Nu Way 225 Sauced by Blues Hog
Location: Madison, Illinois
Course: Worldwide Technology Raceway at Gateway
Format: 1.25-mile oval
Laps: 180
NASCAR O’Reilly Series Race Preview
Sheldon Creed‘s career has been defined by a lot of solid driving that hasn’t been rewarded with many wins. He changed the narrative last weekend at Darlington, as he picked up his second career win. Creed was aided by a fast pit stop, but he after he also never relinquished the lead after taking the top position with 49 laps remaining.
Among the drivers competing for the title, Sammy Smith and Austin Hill both had strong weekends, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Justin Allgaier was the surprise finisher. He led the most laps of the field, but he struggled down the stretch and slipped to 17th. Allgaier is benefiting from the regular-season lead, but Creed now sits only seven points behind him for the top position in the standings.
Key Stats at GatewayNumber of races: 16Winners from pole: 2Winners from top-five starters: 8Winners from top-10 starters: 12Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0 Previous Winner at Gateway
2025 – Connor Zilisch
In last year’s race preview, I cautioned against leaning into the track history due to the lack of recent NASCAR events at the track. That largely remains true, though the sample of Cup races is rising. Between those our races and the O’Reilly Series from 2025, a clear trend has emerged. Three of the four Cup winners have qualified in the front row, and Zilisch won from pole in the O’Reilly Series last year.
Gateway is a hybrid short-intermediate track and is relatively flat. That makes New Hampshire and Phoenix the most comparable tracks. New Hampshire hasn’t been on the schedule for each of the last two seasons, leaving Phoenix and last year’s results at Gateway as two key factors in trying to predict this weekend’s outcome. Of course, recent form should also play a big role in the outlook for the weekend.
RotoWire NASCAR O’Reilly Series Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Nu Way 225
Based on a Standard $50K Salary Cap
Tier 1 DraftKings Values
Justin Allgaier-$12,000
Carson Kvapil -$11,000
Jesse Love– $10,500
Sam Mayer – $10,200
Tier 2 DraftKings Values
Sheldon Creed– $9,500
Taylor Gray – $8,700
William Sawalich – $8,200
Tier 3 DraftKings Values
Sammy Smith – $8,000
Rajah Caruth – $7,700
Parker Retzlaff – $7,500
Nick Sanchez – $7,000
Tier 4 DraftKings Values
Harrison Burton -$6,900
Anthony Alfredo – $6,800
Jeb Burton – $6,600
Dean Thompson – $6,500
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the Nu Way 225
Jesse Love – $10,500
Sheldon Creed– $9,500
William Sawalich – $8,200
Sammy Smith – $8,000
Nick Sanchez – $7,000
Anthony Alfredo– $6,800
Pricing is fairly efficient this week despite the limited sample. The top-priced drivers should all be in the mix to build through, though Love is arguably the best mix of the chance for good results and value. He finished fifth in last year’s race at Gateway and has three top-five finishes at Phoenix in his last five races at the track.
Creed is a bit of a tougher sell based on track history, but his ability to come through last weekend should provide some reassurance he has improved his ability to convert in the clutch. Gray is the other Tier 2 option I’d be willing to consider. He has been excellent at Phoenix and also qualified fifth at Gateway last season. He needs a strong showing, as he currently sits 11th in The Chase.
Things open back up in Tiers 3 and 4 with a number of good options. Smith made up some needed ground at Darlington, and he has the chance to do it again at Gateway. He has a strong history at Phoenix and is the start of some of the value options this weekend. Sanchez hasn’t had the sophomore season he had hoped for, but he’s finished six consecutive races inside the top 20. He also qualified second at Gateway last season.
The final tier has many of the usual suspects. Alfredo is the name to highlight of the group, as he’s managed to finish inside the top six in three of his last five races. That’s translated into at least 47.8 DK points three times in that span.
Best Bets for the Nu Way 225
Race Winner:Jesse Love (+650)
Top-Five Finish:Taylor Gray (+220)
Head-to-Head Matchups
William Sawalich (-120) vs. Austin Hill (-110)
Sammy Smith (-120) vs. Rajah Caurth (-110)
Perhaps due to the small sample, there look to be more spots of value than is typically the case available on sportsbooks. Love is among the favorites, but his +650 odds are decent value considering his track record at Phoenix and Gateway.
The story is similar for Gray as a top-five finisher. He has had boom-or-bust results of late, but he’s shown the ability to drive toward the top of the field with three seventh-place finishes in half of the last six races. Gray’s speed at Gateway and comparable tracks was covered in the DFS section.
Sawalich has similarly shown speed at flat tracks, but he is aggressively priced by the sportsbooks. Hill has churned out strong results, as is typically the case, and looks to be undervalued this weekend. Smith is also a strong value.
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The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it’s possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Dan Marcus plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: marcusd91
DraftKings: dmarcus87.