PREVIEW: Short fields but a few surprises in store at Gateway
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Alpha Prime Racing, @TeamAlphaPrime
Saturday, September 12, 2026 (Green Flag 7:40 P.M. ET, CW)
O’REILLY Race 26 of 33
Chase Race 2 of 9
Nu Way 225 Sauced by Blues Hog at World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway)
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Jordan Anderson
ENTRY LIST
There are just 36 drivers entered for 38 starting spots in tomorrow night’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race, marking just the fourth time in this season’s 26 races with less than a full field.
MISSING: #9-JR Motorsports
This weekend’s race will not see JRM’s part-time #9 entry with which Jake Finch ground out an 18th-place finish in Darlington following reported engine trouble.
DRIVER CHANGE: #32-Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport
As the home track for longtime team sponsor Bommarito, Gateway will again see team owner Jordan Anderson behind the wheel of his #32, taking the place of 27th-place Darlington finisher Daniel Dye. Looking to shake off his last-place finish in this race last season, Anderson will make his third series start of 2026 and first since his 27th-place run two months ago in Atlanta.
MISSING: #38-RSS Racing
DRIVER SWAP: #42-Young’s Motorsports
The RSS Racing team has elected not to field their #38 Ford this week, one week after Brad Perez stretched a set of tires 21 laps into the race at Darlington before he pulled behind the wall. At the time, Perez had already reported he was going to run a “throwback” scheme not at Darlington, but at Gateway. By rejoining Young’s Motorsports and taking the place of 28th-place Darlington finisher Logan Bearden, Perez runs a scheme resembling Kyle Larson’s Target Chevrolet from 2017. Luckiest Man Sports Cards is among his backers.
MANUFACTURER CHANGE: #44-Alpha Prime Racing
MANUFACTURER CHANGE: #45-Alpha Prime Racing
Just last week, Alpha Prime Racing announced they would switch from Chevrolet to Ford in 2027, fielding at least two full-time entries with their current #44 for Brennan Poole and #45 for Lavar Scott. The team has since revealed they will get a head-start on ’27 by fielding Fords for Poole and Scott this weekend.
DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
Red Line Synthetic Oil returns to NASCAR as a team sponsor, having backed the likes of Whitney Motorsports and Shepherd Racing Ventures in the last two decades. This time, it backs the return of Austin J. Hill, who will make his third series start in as many different car numbers. Hill last took the green in the spring race at Phoenix, where he finished five laps down in 34th. This time, he runs Joey Gase’s #53 in place of Glen Reen, whose late-race collision with Jeb Burton left him 34th at “The Lady In Black.”
DRIVER CHANGE: #92-DGM Racing x JIM
Josh Williams returns to make another of his increasingly rare starts this season, this time taking the place of road course specialist Preston Pardus, who at Darlington recovered from an early tangle to finish in 23rd. Williams makes his 262nd series start and 13th of this year, his first since an 11th-place run under the lights in Daytona. This will be Williams’ 14th series start at Darlington, His best finish at the track is 15th, which he earned in consecutive fall races in 2020 and 2021.
CUP INVADERS: None
Sunday, September 13, 2026 (Green Flag 3:10 P.M. ET, USA)
CUP Race 28 of 36
Chase Race 2 of 10
Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway)
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Josh Berry
ENTRY LIST
Only the 36 Chartered teams will run Sunday’s Cup race in Gateway, marking the 25th short field in 28 races this season and the fifth without a single “open” entry.
MISSING: #66-Garage 66
MISSING: #67-23XI Racing
Both Chad Finchum and Corey Heim are not entered, leaving only the 36 Chartered entries. Finchum finished last at Darlington despite a valiant effort to wrestle the Garage 66 machine in his first-ever Darlington start. Across the garage, Heim was unsuccessful after his #67 Toyota
Thursday, September 17, 2026
TRUCKS Race 19 of 25
Chase Race 1 of 7
UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Clayton Green
The Truck Series returns next Thursday to begin their “Chase” in Bristol.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (September 11, 1992): Tommy Ellis picked up the 5th last-place finish of his NASCAR Busch Grand National Series career in the Autolite 200 at Richmond, where his #12 Fram Automotive Chevrolet crashed in Turn 4 after only 6 laps.
