For the second year in a row, let's go racing at Gateway Motorsports Park.
After being awarded a NASCAR Cup Series race for the first time in 2022, the 1.25-mile track is on the schedule for another season. Fans sold out the race last year and, as announced on Friday, did it again this year, filling up the 57,000 grandstand seats for Sunday's race.
Thank you race fans for another historic SELLOUT!#EnjoyIL300 #Toyota200 pic.twitter.com/9HSu6XxHZe
— WWT Raceway (@WWTRaceway) June 2, 2023
This is a short week for crews, who raced into Monday night thanks to rain delays and postponements of the Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600 — the longest race on the circuit.
MORE: Date, time, TV channels for every NASCAR Cup Series race in 2023
Now the focus shifts to the Enjoy Illinois 300 and a small town in Illinois on the Mississippi River just minutes from the Gateway Arch.
Where is the NASCAR race today?
The Enjoy Illinois 300 is taking place at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill.
Where is Gateway Motorsports Park?
About 300 miles southwest of Chicago sits Madison, which was founded in 1820 and is the home of Gateway Motorsports Park. The population is just north of 3,000 and the town covers just 17.88 square miles of land.
Although located in Illinois, the track gets its name for being just over the border from St. Louis — where the Gateway Arch is just a 10-minute drive from the finish line.
How big is Gateway Motorsports Park?
Gateway Motorsports Park has a grandstand seating capacity of 57,000.
MORE: Why was Chase Elliott suspended for St. Louis race?
History of racing at Gateway Motorsports Park
Throughout its history, the track has played host to the biggest drivers and series in American motorsports — including NASCAR, IndyCar and NHRA. It was built in 1967 for drag racing, and a road course was added in 1985. The road course hosted ARCA, Trans-Am and other series before it was torn down and replaced in the mid-1990s under new track owner Chris Pook. The new course and the oval both opened in 1997.
Since that time, Madison has welcomed the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which left in 2010; the NASCAR Truck Series; the NASCAR Cup Series; NHRA drag racing; and IndyCar.
MORE: Chastain on performance at Gateway: 'Should not be in this car if I’m going to do that'
The Cup Series arrived in 2022, replacing one of two Pocono races. Joey Logano took home the checkered flag at the inaugural race in an overtime finish.
It came down to the very end one season ago. #TBT @joeylogano | @WWTRaceway pic.twitter.com/dm9cGLp4Bz
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 2, 2023
The result for Logano was overshadowed by drama surrounding Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin.
There were two races going on at @WWTRaceway last year... pic.twitter.com/fUQvQYiJW1
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 2, 2023
If Sunday's race is anything like the 2022 version, then Gateway might have found itself a spot on the schedule for years to come.