The NASCAR Cup Series had a record-setting day at World Wide Technology Raceway, albeit not in the way that anyone expected.
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Pandemonium erupted at the Illinois track as the series set a track record with 18 cautions, the final of which sent the race to double overtime and set up Kyle Larson's first win of the season.
"Everybody hit everything out here today," Bubba Wallace said after being involved in two different incidents. "Super frustrating and embarrassing for us as Cup drivers.
"Now, you can't help brake problems. Those are an own issue in themselves. Just running over people, getting into others. I was part of multiple (incidents), and it was frustrating. It is what it is. We're all aggressive."
To Wallace's point, it would be easier to count the drivers not involved in on-track incidents. After all, this race blew past the old track record of 11 Cup Series cautions as drivers throughout the field hit each other, the wall, and pieces of debris.
The race also had two different red flag stoppages due to cleanup efforts on the track.
Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, and Daniel Suarez all failed to finish the second race of the postseason due to multiple issues.
Tyler Reddick, Wallace, Ty Gibbs, William Byron, and Christopher Bell all finished despite being collected in incidents. Most of these drivers just had significantly damaged vehicles.
Brake rotors proved to be the culprit for the majority of cautions involving drivers throughout the field. Buescher, Blaney, Elliott, Zane Smith, Noah Gragson, and multiple others all blew rotors and hit the wall.
Zane Smith goes around, bringing Stage 2 to an end under caution. pic.twitter.com/oN9teno1Lq
— NASCAR on USA (@NASCARonUSA) September 13, 2026
Smith took the hardest hit, as he had to be helped from his No. 38 Ford. He also leaned on the track safety crew for several moments while catching his breath. He ultimately underwent evaluation at the infield care center before being released.
Blaney's issue led to him slamming into the wall multiple times and ultimately ending the day in the garage. Elliott, however, slammed into the wall and into Briscoe, knocking them both out of the race.
The two championship contenders got together while racing for seventh place, but they did not hit any other cars in the field.
TROUBLE FOR BRISCOE AND ELLIOTT. 😳
The two make contact late in the Enjoy Illinois 300.
📺 /📱 : USA Network pic.twitter.com/UnrPtX5C9Q— NASCAR on USA (@NASCARonUSA) September 13, 2026
"I knew that there had been some issues throughout the day, obviously," Elliott said after a 31st-place finish. "I was right behind Ryan (Blaney) when he blew his.
"I guess it's kind of the luck of the draw, unfortunately. I just went to make a move on the No. 19 (Chase Briscoe) there. I stepped on the brakes, exploded a rotor and that was about it."
Some of the other drivers didn't have issues of their own. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This includes Erik Jones, who spun after Gibbs ran into him in frustration.
It also includes Reddick, the series wins leader, who became involved in two separate incidents. His No. 45 Toyota sustained damage after contact from Suarez in the opening laps. This car then caught air after being collected in an incident involving Wallace and Josh Berry.
A MASSIVE WRECK LATE IN THE RACE. 🚨
📺 /📱 : USA Network pic.twitter.com/1Nd8cpCdwo
— NASCAR on USA (@NASCARonUSA) September 13, 2026
Reddick finished 25th in the race, and he left the track fifth in the Chase standings. Now, he is 42 points back of leader Denny Hamlin, who finished ninth despite issues on pit road.
"I mean, for us, we were just getting caught up in everyone's messes," Reddick said. "Whether it was early on there - the 7's (Daniel Suarez) mistake, and I don't know what happened with Bubba (Wallace) and (Josh) Berry there.
"Yeah, just tried to bring it home and get a good finish, and couldn't even do that."
While the chaos ended after Larson's win in double overtime, it's possible that more issues arise next Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The night race at the Tennessee short track is an event that tests teams in multiple ways as they complete 500 laps. Parts routinely fail and lead to DNFs. Tires occasionally wear at unexpected rates, leading to blowouts and crashes.
Short tracks and an inability to pass lead to short tempers and drivers using the bumper to move each other out of the way. Oh, and the sheer number of pit stops make it more likely that at least one team will have a significant mistake.
It's still early in the Chase, but the drivers still in contention for the championship know that the pressure only increases from this point on.
"Just have to go the next eight weeks and try to win as many of them as we can," Briscoe said. "We kind of used nine lives today and kept trying to find our way back up there and at the end wasn't in the place where we needed to be.
"Will go to the deer stand tomorrow and reset."
