North Wilkesboro Speedway to Host NASCAR Cup Series Points Race on July 19, 2026

North Wilkesboro Speedway will host a NASCAR Cup Series points race for the first time in 30 years when the green flag drops for the Window World 450 at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 19, 2026. 625-mile short track in Wilkes County, North Carolina, last staged a NASCAR-sanctioned race in 1996.

The event caps a multi-year effort that included federal stimulus funds and private renovations. Speedway Motorsports gained full control of the facility by 2007 after earlier ownership changes involving Bruton Smith and Bob Bahre. The track, originally built in 1947 as a red-dirt oval, had seen its Cup dates moved to Texas and New Hampshire by 1997.

Jeff Gordon won the final Cup race there on Sept. 29, 1996. Dale Earnhardt Jr. organized a volunteer cleanup in 2019 that enabled digital scanning for iRacing. Chris Buescher joined the effort. Former North Carolina Gov.

Roy Cooper later allocated $18 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to Wilkes County for improvements. Speedway Motorsports announced a multi-million-dollar renovation project in early 2022. The 2023 All-Star Race generated $42.4 million in statewide economic value, $27.9 million in labor income, nearly $29 million in visitor spending and 625 jobs, according to an analysis from Cooper’s office.

North Carolina lawmakers earmarked an additional $4 million after the event, contingent on another NASCAR race before 2028. The track was repaved for the first time since 1981 ahead of the 2024 weekend, and crews discovered a 700-square-foot open area under the grandstand. All-Star races and Craftsman Truck Series points races returned in 2024 and 2025.

Earnhardt will serve on TNT Sports’ broadcast team for the July 19 Cup race alongside Steve Letarte and Adam Alexander.