte; Eighty-Two Services; Heintz Performance 11.752 76.583 49 49 0.199
14 82 Andrew Molleur Horton Avenue Materials 11.764 76.505 46 56 0.211
15 05 Teddy Hodgdon IV* Business Time Motorsports; The Landau Team of Re/Max; Montanari Fuel 11.79 76.336 67 68 0.237
16 28 Doug Coby Nucar 11.794 76.31 30 55 0.241
17 9 Jayden Harman* Wanick Construction; Harman Funeral Home 11.821 76.136 57 57 0.268
18 95 Cory Plummer Apex Race Cars; Tuckers Fabrication & Welding; Apex Racing; Croteau Machine 11.828 76.091 62 68 0.275

 

Posted on by Zack Albert

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. “I mean, you kind of have to, 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.

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | At-track photos

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.

“I mean, it is what it is,” Wallace said Saturday before Cup Series practice. “We got a better understanding of the rule. To me, I always thought it was like gaining position, but no, it’s gaining track position, which I totally did. So, it is what it is. I thought they would care about the data that I tried to give (the position) back, but the damage was already done. So, unfortunate and here we are.”

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’ve never really been kind of in that scenario,” Wallace said. “I’ve had a couple of close calls, but I will say like, as I made the move and I’d seen where I was going to end up, I knew it was going to put everybody in a bad spot, and that was unfortunate. I don’t know. I mean, at the end of the day, if the 54 (Gibbs) didn’t push me at the line, I would have finished third, and I’m pretty sure they said that wouldn’t have been a penalty. So it’s like … I don’t know. I think NASCAR doesn’t ever want to be put into a situation where they have to make the call, and they always tell us to not put them in that situation, and unfortunately, I put them there. So all in all, a rule’s a rule. Cross over the line, 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.

MORE: Cup Series standings | Paint Scheme Preview

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.

“Good tracks for us, so yeah, and I think I said it before Atlanta: Man, we’ve been showing up with speed every weekend,” Wallace said. “Just whatever it is about the first-stage blues or the second-stage blues will bite us, but Atlanta was a solid race. Just an unfortunate hiccup on my end, so yeah, we’ll just go there and just hit base hits. We’ll be fine.“