Mystery, parity provides plenty of Gateway clarity
MADISON, Ill. -- Darlington Raceway had its fair share of in-race chaos to open the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, with only four postseason drivers finishing inside the top 10 at the "Lady in Black," the fewest ever in a playoff opener. Enter World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, a track with plenty of unpredictability that could create more playoff turnover. If there is one thing to know about Gateway, it's this: Like New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway, it's flat. But unlike those two slightly banked tracks, Gateway's designation as a Cup Series track has been brief. Heading into Sunday's contest, NASCAR's premier circuit has only raced at St. Louis three times, with 2022 being the inaugural event and 2025 marking the first time the facility has hosted a playoff contest. With a tire compound utilized at Iowa Speedway last month in play this weekend -- with said tire developed from a Goodyear test at Gateway in June -- there is much still to learn as the Cup Series wrangles the Midwest ropes. Even with plenty of variables -- both unique and new alike -- that doesn't mean the Cup Series hasn't learned a thing or two already. So, what have they learned? MORE: Playoff standings before Gateway For starters, qualifying is critical; race winners all started inside the top 10 to begin the contest, with 2023 victor Kyle Busch starting on the pole. However, starting near the front does not necessitate leading at the front for the entire race. According to Racing Insights, the race winner took the lead with two laps to go in two of three St. Louis races (2022, 2024). As such, a collection of up-front speed and late-race maneuvering is the recipe for success. If there's another takeaway, it's that one team in particular dominates here. According to NASCAR Insights, all three Team Penske drivers rank inside the top 10 in Long-Run Speed and Defense Rating at comparable tracks raced so far this season (Phoenix, Iowa, Richmond). Joey Logano, who triumphed here in 2022, is the only driver to finish inside the top 10 in all three St. Louis races, and his 3.0 average finish is his best among all tracks. Defending Gateway winner Austin Cindric -- who started on the front row in 2024 and claimed the victory after teammate Ryan Blaney ran out of fuel on the penultimate lap -- holds plenty of success, too, with his 8.33 average finish a personal best among all tracks. "It just seems like for us right now, most of the time our cars are pretty fast at the flat 1-mile type race tracks, whether that's Phoenix, Gateway, Loudon (New Hampshire), Richmond kind of falls in there, but it's quite a bit of a different track as well, but it's similar speed-wise," Joey Logano said. "It seems like we have a pretty good handle on that type of thing and that type of track, so hopefully that's the case again. "Like I said, a lot of things happen in a year, whether it's manufacturers or teams. The 20 (Christopher Bell) was really strong there at Gateway last year, so I would expect him to be fast again, and some others. It's been a good one, but with that said, there are a lot of things that can happen at that race track. It doesn't seem like we've had a lot of fall-off there in the past. I don't know what this tire will bring -- possibly more -- but with the lack of tire fall-off that's been there in the past, the strategy, if you get a caution that falls in the middle of a stage, it really jumbles it up like it did last year, and it can happen again." Even still, parity is still plenty abundant here. In three St. Louis races, three different drivers have prevailed, and while one team has won two of those contests, the sample size is still small enough that trends and tendencies could shift rapidly. Adding playoff stakes to the mix -- especially after Darlington's postseason-opening carnage -- and this is magnified, especially from a points perspective. Playoff drivers averaged 25.1 points last weekend at Darlington, the fewest ever in a playoff race. In other words, playoff drivers better continue learning here, lest they be left in the proverbial postseason dust. RELATED: Full Saturday recap from Gateway [caption id="attachment_486500" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]
From atop the pit box ...
What do crew chiefs have in focus to win Sunday's race? While Gateway may share similarities with other tracks on the circuit, crew chiefs understand that each track presents its own unique set of challenges, and St. Louis is no exception. "It's kind of egg-shaped, and it's so flat and you're on the brakes so early, it's just a totally different set of problems," Adam Stevens, crew chief of Christopher Bell's No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, told NASCAR.com. "There's a fair amount of compromise between the ends, since the ends are different and the straightaways are really long, so you have to have a good exit if you're going to be competitive." As crew chief of defending Gateway winner Austin Cindric, Brian Wilson recognizes the need for a blended approach. "It's pretty high speed. It's a different aero package," Wilson told NASCAR.com. "So you obviously got to blend a little bit of the short track with the intermediate notebook, you know, a lot of shifting. ... It's flat. A lot of strategy goes into this race. From a setup standpoint, I feel like, as a company, we've got a really good notebook, so it's nice to lean on that, but it's definitely a unique short track, just with the aero package that you have, the tire combination and just how the place races would be with the shifting that you have." RELATED: Gateway schedule | Full 2025 schedule Such an odd-shaped track in itself would be a tricky challenge, but a tire compound used only once in the Cup Series this season adds more intrigue. These new left- and right-side tires, developed from a Goodyear tire test at Gateway in June and utilized at Iowa Speedway in August (with fast corner speeds in mind), create an extra layer of in-race strategy. "The biggest thing is the construction, which resulted in roughly half the stagger, which on a flat track, as much as you're in the gas, that's a really, really big deal," Stevens said. "It's going to completely change the handling of the cars and completely change what the optimal setup is. So it's a bit of an unknown. Iowa and this place are nothing like each other, but that's all we have to compare to. But there's going to be some people that hit it off the truck, and some people that miss it." This season's St. Louis running comes after last year's June contest, which saw Cindric take the victory flag thanks to taking only three stops for tires and capitalizing with enough speed to seize the race lead when teammate Ryan Blaney ran out of fuel on the next-to-last lap. Such strengths -- with playoff implications on the line -- will look to be matched and surpassed, especially from Stevens' No. 20 team, which came close to halting Team Penske's St. Louis surge last year, finishing seventh. Bell has finished 11th or better in three career Cup starts at Gateway. "We led the most laps and won both stages last year and broke a valve spring, so we had what we needed to compete for the win," Stevens said. "It just wasn't in the cards. So I feel like Bell is a short-track master, and our package, we're able to find what suits him at these types of places. So, have high hopes for the weekend." To Wilson and the No. 2 team, the goal will be to maintain dominance at Gateway and improve on playoff positioning. Cindric ranks ninth in the playoff standings, 12 points above the cutline. Bell ranks directly behind the No. 2 in the table, 11 points clear. "We were excited when it was announced that this would be a playoff race," Wilson said of Gateway. "It was a good race for us last year. You know, I think there is added pressure, right? You've got to make sure that you come out of here with points. So the risk versus reward of the strategy changes a little bit. But yeah, from just a confidence standpoint, I feel like our team, we feel like we should be able to run well, we should be able to score stage points and ultimately get a good finish." RELATED: See where drivers will pit for Sunday's race [caption id="attachment_486497" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]
History tells us ...
Clocking OT is possible. Although last year's race ended in regulation, the two previous St. Louis Cup races (2022-23) resulted in a NASCAR Overtime finish.
He may not be the favorite to win, but watch out for ...
Speed reads
Our biggest pieces of the week -- get covered for race day from all angles. • NASCAR at Gateway: Key info, qualifying reports and more from doubleheader weekend | Read more • Racing Insights: Stumbling playoff drivers could rebound at Gateway | Read more • Bubble Watch: The Gateway name of the playoff game for postseason field | Read more • Time to show your worth: Gateway presents critical proving ground for Hendrick Motorsports | Read more • Column: Is it time for Hendrick Motorsports to panic? | Read more • Playoff Pulse: Who's hot, who's not ahead of St. Louis | Read more • Turning Point to Gateway: Fresh title favorite emerges in postseason's early going | Read more • At-track photos: The best shots from World Wide Technology Raceway | View gallery • Paint Scheme Preview: Fresh designs set for Midwest speed show | View gallery • Power Rankings: An updated look at where playoff drivers stack | This week's top 20 [caption id="attachment_486496" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]