The NASCAR Cup Series Chase continues Sunday afternoon at World Wide Technology Raceway with the Enjoy Illinois 300, where Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, and Josh Berry headline this week’s betting picks and value predictions.
Enjoy Illinois 300 Picks
Date: Sunday, September 13, 2026
Track: World Wide Technology Raceway
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Channel: USA
What Did We Learn From Last Weekend?
Christopher Bell drove his #20 Toyota Camry to victory lane on Sunday evening at Darlington Raceway after a multitude of incidents across the track throughout the night. He won by over a second on runner-up Ty Gibbs. It was a much needed win after a 33 race drought that had some questioning his previous stronghold on top finishes. For Bell, it was validation that he is still very much the competitor he wants to be and a deserving participant in the Chase.
It was a race of strategy and differing pit calls. For Kyle Larson, who led 99 laps on the night, it was a tough loss. He ended up getting passed by Bell due to a call to stay on the track after the late red flag for weather. He was one of few cars that did not pit for four tires, and it was a costly call. Ultimately, he was able to hold off Bell for longer than anticipated, but Bell clearly had the advantage with fresh rubber. Larson rounded out the top 5 spots, preceded by Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, and Ryan Blaney. Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, and Ryan Preece were the remainder of your top 10. For Josh Berry, it’s a bittersweet finish. With finishing out his season in the Wood Brothers Ford and presumably preparing for his career at Legacy Motor Sports, Berry is showing exactly why he deserves to continue his Cup Series career.
Where Are We Headed This Week?
For the second race of the Chase, the drivers and teams are heading to World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois. This track is a 1.250 mile asphalt oval with 11 degrees of banking through turns 1 and 2 and 9 degrees of banking through turns 3 and 4. Much like Darlington, this track makes car setup challenging. Turns one and two are narrow with higher banking compared to three and four that are wider and flatter.
Picking a winner here will be similar to last week’s top drivers. Where there was success there, we should see it here. One of the differences we’ll see will be the racing grooves. Where Darlington favored the high side, that route is generally saved when tires start to breakdown at this track. Most will ride the low line with fresh tires.
Odds and Value Picks
When it comes to picking a winner, we can’t ignore Darlington’s strong runners. Current NASCAR betting odds are available at Bovada. Let’s take a look at your potential winners heading into Sunday’s race:
Winner: Kyle Larson (+900)
Larson is looking to eliminate his 55 race winless streak. He’s currently coming off a top 5 at Darlington and has a lot of fans counting on him getting back to victory lane sooner rather than later. With a strong finish at Darlington and no finishes outside of the top 12 at Illinois, look for Larson to be the guy to beat on Sunday!
Mid-Range Pick: Austin Cindric (+2800)
Cindric has a victory here from 2024. Team Penske has a strong history at this place as well. They have a way with setting up cars at this track that is easier said than done. He might surprise us all this weekend.
Dark Horse: Josh Berry (+2500)
As mentioned, Berry is doing the thing! This guy is racking up the top 10s as the weeks move on. I’m not going to lie, he’s had two starts and two DNFs here.
Don’t let that scare you, though. Berry is running his best finishes ever this year. He will be contending for a strong run on Sunday.
Chase Field Heading Into World Wide Technology Raceway
Although he’s not a Chase contender, Berry is making moves. Christopher Bell moved from 6th to 2nd after Darlington and will also be a driver to watch. With the Chase points being premium, it’s going to be another race of strategy. Let’s see where everyone settled after Sunday night’s drama:
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Christopher Bell
3. Ryan Blaney
4. Tyler Reddick
5. Chase Briscoe
6. Ty Gibbs
7. Kyle Larson
8. Joey Logano
9. Chase Elliott
10. Bubba Wallace
11. Chris Buescher
12. Carson Hocevar
13. Daniel Suarez
14. Austin Cindric
15. Ryan Preece
16. William Byron
William Byron is having a rough go of it, losing 3 positions after Darlington, but he’s not out of it yet. There’s a lot of racing remaining this season. Stay tuned for a great afternoon of racing at World Wide Racing Technology Raceway and see how these points shake out!
