By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

Despite sub-par opener, Kyle Larson is optimistic heading to Gateway

Despite the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth at the performance of Hendrick Motorsports at Darlington Raceway, Kyle Larson actually helped himself in the Playoff-opening Cook Out Southern 500.

Kyle Larson. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Yes, Larson finished a lackluster 19th last Sunday, sandwiched between Hendrick teammates Chase Elliott in 17th and William Byron in 21st. But Larson’s ability to collect points in the first two stages, combined with the misfortunes of others, enabled him to gain 12 points versus the current elimination line in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Now 38 points to the good, Larson is third in the standings behind Southern 500 winner Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin entering Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The 1.25-mile asphalt oval across the Mississippi River from St. Louis hasn’t been a stronghold for Hendrick drivers, but it hasn’t been a disaster for Larson either. In the three events at WWT Raceway, the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet has finished 12th, fourth and 10th and has led laps in the last two races.

Perhaps more important was Larson’s participation in a Goodyear tire test at Gateway in June. With Brad Keselowski representing Ford and Erik Jones testing for Toyota, Larson is the only Playoff driver to have turned laps at the track this year.

After the test, tire maker Goodyear settled on the same left- and right-side tire combination introduced at Iowa Speedway in early August. This will be the first time the combination has been raced at Gateway, and Larson is optimistic about his chances at the track.

“We had a great test at Gateway earlier this year that led us down a different path with our short-track program,” Larson said. “We feel we have learned some things that have made that program a little bit better since then.

“We should be more competitive and at least start the weekend better than we have. If we can be good at Gateway, that will give us some confidence going to Phoenix.”

Obvious from that statement is that Larson doesn’t expect an early exit from the Playoffs and plans to advance to the Championship 4 Race with a chance to add to the title he won in 2021.

The expectation, however, is that the Hendrick drivers will have to go through Team Penske to reach Victory Lane at WWT Raceway. Three-time series champion Joey Logano won the inaugural Cup event at the track in 2022, and teammate Austin Cindric triumphed last year.

“It certainly sounds cool,” said Cindric when reminded of his status as the defending winner. “We’ve got to go out and do it. It’s obviously been a good track for us as a team, and we’ve got to make sure we capitalize.”

This weekend marks Gateway’s first appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, which suits Logano just fine.

“It just seems like for us right now most of the time our cars are pretty fast at the flat one-mile type racetracks, whether that’s Phoenix, Gateway, Loudon…” said Logano, three points below the current elimination line after a 20th-place run at Darlington.

“It seems like we have a pretty good handle on that type of thing and that type of track, so hopefully that’s the case again.”

It would not be wise, however, to overlook Joe Gibbs Racing. Denny Hamlin finished second in each of the last two Gateway races, and Christopher Bell led a race-high 80 laps and swept the first two stages last year before finishing seventh.

Bell, Alex Bowman, Shane van Gisbergen and Josh Berry all finished outside the top 25 in the Playoff opener at Darlington. No driver has ever finished outside the top 25 in two Round of 16 races and advanced to the Round of 12.

The largest deficit ever overcome after one race to make the Round of 12 is 21 points (Clint Bowyer in 2019 and Chase Briscoe last year). Bowman and Berry are 19 points below the elimination line after the Cook Out Southern 500.

Gateway race will set NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff field

While the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs are in full swing at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff field won’t be solidified until after Saturday night’s Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog at the 1.25-mile track (7:30 p.m. on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

There are three Playoff spots still available to the Xfinity Series drivers, who will race at Gateway for the first time since 2010. If there’s a repeat winner on Saturday—or a win by a driver who can’t advance to the Playoffs—both Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray would advance to the postseason on points.

That would leave cousins Harrison Burton and Jeb Burton to battle for the last Playoff berth. Harrison Burton currently enjoys a 31-point cushion over Jeb Burton and would need to score 27 points at Gateway to lock his cousin out of the postseason.

Harrison Burton has three NASCAR Cup Series starts at Gateway, with a best finish of 23rd in 2023.

“I’ve been fortunate to get a few Cup starts at the track, and while the results don’t necessarily show everything we had, I learned a lot about the rhythm of the place and how important track position and execution are over a long run,” he said.

“That experience should definitely help as we go back with our AM Racing team. We know how critical this race is for our Playoff hopes, and I believe if we can put together a smart, solid night, we’ll be in good shape to accomplish our goal.”

At the top of the standings, the Regular Season Champion won’t be crowned until Saturday night. Connor Zilisch, winner of six of the last seven Xfinity Series races, leads JR Motorsports teammate and defending series champion Justin Allgaier by 20 points entering the regular-season finale.

At 50 points back, Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer is still mathematically alive for the title, but he would need disastrous results from both Zilisch and Allgaier to prevail.

There is no former Xfinity winner at Gateway in the field for Saturday’s race, but Riverton, Illinois, native Allgaier did claim the pole for the most recent event there in 2010, won by Brad Keselowski.

“Hopefully we can go out and have a great day, run up front and gain points on our teammate to get this Regular Season Championship,” Allgaier said. “Either way, our goal remains the same, and that is to win the race.”

Zilisch will try for a fourth straight victory for the second time this season. Only Sam Ard in 1983 and Noah Gragson in 2022 have been winners of four consecutive Xfinity Series races.

“I’m looking forward to going to World Wide for the first time this weekend,” said Zilisch, who has posted 13 straight top-five finishes, including seven victories, since returning from an injury sustained at Talladega in the 11th race of the season.

“Since our win at Portland (last Saturday), that left World Wide as the only track on the current schedule that JRM has not won at, so I’m hoping we can keep the momentum going and cross that off, too. It’s been fun to win a lot of races lately, but we still have to go out and execute and do our job every week.”