13 hours agoIn what shouldn't be a surprise to many people, Denny Hamlin is the favorite to win the Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway this weekend. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has been elite on the shorter tracks this season, picking up wins at Bristol, Richmond, and Dover, while finishing second at North Wilkesboro and leading the most laps at Phoenix. Hamlin finished second here at Gateway last season and will start from sixth for this weekend's race. The No. 11 Toyota was fastest in 20-lap average during practice here on Saturday morning, which means that if Hamlin can get to the lead on Sunday, he should be able to set sail. Denny is the highest-priced driver on DraftKings this weekend, but he's got enough upside that he's definitely worth having a heavy exposure to on Sunday.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
13 hours agoJoey Logano should be one of the best value picks on the NASCAR DFS slate this weekend. The Team Penske driver had one of, if not the best cars in practice on Saturday morning but then went out and qualified 12th later that day. That means Logano has solid Place Differential potential while also having race-winning upside. He's also priced at only $9,300 on DraftKings, which could make Logano an ultra-value pick on Sunday. In the two Cup Series races at Gateway, Joey has a win and a third-place finish to his credit. He also recently dominated the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, which is another shorter, flatter track. The No. 22 Ford was also one of the fastest at Richmond earlier this season, another short, flat track.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
13 hours agoComing into the Enjoy Illinois 300 race weekend, many analysts thought that Kyle Larson would have one of the cars to beat, but that doesn't really seem to be the case. The No. 5 Chevrolet was just 24th-fastest on the speed chart during practice on Saturday morning and Larson ended up qualifying 13th for this weekend's race. While he always has the potential to finish inside the top-five and contend for the win, Larson is definitely lacking a bit of speed at Gateway this weekend. It's worth noting that Hendrick Motorsports as a whole seems a bit off, as they have in the other two Cup races here at Gateway as well. Larson is priced at $11,000 on DraftKings this weekend, and you'd likely be better off going in a different direction in that price range on Sunday.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
13 hours agoDon't be surprised if Tyler Reddick is a factor for the win in this weekend's Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway (otherwise known as Gateway). Reddick had one of the best cars at Phoenix earlier this season, which is a similar track type to Gateway. With that being said, Reddick hasn't had great finishes here at WWTR. He finished 16th in the first race here back in 2022 and came home 35th last season after multiple issues during the race. If he can keep his No. 45 Toyota clean on race day this weekend, though, expect Reddick to ruffle some feathers. He had the best 25-lap average during practice on Saturday morning, and long-run speed will be important here on Sunday. At $9,700 on DraftKings, Reddick is a very strong DFS pick with high upside.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
14 hours agoMartin Truex Jr is one of the top drivers when it comes to short, flat tracks, but he's going to have some work to do this weekend at Gateway if he's going to end up at or near the front when the checkered flag waves. Truex qualified back in 19th for this weekend's Enjoy Illinois 300, which is a disadvantage in a race that is shorter than usual (only 240 laps) and at a track where it is difficult to pass. With that being said, Truex's teammates all showed plenty of race-winning speed during practice on Saturday, so there's no reason to think that the No. 19 Toyota won't be fast once the green flag waves this weekend. Here at Gateway, Truex has finishes of sixth and fifth to his credit in the two Cup Series races ran here. Truex is priced at $10,500 on DraftKings this weekend and has the rare Place Differential plus race-winning potential. He's a strong DFS pick for Gateway.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
14 hours agoWhen you look at Bubba Wallace's track record at Gateway, there's not much to like. He finished 30th here last season, which followed up a 26th-place effort in the first Cup Series race here back in 2022. However, Bubba hasn't been as bad as the numbers say. In last year's race, the No. 23 Toyota was running 11th late in the race but the car had a brake failure, which relegated Bubba to the 30th-place result. In 2022, he spun out mid-race. This weekend, Wallace qualified eighth for Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 and was fifth-fastest in practice. If Bubba can stay out of trouble during the race, there's no reason to think he can't contend for a top-10 result--and maybe even a top five, as the Toyotas all look to be very strong on this track type this season.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
14 hours agoMichael McDowell is on the pole for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway (otherwise known as Gateway) this weekend. Front Row Motorsports has definitely improved its qualifying efforts this season, as McDowell now has three poles on the year after previously going 0-for-465 since joining the NASCAR Cup Series. Now DFS players are faced with a pivotal decision on Sunday, though: do you roster Michael McDowell? He only costs $6,500 on DraftKings, so it won't take a lot for McDowell to hit value on that DFS site. However, the risk is definitely there, because the No. 34 Ford could definitely fall back immediately from the start and miss out on dominator/laps lap FPTS. In last year's race at Gateway, McDowell finished ninth, and he should be able to contend for a top-10 result this weekend as well. Don't avoid him like the plague in DFS, but be smart with how you build lineups with McDowell in them on Sunday.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
14 hours agoDon't sleep on Justin Haley at Gateway this weekend. The Rick Ware Racing driver is on a hot streak of sorts as of late, with finishes of 22nd, ninth, 18th, and 23rd over the last four Cup Series races. That is a major improvement for this Rick Ware Racing team that has been a constant 30th-place (or worse) finisher for years. This weekend at Gateway, Haley had a strong qualifying effort (21st) and was fast in practice, ranking 11th-best on the overall speed chart on Saturday morning. Gateway has also been a good track for Haley, as he has finished 16th and 14th here in his two starts while driving for Kaulig Racing. At just $5,700 on DraftKings this weekend, Justin Haley is definitely in play as a low-dollar driver to pick.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
14 hours agoAnother race, another opportunity for Todd Gilliland to put up a massive Place Differential total on DFS sites. The Front Row Motorsports driver qualified 35th out of 36 cars for this weekend's Enjoy Illinois 300, which was a bit surprising considering his teammate, Michael McDowell, was the fastest in qualifying and will start from the pole on Sunday. Gilliland has finishes of 15th and 22nd in his two Cup Series starts at Gateway, so that's a positive for this No. 38 team heading into race day. Also, momentum is on Gilliland's side, as he has an average finish of 15.3 over the last three Cup Series races overall. His Place Differential total during that span is also a very strong +29 positions.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
14 hours agoWorld Wide Technology Raceway (otherwise known as Gateway) is one track where Austin Cindric has actually kind of excelled at in the Cup Series. In his two starts here, Cindric has finished 11th and 13th, which easily puts Gateway near the top in terms of average finish at a particular track for the Team Penske driver. Knowing this, we knew that Cindric would be a sleeper pick on Sunday, and it's looking even more so after he qualified second for the Enjoy Illinois 300. While that is definitely a huge positive for the No. 2 team, it does make Cindric a very risky DFS pick in DraftKings. However, at only $6,200 in salary, it won't take much for Cindric to be worth taking the risk on this Sunday. If he leads early and finishes inside the top 10, Cindric could definitely end up being a great value pick on this DraftKings slate.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
3 days agoFront Row Motorsports is growing. With the news breaking yesterday about Stewart-Haas Racing closing up shop at the end of the year, it was widely expected that Front Row would buy one of SHR's four charters. That became official today, as Front Row officially announced that they will be expanding to a three-car team in 2025. The driver lineup is not yet official, as Michael McDowell will be leaving the organization to join Spire Motorsports next year. Todd Gilliland, who drives the No. 38 Ford for Front Row is expected to return in 2025, so that leaves two seats open for the organization.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: NASCAR.com
5 days agoStewart-Haas Racing is exiting NASCAR. In a joint statement on Tuesday from co-owners, Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, the duo stated, "The commitment needed to extract maximum performance while providing sustainability is incredibly demanding, and we've reached a point in our respective personal and business lives where it's time to pass the torch." This definitely heats up NASCAR's Silly Season, as Stewart-Haas Racing currently has four full-time drivers in the Cup Series (Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, and Ryan Preece) that will be searching for a ride for next season. As far as SHR's charters go, it is rumored that 23XI Racing, Trackhouse Racing, and Front Row Motorsports will all obtain one of them, with the fourth's landing spot currently unclear.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Stewart-Haas Racing
5 days agoChristopher Bell was declared the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 race winner on Sunday evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but fans weren't too happy about it. NASCAR decided to call the race because of rain after just 249 of the scheduled 400 laps were ran. Fans were not pleased with that decision, and took it out on Christopher Bell, as boos were heard all around when Bell was announced as the winner. Still, though, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is still the official winner of the race, his second victory of the 2024 season.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Bob Pockrass
5 days agoBrad Keselowski finished second in this year's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which was impressive considering he qualified back in 30th for it. Additionally, the race was shortened because of rain, with only 249 of the 400 scheduled laps being ran. When speaking to the media after the race, Keselowski stated, "I felt like we had a car to win the race. We kind of ran down the [eventual race winner Christopher Bell's] No. 20 car twice, and just didn't get to see it play out." With his runner-up result at Charlotte, Keselowski has now finished first or second in four of the last six races.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Bob Pockrass
5 days agoAfter his team made an unapproved adjustment after pre-qualifying inspection, Tyler Reddick was forced to start last and make a drive-through penalty at the start of Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He came out of the pits directly in front of Ty Gibbs and was able to stay in front of him longer than many people expected, but he eventually fell a lap down before taking a wave-around just before the conclusion of Stage 1. Reddick eventually salvaged a fourth-place finish, and in general, he seems to have mostly overcome his Achilles' heel of inconsistency in previous seasons, as he has never been as consistent as he has been this year. Reddick's teammate, Bubba Wallace, outran him for most of the race because of where Reddick started, but Reddick did have a pass differential of 38, the third-best in the race. He remains one of the best passers this season.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
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