This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Contender Boats 250
Location: Homestead, Fl.
Course: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile oval
Laps: 167
Race Preview
Ty Gibbs won last week's road course adventure at Daytona International Speedway, winning in his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start. He joined a small list of some of the greatest drivers the sport has seen by accomplishing the impressive feat, and he was the first to do it since Kurt Busch won in his first series start in 2006. Gibbs will resume his part-time Xfinity schedule at Phoenix Raceway in March. This weekend Homestead Miami Speedway's 1.5-mile oval awaits the rest of the drivers for the Contender Boats 250. Austin Cindric enters the weekend atop the standings with first- and second-place finishes in the first two races. His early success earned him the top starting spot for Saturday's race alongside Daniel Hemric. The most recent Miami winners, Harrison Burton and Chase Briscoe, won the back-to-back Miami races last season, but this weekend's race is the only scheduled Miami stop in 2021.
Key Stats at Homestead
- Number of races: 27
- Winners from pole: 5
- Winners from top-5 starters: 15
- Winners from top-10 starters: 20
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 4
- Fastest race: 140.515 mph
Previous 10 Homestead Winners
2020 race 2 - Chase Briscoe
2020 race 1 - Harrison Burton
2019 - Tyler Reddick
2018 - Tyler Reddick
2017 - Cole Custer
2016 - Daniel Suarez
2015 - Kyle Larson
2014 - Matt Kenseth
2013 - Brad Keselowski
2012 - Regan Smith
This week's Contender Boats 250 will be the only visit to Homestead's oval this season after back-to-back races were hosted there in 2020 after the pandemic altered the calendar midseason. Harrison Burton won the first of those races from pole, while Chase Briscoe won the following day from the ninth starting position. Tyler Reddick won the two prior races at the circuit, and he will rejoin the field to try for three this weekend. This will be the 28th time the series has raced at the track, and no driver has won when starting outside of the top 10 since Jeff Burton won from 30th on the grid back in 2007. Only one other time since 2003, when the track was reconfigured to its current specifications, has someone won from outside the top 10, which was when Kevin Harvick won from 12th in 2004. Homestead's pole sitter has won five times, the most recent being Harrison Burton's win last season.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Tyler Reddick - $11,700
Noah Gragson - $11,300
AJ Allmendinger - $11,000
Austin Cindric - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Justin Allgaier - $9,900
Harrison Burton - $9,600
Brandon Jones - $9,300
Daniel Hemric - $9,100
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Justin Haley - $8,900
Riley Herbst - $8,700
Myatt Snider - $8,300
Jeb Burton - $8,100
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Brett Moffitt - $7,700
Alex Labbe - $7,200
Gray Gaulding - $6,200
Bayley Currey - $5,600
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Noah Gragson - $11,300
Austin Cindric - $10,200
Harrison Burton - $9,600
Josh Williams - $6,700
Brandon Brown - $6,500
Bayley Currey - $5,600
Noah Gragson led more than 80 laps in both Homestead races last season but failed to win both times. He has three top-fives from three series starts and a 23rd-place starting position, which should give extra points to fantasy lineups from finish differential. Cindric has come out of the gate swinging this season as he tries to defend his 2020 title. He has first- and second-place finishes in the first two races this season, starts from pole on Saturday and has led 124 laps in his last three Homestead starts. His average finish at the track is 6.0. Last year's Homestead win was one of four from Harrison Burton. He starts on the second row Saturday and hasn't finished worse than 10th in his three starts at the track. Josh Williams led one lap and finished 12th in the second of last year's races at the track. That was his best finish at the circuit and he will start 15th Saturday. Brandon Brown will be working to convert his top-10 start into his first top-10 finish at Homestead this week. His best result was 13th in 2019. The final selection for the lower-risk lineup is Bayley Currey, who's 34th-place starting spot could pay off in positive finish differential points. His two prior Homestead races give him an average finish of 25.0.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Tyler Reddick - $11,700
Justin Allgaier - $9,900
Justin Haley - $8,900
Alex Labbe - $7,200
Gray Gaulding - $6,200
Tommy Joe Martins - $5,900
Tyler Reddick won consecutive Homestead races in 2018 and 2019. His only other series start at the track was a fourth-place finish from pole in 2017. His speed and deep starting position is another good combination that fantasy players should capitalize on. Justin Allgaier will start in the middle of the field. He has 12 career Homestead starts with two top-10 finishes. He was 14th in 2019 but finished outside of the top 20 in both races there last season. Justin Haley had a good recovery last week after crashing out of the first race of the year. He will start eighth this weekend has a best finish of sixth at the track, which was last season. DGM Racing's Alex Labbe has four Homestead starts with an average finish of 21.8. He crashed out of the first race this season and then missed the top 20 last week on the road course. A top-20 run this week could help him get the season back on course, especially with a 25th-place starting spot. Gray Gaulding last visited Homestead in an Xfinity machine in 2019. He finished 17th after starting 26th that day and will start in the same spot this week. Tommy Joe Martins will be the last selection in this lineup. He finished 20th in the second race here last season and has back-to-back 24th-place finishes to start this year.
