The rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for that day. The ordering is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the value of each driver.
The DraftKings NASCAR Xfinity Series Mahindra ROXOR 200 at Darlington slate locks at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $80K Piston [$20K to 1st] (XFIN)
Editor’s Note: Qualifying was rained out. Chase Elliott will not participate in Saturday’s Xfinity race.
1. Chase Elliott ($11,100) — The JR Motorsports cars are fast. Chase Elliott is a Cup Series Champion and an Xfinity Series Champion. What is there to think about?
2. Noah Gragson ($10,800) — He should have won both Darlington races last season, and he wasn’t having that good of a season. This year, he’s on a roll. The field should be very afraid.
3. Justin Allgaier ($10,200) — The No. 7 JRM Chevy wasn’t the best car in either of the Darlington races last season, but the spring wreckfest came down to restarts. Allgaier is one of the best restarters in the Xfinity Series, and he won.
4. Ty Gibbs ($10,500) — In his first race at “The Track Too Tough to Tame,” he was in third place on lap 126. Gibbs had overcome a penalty, contact with Bradon Jones and an overheating issue. Unfortunately, Gibbs was not able to recover from a second speeding penalty in Stage 3.
5. Josh Berry ($9,800) — The JRM Chevys are fast. The entire stable is competing for wins each week. Berry got the win at Dover, but it could have easily been Allgaier or Mayer. The JRM stack is a thing this season.
Refer a friend and get $20 DK Dollars! Head to the DraftKings Playbook Promo page for more details!
6. AJ Allmendinger ($9,600) — Before the fall Darlington race, Allmendinger told the broadcasters that he was lost. Allmendinger had the second-best average running position in both Darlington races last season. If he was confused, how bad was Darlington for the rest of the field?
7. Daniel Hemric ($8,400) — By the second half of Stage 3, Hermic will be in the top 5. As the defending champ, he is one of the best drivers in the Xfinity Series, but he does not have one of the best cars. He can will his car to a top-5 finish, but he’ll need help to win the second race of his career.
8. Brandon Jones ($8,800) — How did he win the 2020 fall Darlington race? Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain wrecked each other battling for the win on the last lap. Jones drove around their wrecked cars and won.
9. John Hunter Nemechek ($9,400) — He’s not in the No. 18 JGR Toyota, but Nemechek has been a top-5 driver in the No. 26 Sam Hunt Toyota. It’s not official, but when JHN drives, it seems that this car is prepared by TRD if not the JGR Xfinity team.
10. Sam Mayer ($8,600) — Technically, Mayer didn’t wreck last week, but driving around the track without a tire isn’t good either. How is he going to run a clean race at one of the most treacherous tracks on the circuit?
11. Ryan Truex ($9,000) — The No. 18 JGR car won at Darlington last fall, but it was being driven by Denny Hamlin — the best Xfinity Series Darlington racer ever. Truex has said it himself, the car is better than the driver.
12. Sheldon Creed ($9,200) — This should be interesting. Creed won both of the Truck Series races at Darlington last season. He doesn’t seem to be ready to win an Xfinity race yet, but if this race ends with a late race restart, then don’t count him out.
13. Tyler Reddick ($10,000) — The No. 48 Big Machine Chevy will be prepared by RCR and driven by Tyler Reddick. Last fall, Reddick raced for Our Motorsports at Darlington, but struggled. He was only inside the top 10 for 16% of the race.
14. Ryan Sieg ($7,500) — He earned another top-10 finish last week at Dover, and this time he did it starting from the back. Sieg is having one of the best seasons by a small team driver in recent memory, and he deserves a win.
15. Bayley Currey ($4,600) — This price is an insult to the driver and JD Motorsports. There have been worse drivers in worse cars priced higher than Curry. It seems the pricing algorithm does not like Curry’s average starting position and his DNFs.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $80K Piston [$20K to 1st] (XFIN)
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).
21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.