Joey Logano breaks 14-month drought with victory at North Wilkesboro’s historic return

Joey Logano ended a 14-month winless stretch Sunday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway, leading a career-high 323 laps to edge Denny Hamlin by 0.8 seconds and move himself back into Chase for the Cup contention with five races remaining before the postseason.

The victory marked NASCAR's return to the North Carolina oval for an official points race—the first since 1996. The speedway, which deteriorated for three decades with crumbling buildings and weeds overtaking the surface, hosted a sold-out crowd for the comeback event.

Logano's dominant performance controlled the final stretch. After Hamlin pursued relentlessly over the last 175 laps, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver repeatedly pulled clear whenever his rival closed. "Just every time I'd get close, I'd heat the tires up and he'd pull back away," Hamlin said. "Just a really impressive run by him and his team."

Only six cars finished on the lead lap, reflecting the old-school character of racing at the narrow oval. The race reshaped the Chase picture: Tyler Reddick's 30th-place finish following a collision with Alex Bowman on Lap 183 left him 68 points behind Hamlin. Ryan Blaney, who drew a speeding penalty with 84 laps remaining, dropped to 87 points back after finishing 11th.

Hamlin's second-place result extended his points advantage alongside teammates Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs, who finished 3rd and 4th respectively. A notable result came from New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen, the road-course specialist for Trackhouse Racing, who posted a fifth-place finish after leading 49 laps. His radio message—"I'm leading—what the f— do I do now?"—reflected the unfamiliar territory of running up front on a short track oval.

Erik Jones exited the Chase with a 21st-place finish.

The atmosphere reflected NASCAR's satisfaction with the track's restoration. North Wilkesboro had hosted the exhibition All-Star Race beginning in 2023, but Sunday's points-race sanction carried symbolic weight—legitimizing the return of a venue once deemed permanently lost to the sport. "The big takeaway is not who won and what it means in the big picture, but that North Wilkesboro is indeed back," the Athletic reported.

Separately, the NASCAR In-Season Challenge bracket final locked in after minimal drama: Ryan Blaney advanced easily over Christopher Bell, who finished 19th, three laps down. Meanwhile, underdog Todd Gilliland upset Chase Elliott with an eighth-place finish while Elliott managed only 17th place following a caution caused by Bowman's collision with Elliott's Hendrick Motorsports teammate.