Joey Logano ends victory drought in
NASCAR points return to North Wilkesboro
[July 20, 2026]
By STEVE REED
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (AP) — The drought is over for Joey Logano.
Logano snapped a 45-race winless streak Sunday night with a dominant
victory at North Wilkesboro Speedway in the first points race at the
0.625-mile track in 30 years.
After Logano wrapped up a lengthy on-track burnout, Denny Hamlin
approached him and dabbed him up out of respect. Hamlin spent the
second part of the race doing everything he could to catch Logano,
but it proved fruitless.
The No. 22 Ford was too dominant. Logano led 323 of 450 laps.
“It’s wildly, wildly impressive what he did,” Hamlin said. “I
thought it was a really impressive drive from him, how he maneuvered
through (lapped) traffic and did everything we know Joey to do.”
It was Logano's 38th career Cup win, and his first since May 2025 at
Texas.
The 36-year-old Logano also extended his streak of winning at least
one race to 15 consecutive seasons, the longest among active
drivers. The late Kyle Busch holds the record, winning in 19
straight seasons (2005-2023).
"A win anywhere at this point would have sounded great, but coming
here and doing it at North Wilkesboro is awesome,” Logano said.
Hamlin finished second, followed by Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and
Shane Van Gisbergen.
It was a huge win for Logano, who entered the race outside of the
top 16 in the Chase for the playoffs. He's now inside the cutline in
15th place.
“I feel like I know exactly what I need to go fast around this
place,” said Logano, who won the 2024 All-Star race here in dominant
fashion. “I knew coming this weekend that we’ve got to capitalize on
the points.”
The track, built in 1947, sat mostly dormant for a quarter of a
century following its last points race in on Sept. 29, 1996.
Speedway Motorsports undertook the monumental task of refurbishing
it, including clearing the weeds and trees growing up through the
middle of the racetrack. NWS hosted the All-Star race from 2023-25.
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Joey Logano celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race
in North Wilkesboro, N.C., Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Terry
Renna)
In-Season Challenge to be settled next week
Ryan Blaney and Todd Gilliland have reached the finals of the $1
million NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Blaney defeated Christopher Bell
head-to-head in the semifinals on Sunday night, while Gilliland
topped Chase Elliott.
The champion will be decided next Sunday in Indianapolis at the
Brickyard 400 with the driver finishing higher in the race awarded
the $1 million prize.
Bowman takes out Reddick while entering the pits
Tyler Reddick got caught up a wreck on lap 184 when Alex Bowman cut
him off as he was attempting to go from the top row down into pit
row, spinning out the No. 45.
Bowman told his crew chief, “I thought I had hole but maybe I
didn’t.”
A tough night for pole-sitter Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney, who won last week at Atlanta, was set to start on the
pole based on metrics after qualifying was rained out on Saturday.
Instead, he was forced to start the race at the rear of the field
after his No. 12 Ford Mustang had a power steering pump issue.
Things only got worst for the 2023 Cup Series champion after he
received a speeding penalty on pit row on lap 365, dropping him out
of the top five and costing him 15 positions.
Up next
The Cup Series heads to Indianapolis next week for the Brickyard
400. Bubba Wallace captured his first crown jewel event last year
after Austin Cindric blew a tire.
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