This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
United Rentals 250
Location: Talladega, Alabama
Course: Talladega Superspeedway
Format: Tri-Oval
Laps: 94 laps
NASCAR Xfinity United Rentals 250
Talladega returns to the Xfinity playoff schedule for the first time in two years to host the second postseason race. Aric Almirola took the checkered flag last weekend, but given that he's a non-playoff driver, no one has punched their ticket to the second round yet. Much like we've seen in the Cup series, some of the bigger-name drivers such as AJ Allmendinger and Justin Allgaier are currently below the cut line. This will be a big weekend for Allgaier in particular, as he doesn't have a good history at this track (four top-five finishes in 17 races). Overall, this track is unpredictable and will offer the likes of Parker Kligerman and Sammy Smith a chance to vault from the bottom of the playoff standings and into the second round.
Key Stats at Talladega
- Number of Races: 36
- Winners from Pole: 3
- Winners from Top Five: 12
- Winners from Top Ten: 19
Previous 10 Talladega Winners
2024 – Jesse Love
2023 – Jeb Burton
2022- AJ Allmendinger
2022- Noah Gragson
2021- Brandon Brown
2021- Jeb Burton
2020 – Justin Haley
2020- Justin Haley
2019- Tyler Reddick
2018- Spencer Gallagher
As was alluded to in the intro and as is true for most superspeedway races, Talladega is often unpredictable due to its "Big One" wrecks. The track history confirms that as there few multi-time winners and starting on pole and even the top five means relatively little.
This gives a unique twist to the playoff round, contrasting with what we saw in Kansas and what we'll see at the Roval next weekend. As for Talladega, it's very similar to Daytona with the exceptions being that it's the longest oval track of the season and the start/finish line is off-center of the track by about one-quarter of a mile.
NASCAR Xfinity DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the United Rentals 250
Based on a Standard $50K Salary Cap
Tier 1 DraftKings Values
Austin Hill - $10,300
Jesse Love - $9,800
Tier 2 DraftKings Values
Sheldon Creed- $9,300
Riley Herbst- $8,700
Parker Kligerman - $8,500
Tier 3 DraftKings Values
Ryan Sieg - $7,800
Carson Kvapil-$7,700
Anthony Alfredo- $ 7,300
Tier 4 DraftKings Values
Jeb Burton - $6,900
NASCAR Xfinity Picks for the United Rentals 250
Jesse Love - $9,800
Sheldon Creed- $9,300
Parker Kligerman- $8,500
Ryan Sieg - $7,800
Carson Kvapil - $7,700
Jeb Burton - $6,900
At each extreme end of the pricing we have some pretty clear options, while the mid-tiers are more wide open. Burton is a standout punt option. Taking a look at the RotoWire optimizer, he offers the third best value and 13th-best projection overall. Looking at his history at superspeedways makes it pretty clear why. He's maintained a 95.3 driver rating at Talladega in since 2021 (six races) and has also gotten decent results at Daytona.
Shifting to the top price points, Hill and Love stand out. Hill is the preference but requires a more difficult build, which caused the shift to love in our sample lineup. Hill has a lengthier track record and has qualified on pole in three straight trips while qualifying second on another occasion in 2022. That hasn't translated to strong finishes, but it's clear he comes with consistent speed and eventually, it should pay off. Love has only one start at Talladega and won. That's not predictive, but he's consistently been fast, as implied by his place in the playoff standings.
From there, the options open up. Creed stands out among the Tier 2 drivers with a 99.3 driver rating across four races since 2021. His story is similar to Hill's in that he's stood out in qualifying with less success in his finish. We'll see if luck is on his side Saturday, but he should be fast. Creed is a strong option, but he does come at a price. Paying down for Herbst in the same tier would make paying up for Hill feasible with some extra cash left over. Herbst and Kligerman have near identical driver ratings (94.2 vs. 94.1), with Kligerman having been in better form down the stretch this season.
Dropping down into Tier 3, we have the option of taking the relatively safe options in Sieg and Alfredo. Those are known options, but Kvapil is an option I want to get into lineups. He's running what is likely to be his final Xfinity race of the season before he becomes a full-time driver in 2025. He's been mostly excellent in his limited sample this season and offers unparalleled upside at his price.
