2023 Enjoy Illinois 300
The 2023 Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on June 4, 2023, at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Contested over 243 laps – extended from 240 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 1.25-mile (2.01 km) paved oval motor racing track, it was the 15th race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 15 of 36 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | June 4, 2023 | ||
| Location | World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.25 mi (2.01 km) | ||
| Distance | 243 laps, 303.75 mi (486 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 240 laps, 300 mi (480 km) | ||
| Average speed | 87.508 miles per hour (140.830 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Richard Childress Racing | ||
| Time | 32.802 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 121 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FS1 | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip, and Kenny Wallace (Stage 2) | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2) and Kurt Becker (3 & 4) | ||
Report
Background
World Wide Technology Raceway (formerly Gateway International Raceway and Gateway Motorsports Park) is a motorsport racing facility in Madison, Illinois, just east of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, close to the Gateway Arch. It features a 1.25-mile (2 kilometer) oval that hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the NTT IndyCar Series, a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) infield road course used by the SCCA, Porsche Club of America, and various car clubs, and a quarter-mile drag strip that hosts the annual NHRA Midwest Nationals event.
Corey LaJoie replaced Chase Elliott for the race, who was parked by NASCAR for an deliberate collision against Denny Hamlin the race prior; Carson Hocevar took over LaJoie's No. 7 car as a result.[9][10]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes the driver ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
Joey Logano was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 32.881 seconds and a speed of 136.857 mph (220.250 km/h).[11]
Practice results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 32.881 | 136.857 |
| 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.892 | 136.811 |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.953 | 136.558 |
| Official practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Kyle Busch scored the pole for the race with a time of 32.802 and a speed of 137.187 mph (220.781 km/h).[12]
Qualifying results
Race
Stage results
Stage One Laps: 45
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 95
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage results
Stage Three Laps: 100
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 243 | 59 |
| 2 | 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 243 | 51 |
| 3 | 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 243 | 44 |
| 4 | 22 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 243 | 34 |
| 5 | 5 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 243 | 39 |
| 6 | 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 243 | 50 |
| 7 | 13 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 243 | 37 |
| 8 | 7 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 243 | 40 |
| 9 | 21 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 243 | 28 |
| 10 | 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 243 | 35 |
| 11 | 17 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 243 | 26 |
| 12 | 27 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 243 | 25 |
| 13 | 10 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 243 | 26 |
| 14 | 11 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 243 | 23 |
| 15 | 28 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 243 | 22 |
| 16 | 23 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 243 | 21 |
| 17 | 29 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 243 | 20 |
| 18 | 31 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 243 | -41 |
| 19 | 24 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 243 | 18 |
| 20 | 15 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 243 | 17 |
| 21 | 30 | 9 | Corey LaJoie | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 243 | 16 |
| 22 | 8 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 243 | 20 |
| 23 | 14 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 243 | 14 |
| 24 | 36 | 51 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 243 | 0 |
| 25 | 33 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 243 | 12 |
| 26 | 18 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 243 | 11 |
| 27 | 34 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 243 | 10 |
| 28 | 19 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 243 | 9 |
| 29 | 35 | 15 | Gray Gaulding (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 242 | 0 |
| 30 | 20 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 236 | 7 |
| 31 | 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 223 | 6 |
| 32 | 12 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 219 | 10 |
| 33 | 32 | 42 | Noah Gragson (R) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 197 | 4 |
| 34 | 25 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 193 | 3 |
| 35 | 9 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 174 | 2 |
| 36 | 26 | 7 | Carson Hocevar (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 10 among 5 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 11 for 67 laps
- Red flags: 3 for 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 5 seconds (1 for a lightning delay, 1 for wreck clean-up, and 1 for repairs to the Turn 1 SAFER Barrier)
- Time of race: 3 hours, 28 minutes, and 16 seconds
- Average speed: 87.508 miles per hour (140.830 km/h)
Media
Television
Fox Sports covered the race on the television side. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer and Michael Waltrip called the race from the broadcast booth, with Kenny Wallace joining for Stage 2. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled the pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.
| FS1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer Color-commentator: Michael Waltrip Color-commentator: Kenny Wallace (Stage 2) | Jamie Little Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race and was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Rusty Wallace called the race for MRN from the booth when the field raced down the front straightaway. Dave Moody called the race from turns 1 & 2 while Kurt Becker called the race from turns 3 & 4. Pit Road for MRN was manned by Steve Post, Brienne Pedigo and Kim Coon.
| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Kurt Becker | Steve Post Brienne Pedigo Kim Coon |
Standings after the race
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References
- "2023 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- Taranto, Steven (September 14, 2022). "NASCAR releases 2023 Cup Series schedule highlighted by new Chicago, All-Star race stops". CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- "NASCAR unveils 2023 schedule for its national series". National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC. September 14, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- "Enjoy Illinois 300 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- Bianchi, Jordan; Gluck, Jeff (May 30, 2023). "NASCAR suspends Chase Elliott 1 race for crashing Denny Hamlin: Why it's the right call". The Athletic. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- Crandall, Kelly (May 30, 2023). "Chase Elliott given one-race suspension for Hamlin tangle". Racer. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- Utter, Jim (June 3, 2023). "Defending race winner Logano fastest in Gateway practice". Motorsport.com. Madison, Illinois: Motorsport Network. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- Utter, Jim (June 3, 2023). "Kyle Busch nips Blaney by just 0.008s for Gateway Cup pole". Motorsport.com. Madison, Illinois: Motorsport Network. Retrieved June 3, 2023.