Round two of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs shifts to the Midwest this weekend for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway, a 1.25-mile calculus of throttle and brake. Long straights feed flat, tight corners that punish wheel hop and reward discipline. Restarts decide track position, and track position decides risk.
Goodyear brings new left- and right-side tire codes developed with recent testing, and teams expect meaningful falloff that could open two- versus three-stop windows and raise the premium on clean pit work.
How to watch NASCAR’s Enjoy Illinois 300
Venue: World Wide Technology Raceway — Madison, Ill.
Date and time:Â Sunday, Sept. 7; 3 p.m. ET
TV: USA Network
Streaming: Fubo (Stream Free Now!)
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Darlington may still reign as the track too tough to tame, but Chase Briscoe came pretty close last weekend. He led 309 of 367 laps in a second straight Southern 500 win, locking into the Round of 12 and reshaping a season that began with modest rookie-year expectations at Joe Gibbs Racing. He entered as the third-most likely JGR title threat. He left Darlington as the one driver to beat.
His JGR teammates remain relevant. Denny Hamlin is plus-43 above the cut after seventh place and owns back-to-back runners-up at Gateway. Despite cooling after an early-season surge, Christopher Bell has three wins before Mexico and a 9.0 average finish in three Gateway starts, including 80 laps led last year.
Penske’s historical footprint here is obvious. Joey Logano won the 2022 debut, and Austin Cindric stole 2024 when Ryan Blaney ran dry. Although he arrives on an 84-race drought, Kyle Busch remains a credible spoiler at Gateway: runner-up in 2022, pole and win in 2023 with 121 laps led, and top-10 pace in 2024 before a crash with Kyle Larson. The flat corners and heavy braking reward restarts and race craft, strengths that still travel.
Hendrick Motorsports arrives searching after Darlington, where Chase Elliott’s 17th was the team’s best. Two races remain in the Round of 16. Darlington scattered points and confidence; Gateway will sort out who rebounds and who sinks toward Bristol with work to do.
Updated NASCAR future odds
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(Photo of Chase Briscoe: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
Sep 5, 2025
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