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Justin Carter's DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 at COTA. Read his daily fantasy NASCAR advice and Xfinity sleepers.
After an off week last weekend, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action at COTA on Saturday. Kyle Larson will lead the field to the green flag in Austin, with Shane van Gisbergen sharing the front row with him.
Currently, Chandler Smith leads the Xfinity Series standings by just one point over Austin Hill, who has won twice already this season. Both drivers have recorded four top-five finishes in four races this season.
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 Focused Health 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 3/23/24 at 5:17 p.m. EDT.
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COTA Race Trends
This is the fourth time that the Xfinity Series has run here. The polesitter has won two of those, including AJ Allmendinger's win last March. He led 28 of 46 laps in that one.
This is a track that doesn't feature a lot of movement through the field. Last year, every top-10 finisher started 15th or better and drove for one of the top teams. In 2022, the finishing order was a little more jumbled but still saw just one top-10 finisher come from outside the top 20.
This can be a tough place to make passes. Place differential isn't nearly as important as starting position, which is why when I'm looking for value plays this week, I'm looking for cheap guys starting up front, not place differential.
Drivers Who Could Dominate
We've got four drivers who feel really close this week. My ideal DFS lineup features two of these guys, and it's hard to really differentiate between them.
Kyle Larson ($11,000) is on the pole. In the Cup Series, Larson has just one top 10 here in three starts, but he has four wins and nine top fives overall on road courses. He likely has the best car, but I think he's the driver I like the least out of these four names.
AJ Allmendinger ($10,700) has won here twice in the Xfinity Series and also has a top-five finish at this track in the Cup Series from 2021. He starts fifth but should be able to get up to the race lead at some point. Allmendinger just has to keep the car clean and not overdrive it. He's one of the best road racers in NASCAR, so I definitely think he can do that.
Ty Gibbs ($10,500) always runs well on road courses. This isn't his best track, but he had a really good 2023 here, finishing third in the Xfinity race and ninth in the Cup Series race. Gibbs is another one who could easily dominate this race.
Nice to turn right again! Starting P2 for the @NASCAR_Xfinity race tomorrow, @WeatherTech Chevy is feeling good just need to keep learning in the race 😀 pic.twitter.com/NtYr6e6C2D
— Shane van Gisbergen (@shanevg97) March 23, 2024
Shane van Gisbergen ($10,200) should be a lot of fun. The former V8 Supercars champion starts second and is my favorite play of these top-four drivers. He's run two road course races in NASCAR, winning the Cup Series race at Chicago last season and finishing 10th at Indianapolis. He's never raced at COTA, but I don't think that should prevent him from contending for the win on Saturday.
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Top Place Differential Plays
John Hunter Nemechek ($8,800) feels like a really good value here. Sure, passing can be tough at this track, but Nemechek's starting spot of 20th isn't that far back. He can easily contend for a top 10. His lone start here in the Xfinity Series resulted in just a 27th-place finish, but he was the runner-up in the 2022 Truck Series race.
The Lone Star State🤠#TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/EpfUhOxXE1
— John Hunter Nemechek (@JHNemechek) March 22, 2024
Riley Herbst ($8,000) starts 19th. He has a pair of top 10s so far this season and ran a solid race here last year, finishing 10th. Solid place differential option.
Anthony Alfredo ($7,600) starts way back in 30th. This Our Motorsports No. 5 car has run some solid laps this season, posting a pair of top 10s. His average finish at this track is a really solid 14.5, tying for his third-best average finish at any track in the Xfinity Series.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Deep Sleepers
Sage Karam ($7.200) starts sixth in the No. 26 car for Sam Hunt Racing. He's DNFed both starts this season, but last year when he drove for this team at Road America, he started sixth and finished fourth. At a track where track position is of the utmost importance, Karam could have himself a strong race.
Sage Karam is the fastest in Group B so far and has run the fourth-fastest time qualifying overall.
Karam is at +10000 on DraftKings. Great value pick, if you're betting. #NASCAR
— Jonathan Fjeld (@Jonathan_Fjeld) March 22, 2024
Alex Labbe ($6,500) starts 26th. Like I've been saying, place differential is going to be tough to come by, but you have to take a shot on a cheaper driver with some PD upside just to build a lineup that, you know, fits under the salary cap. Labbe has shown some flashes here, with two top 20s in three starts.
Kyle Weatherman ($5,400) starts 32nd and has an average finish this season of 23.0, which includes three consecutive finishes of 21st or better. We just need him to keep the car clean and he should be able to net you positive place differential points.
Hailie Deegan ($5,300) almost wound up as a DNQ this week, but she snuck into the field and starts 35th. Her rookie season in Xfinity has been rough so far, but this is not a 35th-place car. It might be a tall task to keep it clean, but there's a lot of upside here if she can manage to keep the car on track. She has two top 20s at COTA in the Truck Series.
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