For the first time since it was added to the NASCAR Cup Series calendar for the first time, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway finds itself in the playoffs, rather than in the regular season.
Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 is scheduled to be a 240-lap race around the four-turn, 1.25-mile (2.012-kilometer) Madison, Illinois oval, and the qualifying session is set to use the standard intermediate track format.
Each driver is set to make a single-lap qualifying attempt, and the qualifying order was determined by the two-variable metric. Note that NASCAR's most recent trip to Gateway in June 2024 used the old four-variable metric, which was used from 2020 to 2024.
A full breakdown of the new formula can be found here.
For the playoffs, all drivers no longer in championship contention are set to qualify first, with the order determined by the metric. Only after they all make qualifying attempts are the remaining playoff contenders set to make their attempts, again with the order determined by the metric.
This means that playoff drivers with higher metric scores can technically qualify after non-playoff drivers with lower metric scores, but that rule is only in place for the playoffs. Even if there are no longer any actual groups, and thus no longer any row-by-row lane designations, this playoff rule effectively means that there are two groups when it comes to determining the qualifying order.
There is no longer a second round shootout for pole; the speeds from the initial single-lap runs determine the entire 36-driver starting lineup.
Here is a full look at the Gateway qualifying order.
NASCAR Cup Series playoff qualifying order at Gateway
Non-playoff drivers
1 - Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
2 - Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
3 - Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
4 - Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
5 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
6 - Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
7 - Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
8 - Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
9 - Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
10 - Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
11 - Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
12 - Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
13 - Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
14 - Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
15 - Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
16 - Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
17 - Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
18 - John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
19 - A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
20 - Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Playoff drivers
21 - Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 - Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
23 - Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
24 - Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
25 - Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
26 - Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
27 - William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
28 - Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
29 - Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
30 - Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
31 - Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
32 - Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
33 - Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
34 - Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
35 - Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
36 - Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Tune in to USA Network at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, September 7 for the live broadcast of the Enjoy Illinois 300 from World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss it!