The top two drivers in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings would just as soon forget last year’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
Both Justin Allgaier and Sheldon Creed, however, will have a chance at redemption when the series returns to the 1.25-mile track for Saturday’s Nu Way 225 powered by Bobcat and sauced by Blues Hog (7:30 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
In last year’s race, Creed lost third gear on a Lap 135 restart, stacked up the field in a multicar accident and ultimately finished 30th. Allgaier was nicked with a pit road speeding penalty at the end of the second stage, suffered damage in the Lap 135 crash and finished 28th.
Creed, at least, comes to the banks of the Mississippi River with considerable momentum. In last Saturday’s O’Reilly Series Chase opener at Darlington Raceway, the driver of the No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet picked up the second win of his career and trimmed Allgaier’s lead in the standings to seven points.
Allgaier, on the other hand, started strong and won the first stage, but contact with the outside wall cost him dearly in the late going, dropping him to 17th at the finish.
In a field that includes no former Gateway winners, both Creed and Allgaier are hopeful for better results. For Allgaier, from Riverton, Illinois, the race is a home game of sorts.
“It’s always special to be able to come back and race this close to home—not only for me, but for everyone at (sponsor) Brandt Professional Agriculture as well,” said Allgaier, who won a pole at WWT Raceway in 2010. “They are going to have a strong presence at the track this weekend, and hopefully we can go out there and put on a great show for them.
“(Crew chief) Andrew (Overstreet) and all the guys on this team have been working hard all week long, and we are ready to go.”
Allgaier’s JR Motorsports teammate Carson Kvapil—third in the Chase standings and 19 points back after running 12th from the pole at Darlington—likewise has work to do at Gateway. Kvapil finished 37th in his only start there last year after an engine failure.
“We’ve have been working hard in the sim this week preparing for St. Louis,” Kvapil said. “I know (crew chief) Rodney (Childers) and this entire No. 1 WILDE Cracker team will unload another rocket ship at the track this weekend.
“We just need to go out and execute like we know we can, and if we do, we will continue to chip away at the points deficit.”
The Chase driver who had the best result in last year’s race is Brandon Jones, who finished fourth. Jones is eighth in the standings after Darlington, 58 points behind Allgaier.
Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love, the defending series champion, finished fifth last year. Love is sixth in the standings after the Chase opener, trailing Allgaier by 48 points.
And by the way, here’s one note of caution for Creed. In the 10-year history of postseason racing in the O’Reilly Series, never has the winner of the postseason opener gone on to win the title.
— NASCAR Wire Service —