NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300 expert predictions: Who will win at World Wide Technology Raceway?

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to World Wide Technology Raceway this Sunday after a dramatic week for the sport. Kyle Larson’s attempts to complete the Double were drowned in bad weather, and Stewart-Haas Racing announced it will be shuttering after the end of the season.

We’re diving into those storylines with perspective from Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi — plus the odds for the Enjoy Illinois 300 on Sunday and their picks for the race winner and best long shot bets.

The race at World Wide Technology Raceway (still colloquially known as “Gateway”) is on Sunday, June 2, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

1. We’re all sad this week that weather foiled Kyle Larson’s plans to complete the Double. Jeff reshared his post on X about it. It was like a Shakespearean tragedy! Do you think he’ll try again next year?

Jeff: This unnecessary drama over whether Larson should get a waiver probably has soured it a bit, on top of the disappointment and guilt he felt over not being able to be in two places at once. But hopefully, once everything settles down, he’ll be back in 2025. The Double attempt was good for all of American motorsports and gained international attention, even if he was ultimately only able to run one of the races. Zak Brown of Arrow McLaren is on board, and you’d think Rick Hendrick would be as well, so all signs should point to a Larson return at Indy next year — hopefully with sunny weather this time.

Jordan: Presuming Larson gets a waiver, it seems like a good bet that he will double up on doing the Double. Here’s hoping the weather cooperates so that he can actually compete in both races consecutively, thereby negating any debates about waivers. Because unfortunately what Larson has taken a backseat to what he accomplished during his first foray into running Indy cars.

2. With Stewart-Haas Racing shutting down at the end of the season, should we expect any impact on the current season? Aftershocks of the announcement? In a more meta sense, what does it mean for NASCAR?

Jeff: Yes, it will have an impact. People from SHR will start to leave for other teams, I’d guess, as other organizations see the opportunity to snatch up some much-needed personnel and talent. You’d think that would have an impact on their speed at some point, right? In terms of what it means for NASCAR, it’s hard to say. It’s certainly not a great look to have one of the three teams with four cars suddenly dissolve, but a lot of this also has to do with the eccentric billionaire Gene Haas seemingly deciding he was tired of losing in NASCAR with few signs of turnaround on the horizon.

Jordan: Oh, it’s definitely going to have an impact. Any team personnel not under contract will most certainly be looking (assuming they haven’t already started) for their next job and may make the jump even before the season concludes. And even those under contract are likely to be focused as much on securing their future employment as they would on helping SHR perform well on the track. It’s a really sad situation with a lot of very good and hard-working folks being pushed due to factors beyond their control. Truly unfortunate.

3. NOOB question of the week: What should fans know about the upcoming race in Illinois? What’s unique and exciting about this track and about teams’ strategies at this point in the season?

Jeff: It’s across the river from St. Louis, so while it’s technically in Illinois, it’s close enough to see the Gateway Arch from the track. This place may have only had Cup Series racing since 2022, but it’s actually quite dated; Gateway (now WWT Raceway) had its first NASCAR race in 1997 and had Xfinity and Trucks race there a combined 38 times until the Cup finally arrived. It’s sort of a unique track, but the closest comparison is probably Phoenix or New Hampshire.

Jordan: Gateway has quickly earned a reputation for being a track that is tough on equipment, particularly brakes, with drivers having to apply a lot of pressure entering Turn 1. The byproduct is we’ve seen a lot of brake issues and rotor failures that have caused a good number of crashes. It’s definitely something to be mindful of on Sunday.

4. Who is your favorite to win the Enjoy Illinois 300?

Jeff: Though it’s not the same setup as Phoenix (which ran the short track package), that race was dominated by five Toyotas, which led at least 50 laps apiece. With Phoenix being the closest track to Gateway we’ve seen so far layout-wise, perhaps it’s worth looking in the Toyota direction again. To keep it simple, we’ll go with Christopher Bell — who just won the rain-shortened Coke 600 — after he was the best car at Phoenix and won that race in March.

Jordan: The sample size is too small to feel comfortable stating Gateway is a track that gives a significant advantage to any driver/team/manufacturer. This makes picking a clear favorite difficult. So when in doubt, go with the usual suspects, meaning any one of Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Bell, Tyler Reddick or even RFK Racing teammates Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher. This is a long list and likely not helpful in any way. Let’s go with Hamlin since he’s been fast all season and this track is one that plays to his strengths.

5. Who is a long shot you like this week?

Jeff: People are making a huge mistake in overlooking Alex Bowman recently. He has five straight top-10s and has quietly been running very well. Is he a favorite to win? No, but he should also be a lot higher than +3000, so it seems like there’s value there.

Jordan: In a race where an upset feels unlikely, Bowman has to be the “long shot” pick. Besides him, there really isn’t anyone else with long odds that you can even somewhat confidently state has a chance to win. Bowman at +3000 is too big a number to ignore.

Odds for Enjoy Illinois 300 race winner

Odds via BetMGM.

(Photo of Kyle Larson: James Gilbert / Getty Images)