Joey Logano gave Team Penske its second win in as many weeks with a commanding run Sunday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The race marked the NASCAR Cup Series' first points-paying stop at the historic track since 1996, and the night belonged to Logano. After winning the All-Star Race there in 2024, Logano was untouchable again, taking the lead for the first time on lap 86. By the time all 450 laps were complete, he had spent 323 of them out front, won the second stage, and capped a huge points night for himself and the team. His victory came at a critical time, too. Just six races remain before the 16 drivers who will vie for this season's championship are finalized. Logano's emphatic performance moved him up two spots to 15th, giving him a 16-point advantage over teammate Austin Cindric and a 49-point cushion to Erik Jones, the first driver outside of the transfer spots.
The regular season continues its march toward the finish next week with one of the crown jewels of the calendar up for grabs. Bubba Wallace etched his name into the history books with his win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last season, and every other driver wants to do the same this time. The coming race could carry major championship implications as the regular season winds down, but success next week also brings a chance to claim a place in racing history with a win at one of the world's most famous tracks.
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Joey Logano gave Team Penske its second win in as many weeks with a commanding run Sunday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The race marked the NASCAR Cup Series' first points-paying stop at the historic track since 1996, and the night belonged to Logano. After winning the All-Star Race there in 2024, Logano was untouchable again, taking the lead for the first time on lap 86. By the time all 450 laps were complete, he had spent 323 of them out front, won the second stage, and capped a huge points night for himself and the team. His victory came at a critical time, too. Just six races remain before the 16 drivers who will vie for this season's championship are finalized. Logano's emphatic performance moved him up two spots to 15th, giving him a 16-point advantage over teammate Austin Cindric and a 49-point cushion to Erik Jones, the first driver outside of the transfer spots.
The regular season continues its march toward the finish next week with one of the crown jewels of the calendar up for grabs. Bubba Wallace etched his name into the history books with his win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last season, and every other driver wants to do the same this time. The coming race could carry major championship implications as the regular season winds down, but success next week also brings a chance to claim a place in racing history with a win at one of the world's most famous tracks.
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NASCAR Power Rankings After North Wilkesboro
1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11
Last Week: 1
Hamlin scored stage points in both segments Sunday night at North Wilkesboro and made himself a fixture among the leaders throughout the night. While he was able to lead nine laps, his No. 11 Toyota was just a step behind Joey Logano's Ford. Throughout the race's closing laps, Hamlin did everything he could to catch the No. 22, but he just couldn't get the job done and came home in second place for a series-leading 11th top-five finish of the season. His production on the night also gave him the second most points of any driver, further padding his position atop the championship standings. Five regular-season races remain as he and the No. 11 squad continue to chase the regular season championship to enter The Chase as the top seed.
2. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12
Last Week: 3
Team Penske changed Blaney's steering ahead of Sunday night's race, which resulted in them giving up the top starting spot they collected after qualifying was washed out. Pit strategy earned the No. 12 back that track position early in the race, and at the start of the final stage, Blaney was fighting his way back to the top five. Late in the final stage, Blaney was picking up positions and gaining on second position in the standings with Tyler Reddick's trouble, but speeding on pit road in the final green-flag pit cycle dropped him out of contention for what could have been yet another top 10. Even with that issue, though, Blaney was back to 11th for the finish, which was his ninth-straight finish of 11th or better.
3. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45
Last Week: 2
Tyler Reddick did not have the night he hoped for at North Wilkesboro. In the second stage, he and Alex Bowman collided while trying to get to pit road during a green-flag pit cycle. That contact sent both cars spinning, bringing out the caution and losing track position for both cars ahead of the race's halfway mark. The implications to Reddick's race were significant and he added just seven points to his season total after finishing a lowly 30th. That was Reddick's third finish of 30th or worse from the last four games and his fourth finish of 25th or worse from the last five. The success the No. 45 enjoyed to start the season is a distant memory now with Ryan Blaney breathing down Reddick's neck to finish second in the regular-season championship.
4. Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54
Last Week: 4
Gibbs chased down Shane van Gisbergen to win Sunday night's first stage by a nose, but was immediately hit with a speeding penalty on pit road and began the night's second stage at the back of the field. However, he went to work in the second segment, learning how to better manage his rear tires, and moved back into the top 10 early in the race's final stage. Despite the up and down day, Gibbs finished the race fourth and on the lead lap. That was no small feat, even without mistakes. The result helped Gibbs retain fourth position in the standings, and he looks confident of staying there until The Chase. The coming week's race at Indianapolis could test that, though. In two series starts, Gibbs has a best finish of 21st there despite having two top-10 starting spots.
5. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9
Last Week: 5
Elliott's car was quick enough Sunday night to run inside the top five early, but cautions in the second stage put him a lap down and outside of the top 20. Once he lost the track position he started with, the night became significantly more difficult, though. In the end, Elliott was unable to battle his way back onto the lead lap and finished three laps down in 17th position. The No. 9 team has now failed to finish in the top 10 since Charlotte and is losing ground in the championship hunt. Two wins from early in the year still have the team in good position for The Chase, but gathering momentum for the final 10-race run to the championship will be of paramount importance in the next six regular-season races.
6. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20
Last Week: 6
Despite starting on the second row after rain canceled North Wilkesboro's qualifying, problems struck and kept the No. 20 team from capitalizing on their early track position. It was in the second stage while racing in traffic that Bell's Toyota bobbled, causing him to slide up the track and make contact with Josh Berry to bring out a caution. Luckily, Bell escaped the incident with minimal damage. However, handling issues continued to plague him and points from the first stage were the night's highlight for the team. Bell's 19th-place finish ended his three-race run of top-fives and dropped him down one position to 10th in the standings. One tough night doesn't make a trend, though. The No. 20 team will be seeking a quick rebound next week at Indianapolis.
7. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5
Last Week: 6
Larson was poised to have a productive night at North Wilkesboro, but things went awry early. Hard contact with Connor Zilisch on pit road broke Larson's wheel and forced him back to pit road for repairs. He lost track position as a result and spent most of the night after that mired in traffic and running behind the lead lap. In the final miles, Larson had pulled himself back inside the top 10, but still found himself a lap down to the leaders such was the pace at the front. However, he slipped even further back to 15th when the checkered flag waved. With three consecutive finishes without a top-10 finish, Larson will be hoping he can repeat his 2024 Indianapolis win to get his first victory of the season. He was also the runner-up finisher there last year.
8. Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports No. 77
Last Week: 9
Even though his car's handling faded late in Sunday night's race, Carson Hocevar again showed his potential. He benefited from a second-row start after qualifying was canceled, thanks to his strong Atlanta finish the week before, and converted that track position into stage points in both stages. Another top-10 finish looked like it was there for the taking, but he and the team could not quite keep up with the adjustments needed to stay in the hunt and slipped to 13th. Given where they are in the standings, though, top-15 finishes are still good enough. In fact, with other drivers running into trouble, Hocevar's 13th-place finish and stage points moved him up one spot to seventh with only six races left to stay there and lock down a spot in The Chase.
9. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19
Last Week: 10
Briscoe and the No. 19 team gave fantasy players a significant boost of points as they came from the 30th starting spot to finish Sunday night's race third. The team got Briscoe improved track position quickly, and the No. 19 was able to score stage points in both segments. That quick work was a big benefit for the championship standings and, coupled with their third-place finish, moved Briscoe up two spots to eighth in the standings. The team now has three top-three finishes from the last four races, which could give them plenty of steam to carry into the 10-race run to the championship. Next week, Briscoe gets to race at home in Indianapolis, and he is still seeking his first top-10 finish on the historic oval.
10. Chris Buescher, RFK Racing No. 17
Last Week: 8
North Wilkesboro was a bit of a struggle for Buescher. After his top-10 finish at Atlanta the week prior, he started Sunday night's short-track race inside the top 10. That position didn't last, though. Buescher slipped outside of the top 10 early and was never able to recover, finishing the long night 20th with just 17 total points for the effort and losing two positions in the standings. With races counting down toward The Chase, the No. 17 can't afford to give up many more points, and the coming race at Indianapolis could be key to a quick turnaround. RFK Racing has been competitive at that track in recent seasons, and Buescher snagged a top-15 finish there last season. Replicating that result this week would get the No. 17 team one step closer to The Chase.
Knocking on the Door
Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22
Last Week: N/A
Logano powered his way to Victory Lane and up two positions to 15th in the championship standings with his first win of 2026. It was a dominant performance from the former series champion who led 323 of 450 laps from the 11th starting spot to kickstart his championship hopes after struggling much of the season thus far. It was Team Penske's second win in a row, which will also give Ford confidence that they may now be on equal footing with Toyota and Chevrolet. A change for the better in that fight would also give Logano hopes that the last portion of the season could swing momentum in his favor ahead of The Chase. Logano has eight top-10 finishes from 14 Indianapolis starts, but he crashed out of the last two.
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23
Last Week: N/A
Bubba Wallace quickly wiped away the disappointment of losing a top-five finish at Atlanta to a rules infraction with a strong performance Sunday night at North Wilkesboro. That Atlanta infringement put the No. 23 on the back foot early when qualifying was set by the metric and Wallace rolled off just 26th. However, the team dug itself out of that hole and was among the top 10 by the end of the second stage, picking up stage points in that segment before finishing the race sixth. That was Wallace's 10th top-10 of the season and leaves him 36 points ahead of danger in the battle for one of the 16 championship spots. He also heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway next week as the defending race winner.
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 97
Last Week: N/A
The North Wilkesboro weekend was an impressive one from Van Gisbergen. On Saturday, he drove to a third-place finish in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race. He then used the knowledge he gained from that race to position his car inside the top five throughout the first half of Sunday night's race, nearly winning the first stage. That early speed was not a fluke. SVG and team made all the right moves and confidently held position in the top 10 and ended with a fifth-place finish for one of SVG's best oval results in the series. The finish also serves the team well in the championship standings moving them further ahead of the cutline for The Chase with just six races remaining to solidify one of those top 16 positions.
