Though this will be the inaugural Cup Series event this weekend, World Wide Technology Raceway has hosted 15 Xfinity Series races from 1997 to 2010 and 21 Truck Series races from 1998 to 2010 and again from 2014 to this season.
A glance at what to expect this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series makes its first visit:
The Track
World Wide Technology Raceway, located in Madison, Ill., was originally built as a road course in 1985 and was known as St. Louis International Raceway Park.
The road course was demolished in 1996 to make way for the 1.25-mile paved oval and accompanying drag strip that are still there today. The track features 11-degree banking in Turns 1 and 2 and 9-degree banking in Turns 3 and 4. The facility now has more than 700 acres welcoming fans this weekend.
The Cup Series first competed in the state of Illinois in 1954 at Santa Fe Speedway, a ½-mile dirt track located in Willow Springs, Ill. Two years later, the series returned to the state only this time it was at the famous Soldier Field in Chicago.
The Cup Series has also competed at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., from 2001 to 2019 (19 races).
The Races
The Cup series race on Sunday, the Enjoy Illinois 300, will consist of 240 laps (300 miles) in stages of 45, 95 and 100 laps.
The Toyota 200 Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday will feature three stages of 35, 35 and 90 laps for a 160-lap race of 200 miles.
What They’re Saying
“Gateway is very tight, very narrow. It can be slick, too, from what I understand talking with my KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) Truck Series guys. The long back straightaway getting into Turns 3 and 4, which is a huge, wide, sweeping turn, and a completely different way of driving both of those corners.” – Kyle Busch
“We went to the Ford simulator and got to run a decent amount. I think there’s going to be shifting. I think that’s kind of for sure, but it’s two different ends. It’s a track that I haven’t seen in four or five years and I…
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