The NASCAR Cup Series stars head out to Madison, Illinois, this week. It is located just across the river from St Louis, Missouri, to take on the World Wide Technology Raceway, also known as “Gateway.” The 1.250-mile oval track presents something a little different from most other tracks on the circuit. Let’s take a look at this week’s Underdog NASCAR fantasy picks for the Enjoy Illinois 300.
Christopher Bell won last week’s rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600, his second win of the 2024 season. Bell is hoping to carry the momentum from that race forward after a rough stretch for that Joe Gibbs Racing #20 team. Kyle Busch won last season’s race at Gateway. Joey Logano was the inaugural winner in 2022, the first time NASCAR’s Cup Series visited the World Wide Technology Raceway.
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NASCAR Fantasy Picks: Enjoy Illinois 300 Underdog Fantasy
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Ty Gibbs Better Than 10.5
Gibbs has really blossomed in his second full-time season, with seven top-10 finishes to his name so far in 2024. At Phoenix, one of the comparable tracks to Gateway, Gibbs led 57 laps on the day and scored a strong third-place finish.
Gibbs is coming off a sixth-place finish at Charlotte and has finished inside the top 13 in four of the last six races on the season, in addition to 13th in the All-Star race after dominating the All-Star Open. The Joe Gibbs Racing stable is very strong on this track type, and I expect that from Ty this week.
William Byron Worse Than 8.5
This is a tough one to swallow. When you think of William Byron, you think of a consistent finisher who’s always in the mix. But Hendrick Motorsports as a whole has really struggled to figure out this World Wide Technology Raceway.
Byron finished 19th in 2022 and improved to eighth last season when they returned to the track for the second time. At comparable short, flatter tracks, Byron has also struggled compared to his normal self—18th at Phoenix and seventh at Richmond this season.
Last season, he had finishes of 24th at New Hampshire and 21st and 24th at Richmond. Byron might sneak into the backside of the top 10, but don’t expect him to be mixing it up with the leaders. Eighth this week would be an excellent day for the 24 crew.
Martin Truex Jr Better Than 6.5
This is the type of race track Martin Truex Jr thrives on. Truex finished sixth in 2022 and followed it up with a strong fifth-place run in 2023. Truex led 228 laps on his way to a fourth-place finish at Richmond and 55 laps before a seventh-place finish at Phoenix.
Last year at New Hampshire, Truex led 254 laps on his way to victory lane. He finished seventh and 11th at Richmond and capped the season off with a sixth-place finish at Phoenix. Truex loves the flat tracks, and with New Hampshire being the closest comparison to this, don’t be surprised to see Truex lead the bulk of this race.
Joey Logano Better Than 9.5
Speaking of drivers who thrive on this track type. Step up to the plate, 2024 All-Star race winner Joey Logano. I often refer to Logano as one of the hardest drivers in the garage to predict because some weeks he’s battling for first, and some weeks he’s battling for 21st.
This week should be a week he’s battling for first, though. Logano won the inaugural race here in 2022 and followed it up with a third place in 2023. He got into trouble at Phoenix but finished second at Richmond earlier this season.
Joey was second at New Hampshire last year while scoring seventh and fourth-place finishes at Richmond. Logano also seems to love the flat tracks, and I expect him to be top nine this week, which is all you need.
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