Enjoy Illinois 300
Location: Madison, Illinois
Course: Worldwide Technology Raceway at Gateway
Format: 1.25-mile oval
Laps: 160
Enjoy Illinois 300 Preview
The first playoff race is in the books and Chase Briscoe punched his ticket into the Round of 12. Tyler Reddick was the other playoff driver with the best chance to take home the checkered flag, and he now sits 35 points clear of the cut line. Josh Berry and Alex Bowman were on the opposite of things, with Berry spinning on the first lap and finished 138 laps down. Bowman had a disastrous pit stop that cost him track position before ultimately finishing 31st.
Heading into Gateway, all eyes are on Hendrick Motorsports. While Bowman was the biggest disappointment, none of their drivers had a good weekend. Penske is probably the favorite to have the best weekend, but we can also bet on unexpected results.
Key Stats at World Wide Technology Raceway
- Number of races: 3
- Winners from pole: 1
- Winners from top-5 starters: 2
- Winners from top-10 starters: 3
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
Previous World Wide Technology Raceway Winners
2024- Austin Cindric
2023 - Kyle Busch
2022 - Joey Logano
The Cup series debuted at Gateway only four years ago, but the results have been pretty clear in the small sample – track position is king. The last winners came from first and second, respectively, while none of the three winners have started worse than seventh.
This is a unique track, as its length is between short and intermediate and is relatively flat. As the results suggest, that makes passing particularly difficult. Instead, execution in other areas of the race, such as pit stops, tire wear and fuel savings, all take on outsized importance.
The unique factor is the change in when Gateway is on the calendar. The first three races came in early June, when temperatures are typically warmer. Of course, none of those were playoff races, so there could be some unique strategies or circumstances that occur this weekend.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Enjoy Illinois 300
Based on standard $50K salary cap
Tier 1 DraftKings Value Picks
Ryan Blaney - $11,000
Denny Hamlin - $10,700
Christopher Bell - $10,500
Tier 2 DraftKings Value Picks
Joey Logano - $9,000
Austin Cindric - $8,500
Bubba Wallace - $8,300
Tier 3 DraftKings Value Picks
Kyle Busch - $8,000
Ross Chastain - $7,900
Austin Dillon - $7,100
Carson Hocevar - $7,000
Tier 4 DraftKings Value Picks
Ryan Preece - $6,900
Ty Gibbs- $6,700
John Hunter Nemechek - $6,400
Michael McDowell - $5,900
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Enjoy Illinois 300
Ryan Blaney - $11,000
Joey Logano - $9,000
Kyle Busch - $8,000
Ross Chastain - $7,900
Austin Dillon - $7,100
Ty Gibbs - $6,700
This looks to be a weekend whether the optimal build is relatively well rounded. We can start with two drivers that have had disappointing 2025 seasons in Busch and Gibbs. Even in the context of his subpar last few seasons, Busch has performed well at Gateway. Since the Cup series returned, he's led 202 laps across three races, 87 more than the next closest driver (Blaney). Busch got into an accident in 2024, but he finished second and first in the two years prior.
Gibbs has been more mediocre than Busch, qualifying 15th and ninth while finishing 20th and 11th at the track. He's also been decent at New Hampshire, the most comparable track to Gateway.
As for the top of the driver pool, it's difficult to go wrong with any combination of Blaney, Logano and Hamlin. Only Busch has a higher driver rating than Blaney, and Blaney has qualified inside the top five all three years. Hamlin has finished second in each of the last two years and has qualified exactly sixth in all three races at Gateway. Logano hasn't been as dominant, but in typical fashion, he's gotten the best possible results with finishes of first, third and fifth.
In the middle tiers, we have Chastain and Dillon as standouts. Dillon has a good finishing position only once in his three races at Gateway, but he's qualified in the middle of the field consistently and also showed the ability to move up the field in 2024. Chastain looks underrated relative to his record at Gateway, as he's tallied finishes of 12th and eighth.
Best Bets for the Enjoy Illinois 300
Race Winner: Ryan Blaney (+500), Denny Hamlin (+650), Joey Logano (+950), Kyle Busch (+2000)
Head-to-Head Matchups:
Austin Cindric (+130) vs. Christopher Bell (-175)
Chase Briscoe (-190) vs. Alex Bowman (+140)
We've already covered the logic for the potential race winners pretty clearly, so we'll focus on a few head-to-head matchups for our best bets. Of the elite drivers, Bell is arguably the most inconsistent. He'll be dominant for stretches and then disappear, and he's currently in the latter phase. Bell should be favored to beat Cindric, but it's difficult to lay those odds given his current form.
The opposite is true in Briscoe vs. Bowman. Bowman backed his way into the playoffs and then made too many mistakes (along with his team) at Darlington. It's hard to have much confidence in him right now, while Briscoe has all the momentum and no pressure to perform as his spot in the Round of 12 is already secure.
Mapping out your wagers for the Cup Series race? Check out the latest Sportsbook Promo Codes to get special offers and make the most of your bets.
