2023 Enjoy Illinois 300: NASCAR at Gateway Odds, Picks & Predictions
The ice in the YETIs will be there until the fall. Same with the burnouts on the backroad blacktop from when we dump the clutch. Drop tops, crop tops and no place better to be than a rooftop - summertime is sweeping across the U.S.
If you live in a place like I do - the valleys of Pennsylvania - you’re ready for it. We’ve worked hard for the five months of 2023, spending a lot of weekends inside, dodging the cold. Not long ago, Saturdays were for binging movies, and Sundays, well, those have always been for racing.
The NASCAR Cup Series has kept us company with exciting finishes, fists flying and tickets cashing so far this year. As the temperatures continue to rise, I expect tempers on the track to do the same, with just 12 races remaining in the regular season.
Stock car racing’s premiere series heads to the heartland this week to run the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway), just east of St. Louis.
This is one of the newer tracks on the circuit, with the Cup Series only racing here since last season. However, that won’t stop us from handicapping this race with our select comp tracks and data sets:
- 2023 Phoenix (finishes, total speed rankings* & late-run speed*)
- 2023 Richmond (finishes, total speed rankings* & late-run speed*)
- 2022 Gateway (finishes, total speed rankings,* late-run speed* & green-flag speed*)
- 2022 New Hampshire (finishes)
- Recent performance & current standings
*via ifantasyrace.com
Let’s see what the Midwest has in store for the NASCAR Cup Series with our best bets for the 2023 Enjoy Illinois 300.
2023 Enjoy Illinois 300: NASCAR at Gateway Odds, Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of Barstool Sportsbook | All bet recommendations are for 1u unless noted.
Top 5: Kevin Harvick (+225)
We took advantage of the books hanging out a +525 for Fords to win last week. Now, we’ve caught them leaving a solid return out on the Ford that’s generally the best at these short-flat tracks to finish with a T5. Harvick’s had a top-four combined total speed ranking at comp tracks Phoenix and Richmond, finishing fifth in both.
In addition, Harvick finished T5 at New Hampshire last season, plus ranks fifth this season in average finish (12.5) and fourth in T5s (four).
The only hesitation with the No. 4 car was his lackluster performance at Gateway last season. While running 13th, the Stewart-Hass Ford blew a brake rotor and crashed. I think “The Closer†corrects it this go-around, possibly even taking the checkered flag in first.
Top 10: Chris Buescher (+175)
Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK) is hitting its stride, and leading the charge is 30-year-old Chris Buescher. His No. 17 Ford Mustang has finished in the top 1o in four of his last five races, positioning him in the top 12 in points, laps run and average finish (14.6) this season.
In addition, Buescher has been fast on the shorter flats (Phoenix and Richmond) in 2023, pacing with the 12th-best total speed ranking across both tracks.
Buescher missed this race last season following a positive COVID-19 test. That left Truck Series standout Zane Smith to finish 17th in Buescher’s car in what was his Cup Series debut. Buescher being in the car should be worth at least seven additional spots, putting him in the top 10 for the day.
Matchup: Ryan Blaney (-137) vs. Tyler Reddick (+106)
Fresh off his first victory in 50-plus races, I’m backing Ryan Blaney this week. The No. 12 car finished fourth here last season but was one of the best overall cars, sitting second in total speed ranking, green flag speed and speed late in a run. Blaney did struggle at Richmond, but he finished second at Phoenix.
Tyler Reddick, on the other hand, had a top-12 car at Gateway last season but only mustered a 16th-place finish. Reddick also ran well at Phoenix, fishing third. However, his combined total speed ranking on the shorter flat tracks ranks 13th compared to Blaney’s 10th.
In a week where there just aren’t a lot of great offerings right now, I’m willing to lay the juice with nearly all signs pointing toward Blaney over Reddick.
Other Bets on My Card:
- Kevin Harvick Outright (+1400)
- Marin Truex Jr. Outright (+1000)
- Martin Truex Jr. T5 (+185)
Seth Woolcock is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more sports betting and fantasy sports analysis from Seth, check out In-Between Media and follow him @Between_SethFF.