Kyle Larson survived a chaotic afternoon at World Wide Technology Raceway and emerged with the victory in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300, winning the second race of NASCAR’s 2026 championship Chase.
And “survived” is an appropriate way to describe it.
The Sept. 13 race at Gateway featured 18 cautions, 87 caution laps and 11 lead changes before Larson finally took the checkered flag in overtime. The Hendrick Motorsports driver led 80 laps and beat teammate Alex Bowman to the finish by 0.333 seconds.
Pole winner Joey Logano finished third after leading a race-high 96 laps, while William Byron gave Hendrick Motorsports three cars inside the top four. Ross Chastain completed the top five.
It was a dramatically different afternoon for several championship contenders. Ryan Blaney finished 35th, Chase Briscoe 32nd and Chase Elliott 31st, while Tyler Reddick came home 25th.
Kyle Larson Wins Wild NASCAR Race at Gateway
Larson started alongside Logano on the front row after qualifying second Saturday and remained a factor throughout a race repeatedly interrupted by incidents.
Logano controlled more laps than anyone, pacing the field for 96 circuits, while Larson led 80. Brad Keselowski was another major presence at the front, leading 55 laps before ultimately finishing 12th.
By the time the race reached its closing stretch, attrition had scrambled much of the field.
Larson ultimately emerged on top in overtime, with Bowman giving Hendrick Motorsports a 1-2 finish.
Logano settled for third despite his dominant afternoon. Byron finished fourth and Chastain fifth, followed by Austin Dillon, Connor Zilisch, Carson Hocevar, Denny Hamlin and Austin Cindric.
The result was particularly important because Gateway marked the second of 10 races in NASCAR’s revived Chase format. Unlike the previous playoff system, there are no elimination rounds in 2026, meaning every point gained or lost carries through the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Full NASCAR Results From Gateway
Here is the complete finishing order from Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300:
1. Kyle Larson
2. Alex Bowman
3. Joey Logano
4. William Byron
5. Ross Chastain
6. Austin Dillon
7. Connor Zilisch
8. Carson Hocevar
9. Denny Hamlin
10. Austin Cindric
11. Cole Custer
12. Brad Keselowski
13. Erik Jones
14. Bubba Wallace
15. John Hunter Nemechek
16. AJ Allmendinger
17. Ryan Preece
18. Ty Gibbs
19. Christopher Bell
20. Michael McDowell
21. Austin Hill
22. Cody Ware
23. Shane van Gisbergen
24. Todd Gilliland
25. Tyler Reddick
26. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
27. Chris Buescher
28. Josh Berry
29. Daniel Suárez
30. Ty Dillon
31. Chase Elliott
32. Chase Briscoe
33. Noah Gragson
34. Riley Herbst
35. Ryan Blaney
36. Zane Smith
Larson’s victory came on a day when simply reaching the finish proved difficult for several contenders. Buescher finished nine laps down, Berry 16 laps back, Suárez 18 laps down, Elliott 32 laps behind and Briscoe 34 laps down. Blaney’s day ended with him scored 92 laps behind the winner.
Who Won the NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300 Race? Full Gateway Results From Wild Finish