Joey Moyer delivered the breakthrough performance of his rookie season Sunday at North Wilkesboro Speedway, winning the Window World 450 for his first career Victory Lane Racing NASCAR Cup Series victory.
Moyer scored 244 race points in the No. 33 Angel’s Envy Dodge, six more than runner-up Cody Zeeb. The victory made Moyer the first rookie winner of the 2026 season and delivered Dodge its fifth win through the opening 21 races.
The result continued a noticeable turnaround for Moyer. He has a 20.70 average finish over the last 10 races, nearly five positions better than his 25.29 season average. After finishing 27th at Sonoma, Moyer improved to 18th at Chicagoland and 13th at EchoPark Speedway before completing the climb with a victory at North Wilkesboro.
Zeeb’s second-place finish produced the largest standings gain of the weekend. He jumped seven positions from 21st to 14th, moving nine points above the Chase cutoff with five regular-season races remaining.
Greg Miller finished third and moved into second place in the standings, while William Riney earned his third top-five finish of the season in fourth. Championship leader Mathew Steinfels completed the top five and retained his advantage at the top of the standings.
Top Five Finishers
1. Joey Moyer — Earned his first career victory and became the first rookie winner of 2026.
2. Cody Zeeb — Recorded his fourth top-five finish and surged seven positions into 14th in points.
3. Greg Miller — Collected his sixth top-five finish and moved within five points of the championship lead.
4. William Riney — Matched his best finish of the season and climbed three positions to 23rd.
5. Mathew Steinfels — Continued his remarkable recent form with his sixth top-five finish of the year.
Steinfels Maintains Narrow Championship Lead
Mathew Steinfels remains the regular-season championship leader with 649 points, but Greg Miller closed the deficit to only five points after his podium finish.
Jamie Dyke fell one position to third and trails Steinfels by 14 points. Steve Ruth is only one point behind Dyke in fourth, while Stephen DiCaprio remains firmly in the championship battle, 20 points behind the leader.
Steinfels has been the strongest driver in the series over the most recent 10-race stretch. His 12.00 average finish during that span is more than five positions better than his 17.10 season-long average. He has finished inside the top five in three of the last four races, including second at Sonoma, fourth at EchoPark Speedway and fifth at North Wilkesboro.
Ruth also continues to show impressive consistency. His 13.90 average over the last 10 races is nearly three positions better than his full-season mark, and his ninth-place North Wilkesboro finish gave him a series-leading ninth top-10 result.
Zeeb Charges Into the Chase Field
Cody Zeeb entered North Wilkesboro 21st in the standings and 24 points below the cutoff. His runner-up result completely reshaped the Chase bubble.
Zeeb now sits 14th with 524 points, nine points above 17th-place Ron Blackman. Kamy Miller occupies 15th, six points above the cutoff, while Nick Hagen holds the final Chase position with 515 points.
The battle immediately behind Hagen remains extremely close:
17. Ron Blackman: 512 points, three points below the cutoff
18. Al Allison: 510 points, five points below
19. Dawn Keller: 509 points, six points below
20. Gary Dadey: 504 points, 11 points below
21. Eldon Daughenbaugh: 496 points, 19 points below
22. Julie Taylor: 493 points, 22 points below
Blackman retained contact with the cutoff despite finishing 38th, while Allison dropped to 18th following a 36th-place result. Keller suffered the largest setback among the leading bubble contenders, falling four positions after finishing 44th.
Gary Dadey moved up five positions to 20th with a seventh-place finish, keeping the former Martinsville winner firmly in contention.
James & June Coffee In-Season Tournament
The inaugural James & June Coffee In-Season Tournament is down to its final two drivers following the semifinal round at North Wilkesboro.
In the first matchup, #5 Mathew Steinfels defeated #8 Steve Ruth. Steinfels finished fifth, four positions ahead of Ruth in ninth, to advance to the championship race.
On the opposite side of the bracket, #23 Nick Hagen eliminated #11 Kirk Hunter. Hagen finished 26th, while Hunter’s difficult afternoon ended with a 30th-place result.
Championship Matchup — Indianapolis
#5 Mathew Steinfels vs. #23 Nick Hagen
Steinfels enters Indianapolis as the regular-season points leader and the hottest driver in the series over the last 10 races. Hagen arrives as the tournament’s lowest remaining seed after advancing through four consecutive head-to-head rounds.
Whichever driver finishes higher at Indianapolis will become the first James & June Coffee In-Season Tournament champion.
About James & June Coffee
The Victory Lane Racing In-Season Tournament is proudly presented by James & June Coffee, a family-owned specialty coffee company offering fresh-roasted coffee prepared in small batches and roasted to order.
Named after the owners’ two children, James and June, the company offers whole-bean and ground coffee, single-origin selections, flavored varieties, coffee pods and curated sample packs.
Visit www.jamesandjunecoffee.com to explore the complete lineup.
Looking Ahead
The Victory Lane Racing NASCAR Cup Series now heads to Indianapolis for Race 22 of the season.
The battle for the regular-season points lead remains separated by only five points, six drivers are within 11 points of the Chase cutoff, and Mathew Steinfels and Nick Hagen will decide the inaugural James & June Coffee In-Season Tournament championship.
Only five races remain before the top 16 drivers advance to the Chase for the Championship.
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