Enjoy Illinois 300
(⏰ Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET | FS1 | MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101
Location: Madison, Illinois
Track length: 1.25 miles
Race purse: $7,776,907
Race distance: 240 laps | 300 miles
Segments: 45 | 140 | 240
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Starting lineup: Michael McDowell will lead the field to green flag
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: Kyle Busch, June 2023
Key things to watch
Saturday sessions
Michael McDowell set the fast lap to claim the Cup Series pole at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway with a speed of 138.598 mph, his third pole award of the season. Austin Cindric was second (138.134 mph) completing a Ford front-row sweep; Ryan Blaney (137.982 mph), Christopher Bell (137.669 mph) and Tyler Reddick (137.585 mph) rounded out the top five for the Enjoy Illinois 300.
The Fords show the way early at Gateway as they take three of the first five starting spots for Sunday’s Cup Series event. Joey Logano also posted the fastest practice time Saturday morning with a speed of 138.024. | Full Saturday recap
Big story line
Alex Bowman is back — but what’s next?
Quietly, steadily but surely, Alex Bowman is back to proving why Hendrick Motorsports signed him to a three-year extension in February 2023 through 2026.
The results may not be the flashiest, but Bowman is in the midst of a series-best five-race streak of top-10 finishes dating back to a fifth-place finish at Talladega in late April, followed by finishes of eighth at Dover, seventh at Kansas, eighth at Darlington and ninth at Charlotte. That upswing is a far cry from where the No. 48 team ended the 2023 campaign when Bowman and Co. collected just two top 10s in the final 10 races of the year as Bowman was recovering from a back injury suffered during the spring.
Bowman’s work is not done yet. The 31-year-old Arizona native is still seeking his first victory since March 2022, when he won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on a late-race restart. But his four top fives this season already equal his 2023 total, and it appears consistency is finally on his side — a reminder of why he was leading the points prior to his 2023 injury.
Gateway may not be the site of an expected breakthrough. Through two starts, Bowman has finished 13th (2022) and 26th (2023) at the 1.25-mile, asymmetrical oval. Tides are turning for the No. 48 team, however. So maybe Bowman can offer one more surprise this weekend.
History tells us…
Kyle Busch and Joey Logano enter as the drivers to beat this weekend. The only full-time drivers who own multiple NASCAR Cup Series championships, Busch and Logano have dominated the two races at World Wide Technology Raceway — but both are in dire need of good runs, too.
Busch has finished second and first in the Cup Series’ two Gateway events but enters Sunday’s contest with five finishes of 15th or worse in the past eight races. Logano, winner of the inaugural race in 2022 and a third-place finisher last year, has not earned a points-paying top-10 result in six consecutive races, his last such top 10 coming at Martinsville Speedway back on April 7 with a sixth-place finish. The No. 22 Team Penske Ford at least has an All-Star win at North Wilkesboro mixed into its last two months to ease that downturn.
So what better place for either driver to find their footing? Their talent and abilities remain unquestioned, but their inconsistent results could sorely use a fix that could start Sunday at Gateway.
He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…
Carson Hocevar. Hocevar (300-1 odds, per DraftKings) made his Cup debut in this race one year ago, driving the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet while Corey LaJoie filled in for a suspended Chase Elliott. The Michigan native impressed right away, running solidly inside the top 20 before brake failure ended his race early. Hocevar’s numbers haven’t leaped off the page lately, with six top-20 finishes in 14 races, but perhaps the driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet can spark back toward the front at a track he’s more familiar with. | Gateway odds
Speed reads
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
– Stewart-Haas Racing to close after 2024: Team owners announce “it’s time to pass the torch” | Read article
– Turning Point: Regular-season title race opens wide after Larson’s difficult double | Read article
– Front Row set to expand: FRM to run third chartered entry in 2025 | Read article
– Edwards reflects on HOF election: Class of 2025 inductee: “I won the lottery in racing” | Read article
– Inside Airspeed: A closer look at 23XI’s marvelous new headquarters | Read article
– Racing Insights: Truex projected to win at Gateway; see full field projections | Read article
– NASCAR Classics: Past Gateway races to relive before Sunday | Read article
– Field of 16: See the projected playoff picture before Gateway | Read article
– 36 for 36: Check this week’s survivor pool picks | Read article
– Fantasy Fastlane: Why Penske duo Logano, Blaney should be in your race day lineup | Photo gallery
– Paint Scheme Preview: Colors set to dazzle in Gateway and Portland | Pick your favorite
Fast facts ⏩
Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
– Both races at WWT Raceway have produced an overtime finish.
– The two races at Gateway have averaged 10.5 cautions per race.
– The 2023 race had three red flags, tied for the most in Cup Series history.