Posted on by Staff Report

Seven racers in The Chase presented by Mobil 1 collided in the Lap 141 restart that began the final stage at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Bubba Wallace forced his way to the bottom of what became a four-wide wad through Turns 1 and 2 during the Enjoy Illinois 300, with fellow Chase contenders Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece to his right and Josh Berry atop the four-wide situation.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Room ran out as Wallace and Briscoe came together, sending both Toyotas for a spin. William Byron also contacted Wallace in the melee, incurring significant damage to his No. 24 Chevrolet. Byron entered the event last in the 16-driver Chase standings following an engine failure last weekend at Darlington Raceway.

Briscoe also contacted Preece while sliding sideways off Turn 2. Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin made contact as Hamlin swerved to avoid the calamity. Chase Elliott nearly missed the accident but got slight rear damage from Byron and Wallace.

All drivers were able to continue despite the crash, which necessitated the ninth of 18 cautions Sunday. Byron bounced back for a fourth-place finish, best of those involved.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MADISON, Ill. — In a cauldron of chaos, with Chase drivers wrecking and brake rotors exploding through the bodies of NASCAR Cup Series cars, Kyle Larson’s 51-race winless streak ended Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

Holding off pole winner Joey Logano and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman on a succession of late restarts, Larson won the Enjoy Illinois 300 in two overtimes to affirm his status as a contender for a third series championship in The Chase presented by Mobil 1.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

With top seed Denny Hamlin running ninth after a problematic pit stop on Lap 199 of 247, Larson, the defending series champion, gained five positions to second in the Chase standings, nine points behind Hamlin.

The victory was the first for the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet since May 11, 2025, at Kansas Speedway. Larson, who led 80 laps and won the Stage 2, prevailed for the first time at WWT Raceway and for the 33rd time in his career.

In a race that featured a track-record 18 cautions for 87 laps, Larson passed Logano to the inside moments after a Lap 228 restart that followed a four-car wreck involving Chase drivers Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick.

Three more cautions and two attempts at overtime later, Larson took the checkered flag 0.333 seconds ahead of Bowman, who grabbed the second position from Logano on a Lap 242 restart.

SHOP: Winner gear

Larson had superior speed at the end of the race, thanks to a four-tire call by Larson himself on the team’s final stop on Lap 201. Logano’s crew chief, Paul Wolfe, opted for right-side tires on the No. 22 Ford’s last trip to pit road, and Larson’s tire advantage — along with strong pushes from Bowman on consecutive restarts — proved decisive.

“Just proud of my team for working so hard, being so patient through all the tough times, the winless streak, all that,” said Larson, who ended a nine-race drought for Chevrolet. “Thanks to the fans, my fans, for also being patient with us, letting us get it figured out,

“How about Hendrick Motorsports? Alex Bowman, can’t ask for a better teammate than him. Gave me the pushes I needed to get clear. Want to dedicate this win to him — and his dog just passed away a couple days ago.”

Bowman, who will retire from full-time Cup racing after next season, executed a solid race, avoiding the pitfalls that caused consternation among other competitors.

“Yeah, super happy for Kyle. Was a really hard weekend just to get on the plane and be here,” Bowman said. “So, yeah, ready to go home. But proud of everybody on this Ally 48 team for helping me through the weekend. Yeah, life is hard sometimes.

“Yeah, I lost my best friend, so just ready to go home.”

Logano, who led a race-high 96 laps and finished third, had mixed feelings about the outcome for the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

“The restart where Larson took the lead — that’s where I lost it obviously,” Logano said. “He just rolled the bottom really good and cleared me, which is really surprising.

“His first, like, three laps of every run was pretty spectacular. You had a bunch of three-lap runs there at the end. Once he got there, then the 48 (Bowman) got there, the 24 (William Byron) got there. Had no homies with me. No more friends. On my own …

“I mean, it’s a good run, right? Got a lot of stage points, finished in the top five again, which is obviously what we need to do. Thinking about what the 25 points would feel like right about now, it does stink some.”

RELATED: Logano: ‘Just bitter at the moment’

Logano, who won the first stage and finished second in Stage 2, leaves Greater St. Louis tied for sixth in the Chase standings, having trimmed his deficit to Hamlin from 72 points to 51.

William Byron recovered from a Lap 141 accident to finish fourth, with Ross Chastain in fifth, posting his second top five of the season. Austin Dillon was sixth, followed by Connor Zilisch, Carson Hocevar, Hamlin and Austin Cindric.

If Logano was somewhat disappointed with his third-place result, his dissatisfaction paled in comparison with the calamities that befell a succession of Chase drivers. Ryan Blaney blew a brake rotor and fell out in 35th place, falling 33 points behind Hamlin.

Five Chase drivers — Blaney, Daniel Suárez, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott and Chase Briscoe — had gone to the garage before the race ended. Buescher and Elliott both suffered from exploding rotors, with Elliott collecting Briscoe after his No. 9 Chevrolet spiraled out of control.

MORE: Several Chase drivers involved in major final stage wrecks

Bell, last Sunday’s winner at Darlington Raceway, finished 19th and fell one spot to third in the standings, 18 points behind Hamlin.

The bottom five drivers in the Chase standings — Byron, Cindric, Buescher, Ryan Preece and Suárez — are all more than 100 points out of first place and losing touch with the top contenders, although there are eight races left before the title is decided.

The Cup Series competes next in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Stage 2 recap

Kyle Larson won Stage 2 of Sunday’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

Joey Logano finished second, followed by Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Josh Berry. Denny Hamlin, Ryan Preece, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe and Bubba Wallace completed the top 10 and points earners.

After Stage 1’s conclusion, all but 12 lead-lap cars pitted. Among those staying out were Daniel Suárez, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Austin Cindric and Chris Buescher, all Chase drivers who came for service at least once during the opening frame.

Just four laps under green-flag conditions in Stage 2, Ty Gibbs contacted Erik Jones battling for 18th, sending the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota spinning. Gibbs had trouble passing Jones for multiple laps before the bump and slide.

MORE: Full Stage 2 results

The race restarted on Lap 60, but it took just four laps until the next yellow. Riley Herbst cut across Shane van Gisbergen’s bumper after Buescher checked up following contact from Carson Hocevar in front of them, spinning across AJ Allmendinger.

A majority of Chase drivers came down pit road, where many teams took two fresh Goodyear Eagles. Hamlin won the race off pit road, and he restarted fourth on Lap 69 with Ross Chastain in the lead.

On Lap 81, Kyle Larson passed Chastain for the top spot to lead laps in the second consecutive race. Chastain pitted during the stage break and banked on a caution later in Stage 2 to refuel. But with 12 to go amid the longest run of the race, he surrendered his fourth-place running position for fuel.

But as Chastain blended back onto the racing surface, Zane Smith suffered an issue entering Turn 1, pounding the outside SAFER barrier. That caution came with exactly 10 laps to go, ending Stage 2 prematurely.

Stage 1 recap

Joey Logano won a chaotic Stage 1 of the Cup race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, leading all 45 laps.

Christopher Bell finished second despite a late charge for max points, followed by Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott. Carson Hocevar, Chase Briscoe, Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs and Brad Keselowski completed the top 10 in the second race of The Chase.

MORE: Full Stage 1 results | Watch Logano clinch Stage 1 win

It didn’t take long for the first Chase drivers to have issues. Exiting Turn 4 and heading into Lap 4, the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Daniel Suárez wiggled and made contact with Tyler Reddick, forcing the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota into the wall. The Chase drivers were battling for a spot inside the top 15.

Two laps later, Riley Herbst spun in the same spot after contact from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Herbst slid into the inside wall, suffering front-end and right-side damage on his No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota for the first caution of the afternoon, allowing teammate Reddick to come down pit road for repairs and dropping outside the top 30.

The race restarted on Lap 10, and just five circuits later, Stenhouse went around exiting Turn 2, with the single-car incident resulting in the second yellow of the day. Reddick pitted a second time, and Suárez came for service as well, allowing his team to investigate for potential damage.

On the ensuing restart, another crash broke out toward the back of the field. Michael McDowell got squeezed into the wall by Shane van Gisbergen while racing four-wide, resulting in an incident that also sent Noah Gragson spinning in his No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford. The wreck happened in front of Suárez, who suffered minor front and rear damage. He again visited pit road for repairs.

On Lap 28, van Gisbergen washed up the track in Turns 1 and 2, contacting Ty Dillon before spinning himself around for the fourth caution. Under that yellow, a handful of Chase drivers made their first scheduled pit stops, including points leader Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Austin Cindric, Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher.

The rest of Stage 1 remained green, and Logano earned the wire-to-wire victory.

NOTE: Post-race inspection was completed in the Cup Series garage with no issues, confirming Larson as the Gateway winner. 

Contributing: Staff report

Posted on by Staff Report

World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway acts as the second postseason contest for the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Following a thrilling weekend at Darlington Raceway, the 1.25-mile track in Madison, Illinois, will be the next battleground in The Chase presented by Mobil 1, with plenty of excitement to be expected. Current Chase points leader Denny Hamlin is the defending winner, while the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will see a new victor emerge after Connor Zilisch took home the honors last season. Bookmark this page and return often for your race-week essentials, from qualifying orders, pit stalls, results and more.

RELATED: Full weekend schedule | TV listings | Goodyear tire setup 

NASCAR Cup Series

Race day: Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available. 

Tires: Twelve total sets — nine new sets for the race, two for practice and one for qualifying that transfers to the race. 

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Starting Lineup
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series

Race day: Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on The CW. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available. 

Tires: Five total sets — three new sets for the race, one for practice and one for qualifying that transfers to the race. 

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Starting Lineup
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

Posted on by Staff Report

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. logged his 500th career NASCAR Cup Series start with the drop of the green flag Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (Live on USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Olive Branch, Mississippi, the 38-year-old Stenhouse became the 49th driver to log 500 starts in NASCAR’s premier series, an illustrious milestone for a driver who has left his mark across all three of NASCAR’s national circuits.

RELATED: At-track photos 

Stenhouse made his national-series debut in 2009, piloting the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford at Nashville Superspeedway in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. In his third start, Stenhouse tallied his first career top-10 finish at Kentucky Speedway. Stenhouse immediately followed the result with a fifth-place showing at The Milwaukee Mile, his first career top five.

Stenhouse’s first career NASCAR win came just two years later, triumphing at Iowa Speedway during the 2011 O’Reilly season. A second victory came at Iowa later in the season, with the wins — as well as 14 additional top-five finishes — helping net Stenhouse the 2011 championship crown. There was no letting up during the 2012 season, with six race victories, 19 top fives and 788 laps led giving Stenhouse back-to-back titles.

After making his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2011 with Wood Brothers Racing, Stenhouse officially made the full-time jump to Cup in 2013 as pilot of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Ford. He logged his first career Cup top-five finish that season at Talladega Superspeedway with a third-place run. The talent was on display throughout the campaign, with Stenhouse eventually claiming Rookie of the Year honors.

Stenhouse’s breakthrough Cup campaign came in 2017. He captured his first career Cup win at Talladega, pulling away from Kyle Busch on the final lap to claim his first victory in his 158th career Cup start. Stenhouse’s second victory that season came at Daytona International Speedway, leading 17 laps and prevailing in NASCAR Overtime to hoist the victory hardware. The victories propelled Stenhouse into the postseason, with the No. 17 Ford pilot finishing a career-best 13th in the championship standings.

After seven Cup seasons with Roush Fenway, Stenhouse transitioned to JTG Daugherty Racing in 2020 and promptly won the pole in his first start with the team, leading the field to the green flag in the Daytona 500. His first Cup victory with the team, coincidentally, came in the 2023 rendition of the “Great American Race,” with the No. 47 Chevrolet holding off 2022 Cup Series champion Joey Logano in what was the longest Daytona 500 ever to clinch the Harley J. Earl Trophy.

A playoff berth by virtue of that 2023 victory made it natural for driver and team alike to stay together, and Stenhouse agreed to a multiyear contract in May 2024. Later that season, Stenhouse won by 0.006 seconds over RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski at Talladega, tied for the seventh-closest finish in Cup history.

MORE: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. driver page | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. through the years

Through the 2026 season, Stenhouse remains with the organization, which has competed under the Hyak Motorsports banner since the 2025 campaign. He and the team announced another contract extension in May. A driver with an already diverse motorsports background — including in sprint cars and midget cars, among others — Stenhouse has expanded his portfolio in 2026 with Niece Motorsports, logging his first career appearances in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

From longtime mentors — including Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart — who guided the up-and-comer to becoming a seasoned NASCAR veteran himself, Stenhouse has crafted a storied journey, with his 500th start as the latest chapter.

Posted on by Dustin Albino

MADISON, Ill. — The Chase presented by Mobil 1 opener at Darlington Raceway provided 23XI Racing with plenty of encouragement as both drivers delivered competitive performances and chipped away at the championship lead. But the road ahead gets tougher at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, a venue that has troubled the organization in recent years.

Tyler Reddick finished fourth at the St. Louis-area oval in 2024, his only result better than 16th in four career starts. Bubba Wallace, meanwhile, shined early in last year’s annual trip to the Midwest, leading 73 laps and winning Stage 2 before dropping to eighth in the box score. That is his only finish above 21st in a quartet of starts.

RELATED: Cup standings | St. Louis weekend schedule

“We’ve definitely had our problems when we’ve come here in the past, whether that’s due to mistakes or fighting mechanical issues,” Reddick said on Saturday. “For us, the path that we’ve taken to get to this point at the other short tracks this year has got us feeling pretty good confidence-wise that the mechanical stuff won’t be a problem.”

Improvement, indeed.

In recent races at shorter tracks that demand heavy braking, Wallace has particularly stood out, leading 35 laps at Iowa Speedway, scoring stage points at Richmond Raceway and finishing runner-up to Ryan Blaney at New Hampshire Motor Speedway — the track most comparable to Gateway.

Wallace is approaching Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) similar to how he entered New Hampshire, where he was closing quickly on Blaney at the end of the race.

“We led laps, and it is totally different with the package,” Wallace said of his 2025 Gateway performance. “I’m having a Loudon-esque mindset going into it. We were pretty good there.”

Wallace has seen 23XI Racing make significant strides at the flatter tracks, but he still isn’t fully comfortable with the car’s stability. That has become the next area of focus.

“The feel-wise is what us drivers chase — and I’m still not happy with the feel,” he added. “I’m pleasantly pleased with the pace at the short tracks that we’ve been to. There’s a lot we can take from all these places and see what we can do.”

Reddick recently had finishes of eighth and 11th, respectively, at New Hampshire and Richmond. He wrecked on Lap 4 at Iowa, which resulted in a last-place finish. That’s a shorter track that he wishes he had back to have comparable notes for Gateway.

“Iowa is the one that I wish we could have ran to have a good idea,” Reddick said. “Bubba had a lot of speed all day and it seems like we could have had the same capabilities. Looking at what we’ve learned this year at the short tracks, it’s pointing to we should be fast this weekend.”

The No. 45 bunch led the way for 23XI Racing in practice on Saturday at Gateway, ranking fifth in single-lap speed and seventh on long-run pace. Wallace lacked long-run pace, but qualified seventh, matching his best starting position at a non-drafting oval since Darlington in late March.

Both drivers are aiming to chip away at the championship lead once more at Gateway, which has proven to be a wild-card track in recent years with double-digit cautions in three of the four races at the 1.25-mile layout.

“We already saw it this first weekend out: mistakes, drivers finishing way back, mid-pack in stages,” Reddick said. “I think mistakes are going to continue to happen whether they are with our own control or getting caught by a yellow at times. I think winning is going to move you up in the standings quite a bit, but I’m not ready to say you’re going to have to go on a tear and win multiple races to win The Chase yet. It’s hard to be consistent.”

Reddick enters Gateway fourth on The Chase grid, 24 points below leader Denny Hamlin. Wallace gained four spots to 10th after a strong Darlington showing, tied with Christopher Bell for the biggest upward swing through the opening race of the postseason.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MADISON, Ill. — In a race that kindled the rivalry between Corey Day and William Sawalich to full flame, Jesse Love showed the form that made him a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion last year.

Wrestling the lead from Carson Kvapil with a gentle rub with 16 laps remaining, Love held the top spot the rest of the way in winning Saturday night’s Nu Way 225 Powered by Bobcat and Sauced by Blues Hog at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Love crossed the finish line 0.896 seconds ahead of last week’s Darlington winner, Sheldon Creed, who moved into first place in The Chase presented by Mobil 1 standings by three points over top-seeded Justin Allgaier.

Kvapil, who faded to fifth in the closing laps, is third in the standings, nine points behind Allgaier. Love climbed two positions to fourth, 16 points back. Chase drivers Sam Mayer and Taylor Gray came home third and fourth, respectively, in Saturday’s race.

Parker Retzlaff, Brent Crews, Sammy Smith, Kyle Sieg and Jeb Burton completed the top 10.

Austin Hill, Love’s Richard Childress Racing teammate, broke into the top five inside the final 15 laps but was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop with four laps remaining, sinking the Chase driver to 29th, one lap down.

Love was convinced a chance for his first victory of the season would come if he maintained his grit and work ethic.

“Eventually, one of these opportunities was going to be there, and I’m going to frickin’ take it like the way we frickin’ did tonight,” an elated Love said after climbing from his car. “Man, I love St. Louis. I got my first national midget win across the street with Chad Boat.

“Had my first Truck race start here and got beat here last year — had a good car. Just so proud of my team.”

The win was Love’s first at Gateway and the fourth of his career.

Love avoided the pitfalls that eventually hurt other Chase drivers — specifically, a blockaded pit road and the latest in a violent string of incidents between Day and Sawalich.

Taylor Gray was the first Chase driver to experience trouble Saturday night when he spun racing Rajah Caruth for ninth place on Lap 13. Neither car was damaged, and both were able to continue.

On Lap 49, during the Stage 1 break, a massive chain-reaction wreck just beyond the entrance to pit road scrambled the field and damaged several Chase cars.

With Day already in the first pit stall after the entrance, Caruth’s No. 88 Chevrolet turned off the bumper of Nick Sanchez’s No. 87 Chevy as the field compressed behind them.

Sanchez’s car slid toward the No. 19 Toyota of Brent Crews, as the pit crew was already servicing Crews’ vehicle. The 10-car melee blocked pit road and trapped Day’s Chevy in its pit stall. Two crew members were contacted in the incident, but all were unharmed, according to Joe Gibbs Racing’s social media account.

NASCAR red-flagged the race for 7 minutes, 54 seconds to clear pit road. The Chase cars of Brandon Jones and Caruth sustained significant damage and restarted on Lap 54 in the back third of the running order.

Allgaier escaped the accident on pit road, only to leave his stall with a loose wheel. A return trip to the pits left the Chase’s top seed 19th in the running order, but by the time NASCAR called the third caution on Lap 73 for debris from Anthony Alfredo’s flat tire, Allgaier had clawed his way back to ninth.

By the end of Stage 2, won by Love, the 2024 series champion had worked his way up to sixth.

After a restart on Lap 133, Day and Sawalich were racing side-by-side, with Day to the inside, when Allgaier made a move to the bottom of the track with a push from Gray’s Toyota.

With Gray on his bumper, Allgaier moved Day up the track into the driver’s side of Sawalich’s Toyota. Sawalich turned left into Day’s Chevrolet, knocking it down the track into a spin that ended with hard contact with the inside wall.

The accident knocked Day out of the race in 33rd place and left him eighth in the standings, 69 points behind Creed.

“I just hate it for my 17 guys,” Day said. “It was going to be a minimum top-five day for us. We had a really fast car. It’s just really unfortunate.”

Day had no message for Sawalich after exiting the infield care center.

“I don’t, no. I think he made himself look stupid enough for me [not] to say anything.”

For his part, Sawalich, who finished 16th, opted not to address the incident directly.

“Just worry about next week,” Sawalich said.

The pyrotechnics between two drivers who also sparred last week at Darlington proved costly for Allgaier as well. He sustained damage to the right front of his Camaro during the Day/Sawalich dust-up, and his 13th-place finish cost him the series lead.

“This is the first time the No. 7 car hasn’t been on top of the points in a long time,” Allgaier said. “That just fuels this team. If we have things go our way, we’ll be right there.”

The series returns to action at Bristol Motor Speedway to continue The Chase on Friday, Sept. 18 (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, ESPN Unlimited, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: Post-race technical inspection concluded without issue, confirming Love as the race winner. The No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of driver Austin Hill will lose pit selection at Bristol due to an at-track inspection penalty.

Contributing: Staff report

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

MADISON, Ill. — A second consecutive pole award and a career-high 105 laps led Saturday evening at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway were not enough to net Carson Kvapil his third win of the 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season.

After being passed for the lead by Jesse Love with 15 laps to go, the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet faded in traffic and wound up fifth at the checkered flag — a fifth top five in the last six races — while Love took his first victory of the year.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Kvapil had the clear-cut fastest car during the weening daylight hours, but as the night sky took over, the No. 1 didn’t have the same pace.

“I felt like our stuff for the first 30 (laps) was really good and then we were probably just even from there on out for the runs,” Kvapil said after the race. “Stage 2, really good car again. Got passed on a restart and kind of got a taste of dirty air. Honestly, I felt like we were still the best car and just was kind of stuck in the air. I felt like our stuff probably faded just a touch on the long-run stuff compared to those guys. But I mean, either way, we had a really fast car all day, led a lot of laps and qualified on the pole again this week. They did all the right things.”

On the final 24-lap run to the finish, Kvapil got to the lead before Turn 1 on the restart and appeared to set sail.

However, Love and Sheldon Creed were able to keep pace with Kvapil and eventually ran down the No. 1 with Love nudging Kvapil out of the lead in Turns 3 and 4 to get out front.

Kvapil kept bleeding spots and even found himself outside the top five before rallying around a fading Austin Hill in the closing laps to save a top-five result amid a career day,

“I felt like we just got tighter,” Kvapil said. “We loosened it up and got ourselves to the other side, but we were also in traffic so it’s kind of hard to really say. We tightened it back up there for the last set of tires, and honestly, it fired off good. But I felt like we were probably just too tight to hold on for for a whole 50-lap run or whatever the number was there. Probably should have had them keep freeing it up but was a little worried with the previous restart being a little free and just a little late back to wide open.”

Amid a night of on-track tempers and drivers nodding to another chapter in a rivalry in Sunday’s Cup Series race, Love’s race-winning move to contact Kvapil may as well go down as clean as any normal pass in the same circumstance.

Kvapil had no issue with the move and hopes Love will feel the same if he returns the favor later in The Chase.

“It is what it is, right?” Kvapil said. “I’m probably not impressed about it, but I hope when the shoe’s on the other foot that it’s not a big deal. I probably wasn’t the best car there at the end. I was just trying to hold on and trying to get those guys racing. Definitely had more pace than me, but I don’t know. I mean, it’s for the win. I get it, right? Whoever gets clean air and gets out front’s gonna probably win the race. So it’s an important pass to make, but just hope whenever the shoe’s on the other foot, there’s no complaining.”

love kvapil
Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Posted on by Staff Report

For the fifth time, the NASCAR Cup Series visits World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). But this isn’t any ordinary trip to the St. Louis area.

Race No. 2 of The Chase presented by Mobil 1 is on tap, and points remain at a premium. Despite a slip-up in the Southern 500, Denny Hamlin retained the points lead by 12 markers and entered Gateway as the defending winner with a pair of runner-ups in the two years prior. But a group of hungry Fords comes ready to play, especially Team Penske — which has won twice in four previous visits. And of course, the Chevrolets hope to finally stop the bleeding after a rocky summer across the board.

RELATED: Starting lineup | At-track photos

WWT Raceway is an anomaly on the schedule, with long straightaways and tight, asymmetrical corners providing a unique challenge around the flat, 1.25-mile oval. With championship pressure continuing to build, the Gateway to the West could very well be the Gateway to the title if challengers leave with a strong run. See the drivers to watch as well as Racing Insights’ full projections for 240 laps in the Midwest.

DRIVERS TO WATCH

CHRISTOPHER BELL: Watch your back because that monkey finally flew off Bell’s. After a record-tying seven runner-up finishes without a win during the regular season, the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver scored a crown-jewel Cook Out Southern 500 victory last weekend at Darlington Raceway and suddenly sits second in points. JGR is clearly the class of the field in 2026 and Bell’s numbers are quite solid at WWT Raceway. Although he’s never finished better than seventh, he’s also never placed worse than 11th. Two years ago, the Oklahoman swept the stages and led a third of the race. With all the momentum, Bell will likely stand strong at Gateway and contend for another dub.

KYLE LARSON: Chevrolet’s pace continues to lack, but Larson goes against that grain. At the last three traditional ovals, the defending Cup champ has finished no worse than sixth, including a P5 effort and 99 laps led at Darlington. In four Gateway races, he’s placed no worse than 12th and is tied for the third-best average finish (9.5) among Chase drivers. His top five at New Hampshire last month is promising as Loudon is arguably the most comparable track.

TEAM PENSKE: All three Penske drivers are killer at Gateway — and there’s no sugarcoating it. Joey Logano won the inaugural race in 2022 and has yet to finish outside the top five at the track. He’s won two of the last seven races in 2026, too — including a 323-lap-led effort at North Wilkesboro Speedway in July. Austin Cindric won here in 2024 and has an average finish of 11th. Finally, Ryan Blaney has finished sixth or better in three of four Gateway Cup races with an average running position of eighth or better in all four. He also has victories at Phoenix Raceway and New Hampshire this season — both similar tracks. Look for Penske to bring its A-game to St. Louis.

FULL PROJECTED RESULTS FOR ENJOY ILLINOIS 300 (Sun., 3 p.m. ET, USA)

POSITIONNUMBERDRIVER
122Joey Logano
212Ryan Blaney
320Christopher Bell
411Denny Hamlin
55Kyle Larson
619Chase Briscoe
754Ty Gibbs
82Austin Cindric
923Bubba Wallace
109Chase Elliott
1124William Byron
1277Carson Hocevar
1345Tyler Reddick
1460Ryan Preece
151Ross Chastain
1617Chris Buescher
176Brad Keselowski
1821Josh Berry
197Daniel Suárez
2071Michael McDowell
2148Alex Bowman
223Austin Dillon
2316AJ Allmendinger
2497Shane van Gisbergen
2534Todd Gilliland
2638Zane Smith
2743Erik Jones
2842John Hunter Nemechek
2947Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
3041Cole Custer
314Noah Gragson
3210Ty Dillon
3388Connor Zilisch
3435Riley Herbst
3533Austin Hill
3651Cody Ware
Posted on by Staff Report

William Sawalich and Corey Day collided for the second consecutive week in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and this time, it was Day who wound up on the worst end of it.

One week after getting together at Darlington Raceway, Day washed up into Sawalich’s left-side door in Turn 1 on Lap 134 of Saturday’s event at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, after being pushed from behind by Justin Allgaier.

MORE: Race results | At-track photos

Still frustrated by last week’s run-in that put Sawalich out of the race, Sawalich expressed his displeasure with Day down the backstretch at Gateway by swinging left into Day’s right-side door, sending the No. 17 Chevrolet for a slide and a hard hit into the inside SAFER barrier at the 1.25-mile track. Allgaier, the series points leader, also incurred right-front damage in the incident. Day, who entered Saturday fifth in The Chase presented by Mobil 1, was credited with a 33rd-place finish.

“I got down in there beside him, and I went to go to the bottom, but the 7 (Allgaier) had me pushed up into him,” Day said after he was evaluated and released from the infield care center. “I couldn’t really do anything. Like I had nowhere to go. I don’t really want to talk about it much. It took care of itself.”

Day fell three spots in The Chase standings to eighth place exiting Gateway, 69 points behind series leader Sheldon Creed with seven races remaining in the O’Reilly Series season.

“It’s tough. Really tough,” Day said. “It’s going to take us winning maybe three times now to have a shot at this in the next seven races. So just really unfortunate that it ended the way that it did. We had a top-five car, like I said, and had another really good points day going.”

The crash comes after an incident at Darlington where, on Lap 68, Day contacted Sawalich’s back bumper down the backstretch, got Sawalich’s No. 18 Toyota squirrelly and led Sawalich back into the wall before spinning again off Day’s front bumper. Sawalich finished 30th in the Sept. 5 race, unable to continue due to the damage and leading to a post-race discussion. Sawalich barely missed The Chase in the regular-season finale.

Sawalich opted not to opine much on their latest incident after the race. When pressed for comment by The CW, Sawalich simply said: “I’m just worried about next week at Bristol (Motor Speedway) and what I have to do for my team.”

WATCH: Day: ‘It’s like talking to a wall’ | Sawalich on incident

No. 18 crew chief Jeff Meendering and Justin Allgaier speak after a NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Gateway.
Dustin Albino | For NASCAR Digital Media

As a result of the damage, Allgaier was later forced to pit and ultimately left with a 13th-place finish. The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet fell to second in points, trailing new points leader Creed by three markers. This marks the first time since the Feb. 28 race at Circuit of The Americas that Allgaier has not led the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings in 2026. After the race, Allgaier sought out Jeff Meendering, crew chief of Sawalich’s No. 18 Toyota, for a discussion sat on pit wall.

As a champion and veteran of the sport, Allgaier was later asked if Day and Sawalich needed to talk out their current feud.

“I don’t know the right answer,” Allgaier said. “I feel like that one’s probably a long way from being solved — not from my end. I’m just saying those two together. And they’re both young guys. They’re both going to be around the sport for a long time and they both want to get to the top level. Obviously, I don’t know what started last week, so it’s hard to know what they’ve already had conversation of and whatnot. That’s why I went to Meendering, right? It’s one thing for those two to have a problem on the race track, but when it starts affecting other people that are in The Chase, I think that’s where it’s really difficult. […]

“Those are things that I think that this sport — while we love the gloves-off side of our sport and we love that everybody has aggression, I don’t know. If it’s just two of you and you want to wreck each other, go for it. But there’s a lot more people on the race track. We’ll just have to manage it.”

Sawalich and Day have been involved in multiple incidents this year, including the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway and at Circuit of The Americas in February.

The series heads next to Bristol, where The Chase continues on Friday, Sept. 18 (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, ESPN Unlimited, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Contributing: Dustin Albino and Cameron Richardson

Posted on by Staff Report

A chain-reaction crash entering pit road at Lap 50 necessitated a red-flag condition in Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

As lead-lap cars worked their way to pit road at the Stage 1 break, William Sawalich appeared to check up just past the first few pit stalls at pit entry. Behind him, calamity ensued as others couldn’t brake hard enough in time. Rajah Caruth, a contender in The Chase presented by Mobil 1, was turned perpendicularly after being rear-ended, resulting in a blocked pit entry and many severely damaged race cars.

MORE: Race results | At-track photos

Chase driver Brandon Jones, Nick Sanchez, Harrison Burton and Jeremy Clements all suffered heavy damage in the melee.

All crewmen on pit road avoided injury in the stack-up despite an incredibly close call for the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing crew pitting Brent Crews’ Toyota in pit stall No. 40. Caruth’s left-rear quarter panel clipped the incoming right-rear tire of Crews’ car as Sanchez’s No. 87 careened toward the car’s right rear. Rear changer Bryan Backus and jackman Matt Wilps were contacted by the crashing No. 87 Chevrolet, but both completed service without injury and opted against a visit to the infield care center once the smoke cleared.

Joe Gibbs Racing later confirmed all crew members were unharmed in the incident via a post on X.

WATCH: Crewmen narrowly avoid pit-road melee

Upon his evaluation and release from the infield care center, Sanchez said he’s never experienced anything like what developed out of his windshield Saturday night.

“I’ve had pit road incidents, spins, and all that,” he said, “but I’ve never had like a dead stop at pit road like that where you couldn’t go through.”

Others involved in the crash included Dean Thompson, Jeb Burton, Ryan Sieg, Patrick Staropoli and Anthony Alfredo.

“It’s like a wreck on (Interstate) 77, I guess,” Harrison Burton said after he was evaluated and released from the infield care center, comparing it to Charlotte, North Carolina, area traffic. “I couldn’t tell what caused it, and all I saw was I guess it was the 51 (Clements) in front of me. Just, I was right on his bumper running my (RPM) lights, and he just ran into the guy in front of him and ran into the guy in front of him, and I got the worst of it.”

The cars that managed to complete service without issue were stopped on the backstretch as safety crews cleared the damaged vehicles and fluid before the rest of the field pitted and rejoined. Sanchez and Burton were officially ruled out of the race and did not continue. Sanchez was credited with a 34th-place finish and Burton 35th.

Contributing: Cameron Richardson

Jeremy Clements drives after damage in a pit-road crash during an O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Gateway.
Chris Graythen | Getty Images