The NASCAR season is revving up and DraftKings is shifting into high gear with an assortment of fantasy NASCAR contests. Dive into the best fantasy racing picks for the NASCAR Xfinity Series North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black’s Tire at The Rock.
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Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $100K Piston [$20K to 1st] (XFIN)
1. Justin Allgaier ($11,500) — The reunion of Allgaier and Jim Pohlman has been nothing short of amazing. They started together decades ago in ARCA, reunited last season and won a championship. This season, they are dominating the field.
2. Kasey Kahne ($9,500) — This is different. It’s not a retired veteran dusting off their race gloves. Kahne races dirt every week, keeping his skills sharp. He nearly backed out of this race when he realized Rockingham was recently repaved, reducing the need for driver skill. He stayed, and RCR’s typically speedy intermediate-track program rewarded him with a strong Chevy.
3. Sheldon Creed ($10,300) — His practice times were the fastest on Friday. Unloading fast and consistently posting quick laps in practice is incredibly significant at a track where teams and drivers have little experience. However, practice isn’t a race, and no one knows this better than Sheldon Creed.
4. Jesse Love ($9,700) — Is it hard to believe that Jesse Love is a top-three driver in the Xfinity Series? He’s been at the top of every division throughout his young career. He’s fast in practice, no matter the track, and a contender in every race. His results have been suppressed by competing in strong fields, but with Cup drivers absent this weekend, the field is wide open.
5. Connor Zilisch ($9,300) — This weekend sets up perfectly for “Con-Zilla,” and it appears he has the setup to match. Zilisch might be the next great driver—potentially bigger than Kyle Larson. He arrives at any track with little experience and wins, whether in open-wheel, late-model or endurance racing. The Xfinity regulars aren’t accustomed to such a blank slate.
6. Sam Mayer ($10,500) — Sometimes practice can be dismissed, but Rockingham’s practice is meaningful. The notebooks are empty, and setups were a guess. Who was close? Mayer’s Haas Ford wasn’t. It could be by Stage 3, though. Mayer is a top-three driver this season, but it’s hard to justify his high salary if fast laps aren’t possible in the first two stages.
7. Carson Kvapil ($8,800) — “It’s an even playing field. Some of these tracks, Allgaier’s been to 13 times before,” Kvapil said. He’s right—all the drivers feel the same. This race could very well be won by a rising driver with great equipment. Kvapil has a fast JR Motorsports Chevy and took it to the top of the speed charts on Friday.
8. Sammy Smith ($8,600) — The Alex Bowman of JR Motorsports is having a decent season but will likely be overlooked at Rockingham despite strong long-run speed in practice and three consecutive top-10 finishes. “Lil’ Gator” and “Con-Zilla” are the stars and Kvapil is the workingman’s hero, but Smith could steal the spotlight at The Rock.
9. Taylor Gray ($8,400) — This has been a challenging season for the Toyota Development Driver and his unretired crew chief, Jason Ratcliff. That’s normal for a newly assembled team. A new track on the circuit presents an opportunity for Gray to elevate his season.
10. Austin Hill ($10,000) — The RCR Chevys have speed. They dominate superspeedways and their intermediate-track cars are fast but can’t quite get over the hump, always a step behind the leaders. The Rock’s logo is a mountain, but it should be a plain—the field is even. RCR might not be a step behind this week.
