NASCAR Heads to Gateway for Chase-Heavy Weekend of Racing Outside St. Louis

NASCAR’s Cup Series makes another stop in its 10-race Chase this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway, the 1.25-mile oval just outside St. Louis, with two national-series races scheduled across Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 12–13.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series opens the on-track action Saturday night, while the Cup Series closes the weekend Sunday with the Enjoy Illinois 300. Notably, no Truck Series race is on the card, making for a compact two-series schedule.

Weekend Broadcast Lineup

Coverage is split across several networks and streaming platforms, with Disney’s ESPN properties playing a role alongside other outlets.

Saturday kicks off at 1 p.m. ET with O’Reilly Auto Parts Series practice and qualifying streaming on The Walt Disney Company‘s ESPN Unlimited. Cup Series practice and qualifying follow at 3:30 p.m. ET on truTV — the only on-track preparation Cup teams will get before Sunday’s race, meaning Saturday’s session will set the entire starting grid.

Saturday night, The CW carries NASCAR Countdown Live at 7 p.m. ET before the Nu Way 225 Powered by Bobcat and Sauced by Blues Hog goes green at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 airs at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, with streaming available on HBO Max and radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. USA Network’s prerace show begins at 2:30 p.m. ET, and USA Sports Post-Race wraps the weekend at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Chase Stakes at Gateway

The race is the second of NASCAR’s 10-race Chase. Christopher Bell arrives at Gateway with momentum after capturing the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, while Denny Hamlin returns as the defending winner of the Cup race at the Illinois track.

With Chase implications mounting and only one practice and qualifying session to establish the lineup, Saturday afternoon’s Cup session figures to draw extra attention from teams and fans alike.

What to watch

• Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. ET Cup qualifying, which sets the full starting lineup for Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300
• Whether Christopher Bell can carry Darlington momentum into the second Chase race
• Denny Hamlin’s bid to repeat as Gateway winner
• Viewer distribution across ESPN Unlimited, truTV, The CW, USA Network, and HBO Max as NASCAR’s media-rights partners split the weekend

Source: original release