This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Andy's Frozen Custard 300
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Course: Texas Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 200
NASCAR Xfinity Andy's Frozen Custard 300 Race Preview
Noah Gragson claimed his third win in a row last week at Bristol to close out the regular season. AJ Allmendinger's sixth-place finish was enough to earn his second straight regular-season championship, though, marking the first time a driver has taken that honor in back-to-back seasons. Only two regular-season champions have gone on to win the playoffs, however. Allmendinger's quest to add his name to that list begins with the playoffs this week at Texas Motor Speedway. One of those two regular-season champions who also won the playoffs, Tyler Reddick, won the last Xfinity Series race at Texas in May. It seems like everyone will be aiming for Gragson, though. The JR Motorsports driver has been dominant in recent weeks, and another victory this week would make him only the second series driver to win four races in a row. Gragson has never won at Texas, but the track has produced 23 different winners from 43 previous races.
Key Stats at Texas Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 43
- Winners from pole: 6
- Winners from top-five starters: 26
- Winners from top-10 starters: 35
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2
- Fastest race: 151.707 mph
Previous 10 Texas Winners
2022 spring - Tyler Reddick
2021 fall - John Hunter Nemechek
2021 spring - Kyle Busch
2020 fall - Harrison Burton
2020 spring - Austin Cindric
2019 fall - Christopher Bell
2019 spring - Kyle Busch
2018 fall - Cole Custer
2018 spring - Ryan Blaney
2017 fall - Erik Jones
Texas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile quad-oval that resembles Charlotte Motor Speedway. This type of configuration favors powerful and well-handling cars. The high banking produces some of the fastest racing on the schedule despite having different features in each of its four turns. The most unique aspect of this track is its shallower banking in turns 1 and 2 versus turns 3 and 4. That 4-degree difference in banking hasn't hampered the racing, though. Both Texas and Charlotte are fast tracks with room for drivers to take different lines. The space in the turns, coupled with the steep banking, allows drivers to have options as they work through traffic. It also enables teams that unload fast to separate themselves under the typical long green-flag runs. The combination of high speeds and long green-flag runs make track position and restarts opportunities for drivers to make up positions. Teams will want to do their pit stops under caution, and late cautions could set up tough decisions between staying on track on old tires or pitting and being forced to make passes on track.
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DraftKings Value Picks for the Andy's Frozen Custard 300 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Noah Gragson - $11,100
Justin Allgaier - $10,800
Ty Gibbs - $10,600
Josh Berry - $10,300
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
AJ Allmendinger - $9,900
John Hunter Nemechek - $9,700
Brandon Jones - $9,500
Austin Hill - $9,200
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Sheldon Creed - $8,900
Riley Herbst - $8,700
Daniel Hemric - $8,600
Landon Cassill - $8,400
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Anthony Alfredo - $7,500
Parker Retzlaff - $7,000
Joey Gase - $6,200
Bayley Currey - $5,400
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Andy's Frozen Custard 300
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Justin Allgaier - $10,800
AJ Allmendinger - $9,900
Sheldon Creed - $8,900
Jeb Burton - $7,100
Parker Retzlaff - $7,000
Joey Gase - $6,200
Justin Allgaier enters the playoffs third with the points reset. He has three wins so far this season and has built a nice run of form heading into the playoffs with three consecutive top-10s. He led 33 laps at Texas earlier this year and has finished fourth or better in four of his last five races at the track. Regular-season champion AJ Allmendinger is hoping to convert that title into the series championship at Phoenix. Up first is Texas, where he has three top-10s from his three starts. He also started on pole for two of those races. Despite missing the playoffs, Sheldon Creed is still on the cusp of his first win in the series. He didn't have a great Texas race in May, but fantasy players know this veteran learns and improves. This season's second Texas visit is expected to be much better than his first. This will be Jeb Burton's 10th Texas start. He has a best track finish of fifth and five top-15 finishes in that span. Burton was 13th in May's race and should be a top-15 contender again this week. Parker Retzlaff will make his sixth Xfinity start of the season this week. Three of his five races so far this season have ended with finishes of 12th or better. This will be a high-speed test for him, but he has risen to the occasion throughout his part-time schedule thus far. Finishing the lower-risk lineup selections for Texas is Joey Gase, who will make his ninth series start of the season. Gase has three top-20s and finished better than where he started in all nine starts so far this year.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Noah Gragson - $11,100
Austin Hill - $9,200
Daniel Hemric - $8,600
Landon Cassill - $8,400
Brandon Brown - $7,300
Bayley Currey - $5,400
Fantasy players hoping Noah Gragson grabs his fourth consecutive win this week should go ahead and choose him. He has a nice Texas record with three top-10s from seven starts. He started on pole at the track in May, leading 32 laps before crashing out of the race. Austin Hill enters his first series playoffs this week with two regular-season victories. This week will be his fourth Texas Xfinity start, and his best finish so far was fifth in May. He also led 16 laps that day. Daniel Hemric is still looking for his first win of 2022, and Texas is one of his better tracks. He has four top-10s from his seven Texas starts with an average finish of 10.9. After not finishing in the top 10 since Michigan, he needs a good result from Texas to get his playoffs started on the right foot. After not making the playoffs, Landon Cassill will have something to prove in the final races of the season. Like Hemric, Cassill hasn't finished in the top 10 since Michigan. He should be hopeful of a return to form this week since he finished 10th at Texas in May, his first top-10 at the track. Texas could also be an opportunity for Brandon Brown to rebound. He had an early exit in Bristol and two top-20s from the last five races. He should be a top-15 driver this week at Texas, though, as he finished 15th in May and 13th in last year's spring race. Bayley Currey should also be a fantasy consideration this week. He finished 11th last week at Bristol and is 19th in the season standings. Currey has eight Texas starts with four top-20 finishes.
