NASCAR Cup Series Makes Thrilling Debut at World Wide Technology Raceway

Images via Josh Tons

Over the past few years, the NASCAR Cup Series calendar has seen a major overhaul, with numerous new tracks joining a schedule that had kept fairly consistent over the previous two decades. On Sunday, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway became the latest track to join those prestigious ranks, hosting the inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300 as part of a combination weekend with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

The track’s path to a Cup date had been a long and interesting one. Originally consisting of a dragstrip and later road course, the track was rebuilt from the ground up as an asymmetrical 1.25-mile oval and new dragstrip in the mid-1990s. From there, it started as a prominent CART and later Indy Racing League host venue, added what are now known as the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck divisions shortly thereafter, and held consistent racing through 2010, when then-owners Dover Motorsports elected to take a year off. Curtis Francois would lead revival efforts in 2012, eventually purchasing the track outright, and reestablished the track as a staple of the IndyCar and Truck schedules to earn the right to host Cup.

A new track and new car are always an unpredictable combination in action, but a sellout crowd was on hand to see what would come of it. Team Penske’s Joey Logano would hold off Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch in overtime, taking advantage of the bottom lane and Busch’s long run-oriented car to score his second win in the past four races.

Perhaps the biggest story coming out of Gateway will be what the future holds for Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain. Long known to be an aggressive driver, the two-time 2022 winner ran into both three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin and 2020 series champion Chase Elliott, and both retaliated on the track. While Chastain was contrite after the race, a frustrated Hamlin vowed that what goes around will come around at some point during the season.

Sunday’s race marked the conclusion of one of the biggest weeks in track history. The NASCAR festivities opened on Tuesday with the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series’ inaugural visit to the track, where Jim Beaver eSports drivers Blake Reynolds and Michael Guest continued their chase for the team championship, and Corey Heim won Saturday’s Truck race after surviving multiple late-race wrecks. The track will also host Formula Drift on July 14-16, the NTT IndyCar Series on August 19-20, and NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series on September 30-October 2.