NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Are Favorites Entering Inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300 from Gateway?
Sunday has the chance to be one of the biggest wildcard races left in the NASCAR regular season. With the Cup Series making their first ever trip to Gateway, trying to handicap the Enjoy Illinois 300 is tough. While a majority of the field does have past laps at the East St. Louis oval, none have any track time there in a Next Gen car. Who are some possible winning picks for Sunday’s maiden trek in Madison, Illinois? All drivers will be gunning to show out near the Show-Me State.
Ross Chastain
Coming off leading the most laps in the Coke 600, Ross Chastain returns to familiar turf in Gateway. The Melon Man won the Truck race here in 2019, en route to his runner-up in that year’s championship. Trackhouse Racing had arguably the two best cars in the field last week in Charlotte. If even a fraction of that speed and execution returns, Chastain could be smashing another melon in Madison.
“I’ve raced twice at Gateway,” Chastain said. “Start and parked a truck in 2018. I went back in 2019 and won the race which is unheard of. I’m looking to build off of the base I have there and with this current car, we will be shifting. We were shifting with the trucks so we will be with the car. The weather, it’s summertime, the chances for a late afternoon storm and a green track to race on and the challenges that presents.”
“No matter what time of day, it will be hot and couple that together with heavy braking. I think of that track a lot like a yo-yo. You build up speed through turns 3 and 4. It’s flat but it is a wider turn so you have a lot of speed off turn 4. You get down to turn 1, you really have to slow the car down and that creates a lot of heat in the brakes, and causes the tires to slide. Creating the momentum in 3 and 4, to make a pass in turn 1, out brake somebody and slide up in front of them, downshift, and all of that work coupled with the heat and humidity that we’ll have there. You’re going to have to be on it to make it through a whole Cup race there. I was worn out after the truck race and that’s a lot shorter.”
Chastain is the most recent Gateway Truck winner entered in Sunday’s race. With somewhat recent experience on this technical oval, the 1 team does head to the heartland with a bit of an upper hand.
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch also has a Gateway NASCAR win, from the 2009 Xfinity Series event. With three past starts at the 1.25-mile oval, Busch certainly knows what it takes to perform here. However, the track surface has been repaved since the Las Vegas native last raced on it. With new asphalt, Busch and everyone else with past Gateway experience may be thrown a curveball this weekend.
“Gateway is very tight, very narrow,” Busch explained. “It can be slick, too, from what I understand talking with my KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) Truck Series guys. The long back straightaway getting into turns three and four, which is a huge, wide, sweeping turn, and a completely different way of driving both of those corners. Hoping we can have a good practice on Friday afternoon and get our SNICKERS Camry where it needs to be in the race to compete for the win.”
“I would say that just being able to run there before and knowing the racetrack itself would give you a little more than somebody who has never been there before. But honestly, having a normal practice weekend, everything will kind of shake out pretty evenly at the end of the day. I’m looking forward to getting back there. It’s been a long time.”
As Busch said, he could be a serious threat with the ample amount of practice this weekend. At two recent inaugural events (LA Coliseum, Nashville) the 18 was a contender with plenty of track time. After coming one spot shy in Charlotte, Busch could better that result in St. Louis.
Kyle Larson
One of only a handful of drivers with zero Gateway experience, Kyle Larson is still listed as a favorite. Larson is no stranger to adapting quickly to new tracks, as he won the first Cup event last year at Nashville Superspeedway. Being about a lap away from winning the Coke 600 a week ago, the 5 team hopes to fully close out this race. Lacking track time compared to much of his competition, just how will Larson make up this deficit in learning Gateway?
“I’ll watch some (NASCAR Camping World) Truck Series races on YouTube,” Larson said. “Probably the most recent truck races and maybe some old Xfinity races. It looks like a cool track and I’m sure Cliff (Daniels, crew chief) and the team have been using every tool and resource possible to ensure we have a good package when we unload there.”
With the high chance of shifting, Larson could be thrown off a bit on Sunday. However, Hendrick Motorsports has a great track record of winning inaugural races. The chances of that streak continuing at Gateway are high, as Larson aims to lead that charge.
Denny Hamlin
The team coming to Gateway with the most momentum, Denny Hamlin could go back-to-back. With two past Xfinity races here, including third in 2006, Hamlin does know how this track handles. However, that last start came all the way back in driver 11’s rookie season, so it has been awhile. Hamlin is one of the best drivers at both Martinsville and New Hampshire, tracks with similar characteristics to Gateway. Despite that, the unknowns heading into this weekend and new track are still great.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Hamlin said. “I think track position is going to be very important just based off of how this car races on flatter tracks. We’ll be shifting quite a bit, so that could make passing pretty difficult. But besides the on-track stuff, I’m excited to be going to a new market for the series and getting to race in front of fans who may not have seen us race before.”
Gateway should fit nicely into Hamlin’s wheelhouse, as a low-banked and technical track not unlike those of his upbringing. After checking off one major box in his winless column last week at Charlotte, Hamlin anticipates another chance at a big win on Sunday.
Ryan Blaney
After wrecking out before halfway in the Coke 600, Ryan Blaney hopes for a much better showing in Gateway. Driver 12 has been especially stout at Martinsville in recent years, a flat oval that somewhat mirrors this week’s venue. Should Blaney capture the checkered flag, he would be the 12th different winner of 2022. Despite the 0-14 win total, Blaney is still showing superb consistency, which has him fourth in overall points. This positioning tops both of his Penske teammates, even though they have a win apiece. Blaney has been the best driver this season to not yet win, expect that stat to change very soon.
Martin Truex Jr.
Another past Gateway winner, 2004 Xfinity victor Martin Truex Jr. is a sleeper pick this time around. All of Toyota Racing has shown far greater speed and performance in recent weeks. With a bit of a level playing field at a new track, Truex’s veteran experience could shine through. Much like Blaney, Truex has seemingly done everything but win this season, and badly wants to secure his Playoff fate. With the advent of shifting at Gateway though, MTJ knows that every lap may just have to be about perfect to find success.
“I feel like it’s going to be pretty hard to pass,” Truex said. “I expect to be shifting at both ends of the track every lap, so we’re going to have our hands full. Qualifying and executing on pit road are going to be very important to keep track position throughout the race, so we’re going to have to be on our game all weekend.”
After plenty of highlights from both Xfinity and Truck action, Gateway should put on a show with the Cup cars. Coverage of the Enjoy Illinois 300 will be Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Tune in to see who can grab the maiden win near the Gateway Arch.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Padraic Major for NASCAR
