RADIO
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Darlington on Saturday for the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200. This race is part of NASCAR's throwback weekend, with many of the cars sporting paint schemes that harken back to the old days of NASCAR. Xfinity has some of the best throwbacks this year, including Brennan Poole in the No. 44 car throwing back to the classic early 2000s Hot Wheel scheme.
Last time out, Ryan Truex won at Dover, earning his first win of the year. Truex is running a partial schedule, so his win didn't have playoff implications. Chandler Smith currently leads the Xfinity Series point standings, leading Cole Custer by one point. Austin Hill sits third, 17 points behind Smith.
Here at RotoBaller, we want to help you make informed decisions about your DFS lineups, which is why I'll be breaking down the slates for the Xfinity Series. Let's look at some NASCAR Xfinity DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 on DraftKings. Be sure to also check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Xfinity Series, including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station. This slate locks on 5/11/24 at 1:46 p.m. EDT.
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Darlington Race Trends
The last four Xfinity Series races here have been won by a driver starting either second or third. If you follow that logic this weekend, that means either Chandler Smith or Sheldon Creed are winning this weekend.
However, I don't follow that logic. Neither driver is among my top plays this week because I just don't think they're the strongest cars. We have a really strong field this weekend.
Another reason I don't prescribe to that logic is that the winners recently haven't always been the best cars. The driver to lead the most laps didn't win either race here last season, though that driver did win both 2022 races. In a race with a lot of parity, I'm not overcommitting to the drivers on the first two rows.
Top Plays
William Byron ($12,000) is the chalk place differential play of this slate. With qualifying rained out, the starting lineup formula finds the Hendrick Motorsports No. 17 car starting way back in 38th. He won't stay there for long. Byron has three Cup Series wins this season, and he also won the Cup Series race at Darlington last spring.
Pre-practice Xfinity win sims for Darlington:
1. William Byron 20.9%
2. Cole Custer 8.4%
3. Justin Allgaier 8.3%
4. Austin Hill 6.9%
5. Riley Herbst 6.2%Full win/podium/T5 sims plus values at @FDSportsbook ⤵️ https://t.co/v91MUt5iBI
— Jim Sannes (@JimSannes) May 9, 2024
John Hunter Nemechek ($9,700) was another victim of qualifying getting canceled, as he'll fire off from 34th in the No. 26 car for Sam Hunt Racing. I love this play—it's a great pivot off Byron if you think he's going to go over-rostered in DFS this weekend. Nemechek has four top 10s in five Xfinity Series starts here as well as a Truck Series victory at the track.
Cole Custer ($11,200) is on the pole for Saturday's race. The 13-time Xfinity Series winner has yet to find himself in victory lane this season, but he has a win at Darlington in the Xfinity Series...kind of. Custer was awarded the win here in 2019 despite leading zero laps after Denny Hamlin was disqualified. Could this weekend find Custer with his first legitimate win at the track?
Aric Almirola ($10,800) starts 18th this weekend in the No. 20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing. So far in his part-time Xfinity Series schedule, Almirola has looked like he hasn't lost a step, winning once and also posting a second-place finish. He should be competitive on Saturday, with a shot to earn 15 or more place differential points.
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Top Mid-Tier Plays
Carson Kvapil ($8,300) has been really good in the starts he's made this year for JR Motorsports, finishing in the top five in both races with an average finish of 3.0. Now, the late model star gets a chance to make it 3-for-3 at Darlington. He starts 13th, offering some solid place differential upside.
We call that a THREE-PEAT.
Carson Kvapil returned to victory lane at Ace Speedway on Friday night for the third consecutive time.
Read More: https://t.co/UmtxQsMz13 pic.twitter.com/chYsZLYKtp
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) May 6, 2024
Taylor Gray ($7,700) is back in the No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing today. His foray into Xfinity this season has been hit-or-miss, as he finished third at Richmond but hasn't posted a top 10 in the four races since. He does have four top-15 finishes so far, and his 24th-place starting spot offers 10-plus points of place differential upside.
Sammy Smith ($7,500) is running solid races this year, though he has yet to post a top-five result. His average finish is 16.4, which is 4.4 spots behind his average starting spot. That's made it a little tough to trust him in DFS, but with no qualifying this weekend we find Smith back in 23rd. I'll always play a JRM car that starts outside the top 20.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Deep Sleepers
Matt DiBenedetto ($6,100) is set to run the rest of the season in this car. He starts 31st on Saturday and has an average finish of 19.8 this season, with one top 10 and four finishes of 21st or better in five starts.
FULL TIME BABY 💪🏼🥳 pic.twitter.com/Y9i6EoSYc0
— Matt DiBenedetto (@mattdracing) May 9, 2024
Kyle Sieg ($5,600) starts 29th. His average finish this year is 22.6, and he's finished lower than 29th just once all season. Sieg is showing some promise right now.
Josh Bilicki ($4,900) continues this trend of solid (but not necessarily good) cars that have value this weekend because of qualifying getting rained out. Bilicki starts 30th and has an average finish of 25.4, but that includes two DNFs. He has a pair of top-20 results in this car.
Hailie Deegan ($5,400) starts 32nd and has an average finish of 25.0. She was 18th at Martinsville, which feels like a decent sign for Saturday's race at Darlington.
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