RADIO
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday for The LiUNA!, which is objectively a weird name for a NASCAR race since there's no indication how many miles or laps the race is. (It's a 300-mile race.)
JR Motorsports cars have looked quick so far this weekend, with Sammy Smith and Carson Kvapil taking the front-row starting positions and Conner Zilisch qualifying just behind them in third. While this has been a successful track for JRM's Cup Series alliance Hendrick Motorsports, it hasn't been as good for JRM, which last won here in 2008 with Mark Martin driving.
Let's look at some NASCAR Xfinity DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Xfinity Series The LiUNA! 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 3/15/25 at 4:48 p.m. EST.
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Top Plays
Justin Allgaier ($10.7K)
Starts Sixth
Somehow, Justin Allgaier has never won here, but he's come very close a number of times. In fact, Allgaier comes into this race with seven consecutive top 10s here, including four finishes of third or better in that span.
Last year, he led 11 laps in this race and finished 10th, then followed that up with a third-place finish in the return visit. In that fall race, Allgaier led 42 laps. The other JRM cars qualified better, but Allgaier is still the most likely to come away with a win. He had the best 20-lap average in practice of any driver.
Aric Almirola ($10.5K)
Starts 11th
Aric Almirola had the second-fastest 20-lap average in practice, but just couldn't quite get there on his qualifying lap as he went 11th quickest. That qualifying run offers a chance at some decent place differential points though, as Almirola should be a contender.
WHAT. A. FINISH!! pic.twitter.com/T9HrPc20Xn
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) March 9, 2025
Last week, Almirola won the Xfinity Series race at Phoenix, leading 25 laps in the victory. He'll be a threat to win every time he steps into this series in 2025.
Sheldon Creed ($10.0K)
Starts 23rd
While the other two high-priced drivers have shown speed this weekend, Sheldon Creed has struggled a bit. His fastest practice lap ranked 19th, and his 10-lap average was only slightly better at 14th.
But with Creed qualifying 23rd for this race, there's ample place differential upside for the No. 00 car, and teammate Sam Mayer's fifth-place qualifying run shows that the Haas cars have the potential for speed this weekend. Creed's team just hasn't found it yet.
Creed ended 2024 on a strong run at 1.5-mile tracks, posting top 10s in the final four intermediate starts, including three top fives.
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Mid-Tier Options
Austin Hill ($9.8K)
Starts 14th
Austin Hill comes into this race with five consecutive top 10s at Las Vegas, including a 2023 victory in this race. He also won the most recent Xfinity Series intermediate race, taking the victory at Homestead. Starting 14th offers a realistic shot at 10ish place differential points.
Connor Zilisch ($9.3K)
Starts Third
I'm usually a bit gun-shy when it comes to pulling the trigger on playing a young guy who starts this high. Younger drivers tend to make more mistakes.
But Connor Zilisch is more than just a young driver. I firmly believe Zilisch is a future multi-time Cup Series champion. He's already won twice in Xfinity, though never on an oval.
Really fast car for this weekend at Vegas. Rolling off P3 tomorrow, let’s do it🤙🏼🎲 pic.twitter.com/krQy5n1wAp
— Connor Zilisch (@ConnorZilisch) March 15, 2025
Zilisch has been fast all weekend, with the fastest three-lap, five-lap, 10-lap, and 15-lap averages in practice. The only reason he didn't have the fastest 20-lap average is he didn't run 20 laps.
Brandon Jones ($8.6K)
Starts 15th
Vegas has always been a solid track for Brandon Jones, as he has a couple of third-place finishes here as well as a number of additional top 10s. He's in a fast Joe Givvs Racing car that should have him in contention for a top 10 finish.
Christian Eckes ($8.0K)
Starts 17th
The last two races have been really good for rookie Christian Eckes, as he was fifth at COTA and then eighth last week in Phoenix. He had positive place differential in both of those and will be in line to make it three in a row this weekend when he fires off 17th.
Value Options
Harrison Burton ($7.5K)
Starts 18th
This is one of those times where you're betting on the driver and his experience to overcome a car that's just mediocre. After posting top 10s in the two drafting races to open the year and then suffering a mechanical issue at COTA, we finally got a chance last week to see what this car could do on a normal track.
What did it do? Burton qualified 21st and finished 20th, though he did run inside the top 14 for 40.4 percent of the race.
Despite that mediocrity last week, I'm willing to play Burton because of his Vegas track record. In four Xfinity Series starts here, Burton has four top 10s, including a best finish of fifth. This is a risky play, but he could go under-the-radar this week in GPPs.
Dean Thompson ($6.8K)
Starts 28th
The way qualifying shook out this week, there aren't many good cars that struggled on their lap. That makes Dean Thompson a pretty obvious place differential target.
Look: Thompson has shown in his brief NASCAR career that he really likes to crash. Back in his Truck Series days, it seemed like every week we were collectively waiting for that week's Dean Thompson wreck.
And well...that trend is continuing, as he's been involved in cautions at Atlanta and Phoenix already this year, including crashing out last weekend.
Still, this Sam Hunt Racing car isn't bad at all. It's not elite equipment, but it's a better car than a few of the cars priced ahead of him. If he keeps it clean — which is admittedly a big if — then he can get a top 15 out of the day.
Austin Green ($6.1K)
Starts 36th
For the second time this season, Jordan Anderson Racing is fielding the No. 32 for Austin Green. Best known for some surprisingly strong road course runs, Green has struggled on ovals. He ran two of them last year, finishing 38th at Bristol after crashing and then 29th at Homestead.
Thrilled to have @overplaygamer onboard for multiple races this season! Ready to hit the track and get after it this weekend in Vegas. 🎰 pic.twitter.com/KkyMdiA92h
— Austin Green (@austingreen2_) March 12, 2025
That's concerning, but there's basically no one starting 30th or worse that I love as a place differential carnage play other than Green. The Alpha Prime cars of Brennan Poole and Mason Massey look too slow, and Poole at $6.5K feels too pricey for where that APR team is at right now.
Green struggled on his qualifying lap, but he was 23rd in 10-lap average in practice. He has the best car of anyone starting outside the top 30. For that reason, there's some upside.
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