Story By: TAYLOR SMITH / TEAM PENSKE – MADISON, IL
Enjoy Illinois 300 Qualifying: WWT Raceway
Madison, IL – June 1, 2024
NASCAR TRACKS – WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY AT GATEWAY – NASCAR 101
The 15th race of the 26-race NASCAR Cup Series regular season features a visit to World Wide Technology Raceway, marking the just third time the series will have competed at the Madison, Illinois, track just outside St. Louis. Drivers took to the 1.25-mile track early Saturday morning for a combined practice session as the threat of rain loomed, but the inclement weather remained at bay, and qualifying was able to run its course. Austin Cindric – narrowly missing out on the pole – led the way for Team Penske and will start on the front row.
- Austin Cindric, driver, No. 2 Freightliner Ford Mustang – 2nd
- Ryan Blaney, driver, No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang – 3rd
- Joey Logano, driver, No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – 12th
HEAR FROM CINDRIC: “I got really good exits, which made watching that (remaining cars in final round) really frustrating because you know they are all going to pass you on entry. It was just whether or not you got enough. The 34 guys did a great job. Michael (McDowell) had two really great laps. I felt like I got it all on our end after leaving a little bit on the table the first round. The Freightliner Ford Mustang is fast. It is great to be on the front row for tomorrow.”
RETURNING TO GATEWAY: Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Ford Mustang, won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2022 after starting from the seventh position. All three Team Penske drivers led laps in the event, with the driver of the No. 2 Ford Mustang Austin Cindric claiming the Stage 1 win after rolling off the grid in the second position. In 2023, Logano returned to the podium with a third-place finish, and Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Ford Mustang, led a total of 83 laps and secured the Stage 2 win, but ultimately finished sixth when the checkered flag flew.
MIC’D UP: Joey Logano returns to the broadcast booth for Saturday’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Gateway, set to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
SUNDAY AT GATEWAY: Coverage of Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 from Gateway begins at 3:30 p.m. ET. Broadcast coverage of the 300-mile event will be carried on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.