After an absolute drubbing at the hands of Chase Briscoe and the Bass Pro Shops team at the Track Too Tough to Tame, the remaining 15 playoff drivers head to a track of a similar shape at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Commonly known by its original moniker Gateway Motorsports Park, this 1.25-mile oval existed in the NASCAR ecosystem for two decades hosting Xfinity and Trucks Series races prior to holding its inaugural Cup date back in 2022.
Gateway quickly grew a reputation as a track where passing proves difficult, allowing strategy to become the name of the game. Having to stay behind someone for too long can test a driver’s brakes, their tires, and their patience.
The track sits right outside the St. Louis area, giving spectators a perfect view of the definitive Gateway Arch. A win today could be part of a driver’s gateway to the west where they’ll have a chance to conquer Phoenix.
But, just like Ryan Blaney last year, you can’t get too ahead of yourself as every last drop of fuel and every lap counts. Who will be ahead coming to the checkered flag? Will anyone else join Briscoe?
Last Week in Darlington…
Chase Briscoe started outside of teammate Denny Hamlin and stole the lead from the pole sitter on the opening lap of the Southern 500 right before Josh Berry set off a melee that took himself and several cars towards the rear of the field out of contention.
Briscoe took the rest of the night to cruise away, until Tyler Reddick and the Legacy Motor Club teammates of Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek joined the battle for the win in the closing stages.
In the end, the dirty air was just too much for the trailing Toyotas of Reddick, Jones, and Nemechek to overcome, handing the win to Briscoe for his second triumph of the season. The win gave him back-to-back victories in the Southern 500 with two different teams.
This Week in NASCAR
While it was a mostly quiet news week in NASCAR circles, the federal antitrust lawsuit received an update as Judge Kenneth Bell once again denied 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports’ preliminary injunction to retain chartered status for the 2025 season.
This ruling comes after last week’s contentious hearing as well as NASCAR adjusting their rulebook to not allow the sale of the six charters that 23XI and FRM held prior to the lawsuit filing last fall.
Outside of that, Haas Factory Team decided to make a change heading into 2026, switching from Ford to Chevrolet next season. The team intends to retain the services of 2023 Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer and plans to run Hendrick engines.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series ranks, a new competitor makes his debut next weekend at Bristol. Noted short-track late model ace and ARCA Menards Series star Brendan “Butterbean” Queen takes to “The Last Great Coliseum” for Kaulig Racing next weekend.
Speaking of the Xfinity Series, it was more of the same from the last few months as JR Motorsports’ Connor Zilisch continued his historic tear, winning his ninth race of 2025 and his seventh in the last eight races.
Saturday’s qualifying session ended the same as the previous week, with Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota on pole. To see the starting grid for today’s race, click here.
The Race
Today’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway @ Gateway will be broadcast on USA Network starting at 3pm Eastern time with Leigh Diffey, Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte on the call.
The 300 in the race title represents the amount of miles run around Gateway’s 1.25-mile layout, which comes out to 240 laps that will be split into three stages that end on the following laps: 45-140-240.
As for the average Gateway race, it looks something like this: 9 cautions for 51 caution laps, 13 lead changes, an average duration of 3 hours and 8 minutes, an average lap of final caution falling on lap 205 (or 36 laps to go), and two instances of overtime, 2022 and 2023.
Writer’s Pick
Last week’s writer’s pick was Bubba Wallace. After a solid performance through the first two stages, Wallace powered home to a great sixth-place result that catapulted him 25 points above the playoff cutline.
This week, I’m riding with his friend, Ryan Blaney.
A master of tire management and making the tough passes look easy, Ryan Blaney looked poised to win last year’s Enjoy Illinois 300, but the race got away from him coming to the white flag as his gas tank ran dry.
Prior to last year’s disappointment, the 2023 Cup Series champion’s worst finish in St. Louis was sixth in his title-winning campaign, so he’s never been a slouch at this unique facility.
With a tough race at Darlington behind him, Blaney looks to motor into the Round of 12 with a victory today in the midwest.
(Top Photo Credit: Logan Riely/Getty Images)
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