World Wide Technology Raceway 2025 NASCAR Track Profile

[Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2025 Racing Annual magazine. Order your copy online today, or buy one at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]

This year marks the fourth time the NASCAR Cup Series will race at World Wide Technology Raceway (née, Gateway International Raceway) in Madison, Illinois. But this time, the 1.25-mile track just east of St. Louis is moving from a June date to September, the second race of the playoffs. With that, the track will lose the chance for a random winner to pop up and grab a playoff spot, like Austin Cindric did in 2024. But the added postseason drama should more than make up for that.

Cindric was not the fastest car in 2024, but he did lead 53 of 240 laps and ran inside the top 5 most of the day. The best car belonged to Christopher Bell, who led 80 laps and won two stages before mechanical problems dropped him to seventh. Ryan Blaney was a stud as well, passing Bell for the lead with 19 laps to go, but the No. 12 ran out of gas, handing the win to his Penske teammate. In fairness to Cindric, he does have three top 10s at WWTR in three starts, and sometimes simply putting oneself in position to win is the key.

Team Penske has won two of three WWTR races so far, with Joey Logano taking the inaugural checkers in 2022 en route to a championship. His average finish is 3.0, the best in the field with a top-5 result in all three events.

Richard Childress Racing is the only other team to win via Kyle Busch (2023). Busch has led a total of 202 laps in the three races, the most in the field. While this organization has struggled of late, Busch has been able to overcome here, also notching a 10th-place run last year.

Further back, keep an eye on Carson Hocevar and Justin Haley this season. Both had top 10s last year and could take another step forward this season as teammates at Spire Motorsports.

World Wide Technology Raceway track info

Site: Madison, Illinois

Laps: 1.25-mile oval

Banking/Turns 1, 2: 11 degrees

Banking/Turns 3, 4: 9 degrees

2025 Date: Sept. 7

Distance: 240 laps, 300 miles

2024 winner

Austin Cindric

Scouting report

There are a lot of things that have made trips to “Gateway” special in recent years. For one, promoter Chris Blair is a racer and works accordingly. WWTR is simultaneously a short track and an intermediate, highlighting the best of both disciplines. Turns 1 and 2 are tight but high-banked, while 3 and 4 are sweeping and, in comparison, flatter; it’s a challenging place for teams. Three years of packed grandstands and enthusiastic fans were rightfully rewarded with a playoff date this year. This track is going to race even better with an advancement spot on the line.