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Dave's NASCAR DFS Picks (Xfinity Series) for The Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2025). Read his daily fantasy NASCAR advice and Xfinity DFS sleepers.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend. The series made its debut at the track back in 2012. It ran on the oval through 2019 before taking a four-year break to run the track's Grand Prix circuit. The oval made its return to the series last year, though, and is back again in 2o25 as well.
Connor Zilisch won last weekend's race at Dover. He rolls into this week's race with a ton of momentum. However, Cup Series regular Kyle Larson is in the field this weekend. He will be tough to beat at this track and is rightfully the betting favorite.
So, how does the rest of the competition stack up against Larson and Zilisch? Let's jump in head first and break down some NASCAR Xfinity DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 250 on DraftKings. Also, make sure to check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Xfinity Series, including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station. This slate locks on 7/26/25 at 4:48 p.m. EDT.
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Top NASCAR Xfinity Series DFS Plays
Kyle Larson ($13K)
Starts 19th
Larson’s fascination with Indianapolis Motor Speedway continues this weekend. He’s attempted to pull the Memorial Day weekend doubleheader (running the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day) two times now. Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone well for him either time due to various issues. So, for this weekend, Larson will settle for running both the Cup and Xfinity races at the Brickyard.
It's worth noting that Larson is the Cup Series' defending Brickyard 400 winner.
KYLE LARSON WINS THE RETURN TO THE BRICKYARD 400! pic.twitter.com/JYI36ZNvdc
— SPEED SPORT (@SPEEDSPORT) July 21, 2024
He’s got four top 10 finishes in seven career Cup starts at Indianapolis. Larson also has four career Xfinity Series starts at the Brickyard, and his worst outing is an 11th-place finish in his first Indianapolis race back in 2013.
There’s no question that Larson is the most talented driver in the field. He is correctly priced as such on DraftKings this weekend. Unless he suffers a mechanical issue or gets unlucky in a wreck, Larson is going to be in contention for the win. It would be a wise move for DFS players to include him in their lineups.
Justin Allgaier ($11.5K)
Starts Eighth
Allgaier is coming off a fourth-place finish last week at Dover. He still holds a 56-point lead over Zilisch for the regular-season points lead. Allgaier had a good showing at the Brickyard last year. He led the field in quality passes en route to a ninth-place finish.
He had a good track record at Indianapolis even before the series' return to the traditional oval in 2024. In six starts from 2012-2019, Allgaier posted three top-5 finishes as well as a victory in the 2018 Lilly Diabetes 250.
The career year continues for @J_Allgaier as the No. 7 driver wins for the 5th time and will kiss the bricks at @IMS. Congrats @DaleJr, @EarnhardtKelley and @JRMotorsports. pic.twitter.com/flIC7tcxTn
— Nationwide Sports (@NW_Sports) September 10, 2018
Expect to see Allgaier running up front again this week.
Connor Zilisch ($11K)
Starts Seventh
We made the mistake of listing Zilisch as a fade in this column last week. He was incredible in his first Dover start as he led 77 laps, had a driver rating of 145, and an average running position of 2.01.
Last weekend at Dover, Connor Zilisch became the youngest driver in Xfinity Series history to reach five career wins. pic.twitter.com/ynCS6sLAHn
— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) July 23, 2025
This weekend will mark another first for Zilisch as it will be his first career start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After last week’s performance, this kid has proven he is the real deal and commands respect. He’s a fast learner and should be in contention this weekend.
Aric Almirola ($10.5K)
Starts Sixth
Almirola was the runner-up in last weekend’s race at Dover. He didn’t lead any laps but did have a driver rating of 123, which was also second best in the field.
That second-place finish marked Almirola’s fourth top-five finish and sixth top 10 finish in just eight races this year. Almirola only has two career Xfinity Series starts at the Brickyard. However, he finished third in this race last year and had stage finishes of eighth and second as well.
Almirola has shown good speed anytime he’s entered an Xfinity Series race in 2025. That should be the case again this weekend.
NASCAR Xfinity Series DFS Fades
Austin Hill ($10K)
Starts 13th
Hill is coming off a 13th-place finish last week. He has finished inside the top 10 in both of his Xfinity starts at Indianapolis. His best outing thus far is a sixth-place finish last year, and he was fifth in quality passes in that race as well.
While that's good to see, Hill is priced right up there with some of the best drivers in the field. This is an expensive price to pay for a driver who most likely won't be in contention for the win. Fade the Richard Childress Driver this weekend and target other drivers in this price range.
Mid-Tier NASCAR Xfinity Series DFS Options
Sheldon Creed ($9.3K)
Starts Third
Creed’s lone start at Indianapolis came in last year’s race. He posted a fifth-place finish despite finishing outside the top 10 in the first stage and only finishing 10th in stage two. Creed closed the race strong, and that's something you always want to see.
The Haas Factory Team driver currently sits eighth in the regular season standings and is 162 points above the cut line. He is in great shape to make the playoffs and has posted 11 top 10s in 20 starts this year. Creed should have another solid finish this weekend.
Sam Mayer ($9K)
Starts First
Mayer showed good speed in practice and followed it up by winning the pole in qualifying. He didn't have a great showing at this track last year. Mayer would crash out of the race and finish 37th as a result.
However, the speed seems to be there for him this weekend. Mayer is worth a play at this price.
Carson Kvapil ($8.4K)
Starts 10th
Kvapil finished 10th in this race last year and was second in quality passes. He was also fourth in percentage of laps spent inside the top 15 and had an average running position of 9.25. Kvapil also had the eighth-best driver rating in the field.
He was solid at this track a year ago and could post another quality outing this weekend. Don’t expect Kvapil to be in contention for the victory, but his #1 JR Motorsports Chevy should have a strong weekend. He’s a good play at this price.
Ryan Sieg ($7.7K)
Starts 21st
Sieg just missed out on a top-5 finish last week at Dover after finishing sixth. He could be up for another strong finish at the Brickyard this week. Sieg has been solid but unspectacular in eight career Xfinity Series starts at Indianapolis.
He’s only had one top 10 finish but has five top 15s and seven top 20s at the track. Sieg also finished second in green flag passes in this race last year. Put it all together, and it makes Sieg a nice sleeper option this week.
NASCAR Xfinity Series DFS Value Options
Daniel Dye ($6.9K)
Starts 18th
Dye currently sits 17th in the Xfinity Series points standings and only has six top 10 finishes in 20 starts. However, he could be set for a good finish this weekend.
He had the eighth-most green flag passes and 12th-most quality passes in this race a year ago. He ultimately wound up with a seventh-place finish.
Dye is a sneaky name to watch on race day. He had solid data last year and posted a good finish. Target him as a cheaper option to pair with the top names listed earlier.
More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis
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