Joey Logano wins first NASCAR Cup Series race of season at North Wilkesboro
Joey Logano secured his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season by holding off Denny Hamlin at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday.
The 36-year-old ended a winless drought dating back to May 2025 at Texas Motor Speedway to claim his 38th career Cup win.
This triumph extends his streak of winning at least one race to 15 consecutive seasons, which is the longest active streak in the sport.
Hamlin was forced to settle for second place, with Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Shane Van Gisbergen completing the top five.
Historic venue returns to the calendar
The result represents a crucial boost for the three-time champion, who entered the weekend sitting outside the top 16 in the chase for the playoffs.
Logano took control during Stage 2 and dominated proceedings, leading an impressive 323 of the 450 laps in a remarkably clean race that featured just five cautions.
North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625-mile oval built in 1947, was hosting its first official points race in exactly 30 years.
Following extensive refurbishments by Speedway Motorsports to clear weeds and trees, the historic track previously hosted the non-points All-Star race between 2023 and 2025.
Blaney’s tough night and In-Season Challenge
It proved to be a frustrating evening for Ryan Blaney, who was forced to start at the rear of the field due to a power steering pump issue on his Ford Mustang.
The 2023 Cup Series champion later suffered a pit-road speeding penalty on lap 365, which dropped him out of the top five and cost him 15 vital positions.
Despite his struggles, Blaney defeated Christopher Bell head-to-head to reach the finals of the $1 million NASCAR In-Season Challenge.
He will face Todd Gilliland, who eliminated Chase Elliott, in next week’s decider at the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis.
Bowman and Reddick collide in the pits
Elsewhere on the track, Tyler Reddick’s race was compromised on lap 184 after being cut off by Alex Bowman near pit road.
The incident caused the driver of the number 45 car to spin out after Bowman misjudged his entry.
“I thought I had a hole but maybe I didn’t.”
Bowman admitted to his crew chief over the team radio following the collision.