RICK WARE RACING
Window World 450
Date: July 19, 2026
Event: Window World 450 (Round 21 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway (.625-mile oval)
Format: 450 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/185 laps/185 laps)
Race Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
RWR Finish:
● Cody Ware (Started 36th, Finished 29th / Running, completed 446 of 450 laps)
RWR Points:
● Cody Ware (35th with 177 points)
Race Notes:
● This was the first points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race at North Wilkesboro in 30 years, a span of 10,885 days. The track’s previous points-paying race came on Sept. 29, 1996, when Jeff Gordon beat Dale Earnhardt by 1.73 seconds. After sitting dormant for 27 years, North Wilkesboro was revitalized and hosted the non-points NASCAR All-Star Race from 2023 through 2025. The Window World 450 marked its 94th points-paying Cup Series race.
● Joey Logano won the Window World 450 to score his 38th career NASCAR Cup Series victory and his first of the season. His margin over second-place Denny Hamlin was .859 of a second. It was Logano’s second overall victory at North Wilkesboro, as he also won the 2024 All-Star Race.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 43 laps.
● Only six of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Hamlin remains the championship leader after North Wilkesboro with a 68-point advantage over second-place Tyler Reddick.
Sound Bites:
“Overall, we had a pretty solid night here at North Wilkesboro. Team did a great job with strategy and we fought on the lead lap for the first half of the race. We took the same gamble in the final stage that we did early on in the race but, unfortunately, it didn’t pan out. Still, I think it was worth the risk as the upside was pretty high. Proud of everyone on this Rocket Doctor Chevrolet tonight.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Rocket Doctor AI Chevrolet
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by TNT and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
