NASCAR Legend Rusty Wallace ‘Taken Aback’ as Iconic Track Returns to Cup Playoff Calendar

After the intense battle at the playoff opener at Darlington, the garage now travels to the Gateway Motorsports Park for the second race in the Round of 16. This one’s special, not just for the drivers, but because it’s the first year for the World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, to host a playoff race in the Cup series. The home fans are excited, and among them is a special fan, none other than NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, for whom Gateway is like a home track, having a grandstand in it named after him. But even he was surprised when he learned Gateway had been promoted to host a playoff race, and he explained why.

Opened in 1997, the Gateway has hosted a variety of NASCAR, IndyCar, and sports car events over the years. After some periods of disrepair and major upgrades, the track returned to the Cup Series schedule in 2022. And now, this year, after reaching the new playoffs milestone, the track has cemented its status as one of the premier circuits in the Midwest. But what was surprising for Wallace about this?

Why is Wallace pleasantly shocked to see his home track in the playoffs

Rusty Wallace told NASCAR Live, “I got to admit, I was kind of taken aback by that. I can’t believe we get one because the track was kind of in disrepair and rough shape. It really was, it needed a lot of work to host a Cup race. I thought with Kansas City being on the schedule already. Iowa Speedway being up there, and all the things that were around that area. We wouldn’t do another one in the midwest. I’m so glad they did, I’m really happy they did.”

His words show what all things the track had to go through to finally be here where it is. Apart from the major repavement and refurbishing that it went through to come back in 2022, it still needed to upgrade its standards to host a Cup-level race, and that too, one in the playoffs. And secondly, as Wallace pointed out, because Kansas and Iowa were already there in the schedule, he didn’t expect NASCAR to add another close-point to it, but they did, and nothing makes him happier. And he had a special person to thank for the same.

“What made it work is the current owner, Curtis Francois. Great guy, by the way. I’ll be up there broadcasting the race for the Motor Racing Network this weekend. I can’t wait to see him, he gave me a lifetime pass and named one of the grandstands after me a long time ago.”

Speaking about how the place looks like now after all the changes, Wallace gave a positive teaser about it, saying, “Now the place is completely first class, it’s absolutely beautiful. Really fresh pavement on it, lot of grip, smooth race track. It’s one of the premier tracks on the circuit right now, in one of the most metropolitan cities, St. Louis, Missouri. It’s a great place to race at, I’m so glad they’re going there.”

An in-form Briscoe faces a challenge from his teammates at WWT

Chase Briscoe drew first blood last weekend at Darlington and can now sit comfortably for the next two races. Who would have expected him to be a championship contender in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing? But though he’s in great form right now, his own teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing are not to be taken lightly for the Gateway race.

Denny Hamlin, competing in his 19th postseason, sits 43 points above the cutline after a seventh-place Darlington run and has more wins and top 10s than Briscoe this year. With deep playoff experience and strong form at upcoming tracks, Hamlin could quickly reclaim the upper hand if he capitalizes in the next round. Call it bad luck or not, but Hamlin has finished runner-up twice at the Gateway in his last three races, and will certainly look to change that this time.

Meanwhile, Christopher Bell is another strong candidate for the next race at WWT, where he has had all his finishes in the top-15. Though his recent results have dipped, his team remains capable of a rebound.