RADIO
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Phoenix on Saturday for what should be the first normal race of the season after opening the campaign with two drafting tracks and a road course. We're finally on a non-drafting oval, though Phoenix Raceway is a little more off-center than other ovals.
Last week at COTA, young phenom Connor Zilisch won the second race of his Xfinity Series career, both on road courses. Can Zilisch get his maiden oval win this week? The last three winners at this track aren't racing, so the field is wide open.
Let's look at some NASCAR Xfinity DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Xfinity Series GOVX 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 3/8/25 at 5:08 p.m. EST.
Xfinity DFS Preview - DraftKings
Be sure to also check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles and analyses to help you set your optimal DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Post-Qualifying Place Differential Update
Now that qualifying is in the books, here are a few options to consider for place differential:
- Carson Kvapil - Starts 24th - $8.6K
- Christian Eckes - Starts 20th - $7.6K
- Ryan Sieg - Starts 30th - $7.4K
- Matt DiBenedetto - Starts 31st - $6.6K
- Garrett Smithley - Starts 36th - $5.6K
Top Plays
Note: These picks were made before qualifying. Feel free to hit me up on X if you have any questions about place differential once the lineup is set on Saturday afternoon.
Justin Allgaier ($10.7K)
I mentioned in the intro that the field is wide open. That includes the fact that Justin Allgaier — the most experienced full-time driver in Xfinity and the defending champion — isn't necessarily someone you can lock in as a favorite this week.
VIDEO: Justin Allgaier media availability at Phoenix Raceway
🎥 NASCAR pic.twitter.com/Cl2Ul0qD5Y
— Speedway Digest (@speedwaydigest) March 8, 2025
Allgaier has won here twice, but he's crashed out of the last two spring races at Phoenix, finishing 36th in 2023 and 29th last year. Still, if he keeps the car clean, he should at least be in the fight for a top five.
Alex Bowman ($10.5K)
Cup Series driver Alex Bowman dips down to Xfinity for the first time this season to pilot the No. 17 car for Hendrick Motorsports. Despite being a contender most weeks in Cup, Phoenix Raceway has been a pretty bad track for Bowman.
In 19 starts, he has just two top 10s, and his 2016 fall race was really the only time he looked like he had a shot to win, as he led 194 laps in that race and finished sixth. Outside of that race, he's led two laps here.
Even though that's not the most encouraging track history, Bowman still brings a ton of top-level experience here to this race and is in great equipment. He should be in contention for the win,
Aric Almirola ($10.3K)
The JGR fleet feels a little weaker this year than usual, but any week Aric Almirola climbs into one of the cars he should be considered a threat to win.
Last season, Almirola ran 14 Xfinity Series races, winning three times and collecting eight top fives. That includes a third-place finish in the November Phoenix race.
In 26 starts here in the Cup Series, Almirola has seven top 10s, making this one of his best tracks. The only places he has more top 10s are Martinsville, Richmond, and Talladega.
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Mid-Tier Options
Sheldon Creed ($9.5K)
Could this be the weekend that the long wait for Sheldon Creed's first Xfinity Series win finally ends? He has six top 10s in his seven Xfinity Series starts at this track, including three finishes of either second or third. He led 20 laps here in November and ultimately finished seventh.
Connor Zilisch ($9.3K)
Last week's winner has two Xfinity wins in seven starts, both on road courses. This isn't a road course, but Zilisch ran the November race at Phoenix and finished fourth last year. He also had an ARCA Menards Series West win at this track, leading 99 of 100 laps last season.
Austin Hill ($9.0K)
Teammate Jesse Love was better here in 2024 than Austin Hill, but Love's $10.0K price tag feels a bit high. Hill has five top 10s in six starts here, though only one of those was a top five. That came last spring when he started 15th and finished fourth.
In 2023, Hill led 22 laps in the spring and 21 in the fall, ultimately finishing seventh in both races. I'm not sure how RCR will look on non-drafting ovals this season, so I'd rather bet on Hill than Love if I'm playing one of them.
Sammy Smith ($8.8K)
While Sammy Smith has been a bit disappointing in his time in Xfinity compared to his teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing and JR Motorsports, Phoenix is the site of his first Xfinity victory as he led 92 laps in 2023 for JGR.
Sammy Smith dominated late at Phoenix on Saturday to get his first career Xfinity Series win and become the youngest driver to win at Phoenix! pic.twitter.com/tqWS1GItra
— NASCAR Wallpapers (@nascarwallpaper) March 13, 2023
He's led double-digit laps here three times, though all three of those races were for JGR. Last year for JRM, he was less competitive here, though still had solid results, finishing ninth and 15th.
Taylor Gray ($8.4K)
Three of the past five winners here have been in Joe Gibbs Racing cars, so it wouldn't be shocking to see Taylor Gray up front. Sure, he's never won a race above ARCA, but Gray already has two top 10s this season. He was sixth in last year's Truck Series race at this track.
William Sawalich ($8.0K)
After a rocky start to his Xfinity career last year — William Sawalich had an average finish of 23.3 in three races — it seems that this young driver is starting to figure these cars out.
Now, he comes to a Phoenix track where he actually won the pole last November before fading to a 13th-place finish. He's also won here in ARCA before. Sawalich could be a surprise contender for the victory this weekend.
Value Options
Christian Eckes ($7.6K)
It's been a decent start to Christian Eckes' Xfinity Series career as he sits ninth in points through three races. Now, he heads to a Phoenix track that was good to him in the Truck Series, as he won here in 2023 and finished third last November.
Ryan Sieg ($7.4K)
Ryan Sieg will be in play if he starts around his 22.0 average starting spot this season. Coming off one of his best seasons, Sieg's off to a bit of a rockier start this year, but he has a top 20 in six of his past seven Phoenix races.
Ended up 19th at the first road course of the year. We gained some solid stage points to make up for an average day. Thanks to Sciaps and all of our fans for the continued support. pic.twitter.com/vipdYl77W7
— Ryan Sieg Racing (@RyanSiegRacing) March 3, 2025
Daniel Dye ($7.1K)
Kaulig might not be the Kaulig of old that was trophy hunting every week, but this is still a solid team that can compete for top 15s. Dye has decent experience here and is a potential place differential option if he qualifies outside the top 20.
Matt DiBenedetto ($6.6K)
This No. 99 team switched to Chevrolet this year and the results have been solid, with Matt DiBenedetto's average finish through three races sitting at 18.3. He has a ton of experience here and has an average start of 27.3 this year, so this is likely going to be a big place differential target.
Jeremy Clements ($6.2K)
After backsliding in recent seasons, Jeremy Clements is posting a 16.0 average finish through three races. That's bound to fall a bit as things normalize, but if he maintains his disappointing 28.0 average starting spot then he'll be a strong place differential play every week.
Ryan Ellis ($5.5K)
If you want to go really cheap, Ryan Ellis and this No. 71 team have two top 20s in three races this season, with positive place differential in all three races. If he starts 25th or worse, I'll likely have high exposure.
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