RADIO
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Chicago for the inaugural The Loop 121 at the Chicago street course. What will the first NASCAR race on a street course look like? It's going to be a strange one, as drivers tackle challenges that they aren't used to. From the tight turns to the fact that there are traffic directions painted on the road that might be a distraction, we're in for some action.
Entering this race, John Hunter Nemechek is the Xfinity Series points leader. He's up by just nine points over Austin Hill, while Justin Allgaier is 41 points back in third and Cole Custer is 51 back in fourth.
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 The Loop 121 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 7/1/23 at 5:19 p.m. ET.
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Xfinity DFS Picks - DraftKings
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Cole Custer
Starting 1st - $10,600
Honestly, I have no idea what to expect for this race. We've never seen actual racing on it—just practice and qualifying—so I have no idea if it's going to be a track with a lot of passing or no passing, or a track with a lot of wrecks or no wrecks.
But what I'm guessing is that passing won't be particularly easy, and wrecks in the middle of the pack will be aplenty, so I'm aiming to build a lineup with multiple drivers who start near the front in case no one's able to make moves, with a couple deep place differential guys to provide upside if things get chaotic. I'm not sure if it'll work or not—I anticipate building more lineups than usual this race just because anything might happen.
Anyway, let's start with Cole Custer. If this winds up being a NASCAR version of Monaco where no one can pass, then having the polesitter in your lineup will probably be a good idea.
Custer has run well at road courses so far this season, especially recent, with the 00 car winning Portland and then finishing sixth at Sonoma. I view Custer as the clear favorite because of his starting spot.
Austin Hill
Starting 5th - $9,700
Strong season for Hill, as he's had a top 10 in 80% of his starts so far plus has three victories. While one of his non-top 10s came at COTA when he suffered an engine failure, he's bounced back at the last two road courses, finishing fifth at Portland and eighth at Sonoma. He led four laps in the latter race.
Overall, Hill's now had a top 10 in six consecutive races, with five of those being top fives. I expect him to stay near the front all day and challenge for the race victory.
Justin Marks
Starting 12th - $8,900
It's been a while since we've seen Justin Marks, the co-owner of Cup Series team Trackhouse Racing, in an Xfinity, but the veteran driver will be in Kaulig Racing's 10 car this weekend, making his first start in the series since 2018.
Marks is no stranger to winning in weird conditions. His only Xfinity win came in the rain-soaked Mid-Ohio race back in 2016, as he led 43 of the 75 laps in that one.
He also brings some street racing experience. Marks ran the Weathertech SportsCar race at Belle Isle back in 2018, finishing second in the GTD class.
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Brandon Jones
Starting 30th - $7,900
Just an awful year for Jones. The move to JR Motorsports was supposed to be good for his career, but the technical changes in the Xfinity Series have hurt JRM as a whole, and Jones has struggled most of all.
But with a 30th-place starting spot on Saturday, Jones is a pretty obvious place differential play. Even if passing is tough, he should gain some spots. He's struggled to qualify at all the road course races this season but has improved on race day. At COTA, he started 26th and finished 11th, at Portland he started 37th and finished 13th, and at Sonoma he started 28th and finished 21st. Two of those three were really good results from a fantasy perspective because of the place differential.
Connor Mosack
Starting 4th - $6,900
This might be the riskiest play on this slate, but I think there's a good chance it pays off.
Mosack has run nine races this year for Sam Hunt Racing, with one top 10, an eighth-place finish at Portland. But this week, Mosack slides into the top Toyota team, as he's in the 19 car for Joe Gibbs Racing. JGR cars have won four races this season.
The 24-year-old driver has a background in road racing, as he ran the full Trans Am season in 2021. He won a race during that span at Watkins Glen and had six podium finishes in the TA2 class. That includes a third-place finish at the Nashville street race, one spot ahead of Justin Marks.
Josh Williams
Starting 36th - $5,800
Just kind of a pure chaos play here with Josh Williams. And hey—that's fine. This feels like a race where you need a chaos play or two.
Williams has done decently on road courses this season, though, if you want an argument that isn't just "could earn a lot of points if he finishes the race." While he DNFed at COTA and Sonoma, he ran well at Portland, starting 28th and finishing 16th. Keep it clean and Williams could wind up with a solid result.
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