This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Alsco Uniforms 300
Location: Concord, N.C.
Course: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile oval
Laps: 200
Race Preview
Kyle Busch dominated the NASCAR Xfinity Series visit to Circuit of the Americas a week ago. AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier and Austin Cindric were the only Xfinity Series regulars to finish in the top five on the road course, which leaves Cindric atop the standings and Brandon Jones holding onto the final playoff spot. Busch also won last year's visit to Charlotte Motor Speedway, leading 94 of 203 laps to beat Daniel Hemric. Busch won't be in the field this weekend, but Hemric will, along with Ross Chastain and Cindric who combined to lead 98 laps last year. Like last week's first trip to COTA, this week the field will have practice with the lineup set by on-track qualifying. That extra track time will give a boost to fantasy players as they set their rosters on the fast 1.5-mile oval.
Key Stats at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 75
- Winners from pole: 12
- Winners from top-5 starters: 44
- Winners from top-10 starters: 58
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 5
- Fastest race: 155.99 mph
Previous 10 Charlotte Winners
2020 - Kyle Busch
2019 - Tyler Reddick
2018 - Brad Keselowski
2017 fall - Alex Bowman
2017 spring - Ryan Blaney
2016 fall - Joey Logano
2016 spring - Denny Hamlin
2015 fall - Austin Dillon
2015 spring - Austin Dillon
2014 fall - Brad Keselowski
While winning on Charlotte's 1.5-mile oval from outside of the first five rows isn't impossible, it hasn't been likely. Only five drivers have won when starting outside of the top 20, and the winner usually begins the race inside the top 10. The reason for this is that Charlotte favors horsepower and fast machinery. Typically those are the cars that start at the front, and the wide turns offer ample room for those quick cars to separate themselves from the rest of the field. Opportunities to upset the running order come from late cautions or mixed pit strategy. This is a course where late cautions can impact the finishing order as teams will be forced to choose between an advantage from fresh tires versus track position. The quick lap means pitting off sequence is a risk, and teams will work backward from the scheduled distance to plan their strategy before the race gets underway. The track does not seem to favor a particular manufacturer, but practice times and qualifying results will be good gauges of success for Saturday night's show.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Chase Briscoe - $11,000
Ty Gibbs - $10,800
Austin Cindric - $10,500
Tyler Reddick - $10,300
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
AJ Allmendinger - $9,800
Noah Gragson - $9,600
Daniel Hemric - $9,300
Brandon Jones - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Josh Berry - $8,800
Harrison Burton - $8,600
Jeb Burton - $8,400
Ty Dillon - $8,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Justin Haley - $7,900
Myatt Snider - $7,400
Brett Moffitt - $6,900
Alex Labbe - $6,400
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Austin Cindric - $10,500
Tyler Reddick - $10,300
Jeb Burton - $8,400
Justin Haley - $7,900
Brett Moffitt - $6,900
Bayley Currey - $6,000
Cindric pulled double duty last week in Austin, putting his excellent road-racing skills on display both times. He goes back to oval racing this week looking to score his third Charlotte top-10. He finished third in this race last season and was ninth in 2019. Tyler Reddick has an Xfinity win at Charlotte from 2019. He also finished 10th in 2017. Jeb Burton has been on a nice run of form with a win and three finishes of 11th or better in the last five races. He has a best finish at this track of seventh, which came in last year's race. He also has three top-15 finishes from four Charlotte oval starts. Justin Haley's price this week is a bargain. The Kaulig Racing driver was fifth at Charlotte in 2019 and didn't have the chance to replicate that finish last year after crashing out. He hasn't visited Victory Lane yet this season but has four top-10s from the last five races. Brett Moffitt started this race last season 22nd and finished sixth. He has one top-five and four top-10s from 11 series starts so far this season. Lastly, Bayley Currey will attempt to score another Charlotte top-20 after finishing 18th last year. This will be his 11th series start of the season. He missed out last week in Texas and will aim for his second top-10 of the year this weekend.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Chase Briscoe - $11,000
Noah Gragson - $9,600
Josh Berry - $8,800
Myatt Snider - $7,400
Jeremy Clements - $6,700
Alex Labbe - $6,400
Chase Briscoe will make his first Xfinity Series start of the season this weekend at Charlotte. His best finish on the track in three series attempts came last year when he finished 11th. He is 25th in the Cup standings and has made two Truck Series starts this season already as well. Fantasy players should just keep choosing Noah Gragson until he gets his win. He has proven to be one of the fastest cars this season but needs some luck to close out a race and end in Victory Lane. He finished fourth and 11th in his two Charlotte starts. Josh Berry enters this weekend with a win and two runner-up finishes in the last four races. This will be his Charlotte debut, but he has two top-10 finishes from six prior 1.5-mile oval starts this season. Myatt Snider grabbed a 10th-place Charlotte finish last year after starting 17th. He already won on a 1.5-mile oval this season, too. Jeremy Clements has 22 Charlotte starts under his belt, and his best finish was 13th, which he achieved in both 2015 and 2019. Alex Labbe grabbed his best Charlotte finish last year when he finished 16th. He has three starts at the track and has one top-10 in the five races leading up to this weekend.
