2025 Enjoy Illinois 300 betting picks & NASCAR predictions

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs roll on with the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday, September 7, with the green flag at 3pm ET.

Gateway’s 1.25-mile oval is a quirky, short-flat challenge: heavy braking into turn one and two, a tighter rhythm through turns three and four, and 240 laps where track position, restarts, and tire life decide everything. It’s only the fourth NASCAR Cup race here — and the first as a playoff event — so teams are still refining the notebook under postseason pressure.

Early editions have been nail-biters: Joey Logano (2022) and Kyle Busch (2023) won tight finishes, and last year Austin Cindric inherited victory when Ryan Blaney ran dry in the final moments — a brutal twist that underscored how razor-thin the margins are at Gateway. Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, has been the perennial menace with runner-up finishes the last two years.

Ryan Blaney has set the standard at Gateway in the Next Gen era, showing race-winning pace in all three starts and coming heartbreakingly close to victory before running out of fuel in 2024. Christopher Bell looked unstoppable here last year, sweeping both stages and leading the most laps before engine trouble shuffled him back to seventh. Those two head to Illinois as deserving favorites with the top online betting sites to battle for the win.

With playoff drivers jostling for stage points and non-playoff spoilers lurking, expect strategy swings, elbows-out restarts, and another Gateway finish that goes right down to the wire.

NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300 betting odds

• Ryan Blaney – +450
• Christopher Bell – +450
• Denny Hamlin – +700
• William Byron – +825
• Kyle Larson – +950
• Joey Logano – +1200
• Chase Briscoe – +1200
• Tyler Reddick – +1800
• Chase Elliott – +1800
• Austin Cindric – +2000
• Bubba Wallace – +2800
• Josh Berry – +2800
• Brad Keselowski – +2800
• Kyle Busch – +3000
• Chris Buescher – +3300
• Austin Dillon – +4000
• Carson Hocevar – +4000
• Ross Chastain – +4000
• Alex Bowman – +6600
• Ty Gibbs – +6600
• Ryan Preece – +8000
• John H. Nemechek – +20000
• Erik Jones – +20000
• Cody Ware – +50000
• Ty Dillon – +50000
• Cole Custer – +50000
• Riley Herbst – +50000
• Shane van Gisbergen – +50000
• Todd Gilliland – +50000
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr – +50000
• Zane Smith – +50000
• Noah Gragson – +50000
• Justin Haley – +50000
• Michael McDowell – +50000
• Daniel Suarez – +50000
• AJ Allmendinger – +50000

More odds available at BetOnline

• 

  Fast Payouts

NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300 betting predictions

Ryan Blaney to win

Blaney has been the benchmark at Gateway in the Next Gen car, ranking No.1 in speed metrics across the three races. He’s led laps in every Gateway start and was robbed of victory last year when he ran out of fuel on the final lap. With two top-six finishes in his last three races here and Penske’s short-flat track strength, Blaney is primed to cash in this time at +450 odds with BetOnline.

Denny Hamlin top-three finish

Hamlin has unfinished business at Gateway, finishing second in both 2023 and 2024. He owns the best driver rating at the track and has consistently managed long-run pace better than most. With Joe Gibbs Racing hitting stride in the playoffs and Hamlin’s playoff experience, a top-three ticket looks like a sharp play at +180 with BetOnline.

Christopher Bell top-five finish

Bell was the class of the field here last summer, winning both stages and leading the most laps before engine issues dropped him to seventh. Even with that setback, he’s never finished worse than 11th at Gateway. Bell’s shorter-flat track dominance — including his Phoenix win earlier this season — makes him a reliable bet for another strong playoff finish at -111.11 odds BetOnline.