The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) head to World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) this weekend. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series kicks off the weekend with the Nu Way 225 Powered by Bobcat and Sauced by Blues Hog on Saturday, September 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network. Then on Sunday, the Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on the USA Network.
Hall of Fame baseball manager Tony La Russa has been named Grand Marshal for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 race. La Russa will participate in pre-race ceremonies and will also be joined by his longtime friend and special guest, CAPT Jim “Guido” DiMatteo, USN (Ret.), to deliver the most famous words in motorsports: the command for drivers to start their engines.
Cup Series Notes for World Wide Technology Raceway:
This will be the fifth Cup race at St. Louis, and the second time it’s hosted a Chase race. The race winner took the lead with two laps to go in two of the four races, and two of the four ended in overtime. The race stages are 45/140/240 Laps = 300 miles.
Joey Logano finished top-five in all four races and is the only driver with top-10 finishes in all four races. Denny Hamlin has finished top-2 in each of the last three races, including a win last season.
After Darlington, Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace gained the most spots (+4) in the Chase standings, and William Byron lost the most (-3). Nine Chase drivers finished in the top-10, including a sweep of the top-six, and 11 Chase drivers scored stage points. Five of the top six in the Chase standings are Toyota drivers.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Notes for World Wide Technology Raceway:
Justin Allgaier lost 18 points off of his 25-point lead and now leads Sheldon Creed by just seven points. Allgaier’s seven-point lead over second is his smallest lead since race number 4 at Phoenix, with eight races remaining in the Chase.
St. Louis is the second race of the 2026 Chase, and the 17th NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway since the inaugural race in 1997, and it’s the second O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race since the series returned in 2025.
Only three drivers in the field have led laps: Justin Allgaier ( 116 ), William Sawalich (7), and Jeremy Clements (6). Allgaier is the only driver in the field to win a stage and is the only driver in the field to win a pole.
Three of 16 races featured a pass for the win in the final two laps; there has never been an overtime finish in 16 previous races, and the driver to lead the most laps went on to win eight of 16 races.
The Weekend Schedule for World Wide Technology Raceway:
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
12:00 PM – 12:50 PM: NOAPS PRACTICE
1:05 PM – 2:00 PM: NOAPS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
2:30 PM – 3:20 PM: NCS PRACTICE (IMPOUND) (ALL ENTRIES)
3:35 PM – 4:30 PM: NCS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
7:00 PM: NOAPS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS (FAN ZONE STAGE)
7:30 PM: NOAPS RACE (STAGES 45/90/180 LAPS = 225 MILES) ON THE CW NETWORK
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
2:25 PM: NCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS (FAN ZONE STAGE)
3:00 PM: NCS RACE (STAGES 45/140/240 LAPS = 300 MILES) ON THE USA NETWORK
*All times are Eastern. NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS)
