How the 16 Playoff Drivers Historically Perform at WWT Raceway

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs are officially underway!

After an exciting trip to Darlington Raceway for the series' final crown jewel event of 2025, the Southern 500, the best drivers in NASCAR are heading to St. Louis for the second of three events in the opening round of the Playoffs, at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWT Raceway).

Here's the twist: Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 will mark the fourth NASCAR Cup Series event at WWT Raceway, and the first time that the 1.25-mile racetrack will be hosting a post-season event in the month of September.

Therefore, not only is experience already extremely limited for those competing in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series event, but there is also no guarantee that notes from the last three seasons will even translate to the racetrack this weekend.

Since the NASCAR Cup Series contested its first event at WWT Raceway in 2022, the racetrack has seen three different winners, only two of whom are currently active in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs -- Joey Logano and Austin Cindric.

Logano, a three-time champion of the NASCAR Cup Series, was the first race-winner at the St. Louis-based racetrack, and statistically speaking, should be a favorite to win Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 as the only driver to finish top-five (and even top-10) in all three events.

Plus, in recent years, the entire Team Penske organization has mastered the shorter, flat racetracks, like WWT Raceway and Phoenix Raceway. Austin Cindric won last year's event at the racetrack, after the three teammates (Cindric, Blaney, and Logano) took turns being at the front of the pack.

Entering WWT Raceway, Ryan Blaney is the highest of the three Team Penske drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings, sitting seventh, 22 points above the cutline. Austin Cindric is ninth, 12 points above the cutline, while Logano is 13th, three points below the cutline.

Aside from the Team Penske boys, only Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell have notched multiple top-10 results at WWT Raceway. Of those three drivers, only Hamlin has finished top-five twice at the racetrack.

While those drivers may be at an advantage heading into this weekend's event, there is a unique situation unfolding at WWT Raceway, where playoff-caliber drivers find themselves at a deficit when it comes to experience (or success) at a racetrack.

Chase Elliott has only been present for two of the three events at WWT Raceway, missing the 2023 running of the Enjoy Illinois 300 due to serving a one-race suspension for hooking Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600. In his two starts, Elliott has a best finish of 13th.

Chase Briscoe, winner of last weekend's Southern 500, is among several drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs who haven't scored a top-10 finish in three races at WWT Raceway. He's joined in that category by Elliott, Josh Berry, Bubba Wallace, and Alex Bowman.

At the biggest disadvantage, though? Shane Van Gisbergen. The Auckland, New Zealand-native is the only driver in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs that hasn't run a top-level race at World Wide Technology Raceway, and to make matters worse, he's never seen the place before.

It's destined to be an uphill battle for the three-time Supercars champion, who comes into the race needing a pair of solid finishes to even have a shot at moving through to the 'Round of 12', after a dismal 32nd-place result at Darlington.

The Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWT Raceway will take place on Sunday, September 7 at 3:00 PM ET on USA Network, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Stats for Playoff Drivers at WWT Raceway (Sorted by Number):