episode 2631-Cup Teams Take On The Enjoy Illinois 300 At Gateway   

From a NASCAR Fan’s View

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Chase race one is in the books. Now the Cup teams move on to Chase race two at the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Things have definitely changed quite a bit from where they were before last week’s race. Oh sure, Denny Hamlin is still on top, but his points lead has changed. Last week he had a good lead over second place of twenty-four points. This week, it is twenty-four points between him and fourth place. That is a big difference for just one weekend, and it really tightens things between first and fourth. After that, things loosen up a little, but still, it is only forty-nine points between first and seventh.

After finishing seven times in second place, Christopher Bell finally broke through for his first win in the 2026 season and jumped four places in the standings to second behind Hamlin. I know it is only one race into the Chase, but that is impressive for more than one reason. The main reason is that he has been one of the most consistent finishers this season, and starting off the Chase with a win could mean there is more in store for him.

Yeah, I realize you can’t tell a lot from just one race, but there is a thing called momentum. In the Chase format, momentum can mean a lot moving into the next few races. That is where the rubber meets the road, and only after a few more races will we actually know where that momentum leads. Unfortunately, every week could be a one-off for several drivers, and the points race could change accordingly.

I mean, take a look at the starting lineup for today’s race. Joey Logano took the pole, and Kyle Larson starts beside him on the front row. Why is that such a big deal? Well, from this fan’s view, they are seventh and eighth in the Chase Standings. One is a Ford, and the other is a Chevy. One has two wins, and the other has no wins in 2026. Their starting spots could by no means have anything at all to do with how the race will end. But it could.

After observing the practice and the qualifying, the Penske Fords did appear to have good grip on the track, and both Logano and Ryan Blaney had good speed in practice and both qualified well, Logano on the pole and Blaney third.

I can’t help but ask this next question. Is it possible that Kyle Larson will break out of his slump of no wins? I mean, it has been fifty-some races since he has visited Victory Lane. That’s a long time and not something any of us expected. Yeah, I realize the Chevys have been working through adapting to a new body style, but for Kyle, the new body style hasn’t been his only problem. He has three DNFs this season, and some of them have come when he was running well and having a good race.

I know I’m repeating myself, but for Kyle and his teammate, William Byron, if it weren’t for bad luck, they’d have no luck at all. Byron’s luck turned against him again last weekend with engine problems. That dropped him all the way to the sixteenth spot in the Chase. That was only a drop of three places, but he really didn’t get many points at all. He definitely has a deep hole to dig himself out of, and his qualifying for this week wasn’t great either. He starts twenty-fourth.

There is a possible dark horse starting in the sixth spot, and that is Carson Hocevar. I know he hasn’t been finishing all that well, but he has shown speed just about every weekend. That speed hasn’t necessarily carried over to the end of a race, but he is definitely someone who could pull off the unexpected win.

Okay, I could go on talking about many different drivers, but for this race, I can’t ignore the fact that the Toyotas qualified fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth, and tenth. Four of those are JGR Toyotas, and we all know how they’ve been running this season. There is a fifth Toyota in those top ten, and it is the 23XI Toyota of Bubba Wallace. He is another this fan considers like Hocevar. He has been running well and could be the one in Victory Lane when this one is finished.

It is hard to discount how the Toyotas might fare in today’s race. In fact, I think they are expected to be running up front by many, at least by the end of the race. Where exactly they will be is an unanswered question that will be answered when the final checkered flag falls. Will it be a Ford, a Chevy, or a Toyota sitting in Victory Lane? Will it be one of the expected drivers, or will it be a total surprise winner? Will the Chase standings be completely changed up, or will they stay pretty much the same? That, my friends, are the questions, and we won’t know the answers until this one is over…

Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…