Asterisk Mark Report – WWT Raceway/ Gateway (2022)
Denny Hamlin – Denny Hamlin had a great car last year at Gateway and looked to be a top five contender but he finished an asterisk mark 34th. In the race, Hamlin finished 4th in Stage #1 but then early in Stage #2 on lap 65 while he was battling Chastain for 5th, they had contact and that led to Hamlin getting into the wall hard which dropped him multiple laps down. Over the first quarter of the race which was incident free for Hamlin, the #11 was the 4th fastest car on the track.
Kevin Harvick – Last year at Gateway, Kevin Harvick was a low double-digit performer, but he finished an asterisk mark 33rd. Late in the race on lap 236 while running in 13th he blew a brake rotor and crashed. In the race, Harvick had the 15th best Total Speed Ranking and a 15.7 average running position.
Tyler Reddick – Tyler Reddick had one of the best cars last year at Gateway and looked like a top five contender until things went south but he finished an asterisk mark 16th. In the race, Reddick started 4th, finished 3rd in Stage #1, was in 3rd on lap 124 but then during a caution around lap 130 he got a pit penalty which dropped him to the back. Later on lap 181 while running in 16th, Reddick spun and brought out a caution. Reddick’s 12th best Total Speed Ranking tells the tale of his afternoon with his speed over the segments being 3rd, 6th, 15th and then 26th.
