HAMLIN WINS ENJOY ILLINOIS 300 NASCAR CUP SERIES ROUND OF 16 PLAYOFF RACE

Denny Hamlin advances to the Round of 12 as Joe Gibbs Racing sweeps the first two races of the opening round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Playoff drivers take the top five positions and seven of the top eight in the second race of the Round of 16.

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 7, 2025) – Joe Gibbs Racing flexed its muscle once again in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ opening Round of 16 as Denny Hamlin captured Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 before a sellout crowd at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Hamlin provided an encore to teammate Chase Briscoe’s win last week at Darlington Raceway with a strong performance of his own from the pole, giving Joe Gibbs Racing two of the automatic berths into the Round of 12 as a result of the consecutive victories.

The win also had historical significance as Hamlin’s 59th career victory and fifth of the season was the 200th in the Cup Series for JGR’s engine manufacturer Toyota.

“We just had a nice solid day on pit road. No mistakes,” said Hamlin, who finished runner-up at WWT Raceway the past two seasons. “Some other guys had some issues and that allowed us to capitalize and win the race. That’s what NASCAR has become now; it’s such an execution race. … If you can do your job, like I did today then the wins will almost fall in your lap.”

“I love coming to St. Louis,” added winning team owner Joe Gibbs. “Love coming to this part of the country. I spent five years here with the ‘Cardiac’ Cards chasing the football around and had a ball. Everybody treated us great, and I just really appreciate getting a chance to come here and win a race.”

Hamlin led four times for a race-high 75 of the 240 laps en route to a 1.62-second margin of victory over Briscoe. Playoff drivers swept the top-five finishing positions and seven of the top eight. Rounding out the top five were, in order, Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano.

Briscoe won the opening stage with Hamlin finishing third in the 45-lap segment. Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing was sixth in that stage, but thrust himself into contention by winning the second one. He led 58 laps in the stage and that carried over early in the third, where he led the opening 15 laps, before fading to eighth.

A strong side-by-side battle developed between Hamlin and Logano in the final stage before the leaders all needed to pit a final time in different cycles. RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski, who did not make the playoffs, was willing to gamble. He chose to stay out as the leader when the final caution waved on Lap 210 for a single-car incident in Turn 1 involving Ty Dillon.

The 15th and final lead change came on the restart as Hamlin went to the inside of Keselowski and Briscoe to the outside. They both cleared Keselowski with Hamlin in the lead and Briscoe in tow. Hamlin quickly opened up a comfortable lead on the field as he led the final 25 laps en route to the win.

Joe Gibbs Racing placed all three of its playoff drivers in the top 10 with Christopher Bell finishing eighth. The only non-playoff driver to finish among the top eight was Legacy Motor Club’s John Hunter Nemechek, who finished sixth.

Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, who finished 19th, currently sits in the 12th and final transfer spot with just next week’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway remaining in the Round of 16. He is 11 points ahead of Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon and 15 ahead of Trackhouse Racing rookie Shane van Gisbergen. Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports is a distant 15th (-35) and Josh Berry of Wood Brothers Racing in 16th (-45).

About World Wide Technology Raceway

World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) is the home of NASCAR, INDYCAR and NHRA racing in St. Louis’ Metro East region. Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering 700 acres, WWTR is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the area. WWTR’s facilities include a 1.25-mile superspeedway; 1/4-mile drag strip; 2.0-mile road course; the Gateway Kartplex state-of-the-art karting facility; and the adjacent Gateway National Golf Links. WWTR and Owner & CEO Curtis Francois have been recognized with several awards, including: 2023 St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame induction; 2023 Innovation in Philanthropy Award by the St. Louis Business Journal; 2022 Explore St. Louis Hospitality Hero Recognition; 2022 Best in Show and Best Event & Festival from the Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism; 2021 Comcast Community Champion of the Year; 2021 Jack Buck Award; 2020 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Track Award; 2018 Innovator Award from the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission; 2017 Outstanding Facility of the Year Award from the Race Track Business Conference; and the 2017 Spirit of St. Louis Award from the St. Louis Attractions Association. Our mission: We are committed to making a difference in our community, while providing first-class entertainment and memories that last a lifetime. 