NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway
Sunday marks the third annual trek for Cup cars to St Louis’ World Wide Technology Raceway. In two years of racing around the unique 1.25-mile oval, we’ve seen two different winners both in need of another strong run. Can either of them or another winless driver find victory lane after 300 miles? Here’s a few drivers to watch out for in the Enjoy Illinois 300 from Gateway.
Kyle Busch
The defending Gateway winner, Kyle Busch put on a clinic 12 months ago. This dominant effort from the pole is shockingly Busch’s most recent Cup triumph, riding an almost year-long losing streak. With laps led and top-twos in both Gateway races, Busch is one who cannot be overlooked this weekend.
“The last couple of years there have been great,” Busch said. “Last year we started up front and we were able to make the most of that and score the win. We had a couple of delays in that one so it went a little later in the night and we finished under the lights. I hope we can go there with the same speed that we had last year and we can go after a win again. World Wide Technology Raceway is the home track for my crew chief, Randall Burnett. It was really cool to have a special weekend for him last year and to be able to score that win.”
“I feel like the racetrack lends itself to a different challenge than what we’re accustomed to. A lot of times you run these racetracks and both ends of the track are very similar. You have to drive World Wide Technology Raceway differently than other places we go. As a driver, that’s fun and gives you a different challenge. It’s also unique because it’s not quite a short track but it’s not quite a superspeedway. It’s egg-shaped and drives like a short track. There’s a big, heavy braking moment getting into Turn 1, a really tight corner in 1 and 2, and then a long, sweeping, and much faster corner in 3 and 4. We’ve been fast the last couple of years and we want to make sure we do it again this weekend.”
Not a lot has gone in Busch’s favor to date in 2024. The RCR No. 8 team is teetering on the precipice of the Playoffs, currently 31 points above the cut line in 14th. Returning to a track where he has seen recent success may be just what Busch needs to kickstart the regular season’s second half. Gateway is not a must-win race for Busch, but a top-10 if not top-five should be expected.
Joey Logano
Beating Busch in overtime for Gateway’s inaugural win two years ago was Joey Logano. Team 22 backed up that effort with a third-place showing in 2023, narrowly trailing Busch for the best Gateway average finish. Similar to Busch, Logano is in uncharted waters regarding his current points position. The two-time champion is outside of the Playoffs as things sit, by 30 points.
If the Penske crew is not a force up front in Gateway, then it may be a long summer ahead for this Mustang team. Following their All-Star Race domination however, another flat short oval may be exactly where Logano can earn more success.
Martin Truex Jr
Another driver with a pair of Gateway top-10s is Martin Truex Jr. 2022’s inaugural race saw the No. 19 Toyota lead 42 laps, before fading to sixth. Last year saw MTJ get one position better, but without any time out front. Always a fan of flat, technical, rhythm-based tracks, Truex is eager to get back to STL.
“The first year there, we were one of the best cars out there, along with Joey (Logano) and Kyle (Busch),” Truex said. “We were up there and fighting for the lead a ton. It’s a place I’ve always liked, so we were able to get our car where we needed to fairly quickly with a full practice session and time to work on the car during the weekend. Last year, we got behind on track position but had a really strong finish to the race and almost made it back up into the top-five at the end. Hoping we can pick back up where we left off there and keep the track position this time and get our first win of the season. St. Louis is flat, like Phoenix, but it’s a lot more worn out. Hoping we can have another strong effort there with our Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE.”
Gateway falls in a very unique circumstance this year; many with past success here are still winless this season. Truex certainly falls into this category, and has a grade A chance to change that on Sunday. Joe Gibbs Racing has yet to find victory on this track, Truex has perhaps the best shot at ending that dry spell.
Ryan Blaney
The fourth and final driver batting 1.000 for Gateway top-10s is Ryan Blaney. With laps led across both years, the No. 12 put up a fourth and a sixth-place run in The Show-Me State. If not for late pit road contact a year ago, Blaney could have been battling for the win.
After wrecking out of the last two races, Blaney said he needs to find a way to finish races again. Another driver who performs well on flat, short tracks, Blaney may be a sleeper pick for Sunday’s win.
Kyle Larson
One team noticeably absent from success at Gateway is Hendrick Motorsports. Leading this organization across both years here was Kyle Larson; the 5 was 12th in 2022 and fourth a season ago. Larson is hopeful for a Gateway return where he ideally finds the front this time.
I really enjoy racing in the area – whether it be a stock car or on dirt,” Larson said. “The fans are really passionate. We didn’t have a great race the first time we went back in ’22 but made some gains as a team and as an organization last year. Hopefully we made some more steps forward so we can battle for the win this weekend.”
Coming off a worst-case scenario for the NASCAR leg of the Memorial Day Double, Kyle Larson needs a bounce back run. The 5 team lost the points lead, going from up by 30 to now down six markers in third. Larson was diligently picking off positions over the closing laps at Gateway last year. If the 5 is able to qualify up front, it may be a long 300 miles for the competition.
Denny Hamlin
Nobody has seen a greater tale of two Gateways than Denny Hamlin. Wrecked early by Ross Chastain in 2022’s race, Hamlin was able to rebound to a runner-up day last year. Gunning for Gibbs’ first win at Gateway, Hamlin knows that his race will be made or broken in qualifying.
“This is going to be a track position race,” Hamlin said. “From what we’ve seen with this car at this track, you’re going to have to qualify well and have a really good day on pit road to stay up front. I feel like it’s a good track for us, we were really strong last year and stayed in the top five all day. It’s just going to be super important to unload strong and get a good qualifying spot and a good pit stall to have a shot on Sunday.”
For the first time this season, Hamlin enters a weekend as the Cup Series points leader. Largely thanks to Larson’s absence in the Coke 600, team 11 eyes keeping their spot atop the pylon with another victory. The short track ace enters Gateway with the shortest odds.
Gateway could easily forge one driver’s path towards the Playoffs. The four drivers with two top-10s here are all winless so far in 2024, opening the door for a potential new winner on Sunday. Should there be a new winner, a ninth Playoff ticket would be punched. The Enjoy Illinois 300 goes green at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Jeff Curry/Getty Images
