Race number two on the 10-race 2026 NASCAR Cup Series "Chase" postseason schedule is Sunday afternoon's Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, and for just the fourth time on an oval this year, the race is set to consist of exclusively the 36 chartered cars.
Neither one of the two non-chartered (open) cars that competed in the postseason-opening Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway this past weekend is on the entry list for this Sunday's 240-lap race the four-turn, 1.25-mile (2.012-kilometer), and no others have been added.
Chad Finchum drove the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford for the seventh time this year in its 12th overall appearance, and two-time race winner Corey Heim drove the No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota for the 10th time this year.
Both open cars from Darlington out for Gateway payoff race
The No. 66 Ford is in line to return four more times this year, starting with next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Josh Bilicki is set to return for his third start of the season at Bristol after competing at Watkins Glen International and Richmond Raceway. He had also been in line to compete at Chicagoland Speedway before the team withdrew from the entry list late.
Gray Gaulding, who failed to qualify for the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway in what was his first Cup appearance since June 2023, is set to return at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October and Martinsville Speedway in November. The car is also set to be entered at Talladega Superspeedway, but the driver for that race has not yet been announced.
The No. 67 Toyota is set to return two more times this year, first at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October and then at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November to conclude the 2026 season. That car has been driven exclusively by Heim all year, and he is set to run both of those races as well as he prepares to make the full-time move to the Cup Series in 2027.
USA Network is set to provide live coverage of Sunday afternoon's Enjoy Illinois 300 from World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway starting at 3:00 p.m. ET. Don't miss any of the action from race number two on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series postseason calendar!
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