It’s the second race of round one in the playoffs for the Cup Series drivers and after his dominating win last week at Darlington, Chase Briscoe sits at the top of the leaderboard and is guaranteed a spot in the next round.

This week, it’s the 1.25 mile World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.  Thirty-six teams have brought cars to the track to fill a 40 car field.

The drivers have been divided into two groups for two 25 minute practice sessions.

There are a number of drivers in both series this weekend that have never raced on the track at WWT; New Zealand drivers Shane van Gisbergen has never even laid eyes on the track.  He ran only a few laps on the simulator and declared that he would figure it out!

The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Cody Ware with a time of 33.650 seconds.

Ty Gibbs is the first driver to break the 33 second mark with a time of 32.889 seconds.

With a time of 32.330 seconds, Denny Hamlin put his number eleven car on the pole with Kyle Larson alongside on the front row.

The starting lineup for the Enjoy Illinois 300:
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Larson
Chase Briscoe
Ross Chastain
Ryan Blaney
William Byron
Tyler Reddick
Christopher Bell
Austin Cindric
Zane Smith
Chris Buescher
Josh Berry
Joey Logano
Bubba Wallace
Austin Dillon
Erik Jones
AJ Allmendinger
Shane van Gisbergen
Chase Elliott
John Hunter Nemechek
Ty Gibbs
Kyle Busch
Brad Keselowski
Noah Gragson
Alex Bowman
Daniel Suarez
Carson Hocevar
Michael McDowell
Cole Custer
Todd Gilliland
Justin Haley
Ryan Preece
Riley Herbst
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Ty Dillon
Cody Ware

Fifteen of the 16 playoff drivers are in the top 20 with the top nine spots filled by playoff drivers.

Haas Factory Team’s number 41 car driven by Cole Custer failed the inspection process multiple times and as a result has lost his pit stall choice and engineer Marc Hendricksen has been ejected from the track for the weekend.

Stage one of the race is 45 laps, stage two is 95 laps, and stage three is 100 laps for a total of 240 laps around the 1.25 mile track.  The drivers can run around 75 laps on a single load of fuel.

Illinois native Bill Murray gave a rousing command for the drivers to start their engines.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Kyle Larson alongside.  Hamlin jumps out in front for the lead as the drivers spread out two and three wide across the track.

Lap two, the top five are Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Blaney.

Chase Briscoe passes Ross Chastain for third.

Lap four, Denny Hamlin  has a half second lead on Kyle Larson; Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.

Lap six, Kyle Larson has caught leader Denny Hamlin and is beginning to challenge for the lead.

Lap seven, Kyle Larson begins the battle to pass leader Denny Hamlin.

Lap eight, Kyle Larson is the new leader.

Lap 10, Kyle Larson has pulled out to a lead of over half a second on Denny Hamlin; Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.

Lap 13, Kyle Larson has increased his lead to nearly a second and a half on Denny Hamlin; Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.

Lap 19, Ryan Blaney begins to challenge Chase Briscoe for third.

Christopher Bell has passed Ross Chastain for fifth.

Lap 21, Kyle Larson has taken flight and is nearly four seconds out in front of Denny Hamlin and the field.

Austin Dillon has fallen over a dozen spots since the race start.  He reports that he is driving a piece of junk.

Lap 25, the top nine spots are occupied by playoff drivers with Kyle Larson leading by nearly five seconds; Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.

The caution flag comes out on lap 27 when Kyle Busch spins out and taps the wall.  He gets the car moving again.

WWT is the site of Kyle Busch’s last win…two years ago.

Several drivers come down pit road for service including leader Kyle Larson.  Chase Buescher wins the race off of pit road after taking only two tires.  Zane Smith and Shane van Gisbergen also took only two tires.

Tyler Reddick had to stop in a fellow box to tighten a tire and will have to restart the race from the back of the field for pitting outside of his pit box.

After staying out on the track, Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 33  with Chase Briscoe alongside  Briscoe takes the lead with Denny Hamlin in second; Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

Kyle Larson passes Christopher Bell for fourth.

Lap 35, Kyle Larson passes Ryan Blaney for third.

The caution flag comes out on lap 37 when Josh Berry gets into the wall hard after contact from Chase Elliott in some three wide racing.  His left front wheel is hanging sideways.

Chase Briscoe brings the field down for the green flag restart with Denny Hamlin alongside on lap  42.  Briscoe jumps out in front for the lead but Kyle Larson is coming on fast .  Drivers are getting three and four wide across the track.

Josh Berry is out of the race.

Lap 44, Chae Briscoe and Kyle Larson battle for the lead.

Chase Briscoe wins stage one.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Chase Briscoe
Kyle Larson
Denny Hamlin
William Byron
Ryan Blaney
Bubba Wallace
Christopher Bell
Ross Chastain
Zane Smith

Chase Elliott

Drivers come down pit road for service with Chase Briscoe winning the race off of pit road.  Kyle Larson did not make a pit stop and will lead the race.

Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with William Byron alongside on lap 53.  Drivers  spread out across the track as Kyle Larson takes the lead.

The top five are Kyle Larson, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Zane Smith, and Chase Elliott.

Bubba Wallace passes William Byron for second.

Lap 56, Kyle Larson has a lead just under a second on Bubba Wallace; William Byron, Zane Smith, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.

All of the drivers on the track are on the lead lap.

Lap 60, Chase Elliott passes Zane Smith for fourth.

The caution flag comes out on lap 61 when Daniel Suarez gets into the wall after contact with Chase Briscoe who locked up a tire.

A fuel window to the end of stage two, several drivers come down pit road for service.  Chase Briscoe has a slow stop with a tire issue.

Bubba Wallace gave up second place to come down pit road.

Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag restart with William Byron alongside on lap 66.  Larson edges out for the lead with William Byron, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick and, Carson Hocevar rounding out the top five.

Daniel Suaez takes his 99 car to the garage.

Bubba Wallace is back in the top 10 after coming down pit road during the caution flag.

Lap 70, Kyle Larson has a one second lead on Chase Elliott; Chrisotpher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and William Byron round out the top five.

Shane van Gisbergen reports that he may have a flat tire.

Lap 73, Kyle Larson has a lead of over a second on Chase Elliott; Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.

The caution flag comes out on lap 77for Ty Dillon who is stopped on the track after spinning out and getting into the wall.  Dillon made contact with brother Austin before hitting the wall.  Austin radioed to the crew that he didin’t mean to do that.

Most of the drivers stayed out on the track but some did come down pit road for service including leaders Kyle Larson and Chae Elliott.  Bubba Wallace is the new leader.

Tyler Reddick left his pit stall while the fuel can was still attached but it fell out before he left his pit box.

Daniel Suarez is out of the race.

Bubba Wallace brings the field down for the green flag restart with Joey Logano alongside on lap 83.  Wallace gets out in front for the lead.

The top five are Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, and Ryan Blaney.

Lap 88, Bubba Wallace leads the race with Joey Logano alongside; Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.

Lap 91, Bubba Wallace has a one second lead on Joey Logano with Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, and Ryan Blaney rounding out the top five.

Christopher Bell passes Alex Bowman for fifth.

Lap 99, Bubba Wallace has a near second and a half lead on Joey Logano; Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.

Lap 102, Bubba Wallace has increased his lead to two seconds over Joey Logano.

Lap 105, Ty Dillon is the only driver on the track not on the lead lap.

Bubba Wallace now has a two and a half second lead on Joey Logano; Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.

Lap 114, Christopher Bell passes Denny Hamlin for third.  Bubba Wallace has pulled out to a lead of over three and a half seconds over Joey Logano.

Lap 121, Bubb Wallace has a near four second lead on Joey Logano; Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.

Lapa 124, Christoher Bell begins the challenge Joey Logano for second.

Lap 130, Joey Logano has closed the gap on leader Bubba Wallace to under three seconds as Christopher Bell closes his gap on Logano; Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney rounds out the top five.

Kyle Larson battles with Ryan Blaney for fifth.

The caution flag comes out with six laps remaining in stage two when Ryan Blaney spins out after contact from Kyle Larson.

Drivers come down pit road with just a few laps remaining in stage two.  Bubba Wallace wins the race off of pit road but there are a few drivers who did not make a pit stop.

Alex Bowman had a slow stop after another tire issue.

Brad Keselowski brings the field down for the shootout to end stage two with Bubba Wallace alongside.  Keselowski jumps out in front for the lead but Bubba Wallace comes up on the inside and takes the lead.

Bubba Wallace wins stage two for his fourth stage win of the season.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Bubba Wallace
Joey Logano
Brad Keselowski
Kyle Larson
Christopher Bell
Austin Dillon
Denny Hamlin
Chase Elliott
John Hunter Nemechek
Ross Chastain

Some drivers come down pit road for service.

Bubba Wallace brings the drivers down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 148 with Joey Logano alongside.

Wallace jumps out in front for the lead with Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano in a battle for second.  Drivers are getting thee wide across the track.

Lap 150, the caution flag cmes out for a big piece of debris.

The top five are Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell.

Some of the drivers from the back of the field come down pit road for service.

Bubba Wallace brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 156 with Joey Logano alongside.  Joey Logano gets out in front for the lead with Denny Hamlin alongside.

The caution flag comes out on lap 157 when Shane van Gisbergen spins out and lightly touches the wall. 

Bubba Wallace did not get moving on the restart due to a stuck gear.

Some of the drivers come down pit road to pack the fuel cell to make it to the end of the race with 82 laps remaining in the race.

Kyle Larson had to make a second unscheduled trip down pit road for a rear diffuser issue.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Joey Logano alongside on lap 162.  Hamlin gets out in front as drivers spread out across the track three and four wide.

The top five are Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, and John Hunter Nemechek.

Lap 167, Denny Hamlin has a quarter second lead on Joey Logano; Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and John Hunter Nemechek round out the top five.

Lap 172, Denny Hamlin has a near half second lead on Joey Logano; Chase Elliott, ty Gibbs, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.

Christopher Bell passes Ty Gibbs for fourth.

With 64 laps remaining in the race, Denny Hamlin has a lead of over half a second on Joey Logano; Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.

Lap 181, Joey Logano closes the gap on leader Denny Hamlin to just a quarter of a second.

Off pace, Tyler Reddick is having some issues with his car.

Just 52 laps remaining in the race; Denny Hamlin leads the race with Joey Logano in second; Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.

Lap 194, Denny Hamlin has a near half a second lead on Joey Logano; Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.

Lap 195, Chase Briscoe is the first driver to make a green flag pit stop.

Lap 196, leader Denny Hamlin comes down pit road and gives the lead over to Joey Logano.

Lao 198, Joey Logano comes down pit road and gives the lead over to Chase Elliott.

Drivers who have made green flag pit stops are now one lap down and are working hard to unlap themselves.

Chase Briscoe has unlapped himself.

Chase Elliott comes down pit road with Christopher Bell; Ty Gibbs is the new leader.

Ty Gibbs makes his pit stop and gives the lead over to Ryan Blaney.

Lap 207, Ryan Blaney makes his pit stop and gives the lead over to Brad Keselowski.

The caution flag comes out on lap 208 for Ty Dillon getting into the wall.

Alex Bowman was caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.

Some of the drivers come down pit road. Leader Brad Keselowski stays out on the track.

Taking two tire Shane van Gisbergen won the race off of pit road but was caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.

Brad Keselowski brings the field down for the green flag restart with Denny Hamlin alongside with 25 laps remaining in the race.  Chase Briscoe moves up on the outside to make it a three way battle for the lead with Denny Hamlin getting out in front.

The top five are Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, and Joey Logano.

Chase Elliott passes Brad Keselowski for third.

There are 29 cars on the lead lap.

With 20 to go, Denny Hamlin has a lead of over half a second on Chase Briscoe; Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano round out the top five.

Ty Dillon is off the track.

Fifteen to go, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a lead of nearly a second and a half on Chase Briscoe; Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano round out the top five.

Twelve laps remain in the race, Denny Hamlin has a second and a half lead on Chase Briscoe; Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano round out the top five.

Seven laps to go, Denny Hamlin has increased his lead to over a second and a half on Chase Briscoe; Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano round out the top five.

Three to go, Denny Hamlin now has a two second lead.

Denny Hamlin takes the white flag.

After finishing in second place the past two years, Denny Hamlin wins the race for career win number 59.  He gave an impressive burnout in celebration.

The unofficial results of the Enjoy Illinois 300:
Denny Hamlin
Chase Briscoe
Chase Elliott
Ryan Blaney
Joey Logano
John Hunter Nemnechek
Christopher Bell
Bubba Wallace
Chris Buescher
Ty Gibbs
William Byron
Kyle Larson
Ryan Preece
Michael McDowell
Carson Hocevar
Tyler Reddick
Brad Keselowski
Austin Dillon
Austin Cindric
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Erik Jones
Kyle Busch
AJ Allmendinger
Ross Chastain
Shane van Gisbergen
Alex Bowman
Cole Custer
Justin Haley
Cody Ware
Noah Gragson
Riley Herbst
Todd Gilliland
Zane Smith
Ty Dillon
Daniel Suarez
Josh Berry