The importance of that last pit stop can be pivotal, as Ryan Blaney can certainly attest.
Blaney had led for much of the 2024 Enjoy Illinois 300, and had the advantage going down the stretch of the race. Instead, in a strange way to lose the lead, Blaney’s car ran out of gas just as he drove onto the last lap with the white flag waving.
Leading the charge of drivers ahead of Blaney was his teammate, Austin Cindric, who was searching his first win of the 2024 season. Not only would it be his first win of the season, but it would also mark the first time in his past 86 races he won a race.
Here’s a look at who won Sunday’s race in Madison, Ill.
Who won the NASCAR race today?
Cindric picked up his first win of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. He previously had one top-five finish and a pair of stage wins.
RYAN BLANEY IS OUT OF GAS. AUSTIN CINDRIC WINS AT WWT RACEWAY! pic.twitter.com/aTY0SL6zpI
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 2, 2024
Cindric also had an 85-race winless streak. By winning on Sunday, Cindric punched his ticket to the playoffs.
The race had appeared to be Blaney’s to lose as he continued to maintain a solid lead. However, when he ran out of gas, Cindric drove past him to claim the advantage and hold the lead over Denny Hamlin for the rest of the lap. Blaney fell all the way to 24th, the lowest place of anyone on the lead lap.
Enjoy Illinois 300 results
| Pos | Driver | Car Make |
| 1 | Austin Cindric | Ford |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski | Ford |
| 4 | Tyler Reddick | Toyota |
| 5 | Joey Logano | Ford |
| 6 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | Toyota |
| 8 | Carson Hocevar | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Justin Haley | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet |
| 11 | Ty Gibbs | Toyota |
| 12 | Ross Chastain | Chevrolet |
| 13 | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Chris Buescher | Ford |
| 15 | William Byron | Chevrolet |
| 16 | Todd Gilliland | Ford |
| 17 | Chase Briscoe | Ford |
| 18 | Daniel Hemric | Toyota |
| 19 | Zane Smith | Chevrolet |
| 20 | Ricky Stenhouse | Chevrolet |
| 21 | Bubba Wallace | Toyota |
| 22 | Noah Gragson | Ford |
| 23 | Daniel Suárez | Chevrolet |
| 24 | Ryan Blaney | Ford |
| 25 | Michael McDowell | Ford |
| 26 | Erik Jones | Toyota |
| 27 | John H. Nemechek | Toyota |
| 28 | Alex Bowman | Chevrolet |
| 29 | Ryan Preece | Ford |
| 30 | Derek Kraus | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Harrison Burton | Ford |
| 32 | Corey LaJoie | Chevrolet |
| 33 | Cody Ware | Ford |
| 34 | Martin Truex | Toyota |
| 35 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet |
| 36 | Josh Berry | Ford |
NASCAR points standings 2024
| Pos. | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 492 |
| 2 | Martin Truex Jr. | 487 |
| 3 | Kyle Larson | 486 |
| 4 | Chase Elliott | 475 |
| 5 | William Byron | 461 |
| 6 | Tyler Reddick | 437 |
| 7 | Ty Gibbs | 435 |
| 8 | Alex Bowman | 408 |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski | 397 |
| 10 | Ross Chastain | 392 |
| 11 | Christopher Bell | 387 |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | 376 |
| 13 | Bubba Wallace | 355 |
| 14 | Kyle Busch | 346 |
| 15 | Chris Buescher | 345 |
| 16 | Chase Briscoe | 334 |
| 17 | Joey Logano | 315 |
| 18 | Daniel Suarez | 276 |
| 19 | Josh Berry | 263 |
| 20 | Austin Cindric | 249 |
| 21 | Noah Gragson | 240 |
| 22 | Todd Gilliland | 237 |
| 23 | Michael McDowell | 234 |
| 24 | Carson Hocevar | 227 |
| 25 | John H. Nemechek | 218 |
| 26 | Erik Jones | 217 |
| 27 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 206 |
| 28 | Ryan Preece | 203 |
| 29 | Daniel Hemric | 198 |
| 30 | Corey LaJoie | 189 |
| 31 | Austin Dillon | 177 |
| 32 | Justin Haley | 177 |
| 33 | Harrison Burton | 149 |
| 34 | Kaz Grala | 122 |
| 35 | Zane Smith | 113 |
| 36 | Jimmie Johnson | 35 |
| 37 | Derek Kraus | 25 |
| 38 | David Ragan | 17 |
| 39 | Cody Ware | 13 |
| 40 | Kamui Kobayashi | 8 |
