NASCAR Preview: North Wilkesboro 450
- Ashton Hughes
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
With six races left in the regular season, NASCAR returns to historic North Wilkesboro for the track’s first points race in 30 years.
Track Preview
North Wilkesboro Speedway is a 0.625-mile oval located in North Carolina. It features 13-14 degrees of banking in the corners and three degrees on the straights. Notably, its front straightaway has a downhill slope, while its back straightaway has an uphill slope.
The track is one of the oldest on the NASCAR schedule, having opened in 1947. The series left the venue following the 1996 season, leading to the track’s closure until it reopened in 2023. For the past three seasons, it has hosted the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race, an exhibition event where results were not counted towards the standings. The last points race hosted at the track was won by Jeff Gordon.
The race is scheduled to include 450 laps. Stage 1 will be 80 laps, and both Stage 2 and Stage 3 will consist of 185 laps.
Weather Forecast
The weather report indicates that rain and thunderstorms are possible around the race’s scheduled start time. Temperatures will peak around 31 degrees Celsius in the evening and decrease after sunset.
The race is scheduled to begin on July 19 at 19:00 ET (16:00 PT, 00:00 BST).
The Storylines
After being involved in two accidents last weekend in Atlanta, Kyle Larson is still waiting for his luck to turn around. He has not visited victory lane since May of 2025 at Kansas Speedway, but he won the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro in 2023 and finished fourth in 2024.
Another driver searching for a comeback is Joey Logano, who won at North Wilkesboro in 2024. Despite leading laps at EchoPark Speedway last weekend, Logano has struggled in 2026. He currently sits 17th in the standings with just two top-five finishes in the first 20 races.
Christopher Bell won in the most recent outing at North Wilkesboro last year. He is winless this season but has finished second five times, the most recent instance coming after Bubba Wallace was penalised at EchoPark Speedway, bumping Bell up from third.
Ty Gibbs may be a contender for the win this weekend. Although Gibbs only has a single Cup Series victory to date, it took place just months ago at Bristol, another short track. Currently fourth in points, he has accumulated eight top-five finishes this season, including a fourth place result last weekend.
At North Wilkesboro, he has earned two poles and a victory in the All-Star Open, the last-chance race for drivers not locked into the feature event. Paired with his success so far into the 2026 Cup campaign, his experience at the track could set him up well.
Even though they have not won at North Wilkesboro in the few years since its return, it is impossible to rule out Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney as favourites for this weekend’s race.
Hamlin leads the points standings and finished second at North Wilkesboro in the 2024 All-Star Race. He has collected over a dozen short track wins in the Cup Series and has a good chance of adding another.
Ryan Blaney is hot off his win at EchoPark Speedway. Sitting third in the standings, he has achieved two top-five results at North Wilkesboro in the three races since its reinclusion to the Cup calendar.
It will be a race of many unknowns. Managing tyre wear, handling, pit strategy, patience and driver skill will be the keys to victory. As it stands, Bell, Blaney and Hamlin look like the favourites.
The NASCAR In-Season Challenge is down to four drivers. Here are the matchups this week:
Todd Gilliland vs. Chase Elliott
Christopher Bell vs Ryan Blaney
To advance to the Finals at Indianapolis, drivers must finish in a better position than their opponent. Whichever driver finishes highest in the final round will receive $1,000,000.
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