The rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for Saturday. The ordering is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the value of each driver.
The DraftKings NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Go Rewards 200 at The Glen at Watkins Glen slate locks at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $80K Piston [$20K to 1st] (XFIN)
1. Kyle Larson ($10,800) — Good luck fading Larson. He won the Watkins Glen Cup Series race last season. If not for a late-race caution at Road America, he would have won the 2022 Xfinity race. The Hendrick Xfinity car has been a rocket ship this season.
2. AJ Allmendinger ($10,500) — There was always a ton of pressure on AJ at the road courses. He was expected to win. He had to win. That’s gone. He no longer must win, and now, all he does is win.
3. Ty Gibbs ($10,200) — His first win came in his first Xfinity race and it was at a road course. He has not slowed down at the road courses since. This season, his 0.81 Real Rating (my own statistical creation that comprehensively synthesizes a driver’s laps) is the third-highest in the Xfinity Series.
4. Austin Hill ($9,600) — A.J. Allmendinger has the highest Real Rating at the road courses this season, but did you know Austin Hill ranks second? Hill won the 2021 Truck Series race at Watkins Glen.
5. Ross Chastain ($9,900) — The Gosselin cars have been strong at the road courses for years. Chastain was in second with a handful of laps remaining at COTA, but the last restarts did not go his way. He rebounded and finished fourth at Indianapolis.
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6. Cole Custer ($9,800) — The SHR/Dotter car finished fifth at Indianapolis with Chase Briscoe driving. Custer is not Briscoe, but he has plenty of experience and there is plenty of speed in this car.
7. Noah Gragson ($9,200) — At COTA, Gragson started 12th and finished fourth. Those 48 DKFP were good enough for a spot in the optimal lineup. He can work again if there is only one driver that scores a significant amount of hog points (fast lap and laps led points).
8. Justin Allgaier ($9,400) — Other than Kyle Larson, this is a surprisingly soft field. Gibbs and Allmendinger are tough competition, but they’re not unbeatable. Custer and Chastain have top-5 cars, but not race-winning cars. Allgaier has a chance on Saturday.
9. Josh Berry ($8,800) — Road America is the closest comparable track for Watkins Glen. Berry drove from 16th to third and was optimal at Road America. Berry wasn’t great, he’s not a seasoned road racer, but he found his way into the top 5.
10. Daniel Hemric ($8,200) — The Kaulig Racing cars are fast at road courses. Hemric has been extremely disappointing in his last two road races. He is very capable and his season is nearing desperation mode.
11. Brandon Jones ($8,400) — With all of his experience at road courses, he should be more consistent. The same can be said of his entire career. Jones has been optimal plenty of times in road course races, but that’s when he is starting near the back.
12. Sammy Smith ($7,600) — First of all, this is the No. 18 JGR Toyota — it always gets ranked. Smith will get extra reps in the ARCA race on Friday, but he has never raced at The Glen before.
13. Bayley Currey ($5,400) — The No. 4 JD Motorsports car is dependable. It is not fast at the road courses — that’s good. Currey starts in the back — he’s slow — and relies on dependability and limiting mistakes at road courses. This approach has led to a significant amount of optimal lineup appearances.
14. Preston Pardus ($6,100) — The Mario Gosselin cars are fast and dependable. When they are cheap at a road course, they are a must play. Since the inception of Xfinity DFS NASCAR, a Gosselin car has been in the optimal lineup for almost every road course race. Pardus is an experienced road course racer outside of this series and within it.
15. Blaine Perkins ($5,300) — Brett Moffitt could not secure sponsorship, so he lost his seat. The Our Motorsports car has top-20 speed. Blaine Perkins has ARCA and K&N road course experience. In fact, he won the 2020 ARCA West race at Utah Motorsports Campus (Tooele).
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $80K Piston [$20K to 1st] (XFIN)
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