This Week in Motorsports: Sept. 1-7, 2025

NCS/NXS: World Wide Technology Raceway – Sept. 5-7
GR CUP: Barber Motorsports Park – Sept. 4-7

PLANO, Texas (Sept. 3, 2025) – NASCAR brings the Cup and Xfinity Series to World Wide Technology Raceway outside St. Louis this weekend, with race two of the Playoffs for the Cup Series and the regular season finale for the Xfinity Series. The Xfinity Series will return to World Wide Technology Raceway for the first time since 2010, as well as the fourth time the Cup Series takes to the 1.25-mile oval. The GR Cup Series heads to Barber Motorsports Park outside Birmingham, Alabama, for its penultimate race weekend of 2025.

NASCAR National Series – NCS/NXS

Toyota seeks 200th Cup Series win … After Chase Briscoe’s dominating Southern 500 win last Sunday night at Darlington Raceway, Toyota now sits one win away from 200 in its NASCAR Cup Series history. Former Toyota driver Kyle Busch captured the first Cup win for Toyota in March 2008 at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) and captured the 100th win at Pocono Raceway in July 2017.

Team Toyota in solid position after Playoffs race one … After the Southern 500, the Toyota Camry XSE Playoff drivers sit in favorable spots entering the second race of the Round of 16. Briscoe’s win at Darlington secured him a spot in the Round of 12, while Hamlin (+43 points), Tyler Reddick (+35 points), Bubba Wallace (+25 points) and Christopher Bell (+11 points) all sit above the cutline with just two races left in the opening round.

LEAGCY MOTOR CLUB coming off dynamic weekend … The Southern 500 was also an incredible race for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, with both of its Toyota Camry XSEs finishing inside the top-five. Erik Jones came home third in last weekend’s race, marking his best finish of the season and best since the 2023 fall Kansas race. His teammate, John Hunter Nemechek, recorded a fourth-place finish which was his best career result in the Cup Series to-date.

Hamlin, Bell look to continue Gateway success … Hamlin and Bell have garnered success at World Wide Technology Raceway in the three previous Cup Series races at the Illinois track. Hamlin looks for his third straight top-five at the 1.25-mile oval, coming off two consecutive second-place finishes. Bell has finished inside the top-11 in those three previous races at World Wide Technology Raceway. A win by either Joe Gibbs Racing driver this Sunday would lock them into the Round of 12 of the Playoffs.

Sawalich coming off career-best finish … Last weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Portland International Raceway marked the best result in the young career of William Sawalich with a second-place finish. The Toyota Development Driver has now finished inside the top-10 in four of the last seven Xfinity Series races, seeking to continue his strong run of late in his debut at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday night.

GR Cup

Workman holds points lead entering Barber … After third and fifth-place finishes at Road America three weeks ago, Westin Workman maintained his healthy points lead in the GR Cup Series points standings. The Toyota Development Driver currently holds a 41-point advantage over Jaxon Bell heading to Barber Motorsports Park this weekend. Workman has finished inside the top four in all but one race this season.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 32 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

WWT Raceway
Sunday, Sept. 7
1.25-Mile Oval
3 PM ET
Location: Madison, Illinois
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (Race 28 of 36)
RADIO: SiriusXM

5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 33 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Last Week: 19th (Darlington)
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 3rd

No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet

• Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet team enters the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 16 in third place, 38 points above the cutline.
• The Elk Grove, California, native is two top-10 finishes away from 200 for his career and is three away from his 100th with Hendrick Motorsports.
• Larson has the third-best average finish at WWT Raceway (8.67). He’s finished better than he started in all three races at the 1.25-mile oval.
• A fourth-place finish in 2023 by Larson is the best finish by any Hendrick Motorsports driver in three previous events at the track in Madison, Illinois.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 29 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Last week: 17th (Darlington)
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 11th

No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet

• Chase Elliott enters the second race of NASCAR Cup Series playoffs 11th in the standings. He’s nine points above the cutoff line to advance to the Round of 12.
• This weekend marks the 29-year-old driver’s 350th NASCAR premier series start, all with Hendrick Motorsports. He has made the fourth-most starts for the organization behind Jeff Gordon (805), Jimmie Johnson (686) and Terry Labonte (387).
• Three drivers have previously won in their 350th start, one of them being the 2020 Cup Series champion’s father Bill Elliott in 1992.
• Elliott’s average finish of 12.15 leads all Cup Series drivers in 2025.
• This season on tracks measuring 1 to 1.366 miles in length, Elliott has three top-10 finishes and 246 laps led, with a best result of sixth at Dover Motor Speedway.
• Last year at WWT Raceway, Elliott earned points in each of the first two stages en route to a 13th-place finish, his best effort at the track.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 27 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Last Week: 21st (Darlington)
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: t-5th

No. 24 Z by HP Chevrolet

• After the first race of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 16, William Byron is tied for fifth, 25 points above the cutline. He could lock into the next round with a win this weekend at WWT Raceway or by finishing the race 57 points above the 12th-place driver.
• The Charlotte, North Carolina, native continues to have a stellar 2025, leading in most statistical categories including laps led (915), laps run in the top five (2,896) and in the top 10 (4,225).
• In three Cup Series starts at WWT Raceway, Byron has a track-best finish of eighth after leading 30 laps in 2023.

48 ALEX BOWMAN
Age: 32 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Last Week: 31st (Darlington)
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: t-15th

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet

• Alex Bowman enters WWT Raceway sitting in a tie for 15th in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings, 19 points below the cutline. This playoff appearance marks the seventh of his career, with his best run coming in 2020 when he reached the Round of 8, finishing sixth.
• Through 27 races in 2025, Bowman has earned 14 top-10 finishes, tied for the second most in the Cup Series and his career best through this point in a season. He has collected six top-five finishes this year, including runner-up results at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Richmond Raceway.
• For this weekend’s race at St. Louis, the featured Best Friends Animal Society partner is the St. Sophia’s Forgotten Felines in Wheaton, Illinois.
• Ally and HENDRICKCARS.COM are teaming up again to give fans the chance to win prizes with this year’s “Open Road Sweepstakes.” Fans can win VIP experiences at various races throughout the season and one lucky winner will hit the open road in a Chevy Silverado LT Trail Boss with an Airstream camper. Fans can stop by the Ally Fan Zone to enter the sweepstakes in-person and check out the camper. Fans can also enter at ally.com/sweepstakes/nascar.

Hendrick Motorsports

*Most all time
**Tied for most all time

• The Hendrick Motorsports engine shop reached 550 national series victories at Daytona International Speedway. The organization’s engines have won 19 poles (seven in the NASCAR Cup Series, 12 in the Xfinity Series) and 24 races (six in Cup, 17 in Xfinity and one in the preseason Clash) in 2025 and have powered teams to 40 points paying Cup Series victories in the Next Gen era, the most of any organization.
• Hendrick Motorsports has led 2,355 laps through 27 events this year, accounting for 34% of all circuits completed in the Cup Series and 835 more than any other team.
• With 17, the organization leads the series in stage wins. That total is the second most through a season’s first 27 races all time.
• All four of Hendrick Motorsports’ drivers qualified for the Cup Series playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years and the seventh time overall.

 QUOTABLE /
 
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, on heading to WWT Raceway: “We had a great test at Gateway earlier this year that led us down a different path with our short-track program. We feel we have learned some things that have made that program a little bit better since then. We should be more competitive and at least start the weekend better than we have. If we can be good at Gateway, that will give us some confidence going to Phoenix.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet, on heading to WWT Raceway: “I haven’t really jived great with Gateway. There’s not many tracks that as a company I feel like we’ve struggled at, but I do think that’s been one of them. Why that is I don’t really know. But I do think that we’ve put a lot of emphasis as a company on trying to get better at those style of race tracks. We have a good opportunity to do that, so hopefully it’s another step in the right direction for us.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, on strengths, weaknesses in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs: “I think our strength is just that we’re fast at all the different tracks. So, I think at the same time, though, you never know what everyone else is going to bring and how fast they’re going to be. So, we’ve just got to keep working. We can keep getting better, but that’s our strength. And then I guess the area we can improve is… I don’t know. There’s not a huge glaring area. We could always be faster on pit road. We could always be faster, have a better-balanced car. But I think the underlying theme of the playoffs is just you’ve got to get to the Round of 8, and then you’ve got to start peaking as that round goes. October is the most important time of the year.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, on going to WWT Raceway: “I‘m happy for everyone at WWT Raceway. They have worked really hard to get a playoff race and are great to us when we go there. We have not been very good there in the past so, I’m looking forward to trying to be better there. I think we lost the brakes last year, so it looked really bad. (Kyle) Larson tested there a few months back so we will probably lean on them to see what they learned and go from there.”

• In seven NASCAR Cup Series starts at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR), Spire Motorsports has logged one top-10 and two top-20 finishes. Carson Hocevar earned a team-best eighth-place result at the Madison, Ill., oval last June. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet ZL1s in the NCS with Justin Haley, Michael McDowell and Hocevar, respectively.
• The Enjoy Illinois 300 will be televised live on USA Sunday, Sept. 7 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 28th of 36 points-paying events on the NASCAR Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90.

Justin Haley – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

• Justin Haley will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
• Haley will make his fourth Cup Series start at WWTR. In three previous outings, the Winamac, Ind., native earned one top-10 and two top-20 finishes. Last June, the 26-year-old came from deep in the field to notch a respectable ninth-place finish in the 240-lap event. He finished 14th in 2022 and 16th in 2023. Over those three races, the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Daytona) winner posted a 24.0 average start, and a solid 13.0 average finish at the 1.25-mile oval.
• Haley captured his first career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory on June 23, 2018 at WWTR. In three previous CRAFTSMAN Truck starts at the track, Haley has logged one win and two top-10 finishes. He earned a 9.0 average start, a 10.7 average finish and led 10 laps.
• Last Sunday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Haley qualified 13th and raced inside the top 20 for most of the evening before a late-race pit stop under green-flag conditions left him 27th in the final rundown.
• Founded in 2018, Gainbridge® is an insurtech subsidiary of Group 1001 that empowers consumers to take control of their financial future with solutions that are accessible to everyone, no matter their budget or financial knowledge. Its platform provides access to financial products that are simple, intuitive, and backed by smart technology with no complexity or hidden fees. Gainbridge® is headquartered in Zionsville, Ind. For more information, visit www.gainbridge.com or follow and connect with Gainbridge on X and LinkedIn.
• Sunday’s race will mark Haley’s 171st career NASCAR Cup Series start. Over the course of the last seven seasons, he has collected one Cup Series victory, six top fives, 18 top 10s and led 123 laps. He made his first premier series start with Spire Motorsports at Talladega Superspeedway on his 20th birthday and has since made 71 Cup Series starts with the team.

Justin Haley Quotes
You qualified 13th at Darlington and ran pretty well until you had to make an unscheduled pit stop under green. What are your thoughts heading into this weekend?
“Our car was fast last weekend at Darlington and I’ve had some success at World Wide Technology Raceway so I’m definitely looking forward to this weekend. Hopefully, we’re fast when we unload and can put together a solid weekend.”

World Wide Technology Raceway has a unique layout with its tight corners and long straightaways. How does it compare to some of the other tracks on the schedule?
“The track is flat and tricky because both ends of the race track are so different. The challenge is what makes it different and interesting for me. Gateway has always been a good track for me, personally. I won my first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race there in 2018 and finished top 10 in the Cup Race last year so this is definitely one I’ve had circled on my calendar.”

Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Ryan Sparks

• Ryan Sparks serves in a dual role as both Spire Motorsports Competition Director and crew chief for driver Justin Haley, first pairing with Haley at Bristol Motor Speedway in September 2024.
• The Winston-Salem, N.C., native has stood atop the pit box for 193 NASCAR Cup Series races, earning four top-five and ten top-10 finishes over the course of his career.

Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

• Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
• McDowell has one top-10 finish in three career Cup Series starts at the uniquely configured 1.25-mile Madison, Ill., oval. The driver of Spire Motorsports No. 71 Chevy finished ninth in the division’s 2023 visit to the suburban St. Louis venue.
• Last June, McDowell set a track record with a speed of 138.598 mph (32.368 seconds), to earn his third career Cup Series pole position. McDowell and his Travis Peterson-led team collected a season high total of six pole awards last season.
• The seasoned Cup Series veteran has led a total of 74 laps at World Wide Technology Raceway, including 34 in 2022 and 40 in 2024.
• B’Laster and Go Bowling will both serve in an associate sponsor capacity for this weekend’s 240-lap contest on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.
• Over the course of 27 races in 2025, McDowell tallied two top-five, three top-10 and 15 top-20 finishes. To date, the veteran racer has earned an average starting position of 15.1, a 19.7 average finish, led 86 laps and been running at the finish of all but two of the season’s first 27 points-paying races.
• The father-of-five boasts an average starting position of 13.0, at the egg-shaped oval and has only started outside the top 20 (21st) once.
• McDowell has claimed three Xfinity Fastest Lap awards this season, clocking the fastest lap in the Daytona 500, Phoenix Raceway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The team is one of just three in the series to tally three or more bonus points via the program.
• The No. 71 team secured Spire Motorsports’ first Busch Light Pole Award in the history of the organization’s Cup Series program in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 28.833-second lap marks the fastest lap recorded in NASCAR’s seventh-generation Cup Series car (2022-present) at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval. The team also earned Spire Motorsports’ first stage win during the Grant Park 165 on the streets of downtown Chicago.
• McDowell’s team earned a handsome $100,000 payday and a trip to Victory Lane after winning the Mechanix Wear Pit Crew Challenge during May’s NASCAR All-Star Weekend at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. The crew’s blistering 12.587-second stop topped all entries for both the NASCAR All-Star Open and NASCAR All-Star Race, earning the title of the fastest team on pit road.

Michael McDowell Quote
You have shown speed at Gateway in the past. How do you build on that this weekend?
“World Wide Technology was fun last year — sitting on the pole, setting the track record and leading a bunch of laps. We weren’t great in the race, but we had a lot of speed leading up to that.

So we’ve got things to work on for sure, but I feel confident about St. Louis in general — the track and having good speed there. You always feel like when you’ve had success, you have something to build on, so I’m looking forward to getting back to St. Louis this weekend.”

Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Travis Peterson

• Crew chief Travis Peterson joined Spire Motorsports following the 2024 season after spending 2023-2024 alongside McDowell at Front Row Motorsports.
• Peterson called McDowell’s 2024 pole position when the potent duo set a track record of 138.598 mph (32.368 seconds).
• The 34-year-old, West Bend, Wis., native called McDowell’s ninth-place finish in the 2023 Enjoy Illinois 300.

Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

• Carson Hocevar returns to the site of his NASCAR Cup Series debut for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill. The 22-year-old driver owns two previous starts at the 1.25-mile track with a best finish of eighth earned in 2024.
• On June 4, 2023, 19-year-old Hocevar was called up from the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series to fill in for Spire Motorsports driver Corey LaJoie at WWTR, who coincidentally was filling in for Chase Elliott. At the time, Hocevar had earned his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win at Texas Motor Speedway and was riding a streak of four-straight top-five finishes. The Portage, Mich., native started 26th for the 240-lap Cup Series race and was running in the mid-teens when a brake rotor failed and ended the No. 7 team’s day. Hocevar went on to compete in eight of the last nine Cup Series events in 2023 for another team before signing full-time with Spire Motorsports prior to the 2024 season.
• Outside of Cup Series competition, Hocevar made four CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at WWTR resulting in one top-five and two top-10 finishes.
• Exactly one year prior to his Cup debut, during his second year of full-time competition for Niece Motorsports, Hocevar was running fifth as the field took the white flag for the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at WWTR. Hocevar was shuffled out of position after contact with a competitor and sustained hard contact to the driver side door as the field approached the checkered flag. Despite a broken tibia in his right ankle that resulted in surgery, Hocevar was back behind the wheel just one week later at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, where he earned his only CRAFTSMAN Truck Series pole award and finished sixth.
• Hocevar most recently earned his seventh top-10 finish of the 2025 season with a venue-best ninth-place result at Darlington Raceway in Sunday’s Southern 500. Hocevar started 26th and recovered from a spin early in Stage 2 to match Spire Motorsports’ best result at the track.
• Zeigler Auto Group returns to the No. 77 Chevrolet ZL1 for Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300, Zeigler is one of the largest privately-owned dealer groups in the U.S. with 84 franchises across 41 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Vehicle brands represented include all the domestic and majority of the imported manufacturers. The family-owned and -operated organization has been a regular on the Cup Series tour since 2019.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
World Wide Technology Raceway has been the site of some very high and very low points of your career. Is there a certain feeling you get when you pull into the track on race weekend?
“I try not to think about the wreck and the injury. I think that’s what most drivers would do, you just can’t worry about that. The Cup debut and then coming back last year to kind of make up for how that first race ended, means a lot more to me. That’s where all of this started. It’s where Spire Motorsports and Jeff Dickerson first saw something in me that made them think it might be good for me to move up. Whether other people think it was good or not doesn’t really matter, but Gateway is a special place for me and I love racing there every year.”

You’ve come a long way since that first Cup Series race in 2023. If there was anything you’d tell that version of yourself, what would it be?
“Just keep being you. There will be a lot of tough days, but the good ones make up for them. You’ll piss off a lot of drivers, and that isn’t always fun, but you’ll end up with a good group of guys on the No. 77 who have your back and believe in you.”

Atop the No. 77 Box – Crew Chief Luke Lambert

• Crew chief Luke Lambert has called two Cup Series races at WWTR, including Hocevar’s 2024 eighth-place finish.
• Following Sunday’s ninth-place effort at Darlington, Lambert now owns 99 top-10 finishes as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win came on May 30, 2025, when Rajah Caruth took the checkered flag in the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

In 2025, Spire Motorsports campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team also fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and an ARCA Menards Series Chevrolet in select events.

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY
PRE-RACE ADVANCE
EVENT: Enjoy Illinois 300

DATE: Sept. 7, 2025
RACE: NASCAR Cup Series 28 of 36
TRACK: World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill. | 1.25-Mile Oval

CLUB MINUTES:

ST. LOUIS AND NASCAR: Prior to the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural race at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) in Madison, Illinois, the track had hosted races for the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the ARCA Menards Series. In July 1997, the track hosted its first NASCAR top-tier series race with the Xfinity Series. The winner of that race was Elliott Sadler. It followed that up in September 1997 with an ARCA Menards Series race. The following year in September 1998, the track added the Truck Series to its lineup, where Rick Carelli, Erik Jones’ former spotter, was the race winner. The Xfinity Series continued to hold races at the track until 2010, while the Truck Series continued to run there through present day. Prior to the 2022 season, the 1.25-mile oval was added to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule to hold its inaugural race for the series.

JJ AT WWTR: While LEGACY MC co-owner and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson never raced in the Cup Series at the track formerly known as Gateway, he does own three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track. He never finished outside the top-15 in these starts. In his first start in October 1998, Johnson started 36th but found himself in the lead on Lap 85 where he led for 10 laps. He ultimately finished 15th. In July 2000, Johnson started 16th and finished 13th. In his final start in July 2001, he started ninth and finished 14th.

KENSETH WWTR STATS: LEGACY MC Competition Advisor Matt Kenseth also has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track formerly known as Gateway. He owns two top-10 finishes at the track with a best finish of second, earned in October 1998 where he finished 3.254 seconds behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. He followed that up with a sixth-place result in July 1999 after starting 21st.

NEVER SETTLE: Join ESPN’s Marty Smith and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s co-owner Jimmie Johnson for their weekly podcast, “Never Settle”. The podcast airs live on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 at 2 p.m. ET every Wednesday and can be downloaded wherever fans source their podcasts.

This week’s episode will be Part 2 of the Greg Olsen interview. Fans can now tune into Never Settle on YouTube and watch the behind the scenes as well as full episodes. Click HERE to watch and subscribe.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JHN AT WWTR: Last year’s June race at World Wide Technology Raceway was John Hunter Nemechek’s first career NASCAR Cup Series start at the track. He started 33rd for the 240-lap race and finished 27th. Although last year was his first Cup Series race, Nemechek does have seven starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where he won in June 2017. He earned a total of three top-10 finishes at WWTR with a fourth-place result in June 2015 and a sixth-place finish in June 2016.

TRUCK SERIES WINNER AT WWTR: In August 2017, Nemechek took home the checkered flag in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race after starting second at WWTR. He led 46 out of 160 laps and won with a 1.635 margin of victory over Chase Briscoe. Nemechek was running a full-time season in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2017, and this marked his first of two wins that season.

T-MACK WWTR STATS: Sunday afternoon’s race will be crew chief Travis Mack’s third NASCAR Cup Series race at WWTR. His first outing at the 1.25-mile oval came in June 2022 with Daniel Suárez where he finished 23rd. Mack’s highest finish of seventh came with Suárez in June 2023 after starting 13th. Mack returned to WWTR in the Cup Series with Derek Kraus in June 2024, where the duo finished 30th.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE:
“World Wide Technology Raceway has been a good racetrack for me. I’ve had success there in the Truck Series, and I’ve led a bunch of laps there in addition to running up front. Last year’s Cup Series race didn’t go so hot for us, but I’m looking forward to going back there this year with the new changes and improvements we’ve made to our cars over the 2025 season. I hope to build on the momentum coming off Daytona and Darlington. Metrics are going to be really important for Bristol, so there’s even more emphasis on having a good run this weekend.”

TRAVIS MACK QUOTE:
“I haven’t been to WWTR with John Hunter yet, but the No. 43 team tested there earlier this year, so we’ll make the most of what we learned. We’re looking to carry the momentum from Darlington and continue building on the strength of our intermediate package.”

ERIK JONES
NO. 43 FAMILY DOLLAR TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JONES WWTR STATS: Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 will mark Erik Jones’ fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill. In his prior three starts, Jones earned one top-10 and two top-20s. He earned a best finish of seventh in the Cup Series’ inaugural race at the track in June 2022. Jones started 21st and led four laps en route to his top-10 finish. He has an additional three starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at WWTR where he started in the top-three twice and earned a fifth-place finish in June 2016, his best at the track. He led a total of 88 laps at WWTR in his Truck Series in his career.

THE WIN THAT GOT AWAY: In June 2015, Jones started on the pole for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at WWTR. He was favored to win as he had been knocking on the door of the win with four top-three finishes in seven races so far that year. He led the opening 55 laps of the race before coming to pit road and handing over the lead to Matt Crafton. He took the lead back on Lap 63 and led for an additional 20 laps. After several lead changes from strategy, he took the lead for a final time on Lap 111 for nine laps. An accident on Lap 145 with the No. 1 truck of Ryan Ellis derailed his day though and problems sustained from that incident forced him to retire after leading 84 laps. Cole Custer went on to win that race. Jones went on to win the next weekend at Iowa Speedway and won two more races that season before clinching his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.

ZIGAZOO COMES TO WWTR: In partnership with Zigazoo, Jones is inviting another content creator out to the racetrack to experience the fast life of NASCAR at World Wide Technology Raceway. This weekend, Sydney Thomas, a well-known Influencer and Zigazoo content creator, will join Jones and the No. 43 team as a special guest. On Instagram alone, Thomas has over 101K followers with another 855K followers on TikTok. Fans can follow along with her weekend at the track at @Sydneytaleah on Instagram and @TheSydneySmiles on TikTok. Learn more about Zigazoo at www.Zigazoo.com.

BESHORE AT ST. LOUIS: Crew chief Ben Beshore has two NASCAR Cup Series races on top of the box at WWTR with Kyle Busch in June 2022 and John Hunter Nemechek in June 2024. His best finish of second came in 2022 when Busch started 12th, led 66 laps, and finished .655 of second behind race winner Joey Logano, who passed Busch with just two laps to go in the race. In last year’s race at WWTR, Beshore and Nemechek started 22nd and finished 26th.

ERIK JONES QUOTE
“WWTR is a unique track, but it reminds me a lot of Phoenix. I enjoy racing there. It seems like the track has gotten pretty wide the last few years, so that gives us a bunch of options to move around and do stuff. That’s always a positive when we go to these places. We’ll have to see what it does this time around. We’re bringing a different tire than what we raced there before too. It’s been a good race with a great crowd, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the track widens out and what kind of options we have.”

BEN BESHORE QUOTE
“WWTR tends to be very track-position based as it’s been hard to pass there. You see a lot of guys have success there doing fuel only and two-tire stop strategies to try and get out front at the end. It’s another track that’s asymmetric, similar to Darlington. Turns 1 and 2 are tighter than Turns 3 and 4. From a setup standpoint, you’re just trying to compromise the best you can on each end of the track.”

CLUB APPEARANCES:
No. 42 crew chief Travis Mack will be on SiriusXM Channel 90 on Tuesday, September 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

No. 43 crew chief Ben Beshore will be on SiriusXM Channel 90 on Wednesday, September 3 at 8:30 a.m. ET, and John Hunter Nemechek will call in later that day at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Erik Jones will be on SiriusXM Channel 90 on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Nemechek will be at the NASCAR Classics trackside merchandise rig to sign for fans at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 7.

TUNE IN:
Fans can tune in to watch the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill. on Sunday, September 7 at 3 p.m. ET on USA, MAX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson and Knighthead Capital Management, LLC. Drawing from a rich tradition of success, LEGACY MC is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motorsport and setting new standards of excellence. The CLUB competes under the Toyota Gazoo Racing banner in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE piloted by Erik Jones and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson also races on a limited basis in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. With NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Richard Petty, “The King”, serving as CLUB Ambassador, LEGACY MC blends timeless racing traditions with a new forward-thinking vision. As an inclusive community for motorsport enthusiasts, LEGACY MC honors both its storied past and the promising future of its members, always striving for victory and championship glory at the pinnacle of NASCAR competition.

Todd Gilliland and the No. 34 Morton Buildings Ford Team
World Wide Technology Raceway Competition Notes
Enjoy Illinois 300

Date: Sunday, September 7, 2025
Event: Race 30 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: World Wide Technology Raceway (1.2-miles)
#of Laps: 240
Time/TV/Radio: 3:00 PM ET on USA/MRN/SiriusXM channel 90

Todd Gilliland Notes

Todd Gilliland and the No. 34 team will face the World Wide Technology Raceway this weekend for the NASCAR Cup Series’ annual visit to the 1.25-mile oval. In three Cup Series starts at the track, Gilliland has two top-20 finishes, finishing 15th in 2023 and 16th in 2024.

Morton Buildings will partner with Gilliland for the 300-mile race, debuting their red and black scheme across the No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Headquartered in Morton, Illinois, Morton Buildings Inc. is the industry leader in post-frame manufacturing and construction. At Morton, the difference is in the details. From cutting-edge innovations and best-in-class warranty to their craftsmen in the field, Morton Buildings is dedicated to surpassing expectations. Their legacy of excellence in construction spans more than a century and has more than a quarter-million satisfied customers. Morton Buildings is 100% employee-owned and proud to be ranked #36 on the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) top-100 list, which includes the nation’s largest companies that are at least 50% owned by an employee stock ownership plan. For more information, please visit mortonbuildings.com.

“As a team, we’ve experienced our share of highs and lows during the season’s ‘Summer Stretch,’ but as we get closer to the end of the season, I know this group won’t quit,” said Gilliland. “There’s still plenty left to race for, with each weekend bringing another opportunity to compete for points and wins. Gateway has always been a solid track for me, so hopefully we can turn our luck around there.”

Road Crew

Driver: Todd Gilliland

Hometown: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Chris Lawson

Hometown: Medway, Ohio

Car Chief: Joe Marra

Hometown: Somers, New York

Engineer: Marc Rullo

Hometown: Ringwood, New Jersey

Engineer: Kevyn Rebolledo

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Spotter: Brit Andersen

Hometown: Branford, Connecticut

Underneath Mechanic: Michael Brookes

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Interior Mechanic: Chance Burke

Hometown: Siler City, North Carolina

Tire Specialist: Billy John

Hometown: Pitman, New Jersey

Engine Tuner: Tim Meyer

Hometown: Beatrice, Nebraska

Transporter Driver: Randy Bernier

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Danny Olszowy

Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky

Rear Tire Changer: Justin Fox

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Paul Steele

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

Jackman: Landon Honeycutt

Hometown: Mount Pleasant, North Carolina

Fueler: Zeke Nance

Hometown: Calhoun, Georgia

ABOUT MORTON BUILDINGS

Morton Buildings Inc. headquartered in Morton, Illinois, is the industry leader in post-frame manufacturing and construction. At Morton, the difference is in the details. From cutting-edge innovations and best-in-class warranty to their craftsmen in the field, Morton Buildings is dedicated to surpassing expectations. Their legacy of excellence in construction spans more than a century and has more than a quarter-million satisfied customers. Morton Buildings is 100% employee-owned and proud to be ranked #36 on the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) top 100 list, which includes the nation’s largest companies that are at least 50% owned by an employee stock ownership plan. For more information, please visit mortonbuildings.com

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @teamfrm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.