This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Henry 180
Location: Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Course: Road America
Format: 4.05-mile road course
Laps: 45
Race Preview
Road America will host both the NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series races this holiday weekend. Austin Cindric won last year's Xfinity stop at the circuit from the front row. This week's lineup will be set by on-track qualifying Saturday morning before the race. Ty Gibbs, Kyle Busch, and AJ Allmendinger all have won on road courses already this season. All three of those drivers will be looking to add to their series win totals this week as well. For its part, Road America has spread the wins around. In 11 series races at the track not one repeat winner has surfaced. All but one of those races were won by drivers starting inside the first six rows, too. For those reasons, fantasy players will want to pay close attention to Friday's lone practice session, while remaining flexible with their lineups to accommodate adjustments following Saturday's qualifying.
Key Stats at Road America
- Number of races: 11
- Winners from pole: 3
- Winners from top-5 starters: 6
- Winners from top-10 starters: 7
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 1
- Fastest race: 85.171 mph
Previous 10 Road America Winners
2020 - Austin Cindric
2019 - Christopher Bell
2018 - Justin Allgaier
2017 - Jeremy Clements
2016 - Michael McDowell
2015 - Paul Menard
2014 - Brendan Gaughan
2013 - AJ Allmendinger
2012 - Nelson Piquet, Jr.
2011 - Reed Sorenson
As with any road course race, it pays to have track position at Road America. The natural-terrain course offers plenty of long straights with heavy braking areas to allow for passes, but defending a position is often easier than pulling off a successful pass. Drivers will have to take care of their equipment in order to out-brake opponents into the tight turns, while not burning off their tires as they try to jump off corner exit to maximize speed on the straights. A lap at Road America is over four miles long, which offers ample opportunity for teams to try different pit strategies to gain track position throughout the race distance. All of that effort is designed to put their drivers in position at the front of the field in the final laps. Fantasy players should expect teams to plan their stops around the stage breaks and caution periods aiming to be up front for restarts.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Busch - $10,900
Austin Cindric - $10,700
Ty Gibbs - $10,500
AJ Allmendinger - $10,300
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Kevin Harvick - $9,900
Noah Gragson - $9,700
Justin Allgaier - $9,500
Kaz Grala - $9,100
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Harrison Burton - $8,700
Michael Annett - $8,200
Brandon Jones - $8,000
Any Lally - $7,800
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Jeb Burton - $7,600
Alex Labbe - $7,200
Ryan Sieg - $6,800
Brandon Brown - $6,600
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kyle Busch - $10,900
Kaz Grala - $9,100
Michael Annett - $8,200
Andy Lally - $7,800
Alex Labbe - $7,200
Ryan Sieg - $6,800
Kyle Busch is using this weekend's Xfinity race to get extra track experience before tackling the circuit in his Cup car on Sunday. He won on the road course at Austin earlier this season and will be looking add a fourth 2021 Xfinity win to his tally this Saturday. Kaz Grala has proven to be a reliable fantasy option on road courses. He has three Road America starts with two top-five finishes. Michael Annett has eight Road America starts with three top-10s. His best finish at the track was second in 2017. Another road course specialist worth looking at this week is Andy Lally. He has three top-10s from his four series starts at this track and already finished fifth a few weeks ago at Mid-Ohio. Alex Labbe will make his third start at the track this week. His two prior starts here produced 16th- and 15th-place finishes. Ryan Sieg's Road America finishes have been on an upward swing recently. His two best finishes at the track came in the last two seasons when he finished 11th and ninth after starting just inside the top 20.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Austin Cindric - $10,700
AJ Allmendinger - $10,300
Justin Allgaier - $9,500
Myatt Snider - $6,900
Josh Bilicki - $6,700
Spencer Pumpelly - $5,900
It is hard not to consider choosing Austin Cindric when the series visits road courses. He finished second here in 2019 and won this race last season. He has four wins already in 2021 and might be able to add a fifth this week. Fantasy players know AJ Allmendinger is one of the top road course choices, too. He won at Road America in 2013 and was runner up to Cindric in this race last season. Allmendinger also won the most recent road course event at Mid-Ohio. Justin Allgaier is the third previous track winner in this lineup. He won this race in 2018 and was the runner up in Allmendinger's 2013 victory. Last year was Myatt Snider's first Road America start. He crashed out of that race, but finished in the top 15 on Dayton's infield road course earlier this season. He is coming off of his first top-10 finish since Talladega, which could give him a boost of much needed confidence this week. Josh Bilicki's average finish from five Road America starts is 23.4. Three of those finishes were in the top 20, and his best result is 12th. Finishing off the higher-risk option is road course specialist Spencer Pumpelly. He took part in the trip to COTA earlier this year and finished 19th after qualifying 16th. He is a road course veteran who could give fantasy owners a bargain-priced top-15 or top-10.
