The Cup Series heats up tonight as drivers take to the track at North Wilkesboro Speedway for the 2026 Window World 450. First opened in 1947, North Wilkesboro is a 0.625 mile asphalt oval that features 14 degrees of banking in the turns, three degrees of banking on the straightaways, and, arguably its most unique feature, the slight downhill sloping on the frontstretch and slight uphill sloping on the backstretch. The track is a perfect connector between NASCAR’s past and present, first hosting the sport in its inaugural season in 1949 all the way through 1996. After being revived in 2022 and after serving a successful three year stint as the host track for the All Star Race, North Wilkesboro hosts its first points paying race since 1996 with some heated, under the lights, short track action.
The strategy: get that track position. Passing is so damn difficult at this track, so getting yourself to the front in any possible way is your goal. Taking two tires or fuel only, staying out under a caution, whatever you have to do, if you can park it on the front row, there’s a good chance your car is going to stay there. Don’t get me wrong, having speed doesn’t hurt, and having a good handling car through the turns is important as well, but if there was ever a short track where track position matters most, it’s North Wilkesboro. The other half of the equation: patience. Passing is difficult, temperatures are heated, and 450 laps tick off quickly on a short track. Drivers will be eager to make passes and using the ol’ chrome horn is the most effective way on short tracks. Drivers need to manage their equipment though, as damaging the aerodynamics of the car will make for a long night on the track. Using up the tires early on in the run will make for rough sledding on the back end of a long, green flag run. Drivers will need to mange their tempers, as this is a marathon, not a sprint. Patience will win the day, as drivers will need to methodically work their way to the front. It might take 10 or 15 laps to execute a pass, so drivers will need to do their best not to get overly aggressive, especially if they have a better car. Will tempers flare? Obviously, it is a short track race. There will be beating and banging, and drivers will be laying it all on the line as they look to cement their position in The Chase. Which driver will add their name to the historic roster of NASCAR winners at North Wilkesboro?
Tonight serves as the semi-final round of the In-Season Challenge, with four drivers still in the hunt for that million dollar payout. It is a Cinderella vs. the three evil step-sisters matchup, as long-shot Todd Gilliland faces off against the most popular driver in Chase Elliott, while Christopher Bell battles it out against Ryan Blaney. The winner of these two matchups will move on to the Championship Round next Sunday for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the winner taking home both bragging rights and that incredible million dollar payday.
The Window World 450 was first held in 1949 and has produced an incredible list of winners through the years. Darrell Waltrip has the most wins in this race, finding victory lane six times in his career. Richard Petty is a five-time North Wilkesboro winner, while Geoff Bodine and Cale Yarborough both won this race three times. Bobby Allison, Junior Johnson, Mark Martin, Marvin Panch, Rusty Wallace, and Rex White are also multi-time North Wilkesboro winners.
The 1996 edition was won by Jeff Gordon, who parlayed a front row starting position into a race-high 207 laps led and a North Wilkesboro victory. Dale Earnhardt Sr. led 35 laps on the way to a runner-up finish, Dale Jarrett finished third, Jeff Burton led two laps on the way to a fourth place finish, and Terry Labonte rounded out the top five. Ricky Rudd led 17 laps on the way to a seventh place finish, Bobby Hamilton led 48 laps on the way to an eighth place finish, Mark Martin led 29 laps on the way to a ninth place finish, and Rusty Wallace rounded out the top 10 after leading 43 laps on the day. Polesitter Ted Musgrave did not lead a single lap on the way to a 19th place finish, and Ernie Irvan led 19 laps on the way to a 36th place finish.
Coverage of the Window World 450 can be seen on TNT, with pre-race coverage beginning at 6 PM EST and green flag coverage beginning at 7 PM EST.
What if I told you that a Cinderella run was about to come to an end? Don’t shoot me, I’m only the messenger. After a pair of top five finishes, three top 10’s, and six top 15 finishes across the last eight races to temporarily move himself into the 16th and final position in The Chase, Erik Jones will face three short tracks over the final six races of the regular season. Short tracks have been the bane of Jones’ existence in his Cup Series career, posting just four top 5’s, seven top 10’s, 25 top 20’s, and 293 laps led in 53 starts. The stats get worse the further you dig in; Jones has not had a top 10 on a short track in nearly five years (most recent top 10 was an eighth place showing at Martinsville in October 2021), a top 15 in over two years (most recent top 15 was a 12th place showing at Martinsville in April 2024), and those 293 laps led came across just three of those 53 races (led 260 laps at Bristol in August 2017, led 10 laps at Bristol in April 2019, and led 23 laps at Bristol in August 2019). I’m honestly not sure what’s worse: the fact that Jones has only led laps on one short track in his career, that he hasn’t led a lap on a short track since before the pandemic, or that he hasn’t led a lap on a short track since he began driving the iconic #43 car in 2021. Nevertheless, the start of the race will be interesting, as qualifying was rained out yesterday, meaning Jones will start the race from the sixth position thanks to a strong fifth place showing at EchoPark Speedway last weekend. However, Jones was out there driving a cinder block in Practice, posting just the 26th fastest lap of the session and showing minimal pace on 5 and 10 Lap Averages. Jones will have a very long 450 laps ahead of him tonight, as I predict that he will go backward and run out back most of the night on the way to a finish outside the top 20.
Uh-Oh. Happy learned how to putt. That’s right, Shane van Gisbergen is starting to get the hang of these oval tracks. So far this season, van Gisbergen has two wins, four top 5’s, and six top 10’s to currently sit inside The Chase cutline with just six races to go in the regular season. Surprisingly enough, short tracks are starting to turn into a great track style for SVG, posting four top 15 finishes in nine career short track starts, highlighted by an 11th place finish at Martinsville this past spring and leading his first ever laps on a short track at The Clash at Bowman Gray, leading 15 laps on the way to a 20th place finish. In case you missed it, van Gisbergen put on a masterclass in the Craftsman Truck Series yesterday afternoon, marching from a 19th place starting position all the way to a third place finishing position, a career best on an oval. We could very well be in for a repeat performance tonight, as SVG showed top 15 pace on 5 and 10 Lap Averages and top 10 pace on 15, 20, and 25 Lap Averages. In a race where track position is king, SVG rolls out from the eighth position tonight due to qualifying being washed out and thanks to a sixth place showing at EchoPark Speedway last weekend. A win would be a tall ask, but mark down Shane van Gisbergen for his first ever top 10 finish on a short track in the Cup Seres.
The greatest things since sliced bread, three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano has been in a struggle to qualify for The Chase in 2026, posting just two top 5’s and six top 10’s to slot in 17th in the Driver Standings, currently eight points below the cutline. Logano has been very strong on short tracks in his career, posting five wins, 34 top 5’s, 57 top 10’s, 81 top 20’s, and 2,651 laps led in 101 career starts. Although he hasn’t won a points paying race on since October 2018 at Martinsville (not THE Matt Kenseth race, but the Martin Truex Jr. race), Logano has been the most consistent on short tracks of late, finishing inside the top 10 in each of the last six short track races, highlighted by a third place finish at Martinsville this past spring. North Wilkesboro has also been very kind to Logano in his career. In three All-Star races at the track, Logano has always finished inside the top 10, finishing 10th in 2023, winning the race in 2024 after starting on the Pole and leading 199 of 200 laps, and finishing runner-up last year after leading 139 laps. Logano showed in Practice why he has consistently been one of the drivers to beat at North Wilkesboro, ranking inside the top 10 on 5, 10, and 25 Lap Averages and inside the top five on 15, 20, and 30 Lap Averages. Rolling out from 11th position, expect Logano to stay patient and methodically work his way forward to a seventh straight top 10 finish on short tracks and a fourth straight North Wilkesboro top 10 finish.
He won the race from the Pole last week, so why not run it back again? Ryan Blaney has been pacing the Ford camp all season long, posting two wins, four top 5’s, and 15 top 10 finishes to slot in third in the Driver Standings. Although primarily known for his drafting prowess (see the belt to ass performance from last week), Blaney is an absolute stud on short tracks as well, posting three wins, 19 top 5’s, 29 top 10’s, 46 top 20’s, and 1,908 laps led in 60 career starts. Blaney has been absolutely dialed in on the short tracks of late, posting seven straight top 10’s and 13 straight top 12 finishes, highlighted by wins at Martinsville and Iowa in 2024, a pair of runner-ups across his last three short track starts, and leading laps in each of the last seven short track races. Blaney has had mixed results at North Wilkesboro in his career, posting finishes of sixth, fifth, and 16th in the three All Star Races held at the track. Blaney was gifted the Pole with qualifying getting rained out thanks to his dominating victory at EchoPark Speedway last week, but Blaney also showed pace in Practice, showing top five pace on 10 Lap Averages and top 10 pace on 5 and 15 Lap Averages. In a race all about track position, we are riding with the Polesitter, with Ryan Blaney starting up front and putting on another great short track performance with his third victory of the season at the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway!
Discover more from Birdies and Burnouts
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.