RADIO
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Watkins Glen on Saturday for the Mission 200 at The Glen. The playoffs are fast approaching in the Xfinity Series, with this race plus next week's race at Bristol representing the last two chances for drivers to win their way into the postseason.
Entering this race, Justin Allgaier is first in the regular season standings, holding a 34-point lead over Cole Custer. Allgaier has been one of the best drivers in the Xfinity Series for a decade at this point but has never won the championship. Is this his year?
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 Mission 200 at The Glen 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 9/14/24 at 3:04 p.m. EDT.
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Xfinity DFS Preview - DraftKings
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Top Plays
Note: This was written before qualifying. Feel free to ask me over on X if you have questions after qualifying.
Shane Van Gisbergen ($11.0K)
While Shane Van Gisbergen is still figuring out ovals, the Aussie has made an instant impact on road courses in the Xfinity Series. In four road course starts, SVG has three wins, and he led 20 laps in the one he didn't win. Consider him the favorite on Saturday.
Shane van Gisbergen is a BURNOUT GOD. 💨
He celebrates his first @NASCAR_Xfinity win in style. pic.twitter.com/LSOzpp805h
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) June 1, 2024
Ty Gibbs ($10.7K)
Ty Gibbs has raced here three times in the Xfinity Series. He only has one top 10, but it hasn't been for lack of trying as he's led at least 25 laps in each race. He won the 2021 Xfinity race here and was fifth in the Cup Series race here last season.
Gibbs hasn't had a great foray into Xfinity this year when he's dropped down, finishing 20th or worse three times, but he was second at Chicago in his most recent start.
A.J. Allmendinger ($10.3K)
A.J. Allmendinger's status as the best road course racer in Xfinity has been challenged by Shane Van Gisbergen this season, but that doesn't mean the driver of the Kaulig Racing No. 16 won't be a contender. He finished in the top 10 in just two of the four road course races so far this year, but he has back-to-back second-place finishes at Watkins Glen in this series and would have three in a row if he hadn't been disqualified from the 2019 race.
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Mid-Tier Options
Connor Zilisch ($9.5K)
The phenom is set for his Xfinity Series debut on Saturday. Connor Zilisch, who will drive full-time for JR Motorsports next season, won the ARCA race at this track on Friday, his fifth win in six ARCA starts this year. In his Truck Series start at COTA, Zilisch qualified on the pole and managed to finish fourth despite an early spin. He could easily be a contender here, though beating the three drivers mentioned above will be tough.
MAKE THAT 5️⃣ ARCA NATIONAL WINS FOR @ConnorZilisch!!!!!!
HE WINS WATKINS GLEN! 🏁 pic.twitter.com/vcyV17l75y
— Trackhouse Racing (@TeamTrackhouse) September 13, 2024
Sam Mayer ($9.8K)
Sam Mayer might not be the best road course racer in Xfinity, but three of his six career wins have come on them, including his victory here at Watkins Glen last season. In 2024, he's been hit or miss on road courses, but he did manage a third-place finish at Sonoma.
Cole Custer ($9.3K)
Cole Custer's never recorded a top five at Watkins Glen, but he's still consistently run well here, with a worst finish of 12th in five starts at the track in the Xfinity Series. Custer should have another decent run on Saturday.
Sheldon Creed ($8.8K)
I'm done talking about how Sheldon Creed has never won in Xfinity. It might happen. It might not. What matters is that he's a good race car driver who finished second here last year and has an average finish of 5.0 here in Xfinity.
Austin Green ($8.1K)
Austin Green is averaging 48.9 DraftKings points per race this season. His four starts have all been at road courses and he's recorded three top 10s, including a best finish of fourth at Sonoma. His worst result was 15th in Portland. This price is a little high for a part-timer with just four starts in the series under his belt, but he can deliver a strong performance.
Value Options
Sammy Smith ($7.8K)
Sammy Smith finished third here back in 2022. Sure, he was in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for that one and is racing for JR Motorsports this season, but I see no reason he can't fight for a top 10. Smith was third in Portland but ran into issues in two of the other three road course races this season.
Ed Jones ($7.1K)
IndyCar Series veteran Ed Jones returns to the Sam Hunt Racing car this weekend to make his fourth Xfinity Series start of his career. His average finish this year is 18.3, which is dragged down by a crash at COTA. He was fifth at Portland and 15th at Sonoma.
Alon Day ($5.7K)
You might remember Alon Day from his 2016 runs in Zombie Dodges, especially at Mid-Ohio where he finished 13th and spent 78.7% of the race in the top 15 in a Carl Long-owned car. Day hasn't been back in Xfinity since, though he DNQed at Chicago after a crash in practice kept him from running a qualifying lap.
This Alpha Prime car isn't elite equipment, but it's a definite step up from the 2016 cars he drove. I wouldn't be shocked at all by a top-20 run from Day on Saturday.
Jade Buford ($5.1K)
The No. 07 car hasn't been particularly good this season, but there have been a few solid runs on road courses. Daniil Kyvat was 21st at COTA. Alex Labbe was 19th at Sonoma and 16th in the Chicago street race.
❗️ @jade48buford is back ❗️
After last racing for SS-Greenlight in 2020 @jade48buford is back behind the wheel of the #07 with @BrewingFrog as our primary partner for @WGI this weekend! pic.twitter.com/brJYZUBnlV
— SS GreenLight Racing (@SSGLR0708) September 10, 2024
Now, Jade Buford climbs into the car. Buford has three top 10s in his Xfinity Series career, with two of those coming on road courses. He has a great chance to sneak inside the top 20 on Saturday.
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