The NASCAR Cup Series visited World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Sunday afternoon in the Enjoy Illinois 300. Denny Hamlin started the race on the pole, with Kyle Larson starting second.
Denny Hamlin led 75 of 240 laps, including the final 25 laps, to win his fifth race of the season by 1.620 seconds over Chase Briscoe. Briscoe led 15 laps, including winning the first stage. With the win, Hamlin moves on to the next round of the playoffs. It was his first win at the 1.25-mile Gateway, and the 59th career Cup Series win.
Joe Gibbs Racing had four drivers finish in the top ten. Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano rounded up the top five. John H. Nemechek, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top ten.
There were 15 lead changes among nine drivers. Bubba Wallace, who finished in eighth place, led 73 of 240 laps that included winning the second stage. There were 10 cautions for 52 laps. Among the drivers who brought the caution out was Josh Berry. He was hit by Chase Elliott before spinning and hitting the wall at Turn 2. Ty Dillon and Daniel Suarez were also involved in crashes.
The Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway next Saturday at 7:30 pm on USA Network.
