Gateway / WWT Raceway Enjoy Illinois 300 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ryan Blaney
Gateway / WWT Raceway Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney will be a driver to be reckoned with at Gateway/ WWT Raceway and the road to victory lane in the Enjoy Illinois 300 likely goes thru him. Blaney’s been a standout performer at Gateway and he’s one of the premiere shorter-flat track racers in NASCAR. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Blaney’s won twice, ranks #1 for Speed and has the 2nd best average finish (5.8). At Gateway over the combined races, Blaney ranks #1 for Speed, #1 for Driver Rating and his 9.5 average finish which underrates him is tied for being the 3rd best.
Gateway / WWT Raceway History – Ryan Blaney has performed at a super-elite level at Gateway, ranking #1 for both Speed and Driver Rating and in terms of the results column, he’s 3 for 4 at finishing between 4th to 6th and then in the one outlier, he ran out of gas on the last lap while leading. Last year, Blaney didn’t have an incident free race but still finished 5th. In the race, Blaney started 5th, finished 5th in Stage #2, was spun out late in Stage #2 while running in 5th, restarted the last Stage in the teens’ and then drove his way up to his 5th. Additionally, Blaney earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and had the 5th best average running position (8.3). In terms of speed stats, Blaney ranked 5th for Speed Late In A Run and then 6th for Total Speed Rankings. In 2024, Blaney had a rocket but ran out of gas on the last lap while leading and limped home to a misleading 24th. In the race, Blaney started 3rd, finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, led 20 laps and had a 6.2 average running position. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Blaney ranked 3rd. I’ll note in terms of “Performance”, I think Bell was actually the best. In 2023, the #12 was a rocket. In the race, Blaney started 6th, finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a 2.6 average running position, had the 2nd best Driver Rating, led 83 laps and then finished 6th overall. In terms of speed stats, Blaney ranked 2nd for Total Speed Rankings and then 3rd for Speed Late In A Run. In 2022, Blaney was impressive and finished 4th despite his race not being incident free. In the race, Blaney started 5th, led 12 laps, finished 2nd in Stage #1 but then on lap 95 while running in 3rd, Blaney had a flat tire and spun which brought out the caution. When Stage #2 ended, Blaney finished 10th. Then over the final Stage, Blaney drove hard to notch his 4th place finish. Additionally, Blaney had a 6.8 average running position and ranked 2nd for Total Speed Rankings and Speed Late In A Run.

Christopher Bell
Gateway / WWT Raceway Fantasy Outlook – Christopher Bell is a super-elite shorter-flat track performer who’ll be tough to beat. At Gateway, Bell has the 2nd best average finish (8.5), ranks 3rd for Speed, has the 4th best Driver Rating and he’s had a result in the top 11 every race. I’ll also note, that stats line even underrates him since he was the class of the field in 2024 but finished 7th when his engine went south late and also had a spin in 2023. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Bell ranks 4th for Speed and in terms of the results column he’s 4 for 5 at finishing in the top 7 and his 6.8 average finish ranks as the 4th best.
Gateway / WWT Raceway History – At Gateway, Christopher Bell has been elite and over the combined races, Bell has the 2nd best average finish (8.5) and ranks 3rd for Speed. In terms of the results column, he’s 4 for 4 at finishing between 7th to 11th. Last year, Bell had a strong showing. In the race, Bell started 8th, had a 7.6 average running position (3rd best), earned the 4th best Driver Rating and then finished 7th. In terms of speed stats, Bell ranked 2nd for Total Speed Rankings and 3rd for Speed Late In A Run. In 2024, Bell was the class of the field but finished an asterisk mark 7th. In the race, Bell started 4th, won Stage #1, won Stage #2, led the most laps (80), earned the best Driver Rating, had the best average running position (4.3), drove from about the mid-teens to the lead in the last Stage but once he got up to the front, the #20 engine started to fail, so finishing 7th with that issue is pretty remarkable. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Bell ranked 2nd with his speed over the segments being 1st, 1st, 3rd and then 17th. In 2023, Bell finished 11th even though his race wasn’t incident free. On lap 204 while running in 11th, Bell was spun in what was ultimately a harmless spin, but it dropped him back and forced him to rally hard at the end. In terms of speed stats, Bell ranked 11th for Speed Late In A Run and 16th in terms of Total Speed Rankings. In 2022, Bell had an 8.9 average running position and then finished 9th.

Denny Hamlin
Gateway / WWT Raceway Fantasy Outlook – Defending Gateway champ, Denny Hamlin should be on your short list of favorites to win the Enjoy Illinois 300. Hamlin’s one of the premiere performers at shorter-flat tracks and at Gateway, he’s been smoking the field with his last three results being 1st, 2nd and 2nd. Over the combined Next Gen Gateway races, Hamlin ranks 3rd for Driver Rating, 4th for Speed and has a 1.7 average finish minus the inaugural race where he was “Chastain’ed.” This year at shorter-flat tracks, Hamlin has the best average finish (4.6) and ranks 3rd for Speed.
Gateway / WWT Raceway History – Denny Hamlin has performed at a high-level at Gateway, racing his way to victory lane in impressive fashion last year and having a pair of 2nds in the two races prior to that. Last year, Hamlin dominated. In the race, Hamlin started 1st, finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 7th in Stage #2, had the best average running position (5.5), earned the best Driver Rating, led 75 laps and of course raced his way to victory lane. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked as the Fastest Driver Late In A Run. In 2024, Hamlin had a strong showing. In the race, Hamlin started 6th, finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 10th in Stage #2, earned the 3rd best Driver Rating, had the 5th best average running position (10.6) and then finished 2nd overall. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 5th for Speed Late In A Run. In 2023, Hamlin had a 3.0 average running position, earned the 3rd best Driver Rating and then finished 2nd overall. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin ranked 2nd for Speed Late In A run and then 3rd for Total Speed Rankings. In 2022, Hamlin was a top five contender but was “Chastain’ed” which led to his 34th. Over the first quarter of the race prior to his problem, Hamlin ranked 4th for Speed.

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