Enjoy Illinois 300 - World Wide Technology Raceway
Madison, Ill. - September 7, 2025
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 FREIGHTLINER FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 9TH STAGE 1: 17TH STAGE 2: 11TH FINISH: 19TH POINTS: 12TH (+11)
RACE RUNDOWN: Despite showing the speed and positioning to be a top-10 contender throughout the afternoon, Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Freightliner Ford Mustang Dark Horse team left World Wide Technology Raceway with a 19th-place finish in the Enjoy Illinois 300. Rolling off from the ninth starting position, Cindric held steady inside the top 10 through the opening laps. The team elected to stay out during an early caution to chase Stage points, but ultimately the No. 2 was left outside the top 10 at the end of Stage 1 in the 17th position. Stage 2 saw Cindric climb as high as fifth as shifting strategies played out, and a caution with six laps remaining prompted the team to pit for four fresh tires and fuel, lining him up 10th for the restart. He crossed the line 11th at the end of the segment, just shy of Stage points. Restarting ninth for the final stint, Cindric remained a fixture in the top 10 until a pair of cautions in quick succession led to varying strategies in the field. A two-tire stop dropped him back in the order, and a late stop for four tires and fuel with 25 laps to go left them to fight forward once more. Cindric ultimately took the checkered flag in 19th.
CINDRIC'S THOUGHTS: "I feel like our Freightliner Ford Mustang was definitely capable of a top ten. I felt like we were capable of getting points in both stages and didn't do any of the three. A bit of a frustrating day to miss out on some points that we probably should have gotten. We could have put ourselves in a place where Bristol would have been much less of a risk but that's racing. We are still in a decent spot. No tragedies from the day. We just need to keep improving if we want to keep advancing through the rounds."
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 5TH STAGE 1: 5TH STAGE 2: 17TH FINISH: 4TH POINTS: 5TH (+42)
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse team returned to form Sunday afternoon at World Wide Technology Raceway, rallying back from an incident late in Stage 2 to come away with a fourth-place finish, marking Blaney's 11th top-five result of the season. Blaney took the green flag from fifth and settled into fourth in the running order during the opening run before a pair of cautions late in Stage 1 prompting varying strategies throughout the field. Blaney was kept on track in both instances in order to maintain track position and the strategy paid off as he picked up six stage points with a fifth-place showing in Stage 1. After coming down pit road for the first time during the stage caution, Blaney lined up to take the ensuing restart from 28th and began to make his way back towards the front, reaching 13th on the leaderboard by the time the caution flag flew on lap 75. After staying out while a mix of the leaders hit pit road, Blaney lined up to take the restart from the inside of row three with 58 to go in the segment before settling into fifth by lap 100. Following a several laps-long battle with the No. 5 for the fifth position, Blaney was on the wrong end of contact in turn four from the No. 5 with six laps to go in Stage 2, sending the Menards/Pennzoil Ford for a slide through the corner and bringing out the caution. Blaney was forced to come down pit road for four fresh tires prior to the one-lap shootout to end the stage, resulting in a 17th-place finish in Stage 2. The No. 12 team continued to work its way back from its loss of track position as Blaney charged his way back into the top-10 with under 80 laps remaining. Crew chief Jonathan Hassler opted to run longer during the green flag pit cycle with one stop remaining to make it to the end, allowing Blaney to take the lead on lap 203 before getting called to pit road three laps later. The final caution flag of the afternoon flew as Blaney was making his way off of pit road and did so without losing a lap in the process, making him the last car on the lead lap at the time. After a majority of the field came down pit road under yellow, Blaney vaulted to 11th prior to the final restart of the day and made up five spots in the first two laps of the run before ultimately taking the checkered flag fourth. Blaney and the No. 12 team enter the third and final race of the Round of 16 in fifth in the points standings, 42 points above the elimination line.
BLANEY'S THOUGHTS: "I am happy we were able to rebound and come away with a pretty good finish. Next week we just want to go run another race and run where we should run. Proud of the effort. Appreciate Menards, Pennzoil, Ford for a good day, good recovery. We will approach next week like a normal weekend and see where we end up after Bristol."
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 HUNT BROTHERS PIZZA FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 13TH STAGE 1: 15TH STAGE 2: 3RD FINISH: 5TH POINTS: 10TH (+21)
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang Dark Horse team came away with a fifth-place finish Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway, marking their fourth top-five result in as many races at the 1.25-mile oval. After starting 13th, Logano and the No. 22 team worked to dial in the balance over the course of the opening run before opting to pit under caution prior to the end of Stage 1 in order to flip their track position at the start of the second segment. Following a 15th-place result in Stage 1, Logano took the ensuing restart from ninth and maintained top-10 pace throughout the run before the caution flag flew on lap 75 while scored seventh in the running order. Due to differing strategies among the leaders, the first five cars opted to pit, allowing Logano to line up from the inside of row one with 58 laps remaining in the stage. Logano settled into second in the order while holding off a hard-charging No. 20 for the position over the course of the final 30 laps before the caution came out with six laps remaining in Stage 2. Crew chief Paul Wolfe called for a four tire stop and the 22 crew got the Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford off pit road second, allowing Logano to pick up a third-place result in Stage 2 following a one-lap shootout to the end of the segment. Logano continued his charge towards the front of the field during the final run of the afternoon, chasing down the No. 11 for the lead with one final pit stop remaining to make it to the end. After the No. 11 hit pit road on lap 196, Logano followed suit on the following lap in an effort to gain the position during the green flag pit cycle. The 22 crew ripped off another quick four tire stop, but Logano ultimately blended right in behind the No. 11 after coming off pit road as the two resumed their battle with 42 laps to go. The final caution flag of the day flew in the middle of the pit cycle with 32 laps remaining as Logano lined up from the inside of row two with 25 to go before settling into fifth during the final run and maintaining the spot the rest of the way. Logano and the No. 22 team head into the third and final race of the Round of 16 in 10th in the points standings, 21 points above the elimination line.
LOGANO'S THOUGHTS: "The strategy gave us a shot to win. We were up there racing against [Denny Hamlin]. I thought maybe on that green flag cycle we could get him but he short pitted us a lap and we just weren't able to get ahead of him. That would have been the control of the race. We gave up control on the restart and we just couldn't regain it. Overall, we needed to score points with the Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang here and we did that. We got some stage points in the second stage and a top-five finish. It is a pretty cool top-five string we have going here at Gateway but wish it was a win."
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the third and final race of the Round of 16 on Saturday, September 13. Coverage of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.