This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Sci Apps 200
Location: Loudon, New Hampshire
Course: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Format: 1-mile oval
Laps: 200
NASCAR Xfinity Sci Apps 200 Race Preview
Both Xfinity and the Cup Series put on quite a show in NASCAR's return to Iowa Speedway last weekend, and they'll be poised to do so again at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. Sam Mayer took the checkered flag to become the fourth driver to win a pair of races this season, joining Chandler Smith, Austin Hill and Shane van Gisbergen. There are still six playoff spots up for grabs, and with 11 races remaining, drivers will start to feel some additional pressure. Sammy Smtih and Parker Kligerman are two of the bigger names currently on the playoff bubble, while Jeb Burton has taken a disappointing step back relatively to his last several seasons.
Key Stats at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
- Number of Races: 36
- Winners from Pole: 8
- Winners from top-five starters: 22
- Winners from top-10 starters: 29
Previous 10 New Hampshire Winners
2023- John Hunter Nemechek (2nd)
2022 - Justin Allgaier (3rd)
2021 - Christopher Bell (14th)
2019 - Christopher Bell (2nd)
2018 - Christopher Bell (2nd)
2017 - Kyle Busch (1st)
2016 - Kyle Busch (1st)
2015 - Denny Hamlin (1st)
2014 - Brad Keselowski (1st)
2013 - Kyle Busch (1st)
New Hampshire Speedway is affectionately referred to as "The Magic Mile." The track was reconfigured in 2002 instituting progressive banking, with turns ranging from two to seven degrees and straights being all but flat. Though the course was reimagined to make racing and passing easier, recent results and history at the track suggest that track position is king.
A short, flat track isn't all particularly unique on the schedule, so we do have some reference points with courses such as Richmond and Phoenix.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Sci Apps 200
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Christopher Bell - $13,500
Chandler Smith - $11,000
Alex Bowman - $10,500
Cole Custer - $10,200
Sam Mayer - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Austin Hill - $9,500
Jesse Love - $8,700
AJ Allmendinger - $8,300
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Parker Kligerman - $7,500
DraftKings Tier 4 Values
Shane van Gisbergen - $6,900
Anthony Alfredo - $6,300
Brennan Poole - $5,600
Ryan Ellis - $5,300
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Sci Apps 200
Christopher Bell - $13,500
Austin Hill- $9,500
Jesse Love - $8,700
Shane van Gisbergen - $6,900
Anthony Alfredo - $6,300
Ryan Ellis - $4,900
Bell is in the field, and his price is an outlier as compared to the rest of the field. That creates an immediate question for roster construction. His history at the track is unmatched at the Xfinity level, and he also has a win and second-place finish in four tries at the Cup level. He's included in the sample roster above, and the strain on the rest of the roster is apparent with three plays under $7,000.
The good news is that there are some good options in punt pricing territory. Alfredo is the clearest example with five top-10 finishes this season. His history at Loudon is poor, though that's primarily due to either crashes or car failures.
Ellis is the punt of all potential punts, but from a DK perspective, he's serviceable. He's completed 96.4 percent of laps this season and has gained an average of five positions from his qualifying position per race. He's also shown hints of improved form overall in recent races. Across the first nine weekends of the season, he had just one top-20 finish. In six races since, he's finished 20th or better on three occasions.
Van Gisbergen is a road course ace, but there's more to his game. He moved from 23rd to sixth at Phoenix this year, and he also finished 12th at Richmond. He is very unlikely to be fighting for a win, but he's also a good bet to return between 30 and 40 DK points.
Stacking all three of those drivers is a very high-variance approach, though I'm more willing to play a riskier lineup at a track that historically has a lot of accidents.
Most of the possible picks toward the top of the field are good selections. Chandler Smith would be the primary case for pivoting away from Bell. He checks in $2,400 cheaper, finished second at Loudon last season and has 10 top-10 finishes in 15 tries this season.
Sam Mayer is also worth specifically bringing up. He has two wins and five finishes of fourth or better in the last nine races. After his win at Iowa last weekend, he spoke openly about taking offense to not being considered for a Cup car ride despite his success, so he should be motivated to keep piling on good results.
The other reason to build with a stars and scrubs approach is the relative lack of enticing options in the midfield. Kligerman is the exception. As was noted, he needs positive results to reach the playoffs. Last year, he showed the ability to drive through the field at both Richmond and Phoenix. This year, he's qualified and driven well at both, so he should have speed on Saturday.
