North Wilkesboro Speedway delivered a weekend packed with old-school NASCAR racing, with both the Craftsman Truck Series and Cup Series putting on entertaining shows at the historic short track. From Chandler Smith’s dominant Truck Series performance to the Cup Series’ long-awaited return for a points race, each event brought its own unique storylines, battles and memorable moments. Now, it’s time to break down both races and give them a rating based on the overall quality of the racing, entertainment and excitement they provided.
It’s important to note that these ratings are based on the quality of the racing within each specific series, rather than comparing the Truck Series directly to the Cup Series.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – FaithFest 250
The FaithFest 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway was a showcase of dominance for Chandler Smith. After starting ninth, Smith worked his way toward the front and took control of the race late, leading the final 105 of 250 laps on his way to his second consecutive Truck Series victory at North Wilkesboro. He pulled away from Front Row Motorsports teammate Layne Riggs to win by 8.479 seconds, giving Front Row Motorsports a 1-2 finish.
The race also featured an impressive drive from Shane van Gisbergen, who started from 19th and went on to finish third. Landen Lewis also had a strong run, climbing from 16th to finish fifth. Carson Hocevar also appeared to be a contender after leading 74 laps, but a cut left-front tire dropped him two laps down and ultimately relegated him to a 27th-place finish.
Overall the racing was really solid despite the large lead by Chandler Smith. The long green flag runs with a lot of passing attempts and lap traffic playing a factor made this race entertaining.
Rating: 7.5/10
NASCAR Cup Series – Window World 400
From the jump the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway felt special, with it being the first NASCAR Cup Series points race at this track in 30 years. Joey Logano dominated the 450-lap race, leading a race-high 323 laps and snapping a 45-race winless streak. Denny Hamlin would bring a lot of pressure at the end with help from Riley Herbst, Logano was still able to hold on to win by 0.859 seconds.
There was action all over the field, the big moment being Alex Bowman running into Tyler Reddick when entering the pits. This incident ruined the race for multiple drivers and put them a lap down during green flag pit stops. One of the bigger stories was Shane van Gisbergen continuing to impress on ovals with a career-best fifth-place finish on an oval and 49 laps led.
I think this was one of the better next gen short track races with it being easier for them to pass and having multiple lanes that were fast.
Rating: 8/10
