World Wide Technology Raceway will become a gateway to the NASCAR Cup Series championship as a shift in race dates on the 2025 schedule will make the Madison, Illinois-based short oval an opening-round playoff host.
The Enjoy Illinois 300 moves from its traditional June slot to Sunday, Sept. 7, in 2025 as the second race of the 10-event Cup Series Playoffs. The Enjoy Illinois 300, the only Cup event to be contested on a 1.25-mile oval next season, will be a 240-lap, 300-mile race.
“We can’t thank NASCAR enough for rewarding this tremendous sports market with a race of this magnitude,” World Wide Technology Raceway owner and CEO Curtis Francois said. “The St. Louis region is accustomed to great playoff event memories with the Blues, Cardinals and other sports teams over the years and now we can finally add NASCAR to that esteemed list. NASCAR selecting us for a prized Cup Series Playoff race is a tribute to all the support, especially from our dedicated fans, that they witnessed the first three years we hosted sold-out races. The continued evolution of World Wide Technology Raceway in part is made possible because of the unwavering support and commitment from David Steward and his entire family.”
World Wide Technology Raceway celebrated a third consecutive sellout of the Cup Series race this past June, attracting fans from 48 states and 20 countries. With the move to the playoffs, the Enjoy Illinois 300 and the region is expected to garner more attention and exposure as one of just 10 Playoff hosts.
“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with the World Wide Technology Raceway as the title sponsor of the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series race for the fourth consecutive year,” said Daniel Thomas, deputy director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Office of Tourism. “This event has become a significant platform for Illinoistourism, attracting thousands of NASCAR fans from more than 20 countries and 48 states and generating $60 million in economic impact to Illinois’ Metro East region. Now as a playoff race, we expect the Enjoy Illinois 300 to draw even more visitors to discover Southern Illinois’ small businesses, outdoor adventures and iconic attractions.”
“This exciting news is possible only with the vision and energy of Curtis Francois and his team,” said David L. Steward, Founder and Chairman, World Wide Technology. “When Curtis and I discussed the naming rights opportunity in 2019, we had every confidence that we would bring NASCAR Cup Series racing to the Gateway Region and change the future of motorsports. World Wide Technology and the Steward family are blessed to be a partner in making this new world happen.”
The Cup Series Playoffs consist of four rounds – the opening Round of 16, Round of 12, Round of 8 and finally the Championship 4 Round. Each of the first three rounds consist of three races and World Wide Technology Raceway will host the second race in the Round of 16.
Sixteen drivers will qualify for the Cup Series Playoffs through the first 26 regular-season races and vie for the crown in the final 10 races. The Playoff races will continue to have full fields, with the other drivers contending for race wins but ineligible to compete for the championship.
Four drivers will be eliminated following each of those rounds and then the four remaining will contend for the title in the Championship 4 Round. That final round consists of only the season-ending race and the top finisher among that group being awarded The Bill France Cup as the Cup Series champion.
World Wide Technology Raceway has produced three thrilling Cup Series races thus far, with the first two going into overtime and Joey Logano (2022) and Kyle Busch (2023) both winning by less than .7 of a second. This season provided a different type of drama as leader Ryan Blaney ran out of fuel approaching the final lap and handed the victory to his Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric.
“This track’s uniqueness has always provided some great racing, and it is getting ready to get ramped up with the playoff intensity and a Cup championship at stake,” Francois said. “We’re very proud to host a Cup Series Playoff event and this is a big win for the region, especially for those local civic and business community leaders who have embraced NASCAR from the outset. Now we are shining an even brighter light on World Wide Technology Raceway.”
The Enjoy Illinois 300 race start time and full weekend schedule will be announced at a later date. The ever-popular Confluence Music Festival is scheduled to return as part of the NASCAR weekend schedule.
World Wide Technology Raceway’s ticket office is now accepting ticket deposits and renewals for NASCAR weekend packages. For additional information, please visit www.wwtraceway.com or contact the ticket office at (618) 215-8888.
WWTR PR
