North Wilkesboro NASCAR Cup points race to be 50 laps longer
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — The first NASCAR Cup Series points race at North Wilkesboro Speedway since 1996 will be 50 laps longer than first scheduled.
The July 19, 2026 Window World 450 will be 450 laps, instead of 400 laps. It marks the first time the NASCAR Cup Series has hosted a 450-lap race since 1974.
The decision to add the extra laps was easy to make, according to North Wilkesboro Speedway Executive Director Graig Hoffman.
“North Wilkesboro Speedway is all about the fans and adding more laps per dollar to the Window World 450 is sure to create a better experience for everyone who enters the gates,” Hoffman said. “Sunday-night races are made to be a spectacle. The Window World 450 will be an electric night at America’s throwback race track and the stakes will be higher than ever before with the winner punching a ticket to the NASCAR Playoffs.”
NASCAR has yet to announce its championship format for 2026.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will also have a 250-lap race the night before Saturday, July 18. The zMAX CARS Tour will kick off the weekend with a Friday night race.
Schedules and entertainment will be announced at a later date.
North Wilkesboro Speedway laid dormant after Jeff Gordon won the final Cup points race (to-date) at the track in fall of 1996. After multiple attempts at a revival fell through, the track came back to life as the NASCAR All-Star Race host. Since 2023, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Christopher Bell have won there.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com