This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard
Location: Speedway, Ind.
Course: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
Format: 2.4-mile road course
Laps: 62
NASCAR Xfinity Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard Race Preview
Noah Gragson claimed his third victory of the season one week ago at Pocono Raceway. The win moves him within one victory of Ty Gibbs, who leads the season with four, and even with Justin Allgaier with three. With seven races remaining in the regular season the playoff battle marches on to the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Pennzoil 150 is the second race on the course for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the fourth road course visit this season. Chase Briscoe won the series debut at the track while Austin Cindric won from the second starting position last season. Cindric will not attempt to defend his win this weekend, but Briscoe will make an attempt to win two of the first three series visits to the track. Both Ty Gibbs and AJ Allmendinger will try to make it difficult for him, however. Those two drivers have won the three road course visits so far this season and will want to add another trophy to their collection this Saturday.
Key Stats at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
- Number of races: 2
- Winners from pole: 0
- Winners from top-5 starters: 1
- Winners from top-10 starters: 1
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 73.885 mph
Previous Indianapolis Winners
2021 - Austin Cindric
2020 - Chase Briscoe
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course is a flat 2.4-mile infield circuit with several braking zones that encourage passing. As with most other road courses on the schedule, track position can be a big advantage. Last season's race was won from the front row, and all three road course races so far this season were won by drivers who qualified inside the top 10. Weather can play a factor, but a dry race will likely produce a winner that started within the first five rows. Strategy can be a way to overcome a poor qualifying effort, though. Strategists will work backward from the last lap and stage finishes to determine their pit windows, but pitting early to get out of traffic can be a strategic move that pays dividends. Stopping under green will not mean losing a lap, and exiting the stop with a clear track can gain positions for drivers who are able to run fast laps while their competition is moving more slowly. While making up ground through pit stops is arguably the easiest way to gain positions, the braking zones into turns 1 and 7 often feature action, as they present excellent opportunities for drivers to out brake cars ahead.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Chase Briscoe - $10,600
Ty Gibbs - $10,400
Alex Bowman - $10,300
AJ Allmendinger - $10,100
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Noah Gragson - $9,800
Justin Allgaier - $9,600
Josh Berry - $9,400
Sam Mayer - $9,200
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Austin Dillon - $8,600
Daniel Hemric - $8,400
Sheldon Creed - $8,200
Miguel Paludo - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Riley Herbst - $7,800
Kaz Grala - $7,500
Andy Lally - $6,900
Alex Labbe - $6,100
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
AJ Allmendinger - $10,100
Josh Berry - $9,400
Austin Hill - $9,000
Riley Herbst - $7,800
Kaz Grala - $7,500
Alex Labbe - $6,100
A road course visit means fantasy players will be flocking to Allmendinger. He is one of the best NASCAR racers on these types of courses and he won last year's Cup Series race at this track the day after he finished second in the Xfinity version. This will be Josh Berry's first series start at Indy, but he finished in the top five in the last two road course races. He also has two victories this season and should be a top-10 contender this week. Austin Hill is another two-time winner this season with good results on the road courses so far. He finished no lower than fourth on any of the three road course races run so far this season and should be another confident top-10 selection for rosters this week. Riley Herbst could be a top-10 contender this week as well. He finished seventh at Road America and came home eighth at this track last season. He has yet to win in 2022 but is well positioned in the playoff battle. Kaz Grala will make his sixth series start of the year this weekend. He has not run an Xfinity race on this course, but he filled in for Austin Dillon in 2020 on the Daytona road course and finished seventh. His last Xfinity road course start was at Road America last season when he finished 18th. He should be poised to outperform expectations this week, just like Alex Labbe. Road courses are tracks on which Labbe is on more equal footing and can turn in top finishes. His average result from two Indianapolis races is 10.5, and he grabbed his lone top-10 this year at Portland.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Ty Gibbs - $10,400
Noah Gragson - $9,800
Sam Mayer - $9,200
Miguel Paludo - $8,000
Andy Lally - $6,900
Sage Karam - $5,700
Fantasy players will eye Gibbs this weekend after his impressive performance to win at Road America. He was also seventh at Portland and will get extra track time this week as he continues to substitute for Kurt Busch in the Cup Series. Gibbs was 19th in this race last season and led four laps. Last week's winner Gragson also presents a good option for fantasy rosters. He was eighth at Road America, ninth at Portland and fourth at Circuit of the Americas. He also finished in the top five in both prior Indianapolis visits. Sam Mayer showed what he is capable of on road courses when he finished fifth at COTA earlier this season. He crashed out of this race last season but could be capable of a top-10 this week if he avoids trouble. The remainder of the higher-risk lineup is made up of road course ringers. Miguel Paludo is a nice choice having finished ninth at COTA in March. This will be his third series road course start of the season. Andy Lally is another road course expert making his third start of the year. He is typically a top-10 contender on these tracks, but he showed his upside potential with a 10th-place run in this race last season. Finally, Sage Karam will be looking to overcome his clash with Gragson at Road America. He suffered electrical issues in this race last year. However, he can be a top-15 contender if he is able to have a clean race, as evidenced by his 16th-place finish at COTA in the spring.
