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 Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas slate locks at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $60K Piston [$10K to 1st] (XFIN)
1. Noah Gragson ($11,100) — Bristol was Gragson’s third win in a row. He’s become very familiar with Victory Lane, possibly too familiar. Last week, he puked on himself on live TV, then proceeded to shotgun a beer, of which he opened with his teeth. Message received. The rest of the series is on notice.
2. Justin Allgaier ($10,800) — The first Texas race was his, but he lost a tire while in the middle of Stage 3. Allgaier has lost his spot as the favorite to win the Xfinity Series Championship, but on any weekend, he can strike back and take a win away from Gragson.
3. Ty Gibbs ($10,600) — In the spring race, Gibbs worked his way to the front, but like many contenders, he got taken out. When Josh Berry spun from the lead to begin Stage 3, Gibbs was collected in the subsequent carnage.
4. John Hunter Nemechek ($9,700) — This is not a Sam Hunt Racing No. 26 Toyota week. This is a JGR No. 18 Toyota week. This is a big week for JHN. His future remains uncertain. The situation at KBM is influx and there could be openings at JGR. A win would be huge for Nemechek.
5. Josh Berry ($10,300) — A strategy call cycled Berry from seventh to the lead in the first Texas race. He led all of Stage 2. The next stage did not work out so well. Berry spun and got T-boned, but he was somehow able to finish the race and found his way to seventh.
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6. AJ Allmendinger ($9,900) — Expensive drivers must lead laps. Allmendinger is not going to get that done. On lap 10 this weekend, NBC will cut to Allmendinger’s radio for his weekly anxiety attack. His therapist — President of Kaulig Racing — will talk him off the ledge. Allmendinger will ultimately get a top-5 finish but his DFS performance will be irrelevant.
7. Brandon Jones ($9,500) — Dale Earnhardt Jr. hired Jones for the 2023 season because Jones is a great driver. It has nothing to do with Jones’ dad being the President of Rheem, a major sponsor in the sport. Jones hasn’t been bad. His average finish this season ranks sixth among the regulars.
8. Daniel Hemric ($8,600) — This Kaulig car is Allmendinger without the panic attacks. Hemric buries the disappointment deep inside then occasionally posts a depressing message on social media after a race. The Kaulig cars are good. They’re just not dominant and the Kaulig drivers want dominant cars.
9. Sheldon Creed ($8,900) — “It’s all just checkers or wreckers,” says astronaut 1. “It always was,” says astronaut 2 while holding gun pointed at astronaut 1. Creed has always been this driver. He’ll burn lineups 80% of the time, but the other 20%, he’s a GPP must.
10. Riley Herbst ($8,700) — The JRM and JGR cars are better. The JRM and JGR drivers are better. Herbst and his SHR No. 98 Ford are behind Kaulig Racing on most weeks. He’s better than the rest of the field, but that’s not that big of an accomplishment.
11. Sam Mayer ($10,100) — JR Motorsports have naturally divided. Allgaier and Gragson have separated from Josh Berry and Mayer. The bottom two JRM cars are still fast, and although they are on the bottom of the team, they’re still at the top of the Xfinity Series.
12. Austin Hill ($9,200) — A little over a month ago, Hill made his RCR debut in the Cup Series. His future looked bright. Fast forward to mid-September. Kyle Busch is joining RCR next season. What is Hill’s future? Is he just a plate racer? HIll has two months to make an impression. Will safe and consistent be enough?
13. Bayley Currey ($5,400) — This price tag is too low for a JD Motorsports car. It’s too low for the talent that Bayley Currey possesses. It’s also too low given that Texas is Currey’s home track. His eight races at Texas are the most for him at any track, and his average finish of 21.9 is his best average finish.
14. Parker Retzlaff ($7,000) — This is a steep price for a driver with very little experience, but he has absolutely earned it. Retzlaff has five Xfinity races. He was fast at Phoenix before a mechanical failure ended his race. In his next four races, he finished 10th, 12th, 17th and 12th. Those races were at challenging tracks (Richmond, Martinsville, Dover and Nashville).
15. Stefan Parsons ($6,600) — He jumps back and forth between BJ Motorsports cars and Tommy Joe Martins cars. This week, he’s back in a Tommy Joe Martins car. In his last four races for Tommy Joe Martins, Parsons has finished eighth, 17th, 12th and 15th.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $60K Piston [$10K to 1st] (XFIN)
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