​Motorsport photoAfter 30 years, NASCAR has finally returned to North Wilkesboro with a points-paying Cup race, and it was the No. 22 Team Penske Ford of Joey Logano holding off Denny Hamlin to claim the win.He lapped most of the field, leaving just six cars on the lead lap and putting everyone from 11th on back at least two laps down. It was a sensational showing in a surprisingly clean race.Track position was everything, and penalties were extra costly because of that and the grueling green-flag runs. Here’s a closer look at the biggest winners and losers from North Wilkesboro:WINNER: Joey Logano returns with a vengeance Watch: Logano: ‘It just feels good to get back in Victory Lane’Just when we thought he was down and out, the Team Penske driver reappears, leading more laps on Sunday night than he ever has at any other race in his Cup career. He led 323 of 450 laps and was unyielding despite constant pressure from Hamlin, winning for the first time this season. The victory launched Logano above the cut-line, and he’s suddenly back in the fray. It shouldn’t be a surprise at this point with three titles and 38 career wins, but Logano just keeps doing this. He falls out of sight, struggling for months, and then shows up in a big way, completely changing the trajectory of an otherwise-dismal season.
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Joey Logano earns dominant NASCAR Cup win at North Wilkesboro
LOSER: Gibbs and Blaney lose win shot due to speeding penaltiesWatch: Gibbs vents after costly North Wilkesboro penaltyTwo drivers who could have challenged Logano never got a proper chance. Ty Gibbs won Stage 1, but a speeding penalty put him in a deep hole for the rest of the race. However, he was still fast and clawed his way back to the front, even unlapping himself in the final stint to finish fourth. Blaney was another driver creeping towards the front near the end, and as Logano’s teammate, everyone was watching to see what he could do. Unfortunately, he sped entering pit road during the final stop, leaving him two laps down in 11th.WINNER: Shane van Gisbergen with his best oval weekend everWatch: SVG: ‘I got pretty excited’ taking the lead at North WilkesboroI think it’s safe to say that SVG has figured out these ovals for the most part, and the only think holding him back at this point is how fast his car can go. Van Gisbergen finished third in the Truck race, and then backed it up in Sunday’s 450-lap Cup race. Van Gisbergen was running inside the top ten for the entire race beyond pit stop cycles, and led 49 laps — a new personal record for him on ovals. He came within a car length of winning Stage 1, and finished fifth (matching his career-best Cup finish on an oval). He also had the best radio comment of the night, telling the team: “I’m leading, what the f*** do I do now?” That showing puts him 54 points above the cut-line with five races left in the regular season.
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NASCAR Cup Series Wilkesboro takeaways: Hamlin vs. Logano, SVG impresses
LOSER: Hen