RADIO
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Darlington this weekend for the Shriner Children's 200, part of a tripleheader weekend for NASCAR's top three series. This is also part of throwback weekend, so most cars are sporting special paint schemes. We've also got a lot of Cup regulars in this field—three of them, plus a few Truck regulars who are coming up for this race.
The last Xfinity race was at Dover, with Ryan Truex winning for the first time in his Xfinity career. It was a popular win, and part of a Truex family sweep, as Martin Truex Jr. won the Cup race.
Here at RotoBaller, we want to help you make informed decisions about your DFS lineups, which is why I'll be breaking down the slates for the Xfinity Series. Let's look at some NASCAR Xfinity DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Shriners Children's 200 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 5/13/23 at 1:46 p.m. ET.
Xfinity DFS Picks - DraftKings
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John Hunter Nemechek
Starting 1st - $11,000
Kyle Larson is the obvious favorite here, but he also costs $2,000 more than anyone else on DraftKings, which complicates lineup building. You need Larson to get as many points as possible if you play him and while it's definitely possible, I think I'm more interested in trying to build a Larson-less lineup.
If I'm fading Larson, Nemechek is my guy. Starting on the pole should give him an advantage in terms of leading laps. Last fall, Noah Gragson won from the outside of the front row, leading 82 laps, including 79 of them early in the race. In the spring, Ty Gibbs led the first 13 laps from the pole and likely would have led more if not for an early caution. Starting in clean air is a big advantage here.
Justin Allgaier
Starting 17th - $10,200
Love the place differential upside that comes with Justin Allgaier this weekend, as he fires off from the 17th position. This has been a good track for him historically, and I don't think a poor starting spot is going to change the ultimate outcome, which is that he'll be there at the end challenging for a top finish.
Why do I think that? Because Allgaier has run 15 Xfinity races here, and he's finishing in the top 10 in 11 of those, including a pair of wins. And he's only gotten better lately: in his last four Darlington starts, Allgaier has two wins, a fourth, and a sixth. He's led double-digit laps in all of those. Expect a strong showing from Allgaier on Saturday.
Riley Herbst
Starting 18th - $8,200
Herbst has really become a contender over the last few seasons, and he was looking like a title threat earlier this season as he started the year with six consecutive top 10s. He's struggled the last four races though, not finishing better than 21st.
Still, I think the Herbst we saw earlier in the year is closer to the real Herbst than the one who has crashed out in two of the last three races. Starting 18th, Herbst offers some solid place differential upside.
It's also worth noting that he's had a pair of top fives at Darlington and that he's run well here lately but has crashed out in two of the last three races here. Even in those races though, Herbst showed speed, running in the top 15 for over 85% of the laps he ran in both. Keep the car clean and he'll end up with a good finish.
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Ty Dillon
Starting 30th - $8,000
Richard Childress Racing has been strong overall this season, with Austin Hill winning three times and Sheldon Creed getting five top 10s. While Ty Dillon will have to come from the back in this one, I expect a decent run because of the RCR equipment he's in.
He also brings a ton of experience here. Eight Cup Series starts at this track with an average finish of 19.1. In Xfinity, he also has eight stats here, with three top 10s and an average finish of 14.3.
I don't expect Dillon to be a threat to win like the other Cup regulars starting this race will be, but I do expect him to move a good bit forward and have a shot at a top 10.
Corey Heim
Starting 24th - $7,700
Heim's Xfinity Series debut at Dover didn't go so well, as a blown engine caused him to finish 35th. But Heim ran well during the race, getting as high as 15th after starting 36th and posting an average running position of 23rd.
For that reason, I remain optimistic about him heading into his second career Xfinity start. I'm writing this before we see how the Darlington Truck Series race goes for Heim on Friday night, but he's on the pole for it, and in 2021 he led two laps in the Truck Series race here before he DNFed after a crash.
Starting 24th, there's some decent room for Heim to move up through this field and earn some place differential points. He should be able to challenge for a top 15.
Gray Gaulding
Starting 36th - $4,900
If you do decide to pay up for Kyle Larson, then Gray Gaulding is the exact kind of driver that you'll want to have in your lineup to help even out the salaries.
Gaulding has had some decent runs this season. I'm particularly interested in his 23rd at Martinsville, another track that features a lot of hard racing like Darlington does.
In three starts at this track, Gaulding has two DNFs, but both of those came in the Jimmy Means-owned 52, and one was essentially a start-and-park situation. He's run here once in this 0-8 car, back in 2019, and he was really impressive, starting and finishing in 15th.
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