The NASCAR season is revving up and DraftKings is shifting into high gear with an assortment of fantasy NASCAR contests. Dive into the best fantasy racing picks for the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
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Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $150K Gateway Drive [$50K to 1st] (Cup)
Fantasy NASCAR Driver Rankings: Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway
1. Christopher Bell ($10,500) — World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway is a 1.25-mile flat oval. New Hampshire is the closest comparison. Phoenix is different in design but also flat. Bell won the most recent races at both tracks. He scored 53 fastest-lap and lap-led points at WWTR in 2024 before blowing up.
2. Ryan Blaney ($11,000) — One-mile flat ovals are a strength for Blaney, but not lately. In the three most recent races at the leading indicator tracks, Blaney has failed to earn a top-20 finish. He had a sizable lead with two laps remaining in the 2024 race in Madison, Illinois (Metro St. Louis), but ran out of gas.
3. Denny Hamlin ($10,700) — Is this the year? Will Hamlin finally win a Cup Series championship? Gateway boosts Hamlin’s chances. He was the runner-up at WWTR last season and at Phoenix earlier this season.
4. Chase Briscoe ($10,000) — The transition from Martin Truex Jr. to Chase Briscoe is complete. The No. 19 JGR is still elite. Could Briscoe be better? Briscoe has an undervalued superpower: he’s great at qualifying. Track position is everything in the Gen-7 car, and Briscoe secures it every week, no matter the track type.
5. Kyle Larson ($9,500) — When it comes to DFS glory points (fastest-lap and lap-led points), Larson has not scored more than five combined points in the most recent races at Gateway, New Hampshire, and Phoenix. However, he earned top-5 finishes at Phoenix and New Hampshire and a top-10 finish at Gateway in 2024.
6. Tyler Reddick ($9,200) — Is Reddick back? He was the runner-up at Darlington last week. That success does not translate, as Gateway and Darlington are vastly different. Regardless of momentum, Reddick finished fourth at Gateway last season.
7. William Byron ($9,700) — Young drivers typically have more experience at newer Cup Series tracks. World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway is an exception, as it’s not featured on the Xfinity Series circuit. Byron had little experience at the flat track, and it showed in his 15th-place finish last season.
8. Chris Buescher ($7,500) — The No. 17 RFK Ford will fall through the cracks. Buescher and his teammates did not qualify for the playoffs, so they’ll be overlooked in the postseason. This is a mistake. The Fords are fast and can win any of the remaining races.
9. Ross Chastain ($7,900) — Few drivers in this field have wins at Gateway. It’s been mainly a Truck Series race. Chastain won the 2019 race at World Wide Technology Raceway in a truck. Does it translate? Chastain finished 12th at Gateway last season.
10. Chase Elliott ($8,800) — Hendrick Motorsports struggled at Gateway last season. Their notebooks were empty, as the track is new to the Cup Series circuit. The crew chiefs are not well-versed, and the Hendrick drivers have logged very few laps at the flat track in St. Louis. With the first year out of the way, HMS could bounce back in 2025.
11. Joey Logano ($9,000) — The 2025 New Hampshire race has yet to be run. The best data point, besides current form or track history, is the 2025 Phoenix race. Logano finished 13th but scored 43 combined fastest-lap and lap-led points.
12. Josh Berry ($8,100) — The Wood Bros. No. 21 Ford is on the ropes. Berry is buried in the playoff standings, and his back is against the wall. He must earn a top-5 finish, if not a win. Gateway sets up well for the late-model legend. He finished inside the top-5 at Phoenix in the spring and last summer at New Hampshire.
13. Carson Hocevar ($7,000) — Do Truck Series laps matter? Hocevar has the most experience at Gateway. He finished fourth in his fourth race at Gateway in 2023. After his promotion to the Cup Series, he finished eighth in his debut season at Gateway in 2024.
14. Brad Keselowski ($7,700) — Despite not being a championship contender in the later years of his career, Keselowski remains a threat. He’s earned a top-15 finish in each of the last five oval races and four top-10 finishes over that span.
15. Todd Gilliland ($5,500) — Enjoy Gilli-nois 300! Gilly has been steady at the flat tracks. He finished 16th at Gateway in 2024 and 12th at New Hampshire. Back in the spring, the Front Row Motorsports driver finished 17th at Phoenix.
