This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Credit Karma Money 250
Location: Hampton, Ga
Course: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 163
Race Preview
The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second time this season. Justin Allgaier won the visit to the track in March, leading 47 laps. He started sixth that afternoon and will line up eighth this week. Kyle Busch will lead the field to green after winning last week's visit to Road America. In fact, Busch has won all four of his series starts this season, which equates to four of the last seven races. This week's trip to Atlanta will be his fifth series start of the year, and he will line up alongside Daniel Hemric on the front row. Nine races remain in the regular season as drivers jockey to consolidate a position in the top 12 that will comprise the field for the championship playoffs. Jeremy Clements currently holds that final transfer spot with Brandon Brown on the outside looking in.
Key Stats at Atlanta Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 30
- Winners from pole: 6
- Winners from top-5 starters: 13
- Winners from top-10 starters: 23
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 3
- Fastest race: 151.751 mph
Previous 10 Atlanta Winners
2021 spring - Justin Allgaier
2020 - AJ Allmendinger
2019 - Christopher Bell
2018 - Kevin Harvick
2017 - Kyle Busch
2016 - Kyle Busch
2015 - Kevin Harvick
2014 - Kevin Harvick
2013 - Kevin Harvick
2012 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a quick 1.5-mile oval with worn pavement that wears out tires if drivers don't manage them carefully. That surface creates exciting racing, as drivers can use newer tires to rapidly close gaps to those ahead. Those drivers must adjust their lines through the turns throughout the race as they progressively lose grip. The timing of stops will be critical to keep drivers at the optimal pace before worn tires give up too much lap time. The race generally doesn't have many cautions, but any restart is an opportunity to gain position and put fresh tires to their best use. Fantasy players should look to March's visit to the track as well as Homestead-Miami Speedway's race as they dissect the field and make lineup selections for this weekend.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Busch - $14,000
Austin Cindric - $11,000
Justin Allgaier - $10,600
AJ Allmendinger - $10,300
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Ty Dillon - $9,700
Sam Mayer - $9,400
Noah Gragson - $9,200
Harrison Burton - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Brandon Jones - $8,800
Daniel Hemric - $8,600
Justin Haley - $8,400
Brandon Brown - $8,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Riley Herbst - $7,500
Jeb Burton - $7,300
Jeremy Clements - $7,000
Alex Labbe - $6,000
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kyle Busch - $14,000
Noah Gragson - $9,200
Jeb Burton - $7,300
Jeremy Clements - $7,000
Ronnie Bassett Jr. - $6,500
Alex Labbe - $6,000
Fantasy players could view Kyle Busch's inclusion in this week's lineup as a risk or a sure thing. With four wins from four tries so far this season, he will head the lower-risk lineup despite his high price. He won at Atlanta in 2016 and 2017, both from pole, and those were his last two attempts at this track in the Xfinity Series. Backing him up is Noah Gragson, who was quite fast on worn surfaces earlier this year. He hasn't been able to find a win yet this year, but nearly won at Homestead and finished ninth or better in all three of his Atlanta starts to date. Jeb Burton has two prior starts at this track. He finished 10th in his debut in 2020, but finished a lap down in 25th earlier this season after an accident in the final stage. He starts 11th this week. Clements is working to retain his position in the playoff hunt. He holds a 33-point advantage over Brown and finished 12th here in March. This week will be the second series start of the season for Ronnie Bassett Jr. He will start 29th but finished 19th after starting 32nd in last year's Atlanta race. Starting a little higher in the field is Alex Labbe. He sits 16th in points and has finished in the top 20 in four of the last five races heading into this weekend.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Austin Cindric - $11,000
Sam Mayer - $9,400
Harrison Burton - $9,000
Michael Annett - $7,200
Ryan Sieg - $7,100
Colby Howard - $6,100
Austin Cindric may hold the current lead in Xfinity points, but he only led six laps from pole at Atlanta in March. The Penske Racing driver will have even more work to do this week to overcome Busch, too. His best Atlanta finish was seventh in 2018. Sam Mayer will start Saturday's race 22nd. It will be his third start this season with JR Motorsports. He crashed out of last week's Road America race. Josh Berry also started 22nd in the No. 8 machine in March, but was able to finish eighth in the first stage of that race. By comparison, Harrison Burton seems like a bargain price this week. He will start fifth this week and has two top-fives from two series starts at the track. Michael Annett started 27th but finished seventh at this track in March. He will start this week's race sixth and has finished in the top 15 at Atlanta seven out of 10 times. Ryan Sieg grabbed his first Atlanta top-10 in March. He has eight career starts at the track and has finished 11th or better in two of his last three tries. Colby Howard has two series starts at this track. He finished 21st in the second of those two earlier this season but finished 15th at the track last season. He will start this week's race 35th, which should carry finish differential points for fantasy rosters.
