This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Enjoy Illinois 300
Location: Madison, Ill.
Course: World Wide Technology Raceway
Format: 1.25-mile oval
Laps: 240
NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300 Race Preview
Christopher Bell won a rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 a week ago at Charlotte. It was his second win of the season and his first top-five since finishing second at the Circuit of the Americas in March. This week, the run to the playoffs continues with a stop at World Wide Technology Raceway. It will be the third time the NASCAR Cup Series visits the track and is one of a dozen regular-season races remaining. Eight of the 16 playoff spots are held by race winners, which leaves half of the playoff field open for drivers to win their way in. Leaving Charlotte, Chris Buescher holds the 16th and final playoff position with a single point separating him from Chase Briscoe in 17th. There is still plenty of time remaining for teams and drivers to book their ticket to the championship battle, but those 12 remaining opportunities will count down quickly. Both prior Gateway winners, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch, are among those still working to secure their playoff spot, hoping a return to the scene of past victories will see lightning strike twice for them at Gateway.
Key Stats at World Wide Technology Raceway
- Number of races: 2
- Winners from pole: 1
- Winners from top-5 starters: 1
- Winners from top-10 starters: 2
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 97.965 mph
Previous World Wide Technology Raceway Winners
2023 - Kyle Busch
2022 - Joey Logano
The oval at Gateway is a uniquely shaped 1.25-mile layout with lower banking in the turns, which places emphasis on handling and track position. Those characteristics mean tire wear should be a critical component of a successful afternoon. Mechanical grip through the turns and onto the long straights will be what every team and driver attempt to optimize. Both prior series races held at the track were won by drivers that started inside the top 10, and other series results uphold the trend that winners tend to come from the first five rows. While both Cup races held so far had double-digit lead changes, the majority of top-10 finishers also started inside the top 10. Starting up front is no guarantee of success, but it makes Sunday's job significantly easier than moving forward through the pack. This track is one where pit strategy will likely come into play. Maximizing track position and grip will be the goal, and sacrificing stage wins for track position and a potential race win should be a strategy some of the leaders will opt for. Fantasy players should keep a close eye on practice and qualifying times before finalizing their selections for Sunday.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Enjoy Illinois 300 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Denny Hamlin - $11,200
Kyle Larson - $11,000
Ryan Blaney - $10,800
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,500
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Tyler Reddick - $9,700
Brad Keselowski - $9,500
Joey Logano - $9,300
Chase Elliott - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Kyle Busch - $8,800
Ty Gibbs - $8,600
Chris Buescher - $8,600
Ross Chastain - $8,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Chase Briscoe - $7,400
Daniel Suarez - $6,900
Michael McDowell - $6,500
Austin Cindric - $6,200
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Enjoy Illinois 300
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Denny Hamlin - $11,200
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,500
Kyle Busch - $8,800
Chase Briscoe - $7,400
Austin Cindric - $6,200
Carson Hocevar - $5,900
Denny Hamlin (DK $11,200, FD $14,000) remains a favorite nearly every week. He has not finished outside of the top five since winning at Dover, and he currently leads the points. At Gateway, his best finish was a second-place run last season, but a scrap with Ross Chastain in 2022 left him with a 34th-place result despite his sixth-place starting spot. Hamlin should be a fixture inside the top five again this week. Alongside Hamlin might be teammate Martin Truex Jr. (DK $10,500, FD $13,000). The former champion is second in points but is lacking a race win that would secure his playoff future. His last top-five finish came at Kansas, but Truex brings an average finish of 5.5 from two Gateway races into the weekend. He also led 42 laps in the 2022 edition of this race. Kyle Busch (DK $8,800, FD $10,000) is another driver with a great Gateway record. Busch won last year's race and finished second the year prior. This has been a great track for Busch and could take advantage of that this week. He brings two top-10 finishes from the last four races into the weekend as well.
On the lower half of the price list, there are several drivers worth considering. Chase Briscoe (DK $7,400, FD $6,800) is positioned just 11 points out of the playoff positions and has quietly been delivering a respectable season. His Stewart-Haas Racing team announced their shuttering at the end of the season, which could give the team even more incentive to send the team out on top. Briscoe's best finish from the last four races was fifth at Darlington. He also stared on pole and led 24 laps in this race in 2022. The biggest concern with his selection is his average finish of 29.0 from the two Gateway races. The season hasn't been a good one for Austin Cindric (DK $6,200, FD $5,500), but Gateway is a place he should outperform those previous results. He started both prior Gateway races inside the top 10 and finished both inside the top 15. This week could be the end of his three-race skid of finishes 20th or worse. Finally, Carson Hocevar (DK $5,900, FD $5,800) has demonstrated his ability to deliver outsized results this season. He was in this race last year but crashed early. He has one top-five and one other top-10 from four NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races, though.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
William Byron - $10,200
Joey Logano - $9,300
Chase Elliott - $9,000
Ross Chastain - $8,200
Ryan Preece - $6,700
Michael McDowell - $6,500
William Byron (DK $10,200, FD $12,500) heads the higher-risk lineup this week. He has had a great start to the season with three wins but hasn't had the same success recently. That started to turn around a week ago at Charlotte with a third-place finish, though. Byron led 30 laps of this race last season and scored an eighth-place finish. Joey Logano (DK $9,300, FD $9,000) won in 2022. His domination of the All-Star Race was just more evidence that a points win should be in his near future, too. Logano's average Gateway finish of 2.0 makes him a potential bargain for many fantasy formats this week. Chase Elliott (DK $9,000, FD $8,500) holds similar value. He broke his winless streak earlier this season at Texas and only missed finishing in the top 10 twice in the last eight races excluding the All-Star Race. Elliott missed this race last season, but fantasy players should feel comfortable banking on him for a top-10 opportunity this weekend.
Ross Chastain (DK $8,200, FD $8,000) also offers fantasy rosters the potential of a top finish this week. He has an average Gateway finish of 15.0 with a best finish of eighth. He qualified inside the top 10 for both of those races, and he also has three finishes of 12th or better from the last five races when including the All-Star Race. Ryan Preece (DK $6,700, FD $5,200) has incentive to prove he belongs in the series after the news that SHR would cease operations at the end of the season. That move leaves Preece driving for his future this week and the rest of the season. He sits 28th in points but scored some of his best results of the year on non-traditional ovals like Darlington and Martinsville. His finish of 17th in this race last season, from the 29th starting spot, shows he could be in line for another top 20 afternoon on Sunday. Last but not least is Michael McDowell (DK $6,500, FD $6,500). The Front Row Motorsports driver has been moving up the standings in recent weeks and that momentum doesn't appear to be going anywhere soon. McDowell's average Gateway finish is 13.5 and he finished ninth in last year's race. There is no reason he shouldn't have an expectation of another top-15 finish in this race.
