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Danny Hamlin
Gateway Fantasy Twist – Denny Hamlin is one of the best short and flat track players in NASCAR and at Gateway, expect that to be a factor. Hamlin was one of the best last year, he is the most recent winner on this type of subtrack (Richmond) and for the season on shorter flat tracks, Hamlin has a 6.0 average result and the third best total speed ranking in type of track.
Gateway Tracking History – Denny Hamlin has performed at a high level at Gateway and was especially strong last summer on his way to a second-place finish. Last year, Hamlin started third, finished third in Stage #1, finished third in Stage #2, had an average race position of 3.0, earned the third-best driver rating, and then finished second when the checkered flag waved. . In terms of speed statistics, Hamlin ranked second in speed at the end of a race and then third in overall speed rating. In 2022, Hamlin had a hot rod and was among the top five contenders, but was “Chastain’ed”, which dropped him to his 34th place finish. In the race, Hamlin finished fourth in Stage #1, but then early in Stage #2 on lap 65, while battling Chastain for fifth place, they made contact and that led to Hamlin crashing hard into the wall, which sent him down three laps, dooming him. your afternoon. During the first quarter of the race before his problem, the number 11 car was the fourth fastest on the track.
Martin Truex Jr.
Gateway Fantasy Twist – Martin Truex Jr. is one of the top performers on shorter flat tracks and at Gateway, he should be on your radar. Truex has performed at a high level in both races with a 5.5 finish average, and I don’t think there’s any reason to expect him to be a fantasy disappointment. This year, on shorter flat tracks, Truex has the best total speed rating by track type, the best driver rating, the best average race position (5.4) and a 5.5 finishing average, which already undervalues him that Richmond would have won if it had not been so. t a late warning (he finished 4th). On Sunday, expect Truex to be a top-five contender.
Gateway Tracking History – Martin Truex Jr. has been elite at Gateway and in the combined races, Truex has a 5.5 average finish and the fourth-best next-gen speed ranking. Last summer, Truex did not have an incident-free race, but he battled to finish fifth. In the race, Truex started fifth, finished fourth in Stage #1 but then, during the Stage #1 yellow flag, he was penalized for removing his gas can, which dropped him backwards. That penalty skewed some statistics, but he ranked eighth in terms of overall speed rating. In 2022, Truex had one of the best cars and I see the sixth from him as a result with an asterisk mark. In the race, Truex started 13th, finished 2nd in Stage 2, led 42 laps, was the leader on lap 181, but during that time his team had a slow pit stop that dropped him from 1st to 7th. He thought it was a demoralizing blow and he just didn’t recover. It should be noted that on lap 156, while leading, Truex mentioned that he really liked his car, which was a bit surprising because he didn’t like it in practice. Additionally, in the race, Truex had an average racing position of 8.7, the fifth-best driver rating, the fifth-best green flag speed and then placed sixth in race-ending speed and overall speed standings. .
Joey Logano
Gateway Fantasy Twist – Look for 2022 Gateway winner Joey Logano to be a factor. Logano thrived on this shorter, flatter track, and worked his way to victory lane in the inaugural race (2022), being one of two drivers to go 2-for-2 with top-5 finishes and his overall average of results is an impressive second place. At Richmond, the shortest and most recent points flat track visited this year, Logano had his best race of the year, finishing second and having the second-best overall speed ranking. North Wilkesboro also has some correlation, and Logano swept there in the All-Star Race on his way to victory lane. On Sunday, expect Logano to finish in the top ten and potentially be a top-five contender.
Gateway Tracking History – Joey Logano has been a standout performer at Gateway and in the combined races, Logano has a 2.0 average finish, third-best next-gen speed ranking, third-best driver ranking, and third-best average race position (4.7) . Last year, the #22 was stout and Logano ran well throughout. In the race, Logano finished fifth in Stage #1, finished seventh in Stage #2, had an average race position of 6.0 and then finished third when he waved the checkered flag. In terms of speed statistics, Logano had the fifth-best overall speed ranking and seventh-best speed at the end of a race. In 2022, Logano didn’t have the best car but that didn’t stop him from reaching victory lane. In the race, Logano started 7th, finished 7th in Leg #1, had an average race position of 7.6 but then to close the race the #22 really came to life. On lap 207 he passed Kyle Busch for the lead and then in the closing laps he passed Busch again to take home the trophy. Additionally, Logano led 22 laps, earning the third-best driver ranking, third-best green flag speed, and fourth-best overall speed ranking. He noted that during the last quarter of the race, the number 22 car was the fastest on the track.
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