Window World 450
The fourth race out of five for the NASCAR In-Season Challenge is the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, NC. Last year’s race at this track was the All-Star Race and this year will mark the first points race held at the track since 1996. Now the NASCAR Cup Series will return for a second year on the .625-mile oval that opened way back in 1947.
Four drivers are left in the bracket-style In-Season Challenge, with head-to-head matchups featuring Christopher Bell vs. Ryan Blaney and a real shocker in the top of the bracket with Todd Gilliland vs. Chase Elliott. The winners will advance to next week’s championship race, the Brickyard 400, and the winner will get $1 million.
How to Watch The Window World 450
When: Sunday, July 19, 2026
Where: North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, NC
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Channel: TNT
2026 NASCAR Cup Series Winners and Standings
Denny Hamlin still holds the points lead over Tyler Reddick, who had his first top-24 finish in three races with last week’s eighth-place result at Atlanta. Hamlin was 12th, but his lead is 24 points heading into this weekend. With last week’s win and sweep of the board, Blaney is now at 726 points, trailing Reddick by 41 for second place. Those are the only three drivers north of 700 points, with Ty Gibbs and Chase Elliott rounding out the top five.
The race winners are Reddick (5), Hamlin (4), Elliott (2), van Gisbergen (2), Ryan Blaney (2), Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, Carson Hocevar, Corey Heim, and Chase Briscoe. Elliott hasn’t had a top-10 finish in six races, but is somehow still alive in the In-Season Challenge due to some very good luck.
Wins no longer guarantee entry into the playoffs, so the top 16 in points will make up who is in contention for the Cup Series Chase, which begins on September 6. Erik Jones currently holds the final spot.
Window World 450 Winners
The Cup Series ran the All-Star Race here from 2023-25. As mentioned, this is the first points race here since 1996. The winners of the All-Star Race over the last three years were Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Christopher Bell. Logano was 10th in 2023 and finished second last year.
In the All-Star Open race featuring some of the younger, less accomplished drivers, Carson Hocevar and Ty Gibbs have won. Bubba Wallace has also run well in the Open and the All-Star Race in his starts here, so he’s an option to look at this week, as there are technically no Window World 450 winners as of yet.
Window World 450 Predictions
For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s simulation results and more stats on the drivers.
