WWT Raceway / Gateway Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks
Martin Truex Jr.
Gateway Fantasy Spin – Martin Truex Jr. is one of the premiere performers at shorter-flat tracks and at Gateway, he should be high on your radar. Last year, Martin Truex Jr. may have very well raced his way to victory lane if he didn’t have a slow pit stop late that dropped him from 1st to 7th. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Martin Truex Jr. looked lost at Phoenix but at Richmond the more recent of the two, Truex led 56 laps, had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking and was likely poised to race his way to victory lane if the late cautions didn’t come out. One attribute you have to like about Truex heading into the weekend is how well the #19 team is performing. Over the last four races, he’s been a factor to win.
Gateway Track History – Last year at Gateway, Martin Truex Jr. had one of the best cars and I’m viewing his 6th as an asterisk mark result. In the race, Truex started 13th, finished 2nd in Stage #2, led 42 laps, was the leader on lap 181 but then during that time his team had a slow pit stop that dropped him from 1st back to 7th. I think that was a demoralizing blow and he simply didn’t bounce back. I’ll note, on lap 156 while leading, Truex mentioned that he really liked his car, which was a little surprising because he didn’t like it in practice. Additionally in the race, Truex had an 8.7 average running position, the 5th best driver rating, the 5th best Green Flag Speed and then ranked 6th for Speed Late In A Run and Total Speed Rankings.
Kyle Larson
Gateway Fantasy Spin – Kyle Larson wasn’t so great last year at Gateway, but you better believe he’ll be a lot more competitive in year #2. The #5 team is clicking and running well everywhere, and he’s been especially strong at shorter-flat tracks. This year on this sub-track type, Larson raced his way to victory lane at Richmond (2nd best Total Speed Ranking, led 93 laps) and then finished 4th at Phoenix. To further highlight Phoenix since it has more correlation, Larson finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking, led 201 laps and was poised to finish in 2nd until the late caution came out. Between the combined events, Larson’s Total Speed Ranking is the 2nd best. On Sunday, I’m going to view Larson as a top five contender who might just be a factor to win.
Gateway Track History – Last year at Gateway, Kyle Larson finished 12th which sounds like a misleading result for a driver of his caliber, but Hendrick Motorsports collectively missed the setup so that finish is actually the real deal. In the race, Larson had a 13.6 average running position and the 13th best Total Speed Ranking, ranking in either 13th or 14th over all four segments in terms of speed. It was just not a stellar showing.
William Byron
Gateway Fantasy Spin – At Gateway, look for William Byron to be a contender. Byron and the #24 crew were complete non-factors in 2022, but I think they’re primed to have a big turnaround. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Byron has been stellar and has the best Total Speed Ranking at both Phoenix and Richmond. At Phoenix where there’s more correlation, Byron raced his way to victory lane, led 64 laps and had the 2nd best Green Flag Speed. I’ll note, if there weren’t late cautions he was primed to finish in 4th. At Richmond, Byron won Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, led 117 laps but then crashed late while running in the top five.
Gateway Track History – William Byron finished 19th at Gateway last year which sounds like a misleading result, but unfortunately, it’s not. The #24 team missed the setup last year, and Byron never ran well. In the race, Byron had a 20.6 average running position and the 22nd best Total Speed Ranking. Over the segments his speed rankings were 17th, 26th, 22nd and then 25th.
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Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > The Low Tier
