New Distance Set for North Wilkesboro NASCAR Cup Series Event
The first NASCAR Cup Series points-paying event in nearly 30 years at North Wilkesboro Speedway now has a new race distance, adding to the excitement of the event on July 19, 2026.
North Wilkesboro Speedway officials announced on Thursday that 50 laps have been added to the distance of the event, now known as the Window World 450.
When the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule was announced in August, it was originally slated to be a 400-lap event. The 400-lap distance was a regular staple for events at North Wilkesboro in NASCAR's premier series from the 1960s until 1996.
Instead, it will now be the first 450-lap race for the Cup Series since 1974, when the first 15 races of the season were shortened by 10 percent in response to the 1973 oil crisis.
“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,” said North Wilkesboro Speedway Executive Director Graig Hoffman.
“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.”
North Wilkesboro Speedway roared back onto the NASCAR calendar in 2023 after being shuttered following the 1996 Tyson Holly Farms 400. North Wilkesboro hosted the NASCAR All-Star Race in each of the last three years.
In 2026, the All-Star Race moves to Dover Motor Speedway, while North Wilkesboro gains a points-paying event on the 36-race NASCAR Cup Series calendar. That race will now be the longest Cup Series event in the history of North Wilkesboro Speedway, dating back to the series' inception in 1949.
The 450-lap distance will add 31.25 miles to the distance of the event at the 0.625-mile facility. In terms of mileage, the race will now be longer than all but two short track events on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, behind the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway and the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.
The Window World 450 will be part of a busy weekend of racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The zMAX CARS Tour will take the track on Friday, July 17 before the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races for 250 laps on Saturday, July 18.
Tickets and camping are on sale for the Window World 450 weekend atwww.northwilkesborospeedway.com.
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Zach Evans is the Managing Editor of RacingAmerica.com, with nearly a decade of experience in motorsports. He has been with Racing America since 2017.
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