This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Shady Rays 200 & Alsco 300
Location: Sparta, Ky.
Course: Kentucky Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 134 Thursday, 200 Friday
Race Preview
This week, it's NASCAR Xfinity's turn to race a double-header at the same circuit. While the series has raced at the track since 2001, the calendar only had one Kentucky Speedway stop since 2018. That changes back to two in 2020, but both races will be on the same weekend, with night races Thursday and Friday. Chase Briscoe extended his fine run with his fifth victory of the season and third from the last four races, last week on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With that win, he extended his lead in the wins column over Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton with two each. With only 10 races to go until the playoffs commence, the rest of the field has work to do to firm up the remaining playoff positions. Brandon Brown and Myatt Snider will be eyeing this week to separate themselves from the pack. The pair is separated by six points at the cut-off line heading into this week's back-to-back races.
Key Stats at Kentucky Speedway
- Number of races: 25
- Winners from pole: 8
- Winners from top-5 starters: 20
- Winners from top-10 starters: 22
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 151.728 mph
Previous 10 Kentucky Winners
2019 - Cole Custer
2018 - Christopher Bell
2017 fall - Tyler Reddick
2017 spring - Kyle Busch
2016 fall - Elliott Sadler
2016 spring - Kyle Busch
2015 fall - Ryan Blaney
2015 spring - Brad Keselowski
2014 fall - Brendan Gaughan
2014 spring - Kevin Harvick
Kentucky Speedway marks a return to 1.5-mile oval racing. The last three Xfinity series winners at the circuit have all since moved up to the Cup series and no manufacturer has dominated at the circuit in recent seasons. Similar to the past few races, however, Chase Briscoe was the most recent winner on a similar circuit. That win was prior to the pandemic shut down at Las Vegas in February. Turn 3 is the standout feature of the track and presents a tricky test that tends to separate the best cars and drivers from the rest of the competition. It's flat profile can pose a test for even the best drivers, and getting through it cleanly will have a big impact on race outcome. Track position and restarts are also a focus, but with the track's nature of separating the field, it can all come down to being clean and quick on pit road.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Chase Briscoe - Thursday $11,400, Friday $11,600
Austin Cindric - Thursday $10,900, Friday $10,200
Noah Gragson- Thursday $10,600, Friday $11,200
Justin Allgaier - Thursday $10,300, Friday $10,900
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Harrison Burton - Thursday $9,700, Friday $10,000
Brandon Jones - Thursday $9,500, Friday $9,800
Myatt Snider - Thursday $9,300, Friday $9,300
Justin Haley - Thursday $9,100, Friday $9,500
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Jeremy Clements - Thursday $8,900, Friday $8,100
Alex Labbe - Thursday $8,700, Friday $8,700
Riley Herbst - Thursday $8,400, Friday $8,500
Anthony Alfredo - Thursday $8,200, Friday $9,100
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Michael Annett - Thursday - $8,000, Friday $8,900
Josh Williams - Thursday $7,900, Friday $7,300
Ryan Sieg - Thursday $7,200, Friday $7,600
Chad Finchum - Thursday $6,400, Friday $6,400
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Thursday Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Chase Briscoe - $11,400
Noah Gragson - $10,600
Anthony Alfredo - $8,200
Brandon Brown - $7,500
Chad Finchum - $6,400
Matt Mills - $5,900
There is no question that Chase Briscoe is the hottest driver in the series at the moment. He brings heavy momentum into Thursday's race and is a slightly more economical selection for Thursday. Teaming him up with Noah Gragson gives fantasy rosters the top two drivers in the series standings. Gragson started third and finished sixth at Kentucky last season. Anthony Alfredo had a rough day at Indianapolis but returns to his strengths this week. He has only missed the top 15 once so far this season, which was last week's road course race. Brandon Brown is fighting for his playoff hopes this week. He holds 12th position in the standings with a six-point gap to Myatt Snider. Brown started and finished 17th at Kentucky last season. Chad Finchum and Matt Mills complete Thursday's lineup. Finchum has has an average Kentucky finish of 29.3 from three Kentucky starts but failed to finish the last two. Mills finished 23rd here last season.
Friday Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Noah Gragson - $11,200
Austin Cindric - $10,200
Michael Annett - $8,900
Brandon Brown - $7,800
Joe Graf Jr. - $6,600
Garrett Smithley - $5,300
Noah Gragson is a more expensive option for Friday's race, but he could be a better value than Briscoe with extra practice time from Thursday's race under his belt. We are still anxiously awaiting Austin Cindric's first win of the season. He started on pole at this track last season and has an average finish of 12th from two starts at this circuit. Michael Annett could add another top-10 finish to his 2020 tally this week. He already has six top-10s from 11 series starts at Kentucky. Brandon Brown makes Friday's lineup, too. He has extra incentive to be consistent in these two races as his playoff hopes depend on it. Joe Graf Jr. is looking to break a three-race slump this week. He is capable of scoring top-15 finishes, and with an extra day on the track this week, Friday looks to be the optimal day to select him. Finally, Garrett Smithley has three top-20 finishes from six career Kentucky starts. He finished 19th there in the last two seasons.
