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Welcome to the NASCAR DFS Pit Stop for the Xfinity series for the 2021 season! If you’ve been with us before then, you know the drill, but welcome if you are new to WinDaily Sports or my NASCAR content! I break down the field each week and give you my favorite plays for each race in three different price categories.
Make sure to check out my NASCAR DFS Tutorial to make sure you are ready and understand how I break down the races and build lineups (https://windailysports.com/nascar-dfs-pit-stop-2021-introduction-to-nascar-dfs/). You will notice that all pricing is for DraftKings in these articles since they are the only site with contests for all three series (Trucks, Xfinity, Cup) and the site I mainly play on. All plays in the Cup Series article will translate to FanDuel if that is where you play.
After two weeks at road courses, the Xfinity Series is finally back racing on an oval. It has been two years since the Xfinity Series was at Michigan and the previous winner just happens to be in the field on Saturday. Tyler Reddick ($10,500) led just 11 laps but ended up in victory lane followed by another driver in this race, Noah Gragson ($9,000). Both of these drivers are in play for me again on Saturday, but there are a couple of drivers who I think are better options.
NASCAR DFS: Dominators
Ty Gibbs ($11,000)
Starting Position: 10th
It has come to the point where if Ty Gibbs is in the race, he will be in the article. I don’t care he is $11,000, I will be playing Gibbs on Saturday. He has the potential to win in any race he is in and has great place differential upside this week. I think he will be popular, but with Cindric being priced $1,000 cheaper that may lower his ownership some.
Brandon Jones ($9,400)
Starting Position: 24th
I anticipate that people will overlook Jones based on his recent performances with three finishes of 36th or worse in his last four races. While I do consider current form when building lineups, I also look at the track record. Jones has been great at Michigan in his four races here, including last year when he finished 6th. In his four career races here, Jones has three top 10’s and his worse finish is 18th. Jones presents us with some really great value when you combine his place differential upside and price.
Tyler Reddick ($10,500)
Starting Position: 22nd
As I already mentioned, Reddick won the last time the Xfinity Series was at Michigan in 2019. Reddick also has finishes of 7th and 13th in his previous races here before 2019. I don’t know if I see Reddick as a contender for the win in this car, but he is definitely a candidate for a top 10. I am not sure what his ownership will be, but I think he may come in a little low-owned because I think Gibbs and Cindric get the majority of ownership in this price tier.
Daniel Hemric ($9,800)
Starting Position: 7th
Hemric is having his best season as a professional in 2021 and has a legitimate shot at his first career NASCAR win in this race. In two previous races here at Michigan in the Xfinity Series, Hemric has 12th (2017) and 2nd (2018) and both of those races were in the RCR #21, now that he is in JGR equipment he has shown how good he is.
As always when it comes to the Xfinity Series I will have exposure to Austin Cindric ($10,000). He starts on the pole and could lead a lot of laps here. I see a few different paths with him in your builds. You can use him with Gibbs and Jones, or with Reddick and Gibbs but you will have to get creative with the value plays.
Other Options: Josh Berry ($9,200 – P17): I would prefer Berry be under $9K, but he is in the #1 for the injured Annett this week and should contend for a top 10, Justin Allgaier ($10,200 – P7), Noah Gragson ($9,000 – P4), Bubba Wallace ($11,500 – P36): VERY expensive, but starts 36th and has some big upside. His equipment is not great but he has the ability to get more out of it than Austin Hill typically does.
NASCAR DFS: Mid Tier
Ryan Sieg ($7,400)
Starting Position: 23rd
With all the high salaries we want to roster in the top tier we need to find some value to put with them, enter Ryan Sieg. Before he finishes 32nd last week, Sieg had a string of races where he finished 18th or better in 7 of 8 races. In his career here at Michigan, Sieg has finished 19th or better in all 6 races and has three top 15 finishes. Sieg is the best combination of salary and upside in this tier to pair with our Gibbs/Reddick or Cindric builds.
Brett Moffitt ($8,100)
Starting Position: 20th
Moffitt has never run an Xfinity car here at Michigan, but he has raced five times in the Truck Series here. In those five races, Moffitt has performed well with four finishes inside the top 6, including 2 wins. Moffitt is not really a threat to win, but he does have more experience than most with this track and that should give him an advantage. As long as his car stays healthy, I see Moffitt coming away with a top 10 on Saturday
Both AJ Allmendinger ($8,900 – P2) and Justin Haley ($8,700 – P3) are good pivots off of Brandon Jones and are ways to get exposure to potential dominator points. Allmendinger has never run an Xfinity car at Michigan, and Haley has only raced here once (10th place in 2019) but they are both in great equipment and could push Cindric for the early lead in this race. Both should be in and around the top 5 all day and with their salaries being under $9K they can fall back a few positions and still hit value.
Other Options: Jeb Burton ($8,300 – P12), Sam Mayer ($8,500 – P16), Brandon Brown ($7,600 – P25),
NASCAR DFS: Value Tier Rankings
- Bayley Currey ($5,400) P39: Start second to last, he is cheap and can’t really hurt you. Currey is the value we need for those top tier drivers.
- Ryan Varags ($4,800) P35: Varags only has one finish outside the top 30 in his last 10 races, and has top 25 upside on Saturday. For this salary he is one of the best FPTS/$ play on the slate.
- Jesse Little ($5,000) P33: Little has some upside but is riskier than the two drivers above him
- Colin Garrett ($6,000) P29: Garrett has only one Xfinity race this season, but he did finish 15th at Talladega in the spring
- Caesar Bacarella ($5,300) P34: Decent value starting from P34, with top 30 upside. Bacarella is a “superspeedway” specialist and has an average finish of 26.8 at similar tracks.
- Jeremy Clements ($6,800) P11: Clements will probably fall back a few spots, but a top 15 is possible. In his last 8 races, Clements has seven finishes of 16th or better.
- Colby Howard ($6,500) P38: DK did a smart thing and priced these guys starting at the back up this week, but if you have the salary, or want to avoid the mid tier, Howard is a nice option.
- Jade Buford ($5,500) P19: I know we have been hurt by him this season, but he has enough quality finishes where I am willing to go back. Buford has eight top 21 finishes in his last 10 races, I like that consistency.
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