NASCAR Preview: Gateway 400
After kicking off The Chase last weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series rolls on into Illinois, continuing in its quest to crown the 2026 champion.
Track Preview
World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway is a 1.25-mile asymmetrical oval located in Madison, Illinois, near St. Louis, Missouri. The track features 11 degrees of banking in turns 1 and 2. Turns 3 and 4 have a wider radius and are banked at nine degrees.
The venue opened in 1997 and became a relatively recent addition to the NASCAR Cup Series calendar, coming on in 2022. Before that, the O’Reilly Series raced at the track from 1997 to 2010, and the Craftsman Truck Series raced from 1998 to 2010, with another race in 2014. The O’Reilly Series has since returned to racing at the venue.
Weather Forecast
The weather report indicates temperatures around 26 degrees Celsius when the race starts. There is a mild threat of precipitation throughout the afternoon.
The race is scheduled to begin on September 13 at 15:00 EST (12:00 PT, 20:00 BST).
The Storylines
Denny Hamlin won this event a year ago, leading a race-high 75 laps, and finished second in both 2023 and 2024.
After finishing down in 18th last week at Darlington, Hamlin’s lead in the standings has been cut to just 12 points over Christopher Bell. A return to this track will be just what he needs to reassert himself as the title favourite and add to his lead.
As for his closest contender, Bell won the Southern 500 last week after scoring seven runner-up finishes throughout the season. In the four Cup races held at WWTR, he has finished no worse than 11th, and was seventh in the last two races at the venue. Can he capitalise on his momentum and claim back-to-back victories?
Ryan Blaney holds the outright record for the most laps led at WWTR in the Cup Series - 108 - but his best finish at the venue is fourth. Blaney is one of the most versatile drivers in the field, capable of success at both high-banked drafting tracks and flat short tracks.
His victories this season at Phoenix and New Hampshire, two circuits very similar to WWTR, make him one to watch. After a fourth-place finish at Darlington last weekend, he is expected to both qualify near the front and battle for the win this weekend.
Joey Logano is another Team Penske driver with a knack for multiple styles of racing, but he has done exceptionally well at WWTR.
Logano has one of the strongest records of any driver at the track, having won the inaugural event in 2022 and finishing no worse than fifth since then. His season has featured highs and lows, with two victories sprinkled in, but he needs to find consistency now that The Chase is underway. He may not win this weekend, but the data shows he should come close.
Kyle Larson led 52 laps at WWTR last year before coming home 12th. He showed speed last week at Darlington, leading 99 laps and finishing fifth on the road. While he has finished no higher than fourth at WWTR, evidence suggests that he has what it takes to win on the right day.
Larson has gone 51 races since his last victory, the longest drought since he joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2021. With three top-6 finishes in the last four races, he looks to be recovering from a mid-season slump - can he end the drought this weekend?
Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
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