Last weekend, NASCAR’s visit to Madison, Illinois marked the 15th event of the 2024 Cup Series season. The Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway saw Team Penske’s Austin Cindric take a trip to victory lane as drivers tried to tame the unique 1.250-mile-long track.
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With characteristics of an intermediate track mixed in with those of a short track, WWT Raceway is one of the most unique venues the sport visits during the year. Better recognized as Gateway Motorsports Park, the facility saw many drivers getting caught out by the track’s layout during the race.
The end of the 240-lap-long race also included two twists which kept fans on the edge of their seats as a new winner was crowned this season. Here are the biggest gainers and losers from the event:
Winner: Austin Cindric
WINNERS IN GATEWAY.
Needed that 🤘🏼@freightliner @Team_Penske @FordPerformance pic.twitter.com/C13yceZ08v— Austin Cindric (@AustinCindric) June 3, 2024
The driver of the #2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse fielded by Team Penske, Austin Cindric managed to log his first win of the season at WWT Raceway. The 2022 Daytona 500 winner took P1 off his teammate Ryan Blaney who ran out of fuel on the last lap of the event.
Loser: Ryan Blaney
"I'M OUT OF GAS."
Heartbreak for Ryan Blaney. https://t.co/bPtNrjOtDD pic.twitter.com/Bv7bLhhnTy
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 2, 2024
Ryan Blaney’s outing last Sunday stemmed heartbreak for the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion after he ran out of fuel as the white flag flew to end the race the subsequent lap at Gateway. Blaney was one of the two biggest contenders during the race who suffered similar fates during the event.
Winner: Denny Hamlin
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin is on a streak of consistent finishes with last Sunday’s event marking the #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver’s sixth consecutive scoring inside the top 5. Hamlin started the 300-mile-long event in P6 and hovered around the P5 spot all race long.
Loser: Christopher Bell
The Enjoy Illinois 300 has been a tale of teammate ups and downs as Christopher Bell was another challenger for victory who suffered from mechanical issues during the event. Bell was seen losing power after leading more than 70 laps of the race. His engine troubles ultimately saw the #20 Toyota driver fall back to a P7 finish on a day where he was one of if not the dominant cars out on track.
Winner: Kyle Larson
Despite crashing into fellow competitor Kyle Busch during the 300-lap-long event, Kyle Larson‘s luck seemed to be on his side as he finished inside the top 10 last Sunday. Larson was seen running into the side of Busch’s car causing both of them to make contact with the outside wall at the track, which ultimately ended the day for the #8 car and driver.
Loser: Kyle Busch
Defending victor at Gateway, Busch seemingly did not have a winning pace during the event this year as the #8 driver worked hard to finish inside the top 10 last Sunday. However, a run-in with Larson meant Busch’s day was cut short as the RCR driver retired from the 300-mile-long event.
Growing frustrations inside the #8 crew regarding the team’s pace have also been the reason behind Busch’s mindset of late. It remains to be seen when the team can bounce back into their initial winning ways, with only 11 races to go until this year’s postseason playoffs start.
