This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Mahindra ROXOR 200
Location: Darlington, S.C.
Course: Darlington Raceway
Format: 1.37-mile oval
Laps: 147
Race Preview
Josh Berry held off teammate Justin Allgaier to grab his first victory of 2022 last week at Dover, becoming the sixth driver to claim a playoff position by winning this season. Berry's victory means half of the playoff positions are filled, which ratchets up the pressure on drivers to score a win and gain a spot in the championship battle as soon as possible. Allgaier tops the standings among winless drivers and is the defending victor of this week's stop at Darlington Raceway. The JR Motorsports driver led just 10 laps in this race last season to beat Berry in the inverse of last week's Dover finish. Noah Gragson, who has two wins so far this season, won the return visit to the track last fall. Brandon Jones and Chase Elliott are also former series winners at Darlington entered this week.
Key Stats at Darlington Raceway
- Number of races: 63
- Winners from pole: 15
- Winners from top-5 starters: 38
- Winners from top-10 starters: 48
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 6
- Fastest race: 141.355 mph
Previous 10 Darlington Winners
2021 fall - Noah Gragson
2021 spring - Justin Allgaier
2020 fall - Brandon Jones
2020 spring - Chase Briscoe
2019 - Cole Custer
2018 - Brad Keselowski
2017 - Denny Hamlin
2016 - Elliott Sadler
2015 - Denny Hamlin
2014 - Chase Elliott
Intimidating Darlington Raceway awaits the NASCAR Xfinity Series competitors this weekend. The unique oval sports a very abrasive surface unlike any the series has run on this season. The opposite ends of the track feature distinctly different turns with unique banking that can encourage drivers to run against the wall in one and down at the bottom in the other. Cars handling the best will find their fastest line right against the outside wall, though. That high groove leaves little room for error and challenges drivers to be inch perfect throughout the 200 miles. Darlington's narrow racing line means drivers will have to move up and down the track to move through traffic and make passes, too. While track position is a valuable commodity at Darlington, fresh tires will undoubtedly be a bigger premium. Almost every visit to pit road will include four tire changes, and that fresh tire advantage on the track will create a huge difference in lap times as cars cycle through their stops. Teams that can manage tire wear the best and maintain speed late in a fuel run could have an advantage at the finish.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Chase Elliott - $11,100
Noah Gragson - $10,800
Ty Gibbs - $10,500
Justin Allgaier - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Josh Berry - $9,800
AJ Allmendinger - $9,600
John Hunter Nemechek - $9,400
Sheldon Creed - $9,200
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Brandon Jones - $8,800
Sam Mayer - $8,600
Daniel Hemric - $8,400
Austin Hill - $8,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Landon Cassill - $7,900
Jeb Burton - $7,700
Brandon Brown - $7,000
Kyle Sieg - $5,500
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Noah Gragson - $10,800
John Hunter Nemechek - $9,400
Daniel Hemric - $8,400
Landon Cassill - $7,900
Brandon Brown - $7,000
Alex Labbe - $6,400
With two race wins under his belt already this season Gragson should head to Darlington with confidence. He won the last race at the track last fall and hasn't failed to finish in the top 10 there in his five starts. John Hunter Nemechek is looking to make his first visit to Victory Lane of the year in any series. He will make his fifth Xfinity Series start of the season this week, which will be his second in the series at Darlington. He finished second to teammate Ty Gibbs at Richmond after leading 135 laps. Daniel Hemric placed fifth in this race last season and led a total of 56 laps in the two races here last year. A 12th-place finish at Dover last week kept Landon Cassill in the playoff positions. He has an average finish of 17.6 from eight Xfinity starts at Darlington. Brandon Brown stopped a two-race run of finishes outside of the top 30 with an 18th-place finish last week at Dover. His best Darlington finish was a 13th-place finish in this race in 2020, but he finished 24th and 28th at the track last season. A streak of four straight top-20 finishes ahead of this weekend's race earns Alex Labbe the final spot in the lower-risk lineup. Making his selection even more attractive are his two Darlington 10th-place finishes from last year's races.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Justin Allgaier - $10,200
Josh Berry - $9,800
Brandon Jones - $8,800
Jeb Burton - $7,700
Myatt Snider - $6,800
Jeremy Clements - $6,700
Allgaier is one of just a handful of previous Darlington winners entered in this week's race. He is the defending winner of this particular race and would really love to get a 2022 victory on his resume as soon as possible. He finished sixth at Darlington last fall and has an impressive nine top-10s from 13 starts at the track. Second-place finisher in this race last season, and winner last week, is Berry. This will be just his third series start at Darlington, but his impressive driving and runner-up finish last time makes him a contender for fantasy lineups this week. Jones is another previous Darlington winner. He went to Victory Lane in the fall of 2020 and then backed that up with a third-place finish in this race last year. He won at Martinsville just a few weeks ago and was quick enough for pole position last week at Dover. Jeb Burton only has two Darlington starts, but he qualified in the top five in both of those and finished fifth last fall. He has been climbing the standings with three finishes of 16th or better from the last four races and will want to continue that trend this week. Myatt Snider has made four starts at this track and earned two top-10s. Both of those top finishes came in the fall races, though. He has two top-10s from the last five races this season and should be able to deliver a top-15 result or better this week. Fantasy players will also want to consider Jeremy Clements this week. His price is quite low considering he was a top-10 finisher in both races at the track last season. He is 19th in the championship standings at the moment and brings upside potential at a bargain price this week.
