MADISON, Ill.—In a race that featured a strange brew of divergent strategies, pole winner Denny Hamlin claimed his series-best fifth victory of the season and advanced to the Round of 12 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Despite the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth at the performance of Hendrick Motorsports at Darlington Raceway, Kyle Larson actually helped himself in the Playoff-opening Cook Out Southern 500.
While the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs are in full swing at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff field won’t be solidified until after Saturday night’s Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog at the 1.25-mile track (7:30 p.m. on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 3, 2025 – The NASCAR Cup Series Round of 16 Playoffs continue this Sunday, Sept. 7, with the Enjoy Illinois 300 from World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, while the SuperMotocross World Championship begins this Saturday, Sept. 6, with Round 1 from zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C., at 2:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.
NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Enjoy Illinois 300
The Place: World Wide Technology Raceway
Track Length: 1.25 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Sunday, September 7
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
The Purse: $9,797,935
TV: USA, 2:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 300 miles (240 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 140), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 240)
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)
The Goodyear Racing Eagle tire setup that awaits NASCAR Cup Series teams at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) this weekend is new to the Illinois track but already familiar to teams, having debuted at Iowa Speedway a month ago.
These new left and right side tires were initially developed with Iowa’s fast cornering speeds in mind and are also the product of a June tire test at WWTR, where drivers Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski, and Kyle Larson tested them.
Coming into the Newsday Salutes First Responders NASCAR Modified feature Saturday at Riverhead Raceway, Owen Grennan of Glen Cove formulated a game plan upon finding out he’d start outside of the front row. Grennan, a schoolteacher by day executed his plan to perfection winning the 50-lap main event, his second of 2025 and third of his career. Prior to racing Connie Partridge & Tom Gatz in conjunction with Newsday presented a moving salute to all 1st responders during opening ceremonies, complete with a flyover by the Suffolk County Police Department.
PORTLAND, OR – A dramatic overtime pass for the win punctuated a nearly perfect afternoon for JR Motorsports driver Connor Zilisch at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, where the 19-year old claimed his series-best eighth NASCAR Xfinity Series win of the season – the best series victory total ever for a rookie driver.
Only weeks removed from breaking his collarbone celebrating another win – at the Watkins Glen, N.Y. road course – Zilisch claimed pole position, won both stages, set fastest lap and celebrated it all in Victory Circle of the famed 1.967-mile road course in the scenic Pacific Northwest.
