Can WWTR Be Here To Stay?
The NASCAR world got a nice introduction to World Wide Technology Raceway last year. While that wasn’t the first time that the NASCAR circus had invaded the St. Louis area, it was however, the 1st time that the Cup Series did though. That’s why NASCAR country found out and witnessed why the folks over there at WWTR are bar none some of the best there are in the business today.
These folks take it seriously. They promote, promote, promote. They know how to sell tickets and create a carnival type atmosphere for an oval event. It’s a big reason as to why annually this is one of the more highly anticipated stops on the INDYCAR schedule.
You get concerts, pyrotechnics, rides and more for a weekend that will once again, arguably feel like one of the biggest on the NASCAR schedule. In saying that, I expect another packed house and one that will be a hit this year. The questions now is, how long can they keep this date?
Year 1 isn’t the hard sell, it’s years 2, 3 and 4. How do you keep the fans’ attention and wanting to come back. Sometimes, it’s out of the tracks hands. They can promote and give you everything that you could ever want or dream. If the racing is lousy and the weather crappy, the attendance naturally dwindles.
Last year was a home run. Can they go 2-for-2?
Will This Stretch Create More New Winners?
Counting this weekend, 3 of the next 4 races are either the 1st, 2nd or even the 3rd time that the Cup Series has visited these tracks. The only outlier is Sonoma next Sunday. That’s why I wonder if we could add to the tally of more new race winners this season by time we head to Atlanta in July.
The World Wide Technology Raceway is a second year event. Nashville is a third. Chicago is an inaugural event.
Then, you go to just the 2nd road course of the year next week in Sonoma. After this stretch is a superspeedway in Atlanta (July 9) followed by lone trips of the season to Loudon (July 16) and Pocono (July 23).
Why Do Only The Best Win At Gateway?
For some reason, you don’t see many fluke names win at the World Wide Technology Raceway.
Names like Paul Tracy (1997), Alex Zanardi (1998), Michael Andretti (1999), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000), Al Unser Jr. (2001), Gil de Ferran (2002), Helio Castroneves (2003), Josef Newgarden (2017,2020, 2022, 2023), Will Power (2018), Takuma Sato (2019) and Scott Dixon (2020) all won on the 1.25-mile oval heading into this weekend.
Why is that?
One of the reasons why is due to the nature of Gateway being towards the end of the season in INDYCAR and midway in NASCAR. Normally, the best drivers by time we get to World Wide Technology Raceway are the ones vying for wins on a regular basis.
INDYCAR’s race winners here are the best of the best. Same in NASCAR now too. Joey Logano won the inaugural race a year ago. He later won the season championship. That leads me to believe this weekend’s winner will be among NASCAR’s greats too.
Is The Playoff Grid Set?
In four of the last five years (didn’t count 2020 due to COVID schedule), someone outside the top 16 in points after the Coca-Cola 600 has bumped their ways into the playoff field. Can someone do that this time around too?
The thing is, they likely won’t be too much of a longshot.
In 2017, Kasey Kahne was the only one to do so as he was 20th in points after the ‘600. He won the Brickyard 400. Austin Dillon was 21st in points but had just won the Coca-Cola 600. Ryan Newman had already won Phoenix but was 17th in points after Charlotte. The other 13 drivers were already in. The ones knocked out were ninth placed Clint Bowyer, 10th placed Joey Logano and Trevor Bayne (16th).
A year later, the field was set after the Coca-Cola 600. No one new came in.
In 2019, Ryan Newman was 18th in points but bumped his way in on points while Erik Jones (17th in points) won the Southern 500. That was it. It took Daniel Suarez (13th in points) and Jimmie Johnson (14th in points) out.
In 2021, Kurt Busch won the Atlanta summer race and Aric Almirola won in Loudon. Busch was 19th in points after Charlotte and Almirola in 28th. Just Austin Dillon (11th in points) and Chris Buescher (14th in points) were left out.
Then last year, Daniel Suarez won in Sonoma and Austin Dillon in Daytona. Martin Truex Jr. (5th in points), Kurt Busch (20th in points) were out.
Can anyone move into the postseason that wouldn’t already be in now?
Trends say, yes. However, it may only happen once or twice. Just twice was the driver outside 20th in points too.
Out right now is Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs, Austin Cindric, Michael McDowell, Todd Gilliland, Corey LaJoie, Justin Haley, Erik Jones, Aric Almirola, AJ Allmendinger, Chase Elliott, Ryan Preece, Harrison Burton, Austin Dillon, Noah Gragson, Ty Dillon and BJ McLeod.
If they come in, who goes out?
Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace and Chase Briscoe are in the wildcard positions.
Haley hasn’t won in 140 races (83 starts), McDowell in 85, Keselowski in 76, Almirola in 64 races, Allmendinger in 62 races (33 starts), Cindric in 49, Bowman hasn’t won in 47 (39 starts), Briscoe in 46, Suarez in 34, Dillon in 24, Jones in 23, Wallace in 22 (21 starts), Buescher in 21 and Elliott in 19 (13 starts).
Gibbs, Gilliland, LaJoie, Preece, Burton, Gragson, Ty Dillon and McLeod have each never won.
Among those in the top 20 in points right now not in are Suarez, Gibbs and Cindric.
Elliott is kind of like the Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch scenarios and I would expect him to win at some point. That’s why I don’t think the grid is yet set but there’s not many more than can move back in.
Who Would Be In Denny Hamlin’s Championship Final 4?
Denny Hamlin got the motorsports world talking a few months ago when he submitted an idea to NASCAR – a regular season playoff. 10 weeks to set the top 32 drivers. They’d be seeded in the order that they are in points. 1 vs. 32, 2 vs. 31, 3 vs. 30 and so on. Weeks 11-14 would be a single elimination bracket. The best finisher in the matchup moves on.
The culmination of that bracket would end Sunday in Gateway.
You have Keselowski vs. Wallace in one semifinal matchup and Byron vs. Bowman in the other.
Elliott was the 29th seed and marched to upset wins over the fourth-seeded Martin Truex Jr. and the ninth seeded Joey Logano to set up the matchup last weekend in Charlotte vs. Wallace. However, when he took out Denny Hamlin, it knocked both out of contention for the championship.
Wallace beat Chris Buescher (No. 12) and buddy, Ryan Blaney (No. 5) in his march to Elliott.
For Chastain, he’s escaped as the top seed and met up with Keselowski who won as the better seed in each of his first two matchups. Keselowski topped Chastain to get to a battle with Wallace in Gateway.
Harvick beat Harrison Burton and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as the No. 3 seed while Byron beat Corey LaJoie and upset as the No. 11 seed, the sixth-seeded Tyler Reddick to set up a battle with Harvick.
Hamlin, as the “host” beat Todd Gilliland and Kyle Larson to meet Josh Berry/Alex Bowman. Berry topped Ty Gibbs in Round 1 and then beat upset minded 31-seed Austin Dillion.
Dillon knocked out the second seed, Christopher Bell in Kansas.
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