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Justin Carter's DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore The Pocono Mountains 225. Read his daily fantasy NASCAR advice and Xfinity sleepers.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series is in Pocono this weekend for the Explore The Pocono Mountains 225. Last season, Austin Hill drove to the victory here despite leading just two of the 92 laps. Sam Mayer, Chase Elliott, Riley Herbst and Daniel Hemric made up the top five.
Coming into this race, Cole Custer holds a 38-point lead over Justin Allgaier in the regular season title battle. Chandler Smith is in third, just one point behind Allgaier. Hill is fourth in points followed by his RCR teammate Jesse Love.
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 Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 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 7/13/24 at 3:03 p.m. EDT.
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Potential Top Plays
Note: This is being written before qualifying. If you have questions after qualifying, feel free to ask me over on X later.
Austin Hill ($10.0K)
There's just something about these massively long racetracks that really suits Austin Hill. Of his eight career wins, half have come on tracks that are 2.5 miles long, including his win here last season. He's never dominated a race here, but he has two Truck Series top-fives and that aforementioned Xfinity victory. I'd lean Hill as the slight favorite here, even with William Byron in the field.
LATE DRAMA AT POCONO...Austin Hill leaves with the victory after a final lap crash!pic.twitter.com/DGK51Hf4uQ
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) July 22, 2023
William Byron ($12.0K)
Honestly, this is a race where all the best plays, at least pre-qualifying, seem to be in that midrange tier, so I'm not sold on William Byron here. Sure, he should be a contender to win, but he finished outside the top 10 in his first two Xfinity races this season and hasn't led a lap yet. Still, this is William Byron in a Hendrick car, so you have to consider him one of the favorites.
Justin Allgaier ($11.0K)
Justin Allgaier has led laps in five consecutive Pocono starts, finishing in the top 10 in three of those races. He also won here in 2008 in ARCA. It's not his best track, but Allgaier is always a threat for a top-five.
Sam Mayer ($10.5K)
Sam Mayer has never led a lap here, but he has two top 10s here in Xfinity, including a second place last year, and he also was third here in 2020 in the Truck Series. If you want a high-priced pivot off the other top drivers, Mayer is in play.
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Potential Mid-Tier Options
A.J. Allmendinger ($8.5K)
While it's been a disappointing year for A.J. Allmendinger, Pocono could be a good spot for him to make an impact. He's finished in the top five in his past two Xfinity Series starts here.
Taylor Gray ($8.0K)
Taylor Gray returns to Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend. In seven Xfinity starts this year, he has a best finish of third and five top-15 finishes. Pocono is a strong track for him, with Gray running here three times across all series and finishing first, third and fourth.
Taylor Gray scores a T5 in the NASCAR Truck Series' #CRCBrakleen175. Is he a threat to do it again tomorrow in the Xfinity Series race?
We caught up with him in a post-race interview to find out what about @PoconoRaceway fits his driving style:https://t.co/CgIUOL6CIP pic.twitter.com/DLRNQpCunL
— In-Between Media (@IBT_Media) July 13, 2024
Josh Berry ($7.5K)
This AM Racing car that Josh Berry will be in isn't very good, but Berry's experience at this track might help him coax a good finish out of it. He's run three Xfinity races here, finishing in the top 10 twice. In the other race, he led 51 laps but crashed late to finish 24th.
Brandon Jones ($7.7K)
Brandon Jones needs a good run if he's going to figure out a way to get into the playoffs. Good thing we're at Pocono, a track where he's won in the Truck Series and where he's been top 10 in three of the last four Xfinity races.
Shane Van Gisbergen ($7.0K)
Shane Van Gisbergen hasn't been great at ovals, but Pocono has always been a track where road course experts have run well at. Considering SVG has three road course wins already this season, it wouldn't be a shock to see him with his best oval run of the year.
Potential Value Options
Daniel Dye ($6.6K)
Daniel Dye has run four Xfinity races so far this season for Kaulig with a best finish of 10th. He finished 16th in Friday's Truck Series race and had a top five here in 2022 in ARCA. He's worth sprinkling in some lineups.
Many stage points and a rally back through the field late in today’s race at Pocono Raceway resulted in a 16th-place finish for DD in the No. 43 Champion Container Silverado. pic.twitter.com/DVFc9biVft
— Daniel Dye (@danieldye43) July 13, 2024
Jeb Burton ($6.1K)
Mediocre qualifying runs have given Jeb Burton some place differential upside lately, helping him finish with 24 or more DraftKings points in four consecutive races despite never finishing better than 15th in that span.
Brennan Poole ($5.5K)
Brennan Poole has run solid this season for Alpha Prime Racing, posting an average finish of 19.4. He's finished with 18 or more DraftKings points in five of the past six races and has three top 20s in that span. Poole is one of my favorite value plays each week because he doesn't qualify great but he usually manages to keep the car clean during the race itself.
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