Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, going into the Enjoy Illinois 300 this Sunday, September 7 at 3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Fast Facts: Race #2 (World Wide Technology Raceway)
- The 2025 season marks the first-time the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ second race has been hosted by World Wide Technology Raceway.
- This is also the first-time World Wide Technology Raceway has hosted a NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race.
- World Wide Technology Raceway is the sixth different track to host the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs; joining Dover Motor Speedway (2004-2010), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (2011–2017), Richmond Raceway (2018-2021), Kansas Speedway (2022-2023) Watkins Glen International (2024).
- A total of 16 different drivers have won the second race of the Playoffs, led by Jimmie Johnson with three wins (2005, 2009, 2010); followed by Kyle Busch (2017, 2018), Matt Kenseth (2013, 2015) and Martin Truex Jr. (2019, 2021) with two victories each.
- RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher is the most recent winner of the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, taking the win last season at Watkins Glen (9/15/24).
| Race No. 2 Of The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs – Race Winners (2004-2024) | ||
| Date | Track | Playoff Race Winners |
| Sunday, September 26, 2004 | Dover | Ryan Newman |
| Sunday, September 25, 2005 | Dover | Jimmie Johnson |
| Sunday, September 24, 2006 | Dover | Jeff Burton |
| Sunday, September 23, 2007 | Dover | Carl Edwards |
| Sunday, September 21, 2008 | Dover | Greg Biffle |
| Sunday, September 27, 2009 | Dover | Jimmie Johnson |
| Sunday, September 26, 2010 | Dover | Jimmie Johnson |
| Sunday, September 25, 2011 | Loudon | Tony Stewart |
| Sunday, September 23, 2012 | Loudon | Denny Hamlin |
| Sunday, September 22, 2013 | Loudon | Matt Kenseth |
| Sunday, September 21, 2014 | Loudon | Joey Logano |
| Sunday, September 27, 2015 | Loudon | Matt Kenseth |
| Sunday, September 25, 2016 | Loudon | Kevin Harvick |
| Sunday, September 24, 2017 | Loudon | Kyle Busch |
| Saturday, September 22, 2018 | Richmond | Kyle Busch |
| Saturday, September 21, 2019 | Richmond | Martin Truex Jr |
| Saturday, September 12, 2020 | Richmond | Brad Keselowski |
| Saturday, September 11, 2021 | Richmond | Martin Truex Jr |
| Sunday, September 11, 2022 | Kansas | Bubba Wallace |
| Sunday, September 10, 2023 | Kansas | Tyler Reddick |
| Sunday, September 15, 2024 | Watkins Glen | Chris Buescher |
– Drivers bolded went on to win title that season
- The second race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs has been won by non-Playoff drivers twice:
- In 2022, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace became the first non-Playoff driver to win the second race on the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ schedule (2004-2024) at Kansas Speedway. Wallace was ranked 20th in the standings at the time of the win.
- In 2024, RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher became the second non-Playoff driver to win the second race on the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ schedule (2004-2024) at Watkins Glen International. Buescher was ranked 18th in points at the time of the win.
- Three times the winner of the second race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs has gone on to win the overall championship – 2009, 2010 (Jimmie Johnson), and 2011 (Tony Stewart).
- When Dover Motor Speedway hosted the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs (2004-2010), twice the winning driver went on to win the series title – Jimmie Johnson (2009 and 2010).
- When New Hampshire Motor Speedway moved to the second race in the Playoffs (2011-2017), only one driver won the event and went on to win the title – Tony Stewart (2011). Stewart won five races in the 2011 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs (a series-record tied with Kyle Larson, 2021) including the first two (Chicago and New Hampshire).
- None of the Playoff winners at Richmond Raceway (2018-2021), Kansas Speedway (2022-2023) or Watkins Glen International (2024) when hosting the second race of the Playoffs went on to win the title in the same season.
- The worst finish by a driver in the second race on the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ schedule that went on to win the title that same season was:
- At Dover Motor Speedway – the 2005 series champion, Tony Stewart, finished 18th.
- At New Hampshire Motor Speedway – the 2015 series champion, Kyle Busch, finished 37th.
- At Richmond – the 2018 series champion, Joey Logano, finished 14th.
- At Kansas Speedway – the 2022 series champion, Joey Logano, finished 17th.
- Last season at Watkins Glen, the 2024 series champion Joey Logano finished 15th.
- Since the inception of the ‘elimination-style’ format in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs (2014-Present), six of the 10 winners of the second race of the Playoffs has earned a spot in the Championship 4 Round:
- 2014 – Joey Logano (New Hampshire)
- 2017 – Kyle Busch (New Hampshire)
- 2018 – Kyle Busch (Richmond)
- 2019 – Martin Truex Jr. (Richmond)
- 2020 – Brad Keselowski (Richmond)
- 2021 – Martin Truex Jr. (Richmond)
World Wide Technology Raceway Stats & Tidbits:
TRACK & RACE DATA
Season Race #: 28 of 36 (Sept. 7, 2025)
Race Purse: $9,797,935
Track Size: 1.25-miles
Track Type: Paved asphalt oval
Banking in the Turns 1 & 2: 11 degrees
Banking in the Turns 3 & 4: 9 degrees
Race Length: 240 laps (300 miles)
Stage 1 Length: 45 laps
Stage 2 Length: 95 laps (ends on Lap 140)
Final Stage Length: 100 laps (ends on Lap 240)
QUALIFYING & RACE RECORDS
Track Qualifying Record:
Michael McDowell, Ford, 138.598 mph, 32.468 seconds, June 1, 2024
Track Race Record:
Austin Cindric, Ford, 133.889 mph, (2:48:03), June 2, 2024
2024 Pole Winner:
Michael McDowell, Ford, 138.598 mph, 32.468 seconds, June 1, 2024
2024 Race Winner:
Austin Cindric, Ford, 133.889 mph, (2:48:03), June 2, 2024
HISTORY
- St. Louis International Raceway was built in 1967 as a drag racing facility by Wayne and Ruth Meinert on the property that sits World Wide Technology Raceway today. The drag strip was 1/8 mile in length.
- In 1985 a road course was constructed on the property by then-owner Jody Trover. The road course had two configurations, the first measured 2.6 miles in length and the second was 1.010 miles. The road course was an asphalt circuit that had a 30 ft (9.1 m) track width and 55 pit boxes within the 880 foot pit lane.
- In 1994, Chris Pook, acquired the facility for $21.5 million. The existing tracks (drag strip and road course) were demolished over the course of 1995–1996 and a new oval speedway and drag strip were constructed at a cost of $25 million.
- The current 1.25-mile oval has a unique shape and different degrees of banking in each corner. The backstretch is confined to run parallel with Illinois Route 203, making Turns 1 & 2 a tighter radius than Turns 3 & 4.
- Turns 1 & 2 have similar characteristics to New Hampshire Motor Speedway while Turns 3 & 4 are similar to Phoenix Raceway. The track’s egg shape mimics the legendary Darlington Raceway.
- The first NASCAR national series race held at World Wide Technology Raceway was a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held on June 26, 1997. The event was won by Elliott Sadler.
- World Wide Technology Raceway has hosted three NASCAR Cup Series races all-time (2022-2024).
STARTS
- A total of 47 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series points-paying race at World Wide Technology Raceway.
- A total of 24 of the 47 drivers have competed in all three Cup races at WWTR.
- Two drivers have made their first career NASCAR Cup Series start at World Wide Technology Raceway.
- Zane Smith in 2022 – he started 32nd and finished 17th.
- Carson Hocevar in 2023 – he started 26th and finished 36th.
- Ryan Blaney leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at World Wide Technology Raceway with a 3.333 in three starts.
Top 10 NCS Drivers In Average Starting Position at WWTR (All-Time & Active)
| Rank | All-Time Drivers | Avg Start | Races | Rank | Active Drivers | Avg Start | Races |
| 1 | Ryan Blaney | 3.333 | 3 | 1 | Ryan Blaney | 3.333 | 3 |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | 4.667 | 3 | 2 | Austin Cindric | 4.667 | 3 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 5.000 | 3 | 3 | Denny Hamlin | 5.000 | 3 |
| 4 | Tyler Reddick | 6.000 | 3 | 4 | Tyler Reddick | 6.000 | 3 |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | 7.667 | 3 | 5 | Kyle Busch | 7.667 | 3 |
| 6 | Christopher Bell | 8.000 | 3 | 6 | Christopher Bell | 8.000 | 3 |
| 7 | Joey Logano | 8.333 | 3 | 7 | Joey Logano | 8.333 | 3 |
| 8 | Ross Chastain | 11.333 | 3 | 8 | Ross Chastain | 11.333 | 3 |
| 9 | Kevin Harvick | 12.000 | 2 | 9 | Ty Gibbs | 12.000 | 2 |
| 10 | Ty Gibbs | 12.000 | 2 | 10 | Michael McDowell | 13.000 | 3 |
POLES
- A total of three drivers have won a NASCAR Cup Series pole at World Wide Technology Raceway – Chase Briscoe (2022), Kyle Busch (2023), Michael McDowell (2024).
- One driver had posted his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at World Wide Technology Raceway – Chase Briscoe (June 4, 2022).
- Youngest pole winner at World Wide Technology Raceway: Chase Briscoe (June 4, 2022 – 27 years, 5 months and 21 days).
- Oldest pole winner at World Wide Technology Raceway: Michael McDowell (June 1, 2024 – 39 years, 5 months and 12 days).
- Three organizations have won a pole at the World Wide Technology Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series:
- Stewart-Haas Racing (Chase Briscoe, 2022)
- Richard Childress Racing (Kyle Busch, 2023)
- Front Row Motorsports (Michael McDowell, 2024)
- Two manufacturers have won a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway:
- Ford (2022, 2024)
- Chevrolet (2023)
WINS
- A total of three different drivers have won a NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway – Joey Logano (2022), Kyle Busch (2023) and Austin Cindric (2024).
- Youngest race winner at World Wide Technology Raceway: Austin Cindric (June 2, 2024 – 25 years, 9 months and 0 days).
- Oldest race winner at World Wide Technology Raceway: Kyle Busch (June 4, 2023 – 38 years, 1 month and 2 days).
- Three different starting positions on the grid have led to victories in the NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway:
- Joey Logano won after starting from the seventh-place starting position in 2022.
- Kyle Busch won after starting from the pole in 2023.
- Austin Cindric won after starting from the second starting position in 2024.
- Two organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway:
- Team Penske (Joey Logano, 2022 and Austin Cindric, 2024)
- Richard Childress Racing (Kyle Busch, 2023)
- Two manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway:
- Ford in 2022 and 2024
- Chevrolet in 2023.
ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS
Runner-Up Finishes:
- Two drivers have finished runner-up in the three NASCAR Cup Series races at World Wide Technology Raceway – Kyle Busch (2022) and Denny Hamlin (2023 and 2024).
- Kyle Busch finished runner-up in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race World Wide Technology Raceway in 2022.
- Denny Hamlin finished runner-up in the second and third NASCAR Cup Series races World Wide Technology Raceway in 2023 and 2024.
Top-Five Finishes:
- A total of 11 different drivers have finished in the top-five in the NASCAR Cup Series races at World Wide Technology Raceway:
| Rank | All-Time Drivers | Top-Five Finishes | Rank | Active Drivers | Top-Five Finishes |
| 1 | Joey Logano | 3 | 1 | Joey Logano | 3 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 2 | 2 | Denny Hamlin | 2 |
| 3 | Kyle Busch | 2 | 3 | Kyle Busch | 2 |
| 4 | Aric Almirola | 1 | 4 | Austin Cindric | 1 |
| 5 | Austin Cindric | 1 | 5 | Brad Keselowski | 1 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 1 | 6 | Kyle Larson | 1 |
| 7 | Kurt Busch | 1 | 7 | Ryan Blaney | 1 |
| 8 | Kyle Larson | 1 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | 1 |
| 9 | Martin Truex Jr | 1 | |||
| 10 | Ryan Blaney | 1 | |||
| 11 | Tyler Reddick | 1 |
- Joey Logano leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes at World Wide Technology Raceway with three.
Top-10 Finishes:
- A total of 22 different drivers have finished in the top-10 in the NASCAR Cup Series race at the World Wide Technology Raceway:
- Joey Logano leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-10 finishes at World Wide Technology Raceway with three.
| Rank | All-Time Drivers | Top-10 Finishes | Rank | Active Drivers | Top-10 Finishes |
| 1 | Joey Logano | 3 | 1 | Joey Logano | 3 |
| 2 | Christopher Bell | 2 | 2 | Christopher Bell | 2 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 2 | 3 | Denny Hamlin | 2 |
| 4 | Kyle Busch | 2 | 4 | Kyle Busch | 2 |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson | 2 |
| 6 | Martin Truex Jr | 2 | 6 | Ryan Blaney | 2 |
| 7 | Ryan Blaney | 2 | 7 | AJ Allmendinger | 1 |
| 8 | AJ Allmendinger | 1 | 8 | Austin Cindric | 1 |
| 9 | Aric Almirola | 1 | 9 | Austin Dillon | 1 |
| 10 | Austin Cindric | 1 | 10 | Brad Keselowski | 1 |
| 11 | Austin Dillon | 1 | 11 | Carson Hocevar | 1 |
| 12 | Brad Keselowski | 1 | 12 | Daniel Suárez | 1 |
| 13 | Carson Hocevar | 1 | 13 | Erik Jones | 1 |
| 14 | Daniel Suárez | 1 | 14 | Justin Haley | 1 |
| 15 | Erik Jones | 1 | 15 | Michael McDowell | 1 |
| 16 | Justin Haley | 1 | 16 | Ross Chastain | 1 |
| 17 | Kevin Harvick | 1 | 17 | Tyler Reddick | 1 |
| 18 | Kurt Busch | 1 | 18 | William Byron | 1 |
| 19 | Michael McDowell | 1 | |||
| 20 | Ross Chastain | 1 | |||
| 21 | Tyler Reddick | 1 | |||
| 22 | William Byron | 1 |
Average Finishes:
- Joey Logano leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishes at World Wide Technology Raceway with a 3.0.
Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at WWTR in the NASCAR Cup Series:
| Rank | All-Time Driver | Avg Finish | Races | Rank | Active Driver | Avg Finish | Races |
| 1 | Joey Logano | 3.000 | 3 | 1 | Joey Logano | 3.000 | 3 |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | 8.333 | 3 | 2 | Austin Cindric | 8.333 | 3 |
| 3 | Kyle Larson | 8.667 | 3 | 3 | Kyle Larson | 8.667 | 3 |
| 4 | Christopher Bell | 9.000 | 3 | 4 | Christopher Bell | 9.000 | 3 |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | 11.333 | 3 | 5 | Ryan Blaney | 11.333 | 3 |
| 6 | AJ Allmendinger | 12.000 | 2 | 6 | AJ Allmendinger | 12.000 | 2 |
| 7 | Aric Almirola | 12.000 | 2 | 7 | Denny Hamlin | 12.667 | 3 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | 12.667 | 3 | 8 | Kyle Busch | 12.667 | 3 |
| 9 | Kyle Busch | 12.667 | 3 | 9 | Chris Buescher | 13.000 | 2 |
| 10 | Chris Buescher | 13.000 | 2 | 10 | Justin Haley | 13.000 | 3 |
LAP LEADERS
- A total of 15 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at World Wide Technology Raceway.
- Kyle Busch leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Word Wide Technology Raceway with 202 laps led (32.2% of his laps completed).
All-Time Lap Leaders at World Wide Technology Raceway
| Rank | All-Time Lap Leaders | Races | Led | Completed | % Led |
| 1 | Kyle Busch | 3 | 202 | 627 | 32.2% |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 3 | 115 | 728 | 15.8% |
| 3 | Christopher Bell | 3 | 80 | 728 | 11.0% |
| 4 | Austin Cindric | 3 | 79 | 728 | 10.9% |
| 5 | Michael McDowell | 3 | 74 | 727 | 10.2% |
| 6 | Martin Truex Jr | 3 | 43 | 725 | 5.9% |
| 7 | William Byron | 3 | 30 | 728 | 4.1% |
| 8 | Chase Briscoe | 3 | 27 | 678 | 4.0% |
| 9 | Joey Logano | 3 | 23 | 728 | 3.2% |
| 10 | Brad Keselowski | 3 | 17 | 728 | 2.3% |
| 11 | Kurt Busch | 1 | 12 | 245 | 4.9% |
| 12 | Kyle Larson | 3 | 12 | 728 | 1.6% |
| 13 | Todd Gilliland | 3 | 6 | 728 | 0.8% |
| 14 | Erik Jones | 3 | 4 | 727 | 0.6% |
| 15 | Tyler Reddick | 3 | 4 | 659 | 0.6% |
- The most laps led by the race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway was 121 laps led by Kyle Busch on June 4, 2023 – 49.8% of his laps completed (243).
- The fewest laps led by the race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway was 22 laps led by Joey Logano on June 5, 2022.
- The most laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway by a driver that did not win the race was 83 laps led by Ryan Blaney last season – he started second and ultimately finished sixth.
TRACK / EVENT STATS
- Qualifying has not been canceled for the three NASCAR Cup Series races at World Wide Technology Raceway.
- The three NASCAR Cup Series races at World Wide Technology Raceway have not been shortened due to weather.
- Two of the three Cup Series races at World Wide Technology Raceway have finished with NASCAR Overtime:
| Date | Scheduled Laps | Actual Laps | Overtime | Race Winner |
| Sunday, June 5, 2022 | 240 | 245 | 5 | Joey Logano |
| Sunday, June 4, 2023 | 240 | 243 | 3 | Kyle Busch |
- The most lead changes in a NASCAR Cup Series race at WWTR are 16 (June 2, 2024).
- The fewest lead changes in a NASCAR Cup Series race at WWTR are 10 (June 4, 2023).
- The final lead change of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway took place with two laps to go – Joey Logano passed Kyle Busch for the lead and ultimately the win.
- The final lead change of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway took place with 60 laps to go – Kyle Busch passed Kyle Larson and went on to win the race.
- The final lead change of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway took place with two laps to go – Austin Cindric passed Ryan Blaney and went on to win the race.
- The most leaders in a NASCAR Cup Series race at WWTR are 10 (June 2, 2024).
- The fewest leaders in a NASCAR Cup Series race at WWTR are five (June 4, 2023).
- The closest margin of victory in a NASCAR Cup Series race at WWTR was the 2023 event that finished with a MOV of 0.517 second.
NASCAR IN ILLINOIS
- There have been 106 NASCAR national series races among six tracks in the state of Illinois.
| NASCAR Tracks in Illinois | City | Cup | Xfinity | Truck | Combined | First Year |
| Chicago Street Race | Chicago | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2023 |
| Chicagoland Speedway | Joliet | 19 | 24 | 11 | 54 | 2001 |
| World Wide Technology Raceway | Madison | 3 | 15 | 24 | 42 | 1997 |
| Chicago Motor Speedway | Cicero | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2000 |
| Santa Fe Speedway | Willow Springs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1954 |
| Soldier Field | Chicago | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1956 |
| Totals | 27 | 42 | 37 | 106 |
- The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Illinois was a NASCAR Cup Series race at Santa Fe Speedway in Willow Springs, Illinois. The event was held on July 10, 1954 and it was won by Dick Rathman (Hudson).
ILLINOIS IN NASCAR
- A total of 83 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Illinois.
- A total of five different drivers from Illinois have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series.
- Justin Allgaier leads all Illinois drivers with 28 combined NASCAR national series wins.
Winners from Illinois:
| NASCAR Winners From Illinois | Cup | Xfinity | Truck | Combined |
| Fred Lorenzen | 26 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| Tom Pistone | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Justin Allgaier | 0 | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| Bobby Dotter | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Erik Darnell | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Totals | 28 | 29 | 2 | 59 |
— NASCAR —