Last week, the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs got underway with Chase Briscoe recording a dominant win in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington. With the win, Briscoe is locked into the Round of 12. Another ticket (or more) could be punched at today’s Enjoy Illinois 300 (3:00 pm ET, USA).
At Darlington, Briscoe led 309 of 367 laps on the way to his second win of the season. Now, he can look ahead to the next two races without having to fight for a spot in the next round.
While Briscoe can have an easy breezy Sunday stroll around Gateway Motorsports Park, several drivers need a good result today to go into next Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol with a realistic hope of reaching the Round of 12.
Entering the Enjoy Illinois 300, reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, and Josh Berry are all on the outside in, with Shane van Gisbergen currently occupying the 12th and final spot in the next round.
NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings (After 1 of 10 Playoff Races)
- 1. Chase Briscoe – 2070 (in the Round of 12 due to Southern 500 win)
- 2. Denny Hamlin – 2067
- 3. Kyle Larson – 2062
- 4. Tyler Reddick – 2059
- 5. Bubba Wallace – 2049
- 6. William Byron – 2049
- 7. Ryan Blaney – 2046
- 8. Ross Chastain – 2045
- 9. Austin Cindric – 2036
- 10. Christopher Bell – 2035
- 11. Chase Elliott – 2033
- 12. Shane van Gisbergen – 2027
- 13. Joey Logano – 2024
- 14. Austin Dillon – 2019
- 15. Alex Bowman – 2008
- 16. Josh Berry – 2008
The top nine positions in the Enjoy Illinois 300 are occupied by playoff drivers, with Zane Smith the highest non-playoff driver. Will this translate into a victory for one of the championship contenders? Read on for our Enjoy Illinois 300 predictions and picks and get the best value odds from BetOnline and other top online sportsbooks.
Enjoy Illinois 300 Odds
- Denny Hamlin +400
- Ryan Blaney +450
- Kyle Larson +550
- Christopher Bell +600
- Chase Briscoe +750
- William Byron +900
- Tyler Reddick +1400
- Joey Logano +1500
- Chase Elliott +1800
- Ross Chastain +1800
- Brad Keselowski +2000
- Austin Cindric +2200
- Josh Berry +4000
- Chris Buescher +4000
- Kyle Busch +4000
- Bubba Wallce +4000
- Carson Hocevar +5000
- Austin Dillon +5000
- Ty Gibbs +6600
- Alex Bowman +8000
- Ryan Preece +8000
- Zane Smith +8000
- J. Allmendinger +15000
- Erik Jones +15000
Enjoy Illinois 300 Predictions and Picks
Denny Hamlin to finish in the top five (-125 at Lucky Rebel)
Hamlin will start on pole for the fourth edition of the Enjoy Illinois 300, which has been won by three different drivers (Joey Logano in 2022, Kyle Busch in 2023, and Austin Cindric in 2024).
Will he finally land in Victory Lane in this race. He finished second to Busch in 2023 and second to Cindric last year.
Hamlin finished seventh at Darlington, a solid result when only three other playoff drivers finished in the top 10. He has gone five races without a top-five finish, so a race somewhere he has performed well is perfect timing.
Joey Logano to finish in the top five (+275 at Bovada)
In addition to his 2022 Enjoy Illinois 300 win, Logano finished third in the race in 2023 and fifth last year. After finishing 20th last week, he needs a strong result this week to move out of the bottom four in the playoff standings.
Since his win at Texas Motor Speedway in May, Logano has only two top-five finishes and five top-ten finishes in 15 races. But this is a great spot to back him to come in clutch, given his previous success at Gateway.
Ryan Blaney to finish in the top three (+150 at BetOnline)
Blaney’s 18th-place finish at Darlington snapped a streak of six consecutive top-ten finishes. However, it was good enough to send him into this weekend in a decent position in the playoff standings with several other drivers not finishing all that well.
But he has overall been good as of late, and he has a couple of good results in the Enjoy Illinois 300, coming in fourth in 2022 and sixth in 2023. Expect Blaney to contend for the win. At the very least, he should be near the front, even if he isn’t able to pull out the victory.
Other NASCAR Betting Content
Did you enjoy these Enjoy Illinois 300 picks? Throughout the season, you can find predictions, picks, and expert NASCAR betting insight for many Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series races, as well as updates on the latest championship odds.
Are you new to betting on NASCAR? Check out our NASCAR betting guide to get your knowledge up to speed before you bet on the upcoming action.
In addition to our dedicated betting guide, several of our sports betting guides are useful for wagering on NASCAR odds. That includes our guide to golf finishing position bets, which are similar in scope and approach to NASCAR finishing position bets.