Enjoy Illinois 300 Preview: The Summer Schedule Begins

This article is part of our Weekly Preview series.

This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series visits World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois for the third time since its inaugural event two seasons ago. This oval is a moderately-banked 1.25-mile track that is asphalt paved and features 11 degree banking in turns 1 & 2 and 9 degree banking in turns 3 & 4. The track has hosted Xfinity Series, Craftsman Truck Series and the lower divisions of NASCAR for many years, but NASCAR's top division just began racing at this oval in 2022. That will leave us short on a lot of data and statistics, but we'll lean heavily on the last two races and current performance on intermediate ovals to do some forecasting for the Enjoy Illinois 300.  

The event is 240 laps, divided into three stages of 45 laps, 95 laps and 100 laps. Based on what we've seen in the prior two events at WWTR, average speeds are likely to be around 135 mph as the asphalt surface provides decent grip and a lot of potential for side-by-side racing. The oval is somewhat reminiscent of the lower banked intermediate ovals on the circuit like Kansas Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, although modestly smaller in size than most NASCAR intermediate ovals. From its opening in 1997 World Wide Technology Raceway hosted Xfinity Series races until 2010 and Craftsman Truck Series events until the present day. The facility had never hosted a Cup Series event in its history until two years ago. Due to minimal historical data, there will be some unknowns as we venture this weekend to World Wide Technology Raceway. 

Since this is the third time racing at WWTR and a relatively new track, we have very little in the way of historical loop stats to examine this weekend. That does put us at a bit of a disadvantage. We will visit each driver's performance this season on intermediate, similar sized ovals for additional analysis. So do note, the loop stats in the table below only cover the last two Cup Series races at WWTR. There are still some good takeaways in these numbers despite the lack of sample size, but we will need to keep them in context and not completely go all-in on these figures. The loop stats in the table below cover the last two Cup Series events at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Two seasons ago, NASCAR made a little history by racing their top touring division at the Madison, Illinois oval for the first time ever. For much of the previous decade, this track has been mostly home to the Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series. That changed when the Cup Series took the green flag here June 5 of 2022. Joey Logano would take advantage of an overtime restart/finish to out-duel Kyle Busch and capture the win in the inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300. The Penske Racing star would lead just 22 laps that day, but would peak at the right time and take advantage of the opportunity to secure the win. Given Penske's collective struggles this season it will likely be another driver we see in victory lane this weekend.      

Last season it would be Kyle Busch in his Chevrolet that would dominate the day. The Richard Childress Racing veteran would lead 121 laps and survive an overtime restart to capture the win over Denny Hamlin. What will this Sunday hold in store? For a good idea, the closest comparable race would be the event in early May at Kansas Speedway. Kyle Larson would win that race in a thrilling 3-wide battle to the finish. We could be in for some more Hendrick Motorsports dominance and another thrilling finish at World Wide Technology Raceway. We'll give you the drivers you need to succeed in your fantasy racing games for the Enjoy Illinois 300 in Madison, Illinois.  

The Contenders – Drivers in the hunt for the win

Kyle Larson – The Hendrick Motorsports star didn't get to race at Charlotte this past week due to his Indy 500 start and the associated weather delays at both Indianapolis and Charlotte. Larson will look to get back into the groove this week at World Wide Technology Raceway. The really good news is that this driver and team have already won earlier this season at the two most similar ovals to WWTR with the wins at Las Vegas and Kansas. Larson led 5 laps and finished fourth-place in this event one year ago. That's a good experience to build on for this Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300. He'll likely be the driver to beat Sunday in Madison, Illinois.

Denny Hamlin – Hamlin has yet to scratch the win column on an intermediate oval this season, but he's been pretty strong. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota has led a combined 139 laps on the mid-sized ovals this season and Hamlin has most recently nabbed fifth-place finishes at both Kansas and Charlotte. The Joe Gibbs Racing star has battled among the leaders in most of these races on similar sized ovals. Hamlin qualified third on the grid and finished an impressive runner-up in this event one year ago. Although he didn't lead any laps in that event, the veteran driver showed he could qualify well, race among the leaders the full event and challenge for the win. Hamlin will do it again Sunday in this 300-mile battle.

Chris Buescher – The driver of the No. 17 Ford has been a bit hit-or-miss on the intermediate ovals this season, but he's been trending up big of late. Buescher's most recent start on the similarly configured oval in Kansas netted a thrilling battle to the finish that Buescher would finish runner-up by 0.001-seconds to Kyle Larson. We believe in putting a lot of stock in that performance. Buescher was a respectable 12th-place in this event one year ago, but this driver and team are in a completely different place now vs. then. The veteran driver has been more productive on the lower-banked intermediate ovals this season, and that will translate well to the banks of WWTR.

Christopher Bell – Coming off the big win, albeit rain-shortened at Charlotte Motor Speedway, we can't under estimate Bell right now. The Joe Gibbs Racing youngster grabbed the pole a few weeks ago and finished a strong sixth-place at Kansas Speedway. He then won last Sunday at Charlotte, so the No. 20 Toyota team is clearly surging coming to World Wide Technology Raceway. Bell and his team have been reasonably good in their two prior starts at the Madison oval. He grabbed ninth- and 11th-place finishes in those starts. Very good experience leading up to Bell's third Cup Series start at WWTR. Considering how well Bell is performing right now, we expect him to be in the hunt for the win.

Solid Plays – Near locks for a Top 10 with an outside shot to win

Chase Elliott – Elliott was a part of that thrilling battle to the finish a few weeks ago at Kansas Speedway. It left a pretty big impression with us, and we believe it makes him a driver to watch closely at World Wide Technology Raceway. The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet also won at Texas and finished inside the Top 10 this past Sunday at Charlotte. As it relates to WWTR, Elliott missed his start in this event last season due to a suspension from the 2023 Coca-Cola 600 in which he intentionally wrecked Denny Hamlin. His start at the Madison oval in 2022 was a subpar finish. But don't put too much stock in that track specific performance. Elliott and the No. 9 Chevrolet team are performing well right now on the cookie cutter ovals, and we expect to see them challenge the Top 5 in the Enjoy Illinois 300.

Martin Truex Jr. – The Joe Gibbs Racing star has been very consistent on the cookie cutter tracks this season, and that's what we look for in a solid play pick. Truex has two Top-10 finishes and a sharp 9.8 average finish on the intermediate ovals of the 2024 campaign. This driver and team have been strong in the two prior races at World Wide Technology Raceway. Truex has grabbed sixth- and fifth-place finishes the last two seasons with 42 laps led in the 2022 event. The notes from those outings will come in very handy for the No. 19 Toyota team this week. We don't expect Truex will be a big player in the win for the Enjoy Illinois 300, but he'll be a face among the leaders at the end of 300-miles Sunday in Madison.  

Kyle Busch – Last season's World Wide Technology Raceway winner checks in on the solid plays list this week. Busch hasn't been in race winning form for a while, but he has been consistent on certain tracks. With his win and runner-up finishes previously at WWTR, he'll attract a lot of eyes and interest this weekend. The Richard Childress Racing star has registered three Top 10's this season on intermediate ovals, and that includes his recent eighth-place finish at Kanas Speedway at the beginning of May. While inconsistency seems to be the trademark of Busch's 2024 campaign to this point, we still believe he's a solid play on his best tracks. No worries with deploying him in fantasy racing lineups this Sunday.

Tyler Reddick – Reddick's recent surge (six Top 10's in the last nine events) was capped by his strong fourth-place finish this past weekend in the Coca-Cola 600. 23XI Racing is surging right now and Reddick is one of two of their hot hands. The young driver has been excellent on intermediate ovals this season with three Top-5 finishes and 45 laps led and a strong 12.0 average finish. Reddick has been piloting the No. 45 Toyota well in these races. The young driver has qualified well in his two prior starts at World Wide Technology Raceway, but Reddick has yet to close the deal on finishing one of these races in Madison. We believe that will change for Reddick this weekend on the 1.25-mile oval.  

Sleepers – Drivers with good history of intermediate oval racing & solid upside

William Byron – Byron had some struggles a few weeks ago at Kansas Speedway and muddled to a disappointing 23rd-place finish. This is much of the reason why we're putting the sleeper tag on this driver and team this week. Byron has a high ceiling, but does carry some risk. The reason for our optimism is that he rebounded to a stellar third-place finish at Charlotte this past weekend. That gives him now three Top 10's this season on the intermediate oval circuit. Of his two prior starts at World Wide Technology Raceway, the last stands out. Byron qualified seventh on the grid, led 30 laps and finished eighth-place in this event one year ago. That's a good last look heading into this Enjoy Illinois 300.  

Brad Keselowski – The owner/driver of the No. 6 Ford has been on a heater in recent weeks. Keselowski has racked up a win and three runner-up finishes in the last six races. He'll ride that momentum into Madison, Illinois this week. Keselowski has earned second-, 11th- and second-place finishes in his last three intermediate oval dates. He collected the 11th-place recently at Kansas Speedway, and that's likely the best comp to World Wide Technology Raceway. His two prior starts at WWTR are not noteworthy and that may lead some fantasy players to overlook Keselowski this weekend. That would be a mistake in our opinion. This driver and team went through a number of struggles the two prior seasons that they have now resolved. This is a different and much more capable No. 6 Ford team visiting WWTR this weekend.

Alex Bowman – Bowman was seventh-place at Kansas Speedway at the beginning of May and he was ninth-place this past Sunday night at Charlotte. That's a dramatic turnaround from the early season struggles the No. 48 Chevrolet team had on the mid-sized ovals. Now Bowman will put into practice what he's gained in the Enjoy Illinois 300. The Hendrick Motorsports veteran didn't qualify well at Kansas, but he demonstrated little trouble driving up through the field to earn an impressive seventh-place. That's what we could be in for this Sunday at WWTR. Bowman's two prior starts at this track are unimpressive and that may lead people to pick over or bench Bowman this Sunday. We believe he has some fantasy utility for this event.       

Ty Gibbs – The youngster was quite impressive this past weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Gibbs marched to his first-career Cup Series pole and he led 74 laps in the Coca-Cola 600. He'd eventually drop back to a solid sixth-place finish. That's one of three Top 10's that Gibbs has collected this season on the cookie cutter ovals. The average finish is coming in around a respectable 13.2. Gibbs has qualified well on these tracks and that has helped spur him to good finishes as well. As it relates to World Wide Technology Raceway, he has just one start at the oval in a Cup Car. It came in this event one year ago and was an unimpressive 20th-place finish. He'll do much, much better this time around.

Ross Chastain – With the prospect of boom-and-bust potential, we've slotted Chastain in the sleepers list this week. He has 88 laps led and three Top-10 finishes on the mid-sized tracks this season, and that's good reason to have hope. Chastain has laid some eggs this season, so we're tempering our expectations a bit with some caution. However, his most recent, most comparable start was at Kansas Speedway a few weeks ago. Chastain sat on the outside pole position, led 43 laps and looked very competitive before fading to a 19th-place finish. He rebounded quite well this past week at Charlotte Motor Speedway, collecting a solid eighth-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600. Chastain has one really good start at WWTR and one on the subpar side, so look to the potential and be cautious of the risk.    

Noah Gragson –  The young Stewart Haas Racing driver has been an up-and-down performer this season, but we do believe the results are there to indicate a good performance this Sunday in the Enjoy Illinois 300. Gragson has been inconsistent on the intermediate ovals this season, but his good results (sixth- and ninth-place) have come on the lower banked, more progressive turned Las Vegas and Kansas ovals. This should translate well to World Wide Technology Raceway. Gragson got a valuable Cup Series start there last season, and while it ended in a crash and DNF, it still yielded 197 laps of experience on this 1.25-mile oval. We believe Gragson and the No. 10 Ford team have a decent shot at a Top-10 finish at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Slow Down – Drivers to avoid this week

Joey Logano – Logano has experienced a real mixed bag for a season to this point. Despite his recent win in the All-Star Race, he's been held winless otherwise and with just three Top 10's thru 14 events. Logano's current 17th-place spot in the driver rankings is shocking to say the least. Intermediate ovals have been a real puzzle to this point for the No. 22 Penske Racing team. He's grabbed just one Top 10 in five events and has a subpar 19.2 average finish on the mid-sized ovals. Despite Logano's win and third-place finish in his two prior starts at WWTR, we cannot recommend this driver and team for fantasy deployment this Sunday.  

Ryan Blaney – Much of the same problems and inconsistency that Joey Logano has had in 2024, Blaney too has experienced it. The driver of the No. 12 Ford has just five Top 10's to this point in the campaign and comes to Madison, Illinois a much lower than expected 12th in the overall driver standings. Blaney scored early-season Top 5's on tracks like Atlanta and Las Vegas, but has since fallen on lean times on these cookie cutter ovals. Disappearing acts recently on ovals like Texas, Kansas and Charlotte cast a lot of doubt on this driver and team this weekend at WWTR. Blaney has had a good amount of success in his two prior starts at this oval (fourth- and sixth-place), but the level of performance this season is concerning. Probably best to play it safe and bench Blaney in favor of other drivers this week.   

Austin Cindric – This week Penske Racing takes a clean sweep in the slow down list. Add Cindric's name to the group of drivers to avoid this weekend. The driver of the No. 2 Ford has had a rough season and has just one Top-10 finish thus far through 14 events. The mid-sized ovals have been a big part of those struggles. Cindric's 20th-place finish at Charlotte this past weekend falls nearly right on line with his average finish (23.0) on these size ovals in 2024. He has finishes of 11th- and 13th-place in his two prior starts at World Wide Technology Raceway, but before we get too attached to those stats we have to put them in the current perspective. Cindric has only visited the Top 15 twice this season, and he's not likely to do it Sunday in the Enjoy Illinois 300.

Harrison Burton – The third-season Wood Brothers Racing driver has likely performed his way into the free agent pool this season. With just one Top-10 finish in 14 races and a lowly 27.9 average finish to this point in the season, things couldn't be much worse in the No. 21 Ford team. Burton is just 23-years-old, but with 87 Cup Series starts now to his credit, much more is expected. Intermediate ovals have been a part of the agony for this young driver. Burton's five starts on mid-sized tracks have netted just one Top-15 finish and a disappointing 27.4 average finish. His 32nd-place finish at Charlotte this past week is just the latest in disappointments for the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing team. Burton is clearly a driver to avoid this weekend at Gateway.