The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the World Wide Technology Raceway for the second race of the Chase. Oddsmakers have pinpointed three drivers who will be tough to beat for the checkered flag in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300.
In the odds released by DraftKings Sportsbooks, Christopher Bell is the odds-on favorite to win at Gateway (+400). The driver of the No. 20 seeks to keep the momentum rolling after winning last Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington, his first of the 2026 campaign.
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Close behind Bell in the odds include Denny Hamlin (+425) and Ryan Blaney (+450). Hamlin is the defending winner at World Wide Technology Raceway, while Blaney has a best Gateway finish of fourth twice.
NASCAR betting odds for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway
Here is a look at the complete odds for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Christopher Bell +400
Denny Hamlin +425
Ryan Blaney +450
Joey Logano +700
Kyle Larson +750
Chase Briscoe +1000
Ty Gibbs +1200
Tyler Reddick +1200
William Byron +1600
Austin Cindric +2000
Josh Berry +2200
Chase Elliott +2200
Bubba Wallace +2500
Brad Keselowski +4000
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Ross Chastain +5000
Chris Buescher +5500
Carson Hocevar +5500
Ryan Preece +6500
Michael McDowell +10000
Erik Jones +10000
Daniel Suarez +10000
Alex Bowman +10000
Shane Van Gisbergen +15000
John Hunter Nemechek +15000
Austin Dillon +15000
Zane Smith +15000
Noah Gragson +19000
Connor Zilisch +25000
Austin Hill +25000
AJ Allmendinger +25000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +35000
Todd Gilliland +50000
Cole Custer +50000
Riley Herbst +70000
Ty Dillon +100000
Cody Ware +100000
Why Bell is the favorite to go back-to-back
Bell is not just the favorite to win Sunday based on his Darlington win, but also his track record at WTT Raceway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has never finished worse than 11th in four starts with three top-10 finishes.
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In the 2024 WTT Raceway race, Bell led 80 laps and swept both stages before finishing seventh.
Bell jumped four positions in the points standings in last Sunday’s Chase opener, going from sixth to second. The Oklahoma native entered the Chase 50 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.
With the victory and a stage win, Bell closed the gap to 12 points between himself and Hamlin.
Hamlin, Blaney strongly behind Bell in the odds
Hamlin enters as the defending winner of the Enjoy Illinois 300. The driver of the No. 11 started on the pole and paced the field for 75 laps en route to victory.
Prior to that, Hamlin’s best finish at WTT Raceway was second twice (2023, 2024). With three straight top-2 finishes at Gateway, the 45-year-old is sure to be one to watch this Sunday.
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Blaney will be another driver to keep an eye out for this Sunday. In four Gateway starts, the driver of the No. 12 has three finishes of sixth or better and two top-five finishes.
The one outlier was a 24th-place finish in 2024. In that race, Blaney was leading coming to the white flag but ran out of gas, allowing Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric to win.
Austin Cindric, Josh Berry make for interesting sleepers
As a former winner at WTT Raceway, Austin Cindric (+2000) is a sleeper to watch this Sunday. After Blaney ran out of fuel on the last lap in 2024, Cindric recorded his second career Cup Series victory.
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However, aside from the win, the driver of the No. 2 has failed to finish top 10 at Gateway. Cindric has two other top-15 finishes at the track, including an 11th-place result in 2023.
Josh Berry (+2200) is another sleeper to watch for this Sunday. The driver of the No. 21 has been on a heater in the Cup Series with six straight top-10 finishes. Two of those runs were top-five results.
Josh Berry (+2200) is another sleeper to watch for this Sunday. The driver of the No. 21 has been on a heater in the Cup Series with six straight top-10 finishes. Two of those runs were top-five results.
Yet, it has not panned out at WTT Raceway for Berry as the 35-year-old has crashed out in both of his starts at the track. With his recent momentum, however, it will be interesting to see if Berry can find success at Gateway.
Carson Hocevar makes for favorable longshot
Amid another controversial Cup Series race for the driver of the No. 77, Carson Hocevar (+5500) makes for an intriguing longshot for the Enjoy Illinois 300.
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The Spire Motorsports driver has made three starts at WTT Raceway, including his Cup Series debut race in 2023. Hocevar has a best finish of eighth at the track, which came in 2024, and finished 15th in last year’s event.
Hocevar is coming off an 11th-place run last Sunday at Darlington.
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