Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Logano Dominates Window World 450 for First North Wilkesboro Points Win Since 1996
Joey Logano ended a 14-month winless streak with an emphatic performance at North Wilkesboro Speedway Sunday, leading a race-high 323 of 450 laps in the Window World 450 to secure his 38th NASCAR Cup Series career victory and his first of 2026. The Team Penske driver crossed the finish line 0.859 seconds ahead of championship leader Denny Hamlin, who held on for second. Logano won every restart en route to the convincing triumph. The victory arrived at a historically significant moment: it was NASCAR’s first points race at North Wilkesboro since 1996, marking the 0.625-mile oval’s long-awaited return to the Cup schedule after a three-decade absence.
Sources: NASCAR.com NASCAR.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
All-Ford Showdown: Blaney and Gilliland Set for $1 Million In-Season Challenge Finale at Indy
The 2026 NASCAR In-Season Challenge championship has become an all-Ford affair, with Ryan Blaney and Todd Gilliland advancing to the $1 million finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway next Sunday. Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion and the No. 3 seed, beat Christopher Bell in the semifinal at North Wilkesboro, while the 25th-seeded Gilliland produced one of the tournament’s biggest upsets, eliminating 2020 champion Chase Elliott despite entering as a heavy underdog. Either Team Penske or Front Row Motorsports will leave Indianapolis $1 million richer on July 26 when the Brickyard 400 doubles as the championship decider.
Sources: RACER Frontstretch Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Gilliland’s Cinderella Run: No. 25 Seed Upsets Chase Elliott to Reach In-Season Challenge Final
Todd Gilliland’s run through the 2026 NASCAR In-Season Challenge has been nothing short of remarkable. The Front Row Motorsports driver entered the 32-driver tournament seeded 25th and has knocked out four higher-seeded opponents: Daniel Suarez at Sonoma, Carson Hocevar at Chicagoland, Alex Bowman at EchoPark Speedway, and Chase Elliott at North Wilkesboro, where Gilliland finished eighth while Elliott came home 17th after an untimely caution. Gilliland, still seeking his first career Cup Series win, now faces Ryan Blaney in the $1 million final at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26. His unlikely path to the finale has generated significant attention heading into Brickyard weekend.
Sources: Motorsport.com MotorBiscuit Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Chase Bubble Reshuffled: Logano Gains, Erik Jones Drops Below Cutline After North Wilkesboro
Sunday’s result at North Wilkesboro reshuffled NASCAR’s playoff bubble heading into the final five regular-season races. Joey Logano’s win vaulted him from outside the provisional Chase field to 15th place, 16 points clear of the cutline. Shane van Gisbergen climbed to 14th, now 21 points above the cutline. Austin Cindric holds the 16th and final Chase transfer spot but is only 33 points ahead of Erik Jones, who fell to 17th. Ross Chastain sits 21st, 83 markers below the bubble with five opportunities remaining to close the gap before the Chase field is set after Race 26 at Daytona in August.
Sources: Motorsport.com Yahoo Sports Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Hamlin Extends Points Lead to 68 Over Reddick; Five Regular-Season Races Remain
Denny Hamlin extended his regular-season points lead at North Wilkesboro Sunday, his runner-up finish building on his advantage after Tyler Reddick suffered a mid-race incident. Hamlin now leads by 68 points over Reddick, with Ryan Blaney a further 19 back in third. Both Hamlin and Reddick have already clinched spots in the 10-race Chase for the Championship. Five races remain — Indianapolis, Iowa, Richmond, New Hampshire and Daytona — before the Chase field is locked after Race 26. Hamlin, 44, enters Indianapolis having won the regular-season points title at a critical juncture of his career with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Sources: Motorsport.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Logano’s North Wilkesboro Win Delivers Roush Yates Engines’ 400th NASCAR Cup Series Points Victory
Joey Logano’s North Wilkesboro win carried extra significance for Ford Motor Company and its engine partners: the victory delivered the 400th NASCAR Cup Series points win for Roush Yates Engines, the Charlotte-based engine builder that has supplied Ford entries since 2003. Roush Yates powers multiple Ford teams including Team Penske and RFK Racing. The milestone arrived at a fitting venue given North Wilkesboro’s deep roots in NASCAR history, and came with Logano leading 323 of 450 laps. Ford now has back-to-back wins heading into Indianapolis following Ryan Blaney’s EchoPark Speedway victory the previous week.
Sources: Speedway Media Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Brickyard 400 Preview: 39-Car Field Set for Indianapolis, Bubba Wallace Defends Title
The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400, with practice Friday, July 24, qualifying Saturday, July 25, and the 400-mile race Sunday, July 26, at 2 p.m. ET on TNT Sports. A 39-driver field is entered across 36 charter cars. Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing is the defending winner. Austin Hill pilots the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in place of the late Kyle Busch. The Champions Round of the In-Season Challenge — Ryan Blaney versus Todd Gilliland for $1 million — will add a compelling subplot to the summer classic at the Brickyard.
Sources: NASCAR.com Frontstretch Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
North Wilkesboro Makes Historic Return to NASCAR Cup Points Schedule After 30-Year Absence
North Wilkesboro Speedway hosted its first NASCAR Cup Series points race in 30 years Sunday, with the 0.625-mile oval built in 1947 returning to the championship schedule as a full points event for the first time since September 1996. The track had hosted the NASCAR All-Star Race in 2023, 2024 and 2025 before earning a spot on the regular 2026 points schedule. Joey Logano’s dominant performance — leading 323 of 450 laps across five cautions — gave the historic North Carolina track a triumphant debut as a modern points venue. The race drew significant interest given the track’s iconic status and long absence from Cup competition.
Sources: NASCAR.com Motorsport.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Cup Series Standings (Top 16)
1. Denny Hamlin — 842 pts
2. Tyler Reddick — 774 pts
3. Ryan Blaney — 755 pts
4. Ty Gibbs — 708 pts
5. Chase Elliott — 634 pts
6. Kyle Larson — 616 pts
7. Carson Hocevar — 598 pts
8. Chase Briscoe — 587 pts
9. Chris Buescher — 585 pts
10. Christopher Bell — 574 pts
11. Daniel Suarez — 558 pts
12. William Byron — 546 pts
13. Bubba Wallace — 531 pts
14. Shane van Gisbergen — 516 pts
15. Joey Logano — 511 pts
16. Austin Cindric — 495 pts (cutline)
Manufacturer Standings
1. Toyota — 11 race wins
2. Chevrolet — 6 race wins
3. Ford — 3 race wins
Win counts via wintherace.info/nascar.com
Curated by JD · samwise.agency