The Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway Outlook and Picks

The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) heads to World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) on Sunday for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at 3:00 p.m. ET on the USA Network.

Last season, Denny Hamlin captured the pole with a lap of 139.190 mph (32.330 seconds), and went on to win his 59th career NASCAR Cup Series race at WWTR in the Enjoy Illinois 300. The race featured 15 lead changes among 9 drivers, and 10 caution flags for 52 laps.

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Point Standings after Darlington Raceway

PosDriverPointsBndNextStartsRace WinsStage WinsTop 5sTop 10s
1Denny Hamlin2,1350027451417
2Christopher Bell2,123-121227151214
3Ryan Blaney2,119-1642738718
4Tyler Reddick2,111-24827521217
5Chase Briscoe2,098-371327101014
6Ty Gibbs2,096-39227251117
7Kyle Larson2,086-491027051014
8Joey Logano2,063-72232722510
9Chase Elliott2,063-720272269
10Bubba Wallace2,054-8192702412
11Chris Buescher2,047-8872700210
12Carson Hocevar2,046-891271059
13Daniel Suarez2,041-945271137
14Austin Cindric2,033-1028270126
15Ryan Preece2,031-1042271218
16William Byron2,021-114102703411

Track & Race Information for the Enjoy Illinois 300

Season Race #: 28 of 36 (Sept. 13, 2026)
Race Purse: $11,233,037
Track Size: 1.25 miles
Track Type: Paved asphalt oval
Banking in Turns 1 & 2: 11 degrees
Banking in Turns 3 & 4: 9 degrees

Race Schedule, Length, and Stages for the Enjoy Illinois 300

Race Length: 240 laps (300 miles)
Stage 1 Length: 45 laps
Stage 2 Length: 95 laps (ends on Lap 140)
Final Stage Length: 100 laps (ends on Lap 240)

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)

Who and what should you look out for at World Wide Technology Raceway?

Four drivers have won an NCS race at WWTR: Joey Logano (2022), Kyle Busch (2023), Austin Cindric (2024), and Denny Hamlin (2025). Interestingly, only three different starting positions have led to victories in the NCS: Joey Logano started 7th in 2022, Kyle Busch started from the pole in 2023, Austin Cindric started from second in 2024, and Denny Hamlin started from the pole in 2025.

Hamlin has finished in the runner-up position, and Logano leads in top-five finishes with four, making him the only driver to finish in the top five in all four Cup races. Logano also leads in average finishing position with a 3.5.

Ryan Blaney leads all active drivers in laps led with 120 laps led (12%), and last season’s winner, Hamlin, led 75 laps.

Top-15 in Average Finishing Position:

RankAll-Time DriversAverage FInishRaces
1Joey Logano3.504
2Christopher Bell8.504
3Kyle Larson9.504
4Ryan Blaney9.504
5Denny Hamlin9.754
6Austin Cindric11.004
7Chris Buescher11.673
8Aric Almirola12.002
9Chase Elliott12.333
10William Byron13.254
11Ty Gibbs13.673
12Kyle Busch15.004
13Martin Truex Jr15.003
14AJ Allmendinger15.673
15John H. Nemechek16.502

The Driver Picks for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway!

The Driver Picks for the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway
  • Denny Hamlin: Hamlin has one pole, one win, three top-fives, three top-10s, and an average finish of 9.750.
  • Chase Elliott: Elliott has one top-five, one top-10, and an average finish of 12.333.
  • Christoper Bell: Bell has three top-10s and an average finish of 8.500.
  • Kyle Larson: Larson has one top-five, two top-10s, and an average finish of 9.500.
  • Ryan Blaney: Blaney has two top-fives, three top-10s, and an average finish of 9.500.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

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