The NASCAR Cup Series is Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. This is the only stop in the first series on the circuit for 2024.
Kyle Busch won last year’s race at Gateway by holding off Denny Hamlin by 0.517 seconds following a late-race caution due to Bubba Wallace’s broken brake rotor, forcing the race into overtime. Joey Logano won the 2022 race, the inaugural event of the track series.
Last week, Christopher Bell won the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte. The dominant story of the weekend is the yet-to-be-determined status of Kyle Larson’s playoff waiver after the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver missed the race to run in rain-delayed Indy 500 at the pursuit of the foiled double. by the weather.
Follow our live race updates, with the green flag set after 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday.
FIRST LINE: NASCAR Cup Series at Gateway: starting lineup, television schedule for Sunday’s race
SUNDAY THINGS: 2024 NASCAR Gateway Predictions: Expert Picks for the Cup Series Race at World Wide Technology Raceway
NASCAR Cup Series race at Gateway: Live updates, highlights, live standings
LIVE RANKINGS: Complete NASCAR Cup Series Standings Enjoy the Illinois 300 at Gateway
Austin Cindric wins at Gateway!
Career victory #2 for Austin Cindric, who won at Gateway taking advantage of his teammate’s misfortune. Crazy circumstances throughout the last 20 rounds.
Ryan Blaney finished 24th as the last car on the lead lap. Stunning.
Ryan Blaney is out of gas!
Ryan Blaney runs out of fuel as he crosses the start-finish line under the white flag. Austin Cindric leads!
What a change in this race again!
Lap 234: Austin Cindric tries to reduce Ryan Blaney’s lead
Austin Cindric is 1.5 seconds back with six laps to go. Is there still a battle to be fought here?
Round 222: Christopher Bell cedes the battle to Ryan Blaney: “explode”
Christopher Bell says on the radio that he “explodes” and quits the fight with Ryan Blaney. He is far behind Blaney and will likely fall outside the top five if he manages to reach the finish.
Blaney’s lead over Austin Cindric is 3 seconds.
Lap 216: Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell battle for the lead as the pit cycle finally ends
Kyle Larson is the last car to finish among the leaders, setting the stage for a Ryan Blaney vs. Christopher Bell duel to the finish. The gap has disappeared. There are 24 laps left to go.
Lap 206: Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott lead the group of cars throughout this fuel race
Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs and Ryan Blaney all extend the race to fuel, with one stop still necessary. Ryan Blaney is ahead of Austin Cindric and Christopher Bell among the leaders of drivers already arrested. Cindric and Bell fight for position.
Lap 193: Christopher Bell goes down pit road
Christopher Bell stops in the lead with 47 laps to go. Four-tire stop, and Bell stands well behind Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric, who are the leaders among those who stopped.
Lap 182: Christopher Bell regains the lead, but there is a trap…
Christopher Bell is now the leader, although he will have to stop in the pits again. Most of those left behind after Stage 2 pitted. Bell can reduce this to a quick stop and benefit from track position, one would think.
Lap 176: The leaders will stop
Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney fall out of the top five, triggering the final pit stops of the day. How will he get out of this?
Lap 171: Christopher Bell back in the top five
Christopher Bell enters the top five with 69 laps to go. Everyone will still have to stop. Austin Cindric continues to lead.
Congratulations to Carson Hocever, who placed fourth.
Lap 149: Austin Cindric leads the Fords after staying out
Austin Cindric leads a group of Fords who stayed away on the restart. Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Chase Briscoe are also within range.
Christopher Bell starts outside the top 10. Kyle Larson is still in the lead lap but towards the back of the pack.
Christopher Bell wins stage 2
Christopher Bell wins Stage 2 under caution after Larson-Busch crash.
The top 10:
- Christopher Bell
- Austin Cindric
- Ryan Blaney
- Chase Elliott
- Brad Keselowski
- Joey Logano
- Chase Briscoe
- Carson Hocevar
- Austin Dillon
- Dennis Hamlin
Kyle Busch is done for the day. Kyle Larson’s radio isn’t happy that Busch is pinning Larson in the corner.
Lap 140: Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson crash on the final lap of Stage 2!
Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson spun into Turn 1 on the final lap of stage two, and both crash into the wall. Busch has noticeable damage. Larson also has damage, but Busch had the worst with the car on the outside.
Lap 119: Christopher Bell stays behind, returns to the lead
Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson all remained out. Bell takes the lead after the restart.
Lap 113: Josh Berry falls
Josh Berry has something wrong as he enters turn 3, and he spins and crashes into the wall. Berry continued to look at his left front tire before driving to the field care center.
There are 27 laps remaining in the second stage, with Austin Cindric leading but needing a stop.
Cindric, Ryan Blaney, RFK Racing and Carson Hocevar should benefit from this caution in the long term. It could be a one-stop race from here for these drivers.
Lap 109: Martin Truex Jr. has a flat tire
Martin Truex Jr. stops again after a left rear tire blowout. This will have a big impact on her day, especially if she continues to go green for a while. He was in the top five before the green flag.
Josh Berry penalized for leaving the pits too quickly
Josh Berry must return to pit road and serve a pass-through penalty for going too fast when exiting pit road.
Those with newer tires begin to stop, including leader Christopher Bell.
Lap 92: Start of stops under green flag
Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon stayed out during the break and were the first cars to enter, virtually splitting the second stage in two. Josh Berry and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. follow in the top 10.
Lap 70: Christopher Bell takes the lead again
Christopher Bell passes Kyle Busch for the lead.
Earlier, Chase Elliott hit the wall and complained about a toe, but he moved back up to 6th place and within striking distance of the top 5. He has been very solid so far.
Lap 60: Older tires hold up to new tires
Christopher Bell is the most efficient driver with four new tires, in 4th position. Chase Elliott is the second highest, in 8th position. Something to note for later. Tracking position > New tires.
Lap 55: Kyle Busch leads after sitting out
Todd Gilliland leads a group of cars that stopped earlier and did not do so during the stage break. Ryan Preece took two tires, as did Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Briscoe. Christopher Bell will leave 7th.
Kyle Busch also stayed out, restarted alongside Gilliland and took the lead on the restart.
Christopher Bell wins stage 1
Christopher Bell won the first stage, which didn’t even last a full tank of gas. Michael McDowell held his position well from pole and is second, with Ryan Blaney third.
The top 10:
- Christopher Bell
- Michael McDowell
- Ryan Blaney
- Austin Cindric
- Denis Hamlin
- William Byron
- Ty Gibbs
- Tyler Reddick
- Joey Logano
- Chase Elliott
Lap 42: Christopher Bell takes the lead after a long battle with Michael McDowell
Christopher Bell spent about 10 laps trying to take down Michael McDowell and eventually succeeded, with Ryan Blaney close behind in third.
The song has at least two grooves, which is nice to see. Overtaking will always be difficult given the tire drop and the momentum the outside car can carry while defending the position.
Brad Keselowski struggled early with a loose wheel
Brad Keselowski started 7th, fell out of the top 10 during the first green flag run and is now outside the top 30 after stopping for a loose wheel. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also makes a mistake on pit road, too fast. He also starts towards the back of the field.
Lap 17: Cody Ware again involved in a spin
Derek Kraus and Cody Ware exit turn 2. Caution is called for. Part of the peloton will stop in the pits, but most of the leaders will stay away. Remember that stage 1 lasts 45 laps.
Round 10: Christopher Bell vs. Michael McDowell for the lead
Michael McDowell holds off Christopher Bell on the restart, but Bell stays close.
Round 3: First warning is issued at Gateway for John Hunter Nemechek and Cody Ware
John Hunter Nemechek and Cody Ware collided exiting turn two and caused the first caution of the race. Nemechek spun out of the corner. Cody Ware found himself caught in the whirlwind. Both appear to be able to continue.
Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway is underway for the NASCAR Cup Series
The green flag is out. Time for 240 laps around Gateway.
Michael McDowell on the post; Complete NASCAR Cup Series in Gateway Starting Lineup
Michael McDowell won the pole for Sunday’s race, his third Cup Series pole of the season.
The top 10:
- Michael McDowell, No. 34 Motorsport Ford in front row
- Austin Cindric, No. 2 of the Penske Ford team
- Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford No. 12
- Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota 23XI Racing
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Keselowski Racing Ford Roush Fenway
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
- Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota #54
- Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Find the full starting line-up here.
NASCAR Race Radio Coverage: How to Listen to the NASCAR Cup Race at Gateway
The Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway will be broadcast on radio by Motor Racing Network. MRN has affiliates across the country, and their feed can also be streamed on MRN.com and on NASCAR.com as well as on the NASCAR app. The race can also be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
NASCAR Cup Series Gateway race TV schedule, start time
- Green Flag Time: Approximately. 2:30 p.m. CT Sunday, June 2
- TV coverage: FS1 (coverage begins at 1 p.m. CT Sunday)
- Radio: MRN (102.5 FM in Nashville)
- Streaming: FUBO (free trial available); FOX Sports app (subscription required); MRN.com and SiriusXM for audio (subscription required).
The Enjoy Illinois 300 will air nationally on FS1. Streaming options for the race include the FOX Sports app and FUBO, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Recent NASCAR Cup Series winners at Gateway
- 2023: Kyle Busch
- 2022: Joey Logano
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