Race number 21 on the 36-race 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the track that hosted that All-Star Race each year from 2023 to 2025 but has not hosted a points race since 1996.
In fact, 2026 is set to be the first year since 1956 in which the four-turn, 0.625-mile (1.006-kilometer) North Wilkesboro, North Carolina hosts exactly one points race, as it had traditionally hosted two before it was removed from the calendar three decades ago.
This weekend's two In-Season Challenge tournament matchups include Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell vs. Team Penske's Ryan Blaney and Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott vs. Front Row Motorsports' Todd Gilliland. Interestingly, neither Elliott nor Gilliland has posted a top 10 finish the entire tournament.
Blaney took the pole position for Sunday's 450-lap race after Saturday's qualifying session was canceled due to storms and the starting lineup was set by the qualifying metric. But due to a pre-race penalty, it was Bell who moved up into Blaney's initial spot. Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs joined him on the front row for the green flag.
Follow along with our Window World 450 race updates from North Wilkesboro.
NASCAR Cup Series at North Wilkesboro: Race updates
NASCAR Cup Series at North Wilkesboro: Window World 450 Stage 1 results
1 - Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2 - Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
3 - Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
4 - Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
5 - Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
6 - Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
7 - Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
8 - Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
9 - Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
10 - William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
NASCAR Cup Series at North Wilkesboro: Window World 450 Stage 2 results
1 - Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
2 - Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
3 - Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
4 - Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
5 - Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
6 - Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
7 - Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
8 - Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
9 - Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
10 - Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
NASCAR Cup Series at North Wilkesboro: Full Window World 450 results
Order | Driver |
|---|---|
1 | Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford |
2 | Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
3 | Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
4 | Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
5 | Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
6 | Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota |
7 | Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford |
8 | Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
9 | Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
10 | Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford |
11 | Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford |
12 | William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
13 | Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
14 | Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford |
15 | Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
16 | Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
17 | Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
18 | Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota |
19 | Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
20 | Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford |
21 | Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
22 | Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
23 | Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
24 | Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
25 | Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
26 | Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
27 | Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
28 | Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet |
29 | Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet |
30 | Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota |
31 | John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
32 | Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
33 | Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
34 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet |
35 | Chad Finchum, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford |
36 | Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford |
37 | A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
The next race on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the season's final race set to be shown live on TNT. The Brickyard 400 is set to be broadcast live from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 26. Don't miss the final race of this year's In-Season Challenge!
Add us as a preferred source on Google