Joey Logano Wins 450-Lap North Wilkesboro Return, Ending 45-Start Drought
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 20
Joey Logano Wins 450-Lap North Wilkesboro Return, Ending 45-Start Drought
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 20
Summary
323 laps out front carried Joey Logano to his first Cup victory in more than a year, as he held off Denny Hamlin in the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro.
The win came in the track's first points-paying Cup race since 1996, with only six cars finishing on the lead lap after early cautions trapped contenders including Chase Elliott, William Byron and Kyle Larson.
That breakthrough ended Logano's 45-start winless streak and locked him into the NASCAR playoffs after he entered the weekend 17th, outside the cutoff.
North Wilkesboro's 30-year wait for a real Cup race drew a strong crowd and reinforced NASCAR's push to revive traditional venues and a throwback race atmosphere.