The NASCAR 2025 schedule is finally out. There are some great additions, like the Bowman Gray Stadium will host the clash, or the iconic Rockingham making a comeback in the Xfinity and Truck Series. Besides this, there are some unusual changes to the lineup as well. The World Wide Technology Raceway has made it to the playoffs next year. It will be the second race in the playoff race held on September 7th.

The track might not be that well known, but it has been home to some epic battles in the Cup Series. Remember this year’s race, where Austin Cindric took the victory? To make the playoffs more thrilling, NASCAR has given the track a playoff spot. This is truly big news for the track as not only will they attract huge crowds, but they will also be able to set the tone for the playoffs. The owner of WWTR was recently on the Kenny Wallace show, where he just couldn’t contain his excitement.

World Wide Technology Raceway moves to the playoffs

The racetrack in Madison, Illinois, is getting ready for a big year! It’s already famous for hosting the Enjoy Illinois 300 in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2022 and the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 in IndyCar. And now, they’re adding an Xfinity race to the mix!

The Enjoy Illinois 300 is moving from June to September next year, and it’ll be part of the Cup Series Playoffs. But before that, there’s an Xfinity Series race on September 6th. It will be the final race to the regular season championship. It’s been a long time since the track hosted an Xfinity race –14 years, to be exact. Back in the day, they had 15 Xfinity races there from 1997 to 2010, including two in 2010. The track owner, Curtis Francois, was delighted by the news and expressed the feeling of getting this prestigious spot in the Series.

NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace asked Curtis the secret behind making WWTR what it is and gaining a playoff spot after just three years of its inclusion. To this, Curtis replied, “Well, I think I had the benefit of hindsight. I could see where the challenges were, and we went about identifying them and we fixed them all. If you named a problem, we got on it we solved the problem and we look towards the future so I think is that uh methodology became obvious to fans they realized that something special was happening here and they’ve all come alongside right with us to make this place what it is today.”

The WWTR got recognition because of the thrillers that it has produced in all three years of its hosting the Cup Series. The first two Cup Series races went into overtime, with NASCAR champions Joey Logano (2022) and Kyle Busch (2023) winning by razor-thin margins. This year, we got a different kind of drama when Ryan Blaney ran out of gas on the final lap, handing the win to his teammate Austin Cindric. No wonder NASCAR jumped on the opportunity to make the playoffs even more thrilling.

The playoffs race at WWTR is going to bring a lot of attention to Illinois!

Is WWTR ready for all the attention?

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The NASCAR playoff race next year will probably be the biggest annual event for St Louis. During the regular season, Cup Series races have played a big role in revenue generation, ever since their inauguration in 2022. The Enjoy Illinois 300 in 2022 was the track’s first-ever sell-out, and it attracted World Wide Technology Raceway’s largest single-day crowd to date, which was estimated to be around 83,000 fans. Which produced at least $60 million in economic impact for the region.

If a regular season, race can have this impact, imagine what a playoff race would do, also factoring in the increasing popularity of NASCAR. Reiterating this, Daniel Thomas, deputy director of the Illinois Office of Tourism, in a statement said, “Now as a playoff race, we expect the Enjoy Illinois 300 to draw even more visitors to discover Southern Illinois’ small businesses, outdoor adventures and iconic attractions.” According to him, the NASCAR events attract thousands of fans from more than 20 countries and 48 states. The playoffs are going to have a massive economic impact, and hopefully, it will be glorious to watch!