This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
B&L Transport 170
Location: Lexington, Ohio
Course: Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course
Format: 2.26-mile road course
Laps: 75
Race Preview
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to another road course this week at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course. This season's race there will be the first since 2019 after the pandemic altered the 2020 schedule. Kyle Busch dominated the last road course event at Circuit of the Americas, but it was series-regular Austin Cindric who took the checkered flag last time out at Mid-Ohio. He will start on pole this weekend, with last week's Charlotte winner Ty Gibbs alongside on the front row. AJ Allmendinger won the Xfinity debut at the track in 2013, and there has been a different winner every year since. This week's pole will be Cindric's second in a row at the track and puts him in prime position to become the first repeat winner at the track.
Key Stats at Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course
- Number of races: 7
- Winners from pole: 2
- Winners from top-5 starters: 4
- Winners from top-10 starters: 6
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 77.724 mph
Previous Mid-Ohio Winners
2019 - Austin Cindric
2018 - Justin Allgaier
2017 - Sam Hornish Jr.
2016 - Justin Marks
2015 - Regan Smith
2014 - Chris Buescher
2013 - AJ Allmendinger
Like most road courses, Mid-Ohio is a track-position circuit. The 2.26-mile course features 13 turns and limited passing zones. The circuit's long run into and out of its turn 2 hairpin. The run into the turn is uphill and gives drivers a good chance to out-brake their competitors if they can get a fast enough run out of turn 1. The hairpin then leads to the long backstretch that ends with another heavy-braking area into the infield section. Strategy will be important as teams can opt to pit slightly off sequence in order to get their drivers out of traffic and allow them to turn faster lap times in an attempt to gain spots as others head to pit road. Drivers and teams need a nimble car with mechanical grip maximized in order to handle the many off-camber turns. This is a venue where fantasy players will want to opt for drivers with a proven road-course record.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Austin Cindric - $10,900
AJ Allmendinger - $10,700
Ty Gibbs - $10,400
Noah Gragson - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Justin Allgaier - $9,900
Harrison Burton - $9,500
Miguel Paludo - $9,300
Justin Haley - $9,100
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Andy Lally - $8,900
Brandon Jones - $8,700
Michael Annett - $8,300
Brett Moffitt - $8,100
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Preston Pardus - $7,900
Myatt Snider - $7,800
Alex Labbe - $7,400
Ryan Ellis - $6,400
Matt Jaskol - $5,000
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Austin Cindric - $10,900
AJ Allmendinger - $10,700
Andy Lally - $8,900
Alex Labbe - $7,400
Brandon Brown - $7,000
Matt Jaskol - $5,000
Cindric is establishing himself as one of NASCAR's best road-course racers. He is the defending Mid-Ohio winner and starts this week's race from pole. The rest of the field is going to have to work very hard to beat him. Allmendinger is another Mid-Ohio winner, and his 19th-place starting spot puts him in good position to add a good amount of points to fantasy rosters from finish differential. He'll have to work hard at the start and use pit strategy to make his way to the front, but if he is able to get there without significant damage, he could be a contender for the win in the final miles. Andy Lally will be making his third start of the season – all on road courses. His best finish of his two starts so far was 18th at COTA. He will start 27th. Alex Labbe will start Saturday's race 16th. He finished 22nd and 20th in the two road courses raced this season and finished ninth in this race in 2018. Brandon Brown has one series start at Mid-Ohio. That was a 24th-place run in 2019. He is just 18 points out of the playoff positions, finished fourth at Charlotte last week and had top-10 on Daytona's road course earlier this year. Lastly, Matt Jaskol returns this week for his fourth start of the season. His best finish so far was 28th at Martinsville. He will start 34th Saturday and has plenty of road racing pedigree from prior Indy Lights starts.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Ty Gibbs - $10,400
Justin Allgaier - $9,900
Miguel Paludo - $9,300
Preston Pardus - $7,900
Ryan Ellis - $6,400
Jade Buford - $6,000
Ty Gibbs is making the most of his limited Xfinity schedule, scoring two wins and five top-fives from six starts. This week's trip to central Ohio will be his second road course start of the year. He won his first at Daytona. Justin Allgaier won at Mid-Ohio in 2018 and finished in the top 10 four out of six starts. He finished third at COTA two weeks ago, too. Starting 28th Saturday is Miguel Paludo, who is making his third road-course start in the series this season. He raced to a seventh-place finish at Daytona and exited COTA early due to a rear-gear failure. Paludo is a road-course ringer with the capability to leave Mid-Ohio with a top-10 finish. Preston Pardus will join Paludo for his third road-course start of the year. Pardus will start 30th Saturday afternoon. He finished 14th at COTA after starting 22nd and retired early from Daytona with a transmission issue. Ryan Ellis has two prior starts at Mid-Ohio with a best finish of 16th in 2016. He has two series start this season at Darlington and COTA with a best finish of 16th at Darlington. Rounding off the higher-risk selections is Jade Buford. He will start 19th Saturday, and his best finish of the year so far came at COTA two weeks ago when he finished 15th.
