Cars take pace laps around the World Wide Technology Raceway ahead of the Xfinity Series Race (Laurel Wang | Senior Scene Editor)

The World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, is just minutes east of St. Louis and about a 13-mile drive from campus. Despite its proximity to WashU, the track is a completely different world from the manicured greens of the University. Pulling off I-55 on a cool Saturday evening led to dusty paths looping around the track, where bored volunteers in neon orange tees and curling mullets waved us through to a giant gravel lot. The sun was just beginning to set over “I Heart Hot Moms” and “Let’s Go Brandon” flags flown in a stack above rows of parked campers. We stood at attention just outside the bag check lanes as the national anthem was belted out over the speaker system and a formation of planes swooped low over the crowd. 

Originally built as the St. Louis International Raceway in 1967, the track was forced to close in 2010 due to financial difficulties. Under new management, the raceway was reopened a year later as Gateway Motorsports Park and was later renamed to World Wide Technology Raceway. It has since expanded to host the NTT IndyCar Series, NHRA Drag Racing Series, Formula Drift, the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, and, annually since 2022, the Enjoy Illinois 300, a NASCAR Cup Series event. 

Inside, State Farm offered a make-your-own-bobblehead booth across from a blue and white striped Zyn kiosk (unfortunately, no free samples to be found there). Idling food trucks served up batches of fried Oreos and slung pitchers of frozen margaritas, while vendors hawked dripping bottles of Busch Light up and down the aluminum bleachers.

Although the Enjoy Illinois 300 is the second race in the Round of 16 in the NASCAR playoffs, the field was packed with drivers. While only the initial 16 qualifiers are eligible for the final championship, 36 cars idled in the pit lane as crews in matching jumpsuits fussed around their stalls, making last-minute adjustments before the race.

This was my first professional racing experience beyond the explosive viewing of this summer’s “F1” movie. I can’t offer you too much in terms of sports coverage beyond reporting that Connor Zilisch, No. 88 for Trackhouse Racing, led the pack during Saturday night’s Xfinity Series race (you might have seen a clip of the 19-year-old falling out of his car after celebrating a win at Watkins Glen in August), while Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 11, Denny Hamlin, finished first in the NASCAR Cup Series Sunday afternoon. That being said, this is one sport that doesn’t require too complicated a mechanical breakdown — cars go fast, and the fastest one wins. 

The fan strip behind the grandstands featured pull-up bars, a make-your-own-bobblehead booth, and tractors, as well as plentiful American fairground offerings of burgers, hot dogs, fried Oreos, and frozen margaritas (Laurel Wang | Senior Scene Editor)

If you’re planning to go, bring ear protection or buy it on-site. Contrary to conventional seating, tickets are better the higher up you go, which allows you to see more of the track (not to mention stay further away from the roar of the cars as they pass). Although the grounds aren’t too expansive, expect to do a good amount of walking, so leave the pleather Target cowboy boots at home. 

Besides a few minor skirmishes, the race itself was straightforward. While drivers in their cars certainly had a far livelier experience, the crowd was content to sit back and enjoy the evening, rising to their feet to wave drivers off with each reset and returning to endlessly refreshing Snapchat in the interim. 

Maybe it was the exhaust fumes or the unctuous potato-based amalgamation turning in my stomach, but there’s something hypnotic about watching racecars go peeling around the 1.25-mile track for a stunning 160 laps (that’s 200 miles, for those of you mathematically minded). Even for a NASCAR newbie clearly out of her depth and generally out of place in such a crowd, it was easy to get swept up in the rush.

NASCAR is a distinctly American experience. In Illinois, the event may not necessarily be considered southern or rural (terms we often use as epithets for “conservative”), but it’s not an outing generally analogous with the WashU crowd. Mentioning my weekend plans elicited a couple of raised eyebrows. Just this week, comedian Druski parodied NASCAR’s viewership with a whiteface skit that garnered significant controversy.

If I felt an air of alienation from the populace inside, it certainly wasn’t one of exclusion. Within a sea of denim and authentically distressed Carhartt, MAGA merchandise (two shirts, one classic red hat worn at a jaunty angle) made for far, far rarer spottings than Dale Jr. racing jackets. We were lightly heckled by a group of old men who had obviously had a few too many, but only in the way that old men who have had a few too many like to mess with pretty girls taking Instagram pictures with pretty sunsets.

I don’t want this to be a gawking sort of report by an intruder, nor a “noble savage” narrative of the purer pleasures of a simpler folk. Nor do I want to obfuscate the very real and grave issues with NASCAR. There are clear political overtones to events like this one, and though the organization has made commitments to growing the sport to include more diverse audiences, many of their actions have been too slow, too late. You’re more than welcome to speak with your dollar against an organization that didn’t ban the flying of the Confederate flag until 2020, or has accepted naming sponsorships from the NRA. 

The crowd, though, was fairly representative of St. Louis and Middle America as a whole, if not suburban Clayton. Families dragged bumbling toddlers out of oversized trucks, while grandparents clinked cold Michelob Ultras from the stands. The “Things to Do” section of the World Wide Technology Raceway website suggests fans explore St. Louis by topping off their visits to the Arch and the city zoo with a ride on the “world’s meanest mechanical bull” at PBR and breaking bread at the downtown Hooters. And honestly — who doesn’t like a mean mechanical bull? 

For as much political division and unease exists in this country, there is also a commonality in the simple pleasures we seek. Everyone there was looking for a Saturday-night thrill in the form of speedy cars and fried fairground fare. 

At the end of the night, the Enjoy Illinois 300 ended right where it began. But for those few hours, NASCAR united us in something distinctly all-American: the drive to ride harder, live louder, and burn brighter, together.