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So, this weekend has the potential to get real weird.
Why? Because all three of NASCAR's top series are at Daytona International Speedway, but not for a superspeedway race. Instead, they'll be taking to the 3.61 mile road course at the track for the first time, and to ensure no one gets an advantage, no driver can run multiple races. Factor in some potential rain and the possibility for wet weather racing, and we get what could be pure chaos.
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 UNOH 188 on DraftKings. Be sure to also check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Xfinity Series including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station.
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Xfinity DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings
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Earl Bamber #21 ($9,900) - Starting 29th
So, the obvious choices for your top salary slot are Austin Cindric and A.J. Allmendinger, and I get that. Cindric is really good at road courses. Allmendinger is too and comes with more place differential upside than Cindric.
But let's go a different way. Earl Bamber starts 29th in his first-ever Xfinity race, driving a strong Richard Childress Racing car. That alone -- the 21 starting in 29th place -- would have me interested in Bamber.
But what pushes this over the edge is that he's got a lot of experience at this actual track, which most of the field doesn't have. Bamber's run seven races at this track in the Weathertech SportsCar Championship, finishing top three in his class in his last three trips here. That experience is going to be huge.
Chase Briscoe #98 ($9,600) - Starting 2nd
So look, Chase Briscoe has a good track record of winning the first road course races at roval tracks in this series.
His first career victory came in the first race on the Charlotte road course. Then, his most recent win came in the first race on the Indianapolis road course.
And now here he is, starting second in the first race on the Daytona road course. He's also coming off a third-place finish at Road America last week, and while his second-place starting spot doesn't offer much in the way of place differential upside, he's still undervalued, priced below Noah Gragson, who starts one spot back of him, and priced $1,300 less than polesitter Austin Cindric.
Ignore the possibility of Briscoe getting involved in an incident that knocks him and your lineup out of contention. Take the value and the upside.
Brandon Gdovic #26 ($9,400) - Starting 37th
Okay, let's move into the back of the field upside plays for a couple entries, starting with Brandon Gdovic.
This is the second start of 2020 for Gdovic in this 26 car. In the first one, he drove from 38th to 12th at the Indianapolis road course race. Despite the poor start, he had an average running position of 18th.
Gdovic doesn't have the success here in sports cars that Bamber has, but he has run at Daytona three times. With no practice time this week, that experience matters, and Gdovic also starts far enough back that he should be able to avoid any mid-pack, first-lap carnage, which is definitely a thing we should be worried about at this track.
Jade Buford #07 ($7,500) - Starting 32nd
Buford starts 32nd in this 07 car. He's run three races here in Grand-Am, with the most recent one being in 2012, so he doesn't have the same recent experience here as some of the other road ringers. But hey, he's got some!
Buford has made two starts in Xfinity this year, both of which resulted in top 20 runs at road courses. His better of the two finishes was at Indy, where he drove this Bobby Dotter car to a 14th place finish after starting 17th.
I have some concerns about getting this car through the field because it's not a great one, but Buford has two solid runs in underfunded cars this season, so I think he's worth the risk since he comes with place differential upside, which wasn't really there when he started top 20 in his first two races.
Josh Bilicki #99 ($6,900) - Starting 19th
One of my favorite places to go for NASCAR information is the comments section of Racing Reference, which is where I learned the fun fact that Bilicki is 13th in Xfinity in points earned on road course races this year.
I don't feel super great about this 99 car starting in the top 20 because B.J. McCleod cars aren't the best, but Bilicki has finished better than he started in both road course races he's run this year, going from 36th to 23rd at Indy and 30th to 17th at Road America.
The big question, then, is do we think Bilicki can keep the car around where he's starting, which would make him a solid value play this week? The answer to that obviously won't be known until Saturday, but I have a feeling he can, unless this race turns into a huge mess and the 99 gets involved in an accident.
Brandon Brown #68 ($6,700) - Starting 13th
Last week, Brandon Brown looked like he was going to be a terrible play after his car had mechanical issues on the pace lap, which led to him starting the race a couple laps down.
But Brown recovered to finish 12th, because Brandon Brown has been really good at managed to finish in the top 15 this year, even if he's not getting a lot of top 10s.
Brown's a good road racer, finishing 11th at Indianapolis. If the car stays in one piece, he should be in for another top 15 finish. That's a good result from someone who costs $6,700.
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