NASCAR Xfinity Series News & Notes – World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Next Race: The Nu Way 200 sauced by Blues Hog BBQ
The Place: World Wide Technology Raceway
Track Length: 1.25 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, September 6
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,651,939
TV: CW, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 200 miles (160 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 35),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 160)

Where To Watch NASCAR This Weekend:

Friday, September 5

NXS Final Practice (CW App at 5 p.m. ET)

Saturday, September 6

NXS Kennametal Pole Qualifying (CW App at 3 p.m. ET)

NCS Practice & Busch Light Pole Qualifying (truTV, MRN, SiriusXM at 4:30 p.m. ET)

NXS Race: The Nu Way 200 sauced by Blues Hog BBQ (CW, MRN, SiriusXM at 7:30 p.m. ET)

Sunday, September 7

NCS Race: Enjoy Illinois 300 (USA, MRN, SiriusXM at 3 p.m. ET)

World Wide Technology Raceway Storylines and Insights:

• This weekend marks the 15th running of a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR), but first since 2010.
• On Saturday, it will be 5,432 days since the last Xfinity Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway.
• World Wide Technology Raceway is the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Regular Season finale.
• Connor Zilisch won his series-leading eighth race of the season at Portland, breaking Christopher Bell’s 2018 record for most wins in a season as a rookie.
• Connor Zilisch won six of the last seven races this season, including two winning streaks of three races.
• Connor Zilisch has more wins in the last seven races than all but five other drivers racing this weekend have in their NXS career.
• Connor Zilisch’s 13 straight top fives since returning from back injury is tied with Carl Edwards for the second-longest top five streak all-time; Zilisch is the youngest driver with more than five straight top fives.
• Connor Zilisch won 32% of his starts, the best all-time among drivers with more than three starts.
• Connor Zilisch leads the regular season standings by 20 points over Justin Allgaier and 50 points over Sam Mayer, no other drivers can mathematically win the Regular Season Championship.
• 17 drivers are fighting for the final three Playoff spots but only four drivers have the opportunity to make the Playoffs on points (does not include Carson Kvapil who clinched a Playoff spot on at least points at Portland)
• Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray can only be passed in points by Harrison Burton; as long as there is no new winner from below the cutoff, both Creed and Gray will make the Playoffs.
• If Harrison Burton doesn’t have issues, the earliest Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray can clinch a Playoff spot on points is the end of Stage 2.
• Jeb Burton is the only driver below the cutoff that can point into the Playoffs. Jeb Burton gained five points on Cousin Harrison at Portland after a seventh-place finish.
• Thirteen drivers below Jeb Burton must win at the World Wide Technology Raceway to make Playoffs.
• Rookies swept the top-four finishing positions at Portland setting a new NXS record for rookies sweeping the top-four spots.
• JR Motorsports won 10 of the last 12 races with four different drivers.
• JR Motorsports won 15 races this season with a series-record six different drivers, all six drivers won in the last 15 races (does not include Parker Kligerman who won in relief role at Daytona).
• JR Motorsports had at least one car finish inside the top-five in a record 27 straight races.
• No past World Wide Technology Raceway Xfinity Series winner is racing this weekend.
• Only two past WWTR Xfinity Series winners are still full-time in NASCAR: Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski.
• Only three active drivers made Xfinity Series starts at St. Louis: Justin Allgaier – 3, Jeremy Clements – 3, Matt DiBenedetto – 2.
• Sheldon Creed is the only driver in the field with a win at World Wide Technology Raceway: 2 Truck Series, 1 ARCA.
• Christian Eckes has made nine combined WWTR starts, the most of any driver on the entry list: 7 Trucks, 2 ARCA.
• The pass for the win occurred with two to go in each of the last two World Wide Technology Raceway races.
• Late Model and ARCA driver Kole Raz will attempt to make his Xfinity Series debut in the #76, a second AM Racing entry.
• Connor Zilisch leads the series with eight wins, 14 top fives, an 8.8 average finish and six poles this season.
• Justin Allgaier leads the series with 695 laps led and 9 stage wins this season.
• Jesse Love leads the series with 17 top 10s this season.
• Justin Allgaier won the Fastest Lap Award five times this season, no other driver has more than three.
• Justin Allgaier’s 28 career wins are ninth on the all-time wins list and one away from tying Matt Kenseth.
•  Justin Allgaier is three top 10s away from becoming the first driver to reach 300 NXS top-10 finishes.
• Justin Allgaier will make his 497th career start at WWTR, tying Mike Wallace for fifth-most all-time.
• Chevrolet led 2,946 of 3,841 laps this season (77%).
• Chevrolet won 22 of 25 races, the most all time by a manufacturer through 25 races in series history.
• Toyota is winless in the last 17 races, their longest winless streak since the first NXS win in 2007.
• Five crew chiefs got their first NXS win in 2025: Chad Haney at Atlanta, Sam McAulay at Darlington, Adam Wall at Bristol, Cory Shea at Mexico City & Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Pocono.
• The last two races went to overtime after the previous ten races ended in regulation.
• Five races this year ended with a last lap pass.
• O’Reilly Auto Parts will replace Xfinity as title sponsor starting in 2026 becoming the fifth different title sponsor of the series: Budweiser, Busch, Nationwide, Xfinity & O’Reilly.

World Wide Technology Raceway is the Regular Season Finale

• Nine drivers are locked in – 8 winners and Carson Kvapil on points.
• 17 drivers are eligible to make Playoffs by winning at WWTR.
• Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray can only be passed in points by Harrison Burton; as long as there is no winner from below the cut, they will make the Playoffs on points.
• Earliest in St. Louis race that Creed or Gray can clinch is the end of Stage 2 without an issue by Harrison Burton early.
• Jeb Burton is the only driver below the cut who can point in.
• Every driver below the cut, except Jeb Burton, must win to make Playoffs.

NXS Clinch Scenarios For World Wide Technology Raceway:

Already Clinched

• The following 9 drivers have clinched a spot in the 12-driver postseason field: Connor Zilisch, Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer, Jesse Love, Austin Hill, Carson Kvapil, Brandon Jones, Sammy Smith, Nicholas Sanchez.

Can Clinch Via Points

• If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the playoffs, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 5th winless driver in the standings.  The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Carson Kvapil, Sheldon Creed or Taylor Gray.
• Sheldon Creed: Would clinch regardless of finish
• Taylor Gray: Would clinch regardless of finish
• Harrison Burton: Would clinch with 26 points
•  Jeb Burton: Could only clinch with help

• The following drivers could clinch on points with a win by Harrison Burton:
• Sheldon Creed: Would clinch regardless of finish
• Taylor Gray: Would clinch regardless of finish

• If there is a new winner from Jeb Burton or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the playoffs, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 4th winless driver in the standings.
• Sheldon Creed: Would clinch with 22 points
• Taylor Gray: Would clinch with 27 points
• Harrison Burton: Could only clinch with help

Can Clinch Via Win

• The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:
• Sheldon Creed, Taylor Gray, Harrison Burton, Jeb Burton, Ryan Sieg, Christian Eckes, Dean Thompson, Daniel Dye, Brennan Poole, William Sawalich, Jeremy Clements, Matt DiBenedetto, Blaine Perkins, Anthony Alfredo, Parker Retzlaff, Kyle Sieg, Ryan Ellis

Can Clinch Regular Season Championship

• Additionally, the Regular Season Championship could be clinched by the following drivers:
• Connor Zilisch: Would clinch with 41 points
• Justin Allgaier: Could only clinch with help
• Sam Mayer: Could only clinch with help

NASCAR & World Wide Technology Raceway, Etc.

Historical & Significant Events at World Wide Technology Raceway:

• Wayne Meinert first developed the original St. Louis Raceway Park in 1967 as a 1/8 mile drag strip.
• In 1971, a quarter mile track was added, and the facility was renamed to St. Louis International Raceway.
• In 1985, a 2.6 mile road course was added with only a few small elevation changes, and incorporated parts of the drag strip, the new track hosted Trans Am Series, Can-Am and a variety of Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) regional and national events.  A 1/20 mile dirt oval opened the same year.
• In 1995, the track was purchased by promoter Chris Pook who immediately began a demolition project of all the existing tracks, which had been renamed Gateway International Raceway in 1988.
• Pook, who had previously promoted the Formula 1 and CART races of the Long Beach Grand Prix, began construction of a new oval, an infield road course and NHRA sanctioned drag strip.
• The first major event held at the facility was a CART Series race on May 24, 1997. The event was held amid the controversy of open wheel racing’s split with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League.  The race was won by Paul Tracy.
• The first NASCAR event at the track was held on July 26, 1997, a Xfinity Series race won by Elliott Sadler.
• The first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race was on September 19, 1998, and was won by Rick Carelli.
• At the beginning of 1998, Dover Motorsports, Inc. purchased the track from Chris Pook.
• In 2010 Dover Motorsports, Inc., officially announced that Gateway was closing and ceasing operations on November 3, 2010.
• In 2011, retired race car driver and real estate developer Curtis Francois, announced the purchase and re-opening of the 160-acre facility for the 2012 season.  The track was renamed Gateway Motorsports Park.
• In November 2013, Gateway MSP and NASCAR announced the return of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series for the 2014 season.
• Gateway MSP increased to more than 200 acres and is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the region, encompassing a ¼ mile NHRA-sanctioned drag strip, 1.25 mile NASCAR oval track, 1.6 mile road course, a world class karting facility, improved grandstands and fan pavilion.
• Gateway Kartplex, a purpose built karting facility, is located inside turns one and two of Gateway Motorsports Park.
• The 1.25 mile oval was repaved in the Summer of 2017 after the Truck race.  The IndyCar series was the first to compete on the new pavement in August 2017.
• In early 2019, Gateway Motorsports Park and World Wide Technology, a market-leading technology solution provider, formed a long-term naming rights commitment, renaming the motorsports facility “World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.” The multi-faceted racing venue serves as home to NASCAR, INDYCAR and NHRA racing in the St. Louis region, where WWT was founded and is headquartered.  WWT also becomes the official technology partner of the track and will use the venue to advance development programs for the company and its community outreach initiatives.  The track plans to utilize the many advanced assets and knowledge that WWT and their partners are developing in an ever-evolving marketplace. Whether it’s STEAM initiatives, technological enhancements for fan experience, or community outreach and diversity, the raceway will serve as a cutting-edge proving ground.
• September 2021 NASCAR announced that the Cup Series would race at WWTR for the first time in June 2022.

Latest News & Events at World Wide Technology Raceway:

• Country star Jon Pardi and rising country star Ella Langley will headline the fourth annual Confluence Music Festival when it returns to the St. Louis region Sept. 6-7 as part of NASCAR Weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway.
• Pardi and Langley join Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers for the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race on Sunday, Sept. 7. They will be joined on multiple stages by more than 30 national and local acts including Saturday, Sept. 6, headliners Adam Wainwright and Tim Dugger, who will perform after the NASCAR Xfinity Series 200 mile event.
• The Confluence Music Festival is a showcase of innovation, talent and live entertainment. The festival attracts fans from across the country in welcoming NASCAR, the premiere form of motorsports in the United States, to WWTR.
• The Confluence Music Festival concerts are free with admission to the daily NASCAR racing activities.
• In addition to the racing and music, the event weekend features interactive entertainment displays, a STEM education showcase, car displays, autograph sessions, and live interviews with NASCAR drivers and St. Louis-area sports legends.