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It's time for a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville, part of a tripleheader weekend at the half-mile track!
Last week, Ty Gibbs won at Richmond, his third win of the season. But despite that, Gibbs is 31 points back of series leader Noah Gragson. A.J. Allmendinger is second in points, followed by Gibbs in third.
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 Call 811 Before You Dig 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.
Xfinity DFS Picks - DraftKings
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Noah Gragson ($11,000) - Starting 3rd
It's between Gragson and Ty Gibbs for me when projecting who'll be the dominant car on Friday night. Gibbs was fourth here in his first start, then 27th in his second race. He led a total of 44 laps in those races. Gibbs is a solid pick here.
But Noah Gragson has never finished worse than third at this track in an Xfinity car. He led 153 of 257 laps on his way to a win in the most recent race here. I know Gibbs has a better chance of leading laps early, but I just trust Gragson far more at this track. He could easily catch up to the 54 car early, get ahead of him and lead 100-plus laps again. Gragson is my dominator pick.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($9,800) - Starting 30th
Dale Junior just couldn't find speed on Thursday during qualifying, but he was seventh in practice. He's going to be super chalky, but you've got to have some exposure to a driver who starts 30th in a top five car. Sure, there's worry about Dale jumping back in a car after not racing since Richmond last year, when he started 30th and was never really a factor, finishing 14th. But he had top fives in his 2018, 2019 and 2020 one-off races, so I'm not holding Richmond against him.
In terms of experience here, Earnhardt is a Cup Series winner at this track who had 13 top gives and 18 top 10s, with an average finish of 13.5. Good track for him. Unless you think he's lost it, there's no reason to really be scared of Dale Jr. unless you're just scared of playing someone who'll be in 40% of the lineups in your contest — which is a valid concern! But the place differential upside is just too tasty here.
Sam Mayer ($8,900) - Starting 21st
I swear this article is not sponsored by JR Motorsports. I just think the way things shook out this week puts the JRM cars in a good spot.
Mayer starts 21st. That doesn't offer the same place differential upside as Earnhardt, but it offers enough. Mayer has made one Xfinity start here, finishing fourth last October. He's crashed out in both of his Truck Series starts at this track, but he did lead 33 laps in 2019 before crashing out, which is worth noting. Good driver in a good truck with a good track record here.
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Parker Retzlaff ($7,000) - Starting 20th
Alright, now we're done with the JRM drivers.
Parker Retzlaff has been really intriguing this year. At Phoenix, he made his Xfinity debut and qualified sixth before a fuel pump issue knocked him out of the race. At Richmond, he had another good run in the 38 car, qualifying 10th, running 14th on average and then finishing 10th.
This is the first time Retzlaff has had a qualifying run more in line with what you expect from an RSS car. But based on how he's looked so far, I expect Retzlaff to move forward a few positions and to run a solid race, finishing somewhere around 13th. Not spectacular, but a decent day and more upside than the drivers around him in salary.
Derek Griffith ($6,600) - Starting 36th
Big place differential upside for Griffith in this 26 car. His first race this season saw him start 31st and finish 26th, but other drivers have had strong runs in this Sam Hunt Racing machine, including a top five at Phoenix for John Hunter Nemechek. Jeffrey Earnhardt and Parker Chase have both put this car in the top 20.
Griffith doesn't have the experience of those guys, but he has some decent experience on short tracks, which should help him. He was ninth in the 2020 Snowball Derby, for instance, finishing ahead of drivers like Corey Heim, Derek Kraus and Kyle Sieg.
Jade Buford ($6,400) - Starting 31st
And last is Buford, who has had terrible luck this year in this Big Machine Racing car.
After having an average finish of 23.8 last year in this car, he's already got three DNFs and an average finish of 27.9 this season. His only lead-lap finish was at COTA, where he finished eighth.
But luck has to change, right? And maybe it'll change at Martinsville, site of two top 20 finishes for Buford last year, with lead-lap finishes both times. This should be a better run for Buford than we've been seeing from him.
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