On Sunday, NASCAR will be returning to Gateway/ WWT Raceway for the Enjoy Illinois 300 for race #2 of the Playoffs. Gateway is a 1.25-mile egg shaped shorter flat track, so make sure you look back at the other shorter-flat tracks visited earlier this year that have correlation. (2026 Shorter-Flat Track Average Finishes, 2026 Shorter-Flat Track Total Speed Rankings).

On Saturday, practice was held for Gateway. Teams had 50 minutes, and keep in mind teams have different agendas. Make sure you check out our Gateway Practice Notes, Gateway 10,15,20,25 and 30 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet and Gateway Practice Speeds and 10 Lap Averages.

Here’s the Gateway Starting Lineup.

Gateway Full Field Fantasy Rankings

1) Ryan Blaney
Start 3rd / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Gateway / WWT Raceway Outlook – Ryan Blaney has never won at Gateway but the road to victory lane likely goes thru him. Blaney’s been a standout performer and he’s one of the premiere shorter-flat track racers in NASCAR. At Gateway, Blaney ranks #1 for Speed and Driver Rating and in terms of the results column, he’s 3 for 4 at finishing between 4th to 6th and in the 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 1, was spun late in Stage 2 while running 5th, restarted the final stage in the teens, and rebounded to finish 5th. Additionally, Blaney earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and had the 5th best average running position (8.3). In terms of speed analytics, 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 coasted home to an asterisk mark 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. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Blaney’s won twice, ranks #1 for Speed, has the best Driver Rating and has the 2nd best average finish (5.8). In practice, Blaney liked his car and was a stopwatch standout, ranking #1 for both 10 and 25-lap averages.
DraftKings $10,700/ FanDuel $13,000

Further Recommended Reading = Gateway Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Gateway Scoring Projections, FanDuel Gateway Scoring Projections, Gateway Quick Rankings, Gateway Next Gen RPM, Gateway Next Gen Average Finishes, Gateway Next Gen Speed Rankings  

2) Christopher Bell
Start 4th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Gateway / WWT Raceway Outlook – Fresh off a win at Darlington, don’t be surprised if Christopher Bell gets back-to-back wins. Bell’s been elite here and he’s always a factor at shorter-flat tracks. 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 his last two races weren’t incident free. 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 doesn’t look so bad. 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 finished 9th. 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. In practice, Bell was fast and ranked #1 for 15,20 and 30-lap averages.
DraftKings $11,000/ FanDuel $14,000

3) Joey Logano
Start 1st / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Gateway / WWT Raceway Outlook – Polesitter, Joey Logano has performed at a super-elite level at Gateway, so make sure he’s high on your radar. At this 1.25-mile shorter-flat track, Logano has a series best 3.5 average finish, he’s 4 for 4 at finishing in the top 5 and ranks 2nd for both Next Gen Speed Rankings and Driver Rating. Last year en route to his 5th, Logano had the 2nd best average running position (7.2) and earned the 3rd best Driver Rating. In terms of speed stats, Logano ranked 2nd for Speed Late In A Run and had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking. In 2024 en route to another 5th, Logano earned the 5th best Driver Rating, had the 6th best average running position (10.6) and ranked 13th for Total Speed Rankings. In 2023, the #22 was stout and Logano ran well throughout. In the race, Logano had a 6.0 average running position and then finished 3rd overall. In terms of speed stats, Logano had the 5th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 7th for Speed Late In A Run. In 2022, Logano didn’t have the best car but that didn’t stop him from racing his way to victory lane. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Logano’s won twice, ranks 2nd for Speed and has a 7.5 average finish minus Phoenix. In practice, Logano was fast throughout a run and was happy with his car.
DraftKings $10,200/ FanDuel $12,500