This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Andy's Frozen Custard 335
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Course: Texas Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 200
Race Preview
AJ Allmendinger added a fifth win to his 2021 haul last week at the Charlotte road course. It was his third start and win at the track, keeping his undefeated record alive and well on the infield circuit. The win clinched his spot among the final eight championship contenders, which will be reduced by another four drivers over the next three races to determine who will race for the title at Phoenix. Jeb Burton, Myatt Snider, Jeremy Clements and Riley Herbst all saw their championship quests come to an end last week as the championship fight marched onward. The round of eight commences this week with a return to Texas Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch won at the track earlier this season, but Allmendinger and Austin Cindric will be the ones leading the field to green from the front row this week, each hoping to be the first to book their spot in the final four with a win.
Key Stats at Texas Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 41
- Winners from pole: 6
- Winners from top-five starters: 25
- Winners from top-10 starters: 33
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2
- Fastest race: 151.707 mph
Previous 10 Texas Winners
2021 spring - Kyle Busch
2020 fall - Harrison Burton
2020 spring - Austin Cindric
2019 fall - Christopher Bell
2019 spring - Kyle Busch
2018 fall - Cole Custer
2018 spring - Ryan Blaney
2017 fall - Erik Jones
2017 spring - Erik Jones
2016 fall - Kyle Larson
Texas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile quad-oval that is most closely related to Charlotte's oval. Ty Gibbs won at Charlotte earlier this season. Kyle Busch scored the win at Texas in June, but series regulars Justin Allgaier, Cindric and Daniel Hemric rounded out the top four. Both 1.5-mile quad-ovals are fast tracks with room in the turns that enable drivers to take different lines when working through traffic or adjusting their approach as handling changes throughout a fuel run. This type of fast circuit favors positive track position, and long, green-flag periods give faster cars the ability to separate themselves from the rest of the competition. Restarts present opportunities for drivers to make up positions, and unexpected cautions could instantly jumble the order if they appear at the wrong time. Teams will generally opt to pit under caution, which means two-tire stops could be a strategy teams use to gain track position throughout the race.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kaz Grala - $11,200
John Hunter Nemechek - $10,700
AJ Allmendinger - $10,500
Justin Allgaier - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Harrison Burton - $9,900
Austin Cindric - $9,800
Noah Gragson - $9,600
Justin Haley - $9,200
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Daniel Hemric - $8,800
Riley Herbst - $8,600
Jeb Burton - $8,400
Sam Mayer - $8,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Brandon Brown - $7,900
Austin Hill - $7,100
Jeremy Clements - $6,100
Alex Labbe - $5,500
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Justin Allgaier - $10,200
Austin Cindric - $9,800
Daniel Hemric - $8,800
Sam Mayer - $8,300
Dylan Lupton - $6,700
Jeremy Clements - $6,100
With at least 20 laps led in each of his last three Texas appearances, Allgaier makes an attractive option this week. He also finished second to Kyle Busch at the track earlier in the season and has 11 top-10 finishes from 22 starts. Cindric will also be hoping to be the first to book his spot in the final four for a shot at defending his series title before moving up to the Cup Series next season. He will start this week's race on the front row and hasn't finished lower than 11th in any of his seven Texas starts. Hemric finished fourth at Texas in June. He led 13 laps in that race and another 81 more his two Texas races prior to that. He'll start third this week and should be a top consideration this week. Sam Mayer had an impressive 10th-place finish last week at Charlotte. He will make his 15th series start of the season this week starting 11th. He was also ninth at Atlanta earlier this year in what might be the closest comparison to what he will face at Texas this week. Dylan Lupton will line up 29th this week but has an average Texas finish of 19th from his two series starts there. He finished 17th in his last race at the track in 2018. The championship fight came to an end for Clements last week, but he will start 14th this week and has been improving his Texas finishes recently. His best result at the track came last spring in an 11th-place outing.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kaz Grala - $11,200
Harrison Burton - $9,900
Riley Herbst - $8,600
Myatt Snider - $7,700
Austin Hill - $7,100
Alex Labbe - $5,500
Kaz Grala comes with a premium price tag this week due to his 32nd starting position. Fantasy players will expect him to move quickly forward. He has two series starts at Texas with a best finish of 18th in 2019. He should outperform that this week. Harrison Burton is one of the final eight championship contenders hoping for a good start to the final elimination round. He'll start eighth this week but already has a Texas win on his resume, along with two other top-10 finishes at the track. Herbst wasn't so lucky last week, and his championship fight came to an end. He'll start this week's race 20th, but scored his best Texas finish of 12th in the June race this season. Similarly, Snider's championship fight is done, but he still has something to prove at this track. He has crashed out of all three of his Texas starts and can score a personal best finish at the track this week if he can get to the finish from the 12th starting position. Austin Hill will make his fifth Xfinity start of the season this week. He raced last week on the road course and has a best finish of ninth at Nashville. He made one other series start at Texas last year but retired due to suspension trouble. Alex Labbe will start this week's race 16th after a 14th-place finish last week at Charlotte. He also finished 18th at Texas earlier this year but finished 11th in this race last season.
