Going into the weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, it was expected that Toyota and Team Penske would be the primary contenders for Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). After practice and qualifying, nothing much has changed, though Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell jumped to the top of the leaderboard and set a new track record for speed during qualifying.
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Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:
Starter 1: Ryan Blaney
Starter 2: Joey Logano
Starter 3: Christopher Bell
Starter 4: Kyle Busch
Starter 5: Ty Gibbs
Garage pick: Michael McDowell
NEXT IN LINE: Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric
RISING: Cindric led Team Penske in qualifying, and he will start from the front for the second time in three races at Gateway. Cindric was pleased with his performance but still not satisfied, coming up one spot short of the pole. The No. 2 car was good in practice as well, ranking second in 10-lap averages.
With five top-two finishes over the last six races, no team is hotter in the Cup Series than RFK Racing. Brad Keselowski enters the race with consecutive top-two efforts, and his stock has risen entering Sunday’s event. In the first two years at Gateway, the No. 6 team had an average finish of 24.0. This time around, he qualified seventh, making the final round of qualifying for just the second time this season. It’s hard to gauge how the No. 6 team was in race trim, as Keselowski was one of seven drivers not to make a 10-lap run.
FALLING: Seeing how Suárez was a top-10 threat all race last year en route to a seventh-place finish, there was optimism that the No. 99 team could add a highlight to its season this weekend. From what practice had to offer, that turnaround might be on hold for at least one more week. Suárez ranked 20th on 10-lap averages and will take the green flag from a lackluster 31st position. The rocky 2024 season continues for the Atlanta Motor Speedway winner, save for that one bright spot.
Five of the Toyota drivers were pleased on Saturday at Gateway. The lone outlier was Martin Truex Jr., who said his car was too tight and qualified 19th. Truex never attempted a 10-lap run and was 10th on single-lap speed. Knowing that track position is critical, Truex stated if the team can’t get his car better, he won’t be going anywhere.
FEATURED MATCHUPS:
Christopher Bell vs. Ryan Blaney: Expecting good races from both drivers this weekend so take your pick, but nothing from practice or qualifying has changed from earlier in the week. This might be Team Penske’s best shot to win a race on a non-superspeedway thus far this season, with the team’s three cars leading the way in 10-lap speeds. Bell is in my lineup, too, though, so it could go the other way.
Kyle Busch vs. Joey Logano: A frustrated Busch came into the media center at Gateway, lacking grip in his No. 8 Chevrolet. However, Busch was the lone Chevrolet to make the final round of qualifying and was also competitive in practice. Meanwhile, Logano has race-winning pace, despite a disappointing qualifying run in 12th while his two teammates were second and third, and his Ford brethren McDowell won the pole. Logano is the choice.
Martin Truex Jr. vs. Denny Hamlin: Flipping on this pick from earlier this week, too. Truex was frustrated with his No. 19 car throughout Saturday, while Hamlin was arguably the best Toyota. The only reason I’m keeping Hamlin out of my lineup is that I only have four uses for him remaining in the regular season. Hoping I don’t regret it in hindsight.
Alex Bowman vs. Ty Gibbs: Gateway has been among Hendrick’s worst tracks on the circuit, though both Larson and Byron cracked the top 10 last season. Bowman has put together five consecutive top-10 finishes entering Gateway, and that shouldn’t get overlooked. Gibbs had one of the best cars in the field, however, with Reddick believing that the No. 54 car was the fastest. Gibbs is the pick.