After 30 years, NASCAR has finally returned to North Wilkesboro with a points-paying Cup race, and it was the No. 22 Team Penske Ford of Joey Logano holding off Denny Hamlin to claim the win.
He lapped most of the field, leaving just six cars on the lead lap and putting everyone from 11th on back at least two laps down. It was a sensational showing in a surprisingly clean race.
Track position was everything, and penalties were extra costly because of that and the grueling green-flag runs. Here’s a closer look at the biggest winners and losers from North Wilkesboro:
WINNER: Joey Logano returns with a vengeance
Watch: Logano: ‘It just feels good to get back in Victory Lane’
Just when we thought he was down and out, the Team Penske driver reappears, leading more laps on Sunday night than he ever has at any other race in his Cup career. He led 323 of 450 laps and was unyielding despite constant pressure from Hamlin, winning for the first time this season. The victory launched Logano above the cut-line, and he’s suddenly back in the fray. It shouldn’t be a surprise at this point with three titles and 38 career wins, but Logano just keeps doing this. He falls out of sight, struggling for months, and then shows up in a big way, completely changing the trajectory of an otherwise-dismal season.
LOSER: Gibbs and Blaney lose win shot due to speeding penalties
Watch: Gibbs vents after costly North Wilkesboro penalty
Two drivers who could have challenged Logano never got a proper chance. Ty Gibbs won Stage 1, but a speeding penalty put him in a deep hole for the rest of the race. However, he was still fast and clawed his way back to the front, even unlapping himself in the final stint to finish fourth. Blaney was another driver creeping towards the front near the end, and as Logano’s teammate, everyone was watching to see what he could do. Unfortunately, he sped entering pit road during the final stop, leaving him two laps down in 11th.
WINNER: Shane van Gisbergen with his best oval weekend ever
Watch: SVG: ‘I got pretty excited’ taking the lead at North Wilkesboro
I think it’s safe to say that SVG has figured out these ovals for the most part, and the only think holding him back at this point is how fast his car can go. Van Gisbergen finished third in the Truck race, and then backed it up in Sunday’s 450-lap Cup race. Van Gisbergen was running inside the top ten for the entire race beyond pit stop cycles, and led 49 laps — a new personal record for him on ovals. He came within a car length of winning Stage 1, and finished fifth (matching his career-best Cup finish on an oval). He also had the best radio comment of the night, telling the team: “I’m leading, what the f*** do I do now?” That showing puts him 54 points above the cut-line with five races left in the regular season.
LOSER: Hendrick Motorsports endures a difficult night
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports
Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Every single driver at HMS finished two or more laps down at North Wilkesboro, and William Byron was their highest-placing driver in 12th. Larson was stuck deep in the pack after making an extra pit stop for repairs following a pit road collision, while both Byron and Chase Elliott were trapped off the lead lap due to an untimely caution … caused by their teammate, Alex Bowman. The No. 48 made a late call to pit, causing an incident right after his teammates had pitted, derailing their nights as well. It was especially brutal for Elliott, who had a top five run going.
WINNER: Todd Gilliland continues underdog run for $1 million prize
Watch: Gilliland P8 at North Wilkesboro: ‘I’m a lucky guy right now’
The bracket-buster has done it again, as Gilliland defeated Chase Elliott with an eighth-place finish at North Wilkesboro. After dispatching two Spire drivers and two Hendrick drivers, he will now face Blaney in the In-Season Challenge champion’s round at Indianapolis. If he can finish ahead of Blaney, he will secure a $1 million prize in a huge achievement for the Front Row Motorsports driver. And beyond the tournament, that result was his best of the 2026 season, making him one of the clear ‘winners’ from Sunday night.
LOSER: NASCAR as the short track package continues to frustrate
Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford; Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Photo by: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Unfortunately, passing was extremely difficult at North Wilkesboro, and the weaker bumpers caused drivers to be more timid on track. While they could use every groove at the short track, it was extremely difficult to make moves through the field. Even Logano and Hamlin agreed that the winner was decided by whoever exited pit road with the lead on the final pit stop. NASCAR just took a big swing at the superspeeday package, but hopefully they do the same with the short track package in the near-future.
BONUS LOSER: Tyler Reddick’s bad luck streak continues
Watch: All angles of Bowman’s incident with Reddick at North Wilkesboro
Ever since he lost the points lead, the once-invincible 23XI Racing driver has faced a tsunami of misfortune. Mechanical gremlins, bizarre wrecks, cut tires, and more have plagued him in recent weeks. He finally righted the ship last weekend, only for things to turn sour again at North Wilkesboro. When Bowman abruptly turned down to pit, it was Reddick he collided with, causing both cars to go spinning. Reddick limped home to a 30th-place finish, and lost over 40 points to Hamlin in the battle for the regular season championship lead. For the first three months of the year, it was impossible for this driver to finish outside the top 15, but now, he has five finishes of 25th or worse in the last seven races.
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