NORTH WILKESBORO, NC — The racetrack has been revived.
For the first time in 30 years on Sunday, July 18, NASCAR will hold a points-paying race for its top-level Cup Series at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway in the hills of western North Carolina. Ryan Blaney sits on the pole for the Window World 450, which is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET on TNT.
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The .625-mile short track first opened in 1947 as an oval of red dirt, built so moonshiners could settle who had the fastest machine to outrun the law. Junior Johnson became a legend here, while Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip won double-digit races at the track.
But North Wilkesboro became a casualty of NASCAR’s expansion in the 1990s as it aimed to capture audiences to the north and west. Its race dates were moved to Texas and New Hampshire, and the track sat largely dormant for decades and fell into disrepair.
Then, in 2019, Dale Earnhardt Jr. led an effort to clean up the track to have it scanned for the iRacing video game. Two years later, using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper earmarked $18 million in the state budget for improvements to the speedway. In 2023, NASCAR returned to the track with its All-Star Race and Truck Series.
Now, it’s back on the schedule as a points-paying race for the Cup Series. It lands on the sport’s calendar at a time where much is at stake for the drivers competing on the track with 14-degree bankings, a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch.
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“I hope we get some long green flag runs in. I think that’ll play a dividend for us,” Bubba Wallace said. “We’ve been kind of lacking on our short track package for the 23XI cars, and I hate that because I take a lot of responsibility just because I have a little bit better feeling for the short tracks. And so this will be a nice test for us to see how much effort we’ve put in over the last three months since our last short track ride. This place has been good for us. Just got to put it all together.”
Just six races remain on the schedule until the postseason Chase begins, where the top 16 drivers in the point standings will be eligible for the championship. There are also just four drivers remaining in the In-Season Challenge: Todd Gilliland, Chase Elliott, Blaney and Christopher Bell.
Blaney won an overtime shootout last weekend at EchoPark Speedway just south of Atlanta to notch his second victory of the year. He’s third in the standings behind Tyler Reddick and leader Denny Hamlin.
Due to rain, qualifying was canceled on Saturday, making Blaney the pole-sitter by default as the most recent winner.
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A few Cup Series drivers picked up North Wilkesboro reps by competing in Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series race. Shane van Gisbergen placed third in that race, Chase Elliott was seventh, Bell was 15th and Carson Hocevar finished 27th — catching a flat tire after leading laps early.
“Not really. It’s all just experience, time racing and learning how other people race,” van Gisbergen said if there’s anything he learned in the truck race he can take into Sunday. “It’s just time and getting to drive for good teams, good equipment… The Cup race is too different.”
The goal drivers will be aiming for on Sunday is to ride the lift. While many drivers can simply pull up to victory lane at most tracks, at North Wilkesboro, the celebratory zone is atop the infield media center. So, drivers pull their car onto a lift that takes the winning machine to the roof of the building.
What time does the NASCAR Cup race at North Wilkesboro start?
The Window World 450 is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 19, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in the hills of western North Carolina.
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What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at North Wilkesboro on?
The Window World 450 will be broadcast on TNT and truTV. A pre-race show on TNT will begin at 6 p.m. ET, with a post-race show anchored by Marty Smith to follow after the race. Adam Alexander, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be on the call for live race action, while Jamie McMurray and Jimmie Johnson will join the pre- and post-race shows.
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at North Wilkesboro?
Yes. The Window World 450 can be live streamed on HBO Max. The platform also features live streams for individual driver cameras.
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How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at North Wilkesboro?
The Window World 450 is 450 laps around the 0.625-mile oval for a total of 281.2 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 80 laps; Stage 2: 185 laps; Stage 3: 185 laps.
Who won the most recent NASCAR Cup races at North Wilkesboro?
NASCAR has not held a points-paying race at North Wilkesboro since 1996, a race in which Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag. For the past three years, NASCAR has held its All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro with Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Christopher Bell taking victories.
Richard Petty is the all-time wins leader at North Wilkesboro with 15 victories, while Darrell Waltrip has 10.
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What is the lineup for the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro?
(Car number in parentheses)
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John Hunter Nemechek (42)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASCAR at North Wilkesboro 2026: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Window World 450
