The second race in NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship takes place this weekend just across the river from St. Louis in Madison, Illinois. World Wide Technology Raceway, like Darlington last week, is a unique track. The 1.25-mile track is egg-shaped, with turns one and two being tighter, and three and four more wide and sweeping. The track is fairly flat, with banking topping out at 11 degrees. Even though it isn’t classified as a short track, it races like one. Let’s dive in and take a look at this week’s NASCAR picks, odds, and best bets for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
After seven second-place finishes in 2026, Christopher Bell finally found himself in victory lane last week in the Southern 500. Great timing on Bell’s part to turn the heat up just in time for a run at the championship. Denny Hamlin had a tough day, but luckily grabbed some stage points before the incident. Hamlin retains the point lead heading into Gateway. 12 points behind him is Bell, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Odds to Win Enjoy Illinois 300
Christopher Bell +450
Ryan Blaney +460
Denny Hamlin +550
Kyle Larson +850
Joey Logano +850
Chase Briscoe +1100
Ty Gibbs +1400
William Byron +1700
Tyler Reddick +1800
Bubba Wallace +2000
Josh Berry +2000
Austin Cindric +2200
Chase Elliott +2700
Ross Chastain +5000
Chris Buescher +6000
Brad Keselowski +6000
Carson Hocevar +6000
Ryan Preece +6000
Alex Bowman +7500
Erik Jones +8000
Michael McDowell +10000
Daniel Suarez +10000
Austin Dillon +12500
Zane Smith +12500
Shane van Gisbergen +15000
John Hunter Nemechek +15000
Todd Gilliland +25000
Connor Zilisch +25000
Austin Hill +25000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +30000
AJ Allmendinger +30000
Noah Gragson +30000
Riley Herbst +40000
Cole Custer +50000
Cody Ware +50000
Ty Dillon +50000
NASCAR Picks, Odds, and Best Bets: Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway
Josh Berry Top 10 Finish (+110)
The Silver Fox himself, David Pearson in 1976, was the last driver for the Wood Brothers to score six straight top-10 finishes. Until Josh Berry, that is. Getting fired from the ride was just the spark the driver needed to turn it on. He finished seventh at Indianapolis, fourth at Iowa, eighth at Richmond, third at New Hampshire, ninth at Daytona, and then seventh last week at Darlington.
He’s run so well it’s earned him a ride at Legacy Motor Club driving the #42 full time for the team starting in 2027. Now, they head to a track where Team Penske, who prepares Berry’s car, has won two of the four races here. Berry, with his short track/late model background, excels on this track type. It’s enough to put me all in on Berry.
Chase Briscoe Top 5 (+200)
Speaking of drivers on a hot streak. Hello, Chase Briscoe. Over the last 10 races, Briscoe has seven top-six finishes, four of which are top-threes and a win as well. Briscoe very much has himself in the mix as he looks for his first championship, just 37 points behind Denny Hamlin. Short flat tracks have been a specialty of Briscoe’s over the years, and in his first career race with Joe Gibbs Racing here last season, he finished second place. The Gibbs Toyotas are the class of the field right now, and Briscoe is a big reason why. All we need here is for him to run top five on the day.
Christopher Bell to Win (+450)
Speaking of fast Joe Gibbs Racing cars. The favorite for the weekend is last week’s Southern 500 winner. With seven second-place finishes this year, it’s no secret that Bell’s car has been lightning fast. We know he can win, and now he’s proven it once again. He’s one of the best short/flat track racers in the series, and now he’s got all the momentum behind him. Give me CBell to go on a run here.
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