The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Worldwide Technology Raceway Sunday for the 2023 Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter. Green flag is scheduled to drop shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook lines around the 2023 Enjoy Illinois 300 odds, and make our expert NASCAR picks and predictions.
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2023 Enjoy Illinois 300: What you need to know
- Team Penske’s Joey Logano picked up the win last season at Gateway, picking up checkers after starting 7th. He’ll go off 6th on Sunday after posting a top speed of 136.339 mph in qualifying
- Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch posted a best speed of 137.187 mph to top qualifying on Saturday afternoon. He was runner-up to Logano in Illinois last season
- Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, who won the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte on Monday, will start opposite Busch on Row 1 after qualifying with a best speed of 137.153 mph. Blaney finished 4th in the 2022 race
- Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin will be the top Toyota in the field after posting a best speed of 136.903 mph, starting 3rd in Sunday’s grid
- Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick will start on the outside of Row 2 after a best speed of 136.766 mph. He hopes for a better showing at Gateway after a DNF and 33rd-place run in 2022
- Corey LaJoie, who finished 36th with a DNF last season at Gateway, will be being the wheel of the No. 9 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports in place of the suspended Chase Elliott
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2023 Enjoy Illinois 300 – Expert picks
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at at 1:32 a.m. ET.
KYLE BUSCH (+750) is a value play at this price, as he starts on the pole. He posted a runner-up finish last season in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, and he shouldn’t see any dropoff in his RCR Chevy on Sunday. He turned the best speed in qualifying on Saturday, and appears to be on a mission to get over the hump after his 2nd-place showing at Gateway in 2022 inaugural event.
2023 Enjoy Illinois 300 – Long shot
Take a shot on COREY LAJOIE (+6000 at BetMGM Sportsbook), as he will have tremendous machinery at his disposal this weekend. He finished 36th with a DNF last season in the inaugural event at Worldwide Technology Raceway, but that was in a much more inferior car with Spire Motorsports, as his engine blew. He was limited to 72 laps. It will be interesting to see how he performs behind the wheel of Elliott’s No. 9 whip.
2023 Enjoy Illinois 300 prop pick(s)
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
KYLE BUSCH (-126) over Christopher Bell
Again, Rowdy is on the pole after looking great in qualifying, and he was a runner-up in the inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway last season. Perhaps contrarian bettors figure there is nowhere to go but down, but that’s a silly premise. Busch has looked very comfortable at the track last season, and so far in the events leading up to Sunday’s run.
Bell was 9th in last season’s event, and he posted a qualifying speed of just 135.755 mph on Saturday afternoon. Barring disaster striking Busch, this should be a slam-dunk play.
CHEVROLET (+145) – Top Manufacturer
Again, I like Busch to win this race, and he is now in a Chevy, after running last season in his more familiar Toyota with JGR. I also said above to take a flier on LaJoie for a chance to multiply your initial wager at 60 times, although that’s a long shot. Still, LaJoie is also in a Chevy.
The biggest threat here will be Blaney, and last season’s winner Logano, who are behind the wheel of Fords.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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