NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (AP) — Joey Logano held off Denny Hamlin for his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season Sunday night in the first points race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 30 years.Logano won for the 38th time in Cup, ending a drought that went back to May 2025 at Texas Motor Speedway.The 36-year-old Logano extended his streak of winning at least one race to 15 consecutive seasons, the longest streak among active drivers. The late Kyle Busch holds the record, winning in 19 straight seasons (2005-2023).Hamlin finished second, followed by Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Shane 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.Logano took the lead in Stage 2 and dominated the remainder of the race, leading 323 of 450 laps in a race that featured just five cautions.The 0.625-mile 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.
In-Season Challenge to be settled next weekRyan 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.
