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 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at Darlington slate locks at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $70K Piston [$20K to 1st] (XFIN)
Editor’s Note: Denny Hamlin will not compete in Saturday’s Xfinity race, The No. 18 JGR Toyota will now be driven by Christopher Bell.
1. Denny Hamlin ($11,500) — The Buschwhackers are out in full force this weekend and Hamlin is leading the charge. Hamlin won the Southern 500 in 2021 and his Xfinity stats at Darlington are unmatched (five wins and 629 laps led).
2. Kyle Larson ($11,500) — Apologies to Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson, but their quasi-JRM teammate should steal the show on Saturday. Larson loves Darlington and the Hendrick prepared Xfinity cars have been fast all season.
3. Justin Allgaier ($10,200) — The 2022 Xfinity Series belongs to Justin Allgaier. He also owns Darlington. Allgaier won at Darlington in the 2021 spring race and the 2022 spring race (he started the 2022 spring race in the back).
4. Noah Gragson ($10,000) — Just like every other race this season, the spring Darlington race was dominated by JRM. Gragson and Allgaier split the lap-led points. Gragson should have won at Darlington last spring, but he did win the fall race.
5. Ross Chastain ($10,400) — The Chip Ganassi No. 42 Xfinity Car was a star rental car. Many drivers drove it to victory lane. Chastain nearly earned a Darlington win in the No. 42 in 2018. This week, he’ll be in the No. 48 Big Machine Chevy. This car won at Texas with Tyler Reddick driving.
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6. Ty Gibbs ($10,600) — In the spring race, Gibbs turned the third-most laps inside the top 5. He’s the third-best driver in this series. There are weekends when Gibbs is better than Gragson and Allgaier, but not when the series is at a challenging track.
7. Josh Berry ($9,800) — The rookie — he’s old for a rookie but a rookie nonetheless — may have been better than his teammates in the spring race. Berry restarted on the front row on lap 126 of 147. Unfortunately, he jumped the restart, and he was severely penalized.
8. AJ Allmendinger ($9,500) — In a normal race, Allmendinger struggles to score enough fantasy points to return value. This is not a normal field or a normal track. Allmendinger can get a top-10 finish but that’s about it.
9. Brandon Jones ($8,500) — Before locking in Hamlin and Larson, take a look at the 2020 Darlington Labor Day weekend race. At the end, Hamlin and Chastain wrecked each other and Brandon Jones won.
10. Sam Mayer ($9,000) — It’s always worth getting exposure to a Jr Motorsports car. Mayer doesn’t lead laps because his team intentionally handcuffs him for two stages before turning him loose in Stage 3. By the end of each race, Mayer is usually battling for a top-5 finish.
11. Austin Hill ($8,700) — In the last eight races that matter (traditional ovals), Austin Hill has the sixth-best Real Rating (my own statistic that comprehensively synthesizes a driver’s laps). Darlington is a challenging track but Hill excels at every type of track.
12. Riley Herbst ($8,100) — It’s hard to pull the trigger on Herbst. He is a top-10 driver at best, but he consistently earns a top-10 finish. Darlington can be brutal, so his conservative approach could pay off.
13. Ryan Ellis ($5,200) — This is a veteran driver in quality equipment at a very low price. A Tommy Joe Martins car (Alpha Prime) earned a top-20 finish and was in the optimal lineup in the first Darlington race.
14. Bayley Currey ($4,900) — Ignore the last two races (plate track and road course). Currey earned a top-25 finish in three of the four races before Watkins Glen. A top-25 finish isn’t great, but a JD Motorsports car for less than $5,000 is a steal.
15. Kris Wright ($4,800) — Brandon Brown is broke because he was canceled by the woke. This doesn’t sit well with the Right, but it’s alright with Kris Wright. The No. 68 car is typically 7K equipment.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $70K Piston [$20K to 1st] (XFIN)
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