2 years agoDenny Hamlin will look for back-to-back wins when he starts in sixth place on Sunday at Gateway Raceway. Coming off a win at Charlotte, Hamlin will be looking for his third win of the season. Hamlin is in third place in the standings with stats of two wins, three top-fives and three top-10 finishes. However, without wins, Hamlin would be having his worst season since 2013. Hamlin has an average finish of 19.5, the second-worst mark of his career. But Hamlin has won two races, which puts him at the top of the standings and aiming for his first championship. Hamlin should be worth a look on Sunday.
--Maison Maerz
2 years agoRyan Blaney will round out the top five as he starts in fifth place on Sunday at Gateway Raceway. The million-dollar man will be looking to win a points race for the first time this season, and he has a good shot at doing it on Sunday. With stats of zero wins, four top-fives and six top-10 finishes, this puts Blaney in 12th place in the standings with 436 points. If Blaney can get a win Sunday, it will lock him into the playoffs, and he will be a contender for the championship. Blaney should be one of the favorites to take home the checkered flag.
--Maison Maerz
2 years agoTyler Reddick will be starting in fourth place on Sunday at Gateway Raceway. This will be huge for Reddick, as he holds the last spot in the playoffs. A top-10 finish would go a long way for Reddick as the season continues. Sunday can be the day Reddick can pick up his first career win, as he has been so close many times. Even without a win, Reddick has still put together a great season with four top-fives and six top-10 finishes. Once again, Reddick will be starting at the front of the field, which will make him a great fantasy option.
--Maison Maerz
2 years agoChristopher Bell will be starting in third place on Sunday at Gateway Raceway. Bell again wowed at qualifying and has qualified inside the top three three times in a row. It's not like Bell has been a fluke at qualifying, as he has three poles on the season. However, Bell will still be searching for his first win of the season at Gateway. Without a win, Bell still has four top-fives and eight top-10s. Bell's consistent finishes put him at 14th place in the standings, which puts him in the playoffs. With the recent success Bell has been having, he should be worth a look.
--Maison Maerz
2 years agoAustin Cindric will be in a great position on Sunday. He will be starting in second place at Gateway Raceway. It is safe to say Cindric will need a spark at Gateway, as he hasn't had a top-10 finish since the March race at Road America. However, Cindric still has a playoff spot with his win at Daytona, which has been saving him this season. Cindric still has stats of one win, one top-five and two top-10s this year. Even just a top-10 for Cindric will be a massive step in the right direction for the young driver. If you want to give Cindric a look, do it with extreme caution.
--Maison Maerz
2 years agoChase Briscoe will lead the pack on the pole at Gateway Raceway. This will be Briscoe's second pole of the season. Briscoe has stats of one win, three top-fives and four top-10s. He will be looking to build momentum after a fourth-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It will be the first Cup series race at Gateway since the 2010 NASCAR season. Briscoe could pull off a win given the lack of experience from the other drivers in the field. Come Sunday, Briscoe will be looking for his second win of the season and should be worth a look in fantasy.
--Maison Maerz
2 years agoBrad Keselowski and the RFK Racing team have been up against it all season. It is safe to say little has gone right from the start. Charlotte was looking great for the No. 6 Ford when disaster struck. He still improved by five positions but Keselowski was well into the middle of the pack at the time of his race demise. He starts 30th this week after finishing 30th last week. Likely, he moves up a few more positions. Anything else is a bonus at Madison this Sunday.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
2 years agoAlex Bowman has sort of become William Byron for NASCAR. Bowman has been providing surprising numbers. The Chevy starts the race all the way down in 25th position. Bowman has a way of turning in unexpectedly good performances. Though he has led just 2.2% of the laps, the No. 48 car is still one to watch on Sunday. Why? Simply, Bowman has ways of stealing this rate late. By the time the checkered flag drops, it is time to get into the meaty selections. Bowman is no exception this Sunday.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
2 years agoWilliam Byron was almost as fast as Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson but lost time late in sectors. Byron has performed okay on intermediate tracks with six top-tens. The driver begins the Enjoy Illinois 300 from the 24th spot. Can the Hendrick Motorsports racer start to put his slump behind him? It has been two months since Byron was stringing together top ten results. Maybe the 1.25-mile course at Madison sparks something for Byron.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
2 years agoKevin Harvick is another one of the few drivers to win a couple races on intermediate tracks in his last 16 runs. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver is the only driver to have a top-ten result every time out on these tracks. This Madison track could be very beneficial to Harvick. He even has eight top-five results if that was not enough. The No. 4 Ford starts 20th on Sunday. One of the concerns with Harvick is longer intervals but 5 and 10 lap intervals did look good.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
2 years agoChase Elliott begins Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 right next to fellow Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver, Kyle Larson. That's right. Both drivers occupy row number eight on Sunday afternoon from Madison. Elliott has some mixed results on intermediate tracks but does have a couple of wins and nine top-ten results. He should be able to make his way up the field. He is third among active drivers in laps led at 13.1%. Only Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin have led more laps on this type of course.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
2 years agoKyle Larson and the Chevy's did not fare all that well in qualifying. However, Larson had been pretty good testing wise on this track and other intermediates with the Next-Gen car. So, what happened here? Well, the No. 5 just was not quite fast enough for his best lap. However, his practice loop speed did do better than some well established Toyota drivers. Larson has to avoid trouble whether it finds him or not. If he can do that, Larson can make his push during the later portions of the race.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
2 years agoMartin Truex Jr. is another driver who enjoys the intermediate tracks. Madison presents a challenge but one Truex has seen many times before. The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing car could be one of the more dangerous race cars on the track Sunday. He has two wins and 11 top-ten results in his last 16 races on this type of course. With only 240 laps on Sunday, laps lead will be at a bit more of a premium. If there are any long runs, Truex Jr. could rise into contention. Let's see how the tires do on Sunday.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
2 years agoYounger brother, Kyle Busch looks to build on his recent good fortunes. The No. 18 M&M car nearly pulled off the win last week. His second place result at Charlotte along with 12th in qualifying at Madison gives Busch backers a little hope heading into Sunday. Busch has one win in his last 16 races on intermediate tracks but has ten top-ten results. He was one of the few Toyota's that had top-ten speed in most of the sectors. Busch could make a push later in this race.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
2 years agoKurt Busch and the 23XI Racing Team have something going. Few believed he would be racing this well this late into the season. However, Busch did finish just 0.259 seconds behind the pole sitter, who was Chase Briscoe. Busch typically performs poorly on these types of tracks. Madison is a unique one at 1.25 miles. It's turns are not very progressive. With just 240 laps, there will be less chances to rack up laps lead. Expect the elder Busch to adjust well.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
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