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Justin Carter's DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 at the Sonoma Raceway. Read his daily fantasy NASCAR advice and Xfinity sleepers (2025).
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Sonoma on Saturday for the second road course race in a row. It's setting up to be another showdown between Shane Van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, just like last weekend in Chicago.
That race saw Van Gisbergen make his first Xfinity Series start of the season, earning the victory in the JR Motorsports No. 9 car. SVG has now raced at the Chicago street course five times across NASCAR's top two series, winning four of those races.
Let's look at some NASCAR Xfinity DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 on DraftKings. Be sure to also check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Xfinity Series, including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station. This slate locks on 7/12/25 at 4:48 p.m. EDT.
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Xfinity DFS Preview - DraftKings
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Top Plays
Shane Van Gisbergen ($13.0K)
Starts First
There's a chance, based on qualifying, that Shane Van Gisbergen drives away from the rest of this field and leads every lap outside of ones he loses during pit cycles. Van Gisbergen ran a 1:15.259 in qualifying, over two-tenths quicker than Connor Zilisch.
SVG won here last year in his only previous start at this track. He swept the two races in Chicago last weekend. He's well on his way to being the best road course racer of this century and is the obvious favorite on Saturday.
Connor Zilisch ($12.0K)
Starts Second
If SVG doesn't win, it'll likely be Connor Zilisch, who has two wins in four road course starts in the Xfinity Series and has never finished worse than fifth at one.
Another @shanevg97 and @ConnorZilisch road course showdown tomorrow?
The @JRMotorsports teammates will start on the front row together at @RaceSonoma! pic.twitter.com/lO0bRFXD3g
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) July 11, 2025
Zilisch hasn't been to this track before in NASCAR, though he did run a Trans Am race here in 2022, finishing fifth as a 15-year-old. Yes, SVG is a better road course racer, but don't discount Zilisch. He could win this race even if Van Gisbergen doesn't have any issues.
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Mid-Tier Options
Sam Mayer ($9.5K)
Starts Third
One of NASCAR's best road course racers, Sam Mayer has two top 10s in four career starts at Sonoma, including a third-place finish here last year. If SVG hadn't dipped down this weekend and the only hugely-expensive driver was Zilisch, I'd be all over Mayer in every lineup.
Brought some fast @FordPerformance Mustangs to Sonoma. That's a wrap for @XfinityRacing practice, qualifying is up next. ⏱️
Sheldon Creed | 4th
Sam Mayer | 9thTune in now on @TheCW_Sports app! 💻 pic.twitter.com/RVJxqRyE2z
— Haas Factory Team (@HaasFactoryTeam) July 11, 2025
As is, he'll need two drivers to have issues for him to have a viable shot at the win, which does limit him a bit in DFS. Still, I'd bet on Mayer finishing in the top five and playing him over the top two could be a great way to build a well-rounded lineup.
Sheldon Creed ($9.3K)
Starts Ninth
Sheldon Creed was third last weekend in Chicago and finished second in this race last year. I wouldn't bet on this being the weekend he finally wins an Xfinity Series race because the top two are just so tough to beat on road courses, but Creed should be in contention for another top five.
Austin Hill ($9.0K)
Starts 16th
A fourth-place finish at Chicago last weekend now gives Austin Hill four top fives in a row at road courses. He's low-key been one of the top road course racers in the series over the past couple of years, but his lack of wins has kept people from acknowledging that fact as readily as they should. One of my favorite plays on this whole slate.
Riley Herbst ($8.5K)
Starts 15th
Riley Herbst is set for his third Xfinity start of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing. He finished 13th in his previous road course start at COTA, but led seven laps in the process.
Herbst has largely been hit-or-miss at road courses in his career, with a few very good runs mixed in. His Sonoma finishes are 13th and 15th, but his overall experience level should make him a threat to move up into the top 10 on Saturday.
Christian Eckes ($8.3K)
Starts 21st
Up until Chicago, Christian Eckes had finished in the top five in every Xfinity Series road course race he'd run. I think his 15th-place finish last weekend is more indicative of what to usually expect from him on road courses. Eckes starts 21st on Saturday and has a little place differential appeal, even if a third road course top five of the season is likely out of reach.
Nick Sanchez ($8.1K)
Starts 23rd
Decent place differential upside for Nick Sanchez as he fires off 23rd. He struggled in his first two Xfinity Series road course starts, but was fifth at Chicago. It's definitely in the realm of possibilities for him to move up as many as 15 spots, though his previous performances suggest there's still risk here.
Value Options
Austin Green ($7.8K)
Starts 33rd
My favorite sub-$8.0K driver on this slate is Austin Green. He's made nine road course starts in the Xfinity Series with five top 10s, including two this season. His best career finish was Sonoma last season, where he finished fourth.
Green starts way back in 33rd, putting him in great shape to earn a lot of place differential points if he can keep the car clean and navigate traffic well.
Harrison Burton ($7.4K)
Starts 19th
This just feels like such a low cost for a driver with Cup Series experience at this track and two top 15s in a row on road courses this season.
Harrison Burton won't set the world on fire on Saturday, but he should be able to move steadily forward in this field and threaten to break into the top 10.
Alex Labbe ($7.2K)
Starts 20th
Barring a DNF, this feels like a pretty low variance option. We know Alex Labbe is good on road courses. We know this car isn't that good. In three road course races this season, he's finished 14th, 15th, and 12th. It seems pretty safe to bet on Labbe finishing Saturday's race with somewhere between five and 10 place differential points.
Connor Mosack ($6.9K)
Starts 22nd
This one might be too risky, but I decided to include Connor Mosack for all of you sickos out there who want to take big risks.
Mosack is a good road course racer, but he's in a No. 14 car that has finished in the top 20 just once all season. Last week, Mosack gave this car its best starting spot all year when he started 16th in Chicago, but he faded to 26th by the end after a tire issue.
Also shoutout to Connor Mosack. Was about to crack the Top 10 in the 14 car before losing a tire. He’s a legit talent whether people want to admit it or not.
— 48bowmanfan (@48bowmanfan) July 5, 2025
I wish Mosack started at least a few spots worse, because it'd make him way more appealing. However, his road course experience, which includes multiple Xfinity top 10s, puts him just barely on my radar.
Dean Thompson ($6.8K)
Starts 35th
Dean Thompson starts near the back in 35th, making him one of the best place differential plays on this slate. He hasn't recorded a top 10 on a road course yet, but he has two top 15s and hasn't finished worse than 18th on one in three career starts.
Daniel Dye ($6.3K)
Starts 31st
Daniel Dye hasn't been particularly good at road courses, but that doesn't matter a ton when he's starting 31st. Dye was finished in the top 20 in all three road course races this season, so while he's probably not a threat to sneak into the top 10, he's still a major place differential option based on recent road course results.
Kyle Sieg ($5.9K)
Starts 37th
If you really want to dig deep on value options, Kyle Sieg starts 37th and has finished in the top 30 in all three road course starts this season, including 20th at Chicago. Probably needs some chaos to pay off, but worth a shot in some "checkers or wreckers" lineups.
Brennan Poole ($5.8K)
Starts 32nd
Another chaos play, but one with a bit more upside than Sieg. Brennan Poole placed a surprising 10th last week in Chicago and has consistently proved he knows how to get a better finish than he should out of this Alpha Prime Racing car.
