Christopher Bell finally got his first win of the season last weekend, opening the Chase with a crown jewel victory at the Southern 500.
For Sunday’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, Joey Logano is the pole-sitter at a track that’s been a strong one for the Fords at Team Penske. His teammate Austin Cindric won there in 2024.
But all the talk in NASCAR this week heading into the second race of the postseason Chase at Gateway is about the polarizing Carson Hocevar.
The driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports has a large and growing fanbase as he continues to emerge as a face of NASCAR. But while Hocevar might have a lot of admirers in the grandstands, he hasn’t made many friends on the track. After last weekend
at Darlington, Hocevar can add former Cup Series champion and RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski to his expanding list of enemies.
Coming out of turn 4 on the 107th lap, Hocevar and Keselowski were battling in the middle of the pack for 25th place. Hocevar gave Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford a bump on his left rear quarter panel and then drove through it, spinning the veteran out. Hocevar went on to finish 11th while Keselowski settled for 23rd.
After the race, Keselowski told Above The Yellow Line Media, “He ran into me. … His day is coming, and it’s coming hard. Watch out, Carson.”
Hocevar, hearing of Keselowski’s warning, then told reporters, “I’ll tighten my belts.”
And so began a weeklong media saga centering around one of NASCAR’s most interesting young personalities, the 23-year-old Hocevar — competing in his first postseason — having a target placed on him by Keselowski, one of NASCAR’s most accomplished drivers and someone who has never backed down from a battle.
Points leader Denny Hamlin weighed in on his own podcast, "Actions Detrimental," saying there are “no adults” at Spire Motorsports and called it an “unserious” organization. NASCAR Hall of Famer Kevin Harvick said, “I’ve told you since Day One what I would do (about Hocevar). You downshift that (expletive) and you just hold the throttle down and drive him straight into the fence.”
Keselowski is not in the Chase and has little to lose — aside from a fine or other discipline from NASCAR — if he chooses to dump Hocevar at Gateway. Hocevar, however, is one of 16 drivers competing in the postseason, heading into the weekend in 12th place, 89 points behind Hamlin. Regardless of who wins or loses on Sunday, all eyes will be on the No. 77 and the No. 6.
In the bigger picture, it would bode well for Logano’s hunt for a fourth championship if he can have a big points day at World Wide Technology Raceway, where he’s finished inside the top five in each of his last four races there. Logano is eighth in the standings, trailing Hamlin by 72 points.
“The car has got some raw speed in it, which is very encouraging,” Logano said.
Hamlin won here last season and placed second in both 2024 and 2023.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway:
What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Gateway start?
The Enjoy Illinois 300 is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 13, at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Gateway on?
The Enjoy Illinois 300 will be broadcast on USA Network. Pre-race coverage will start at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Leigh Diffey will have the call alongside analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte, while Dale Jarrett will offer additional analysis from the pit box. Burton and Letarte will join host Marty Snider on pre- and post-race shows. Former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne will be the pace-car analyst.
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Gateway?
Subscribers to YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV can watch through those services as well.
HBO Max will continue to provide live streams of in-car cameras, while MRN will carry the live radio broadcast.
How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Gateway?
The Enjoy Illinois 300 is 240 laps around the 1.25-mile asphalt track for a total of 300 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 45 laps; Stage 2: 95 laps; Stage 3: 100 laps.
Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Gateway last year?
Denny Hamlin is the reigning champion, finishing ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe last season.
The NASCAR Cup Series has raced at World Wide Technology Raceway — located about six miles northeast of downtown St. Louis — since 2022. The flat oval has seen a mix of manufacturers win, with Joey Logano and Austin Cindric taking checkered flags in Fords, Hamlin winning last year in a Toyota, and Kyle Busch winning in the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in 2023. That victory was the last of Busch’s Cup Series career before his untimely death this spring.
Gateway has renamed its trophy in honor of Busch — the all-time laps leader at the track — calling it, “The Rowdy Trophy.”
In memory of “Rowdy.”
— Motorsport (@Motorsport) September 12, 2026
WWT Raceway’s trophy for this weekend’s NASCAR winner honors Kyle Busch at the site of his final Cup Series victory. pic.twitter.com/WshbXH84FE
What is the lineup for the Enjoy Illinois 300?
(Car number in parentheses, Chase drivers designated with asterisk)
- *Joey Logano (22) — Ford, Team Penske
- *Kyle Larson (5) — Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- *Ryan Blaney (12) — Ford, Team Penske
- *Christopher Bell (20) — Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- *Chase Briscoe (19) — Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- *Carson Hocevar (77) — Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports
- *Bubba Wallace (23) — Toyota, 23XI Racing
- *Chase Elliott (9) — Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- *Ty Gibbs (54) — Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- *Denny Hamlin (11) — Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Alex Bowman (48) — Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Zane Smith (38) — Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- *Austin Cindric (2) — Ford, Team Penske
- *Ryan Preece (60) — Ford, RFK Racing
- *Daniel Suarez (7) — Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports
- Josh Berry (21) — Ford, Wood Brothers
- AJ Allmendinger (16) — Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
- *Tyler Reddick (45) — Toyota, 23XI Racing
- Connor Zilisch (88) — Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing
- Ross Chastain (1) — Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing
- *Chris Buescher (17) — Ford, RFK Racing
- Austin Dillon (3) — Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Brad Keseloski (6) — Ford, RFK Racing
- *William Byron (24) — Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Erik Jones (43) — Toyota, Legacy Motor Club
- Cole Custer (41) — Chevrolet, Haas Factory Team
- Austin Hill (33) — Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- John Hunter Nemechek (42) — Toyota, Legacy Motor Club
- Michael McDowell (71) — Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports
- Cody Ware (51) — Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
- Noah Gragson (4) — Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Ty Dillon (10) — Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
- Riley Herbst (35) — Toyota, 23XI Racing
- Todd Gilliland (34) — Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Shane van Gisbergen (97) — Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47) — Chevrolet, HYAK Motorsports
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASCAR race at Gateway: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Enjoy Illinois 300
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