This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Pit Boss 250
Location: Austin, Texas
Course: Circuit of the Americas
Format: 3.41-mile road course
Laps: 46
Race Preview
The NASCAR Xfinity Series goes road racing for the first time this season at the Circuit of the Americas. Kyle Busch won last year's inaugural race at the track from pole in a dominant day, leading 35 of the race's 46 laps. AJ Allmendinger was the runner up that afternoon and will aim to finish one position higher this week to score his first victory of the season to become the fourth series regular to claim a spot among the playoff contenders. Ty Gibbs leads the field in victories so far this season with two, including last week's race at Atlanta, and he is also a former road course winner who will be aiming to add to his tally this week. This will be the second time the series visited COTA, and with Busch not entered, it means we will see a first-time winner at the track.
Key Stats at Circuit of the Americas
- Number of races: 1
- Winners from pole: 1
- Winners from top-5 starters: 1
- Winners from top-10 starters: 1
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 72.723 mph
Recent COTA Winners
2021 - Kyle Busch
Circuit of the Americas is a long, 20-turn, natural-terrain road course with significant elevation changes and many different types of turns. The course's long straights feature heavy braking areas and will tempt drivers to out-brake one another to move forward in the running order. As with any road course, grip is paramount to getting through the turns as quickly as possible and launching down the straights. Drivers will have to take care of their equipment, especially their brakes, in order to have machinery to lean on when racing in the closing laps. The long lap also allows teams to experiment with pit strategy. Caution periods may dictate when cars head for pit road, but traffic could play as big of a role in the decision to duck in as well. Fantasy players should expect the top road course racers to qualify at the front and work to stay there by avoiding mistakes through the race distance.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
AJ Allmendinger - $10,500
Ty Gibbs - $10,400
Justin Allgaier - $10,200
Ross Chastain - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Noah Gragson - $9,900
Daniel Hemric - $9,700
Cole Custer - $9,500
Brandon Jones - $9,100
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Miguel Paludo - $8,900
Sheldon Creed - $8,700
Landon Cassill - $8,500
Parker Kligerman - $8,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Sam Mayer - $7,800
Jade Buford - $7,400
Anthony Alfredo - $6,900
Sage Karam - $5,600
My Picks
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
AJ Allmendinger - $10,500
Cole Custer - $9,500
Miguel Paludo - $8,900
Sheldon Creed - $8,700
Jade Buford - $7,400
Bayley Currey - $5,000
The top choice this week for fantasy players will likely be AJ Allmendinger. He is one of the best drivers in NASCAR on these types of tracks and can never be counted out. He won the first stage of that race and then went on to finish second behind Kyle Busch. Cole Custer also raced in this even last season. He finished seventh and will be using another Xfinity start this year to get more track experience before Sunday's Cup race. He already has an Xfinity win this season from Fontana. Miguel Paludo is a road course ringer whom fantasy players should also consider. He suffered a rear gear failure in this race last season but qualified 15th for the race. He finished seventh at the Daytona road course last year, coming from the 35th starting position to do so. Sheldon Creed is a road course winner in the Trucks Series and finished fifth at COTA in that series last season. He worked his way into the playoff standings with another top-10 finish last week at Atlanta, too. Jade Buford is also an experienced road racer. He finished 15th in this race last season and has a top-10 finish at Charlotte's road course, too. Bayley Currey claims the final slot in this lineup. He has three top-20s so far this season and brings a good chance of additional points for finish differential.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Ty Gibbs - $10,400
Ross Chastain - $10,000
Landon Cassill - $8,500
Sam Mayer - $7,800
Anthony Alfredo - $6,900
Brandon Brown - $6,400
Road racing is no weak spot for Ty Gibbs. The young driver with two victories already this season has won on the road course of both Daytona and Watkins Glen. This will be his first series race at COTA. Ross Chastain has been knocking on the door of a victory in the Cup Series this season, but will get some extra seat time this week in the Xfinity Series. He has three Cup road course top-10s and finished fourth in the Cup Series race at this track last season. Landon Cassill enters this week's race 11th in the standings with three consecutive top-10 finishes. He finished 22nd in this race last season after starting 30th. This week will be Sam Mayer's first series run at this track. He does have top-10 finishes at Watkins Glen and the infield road course at Charlotte to give fantasy players confidence in considering him, however. Anthony Alfredo's best road course finish came at this track last season when he started 37th and finished 18th in the Cup version of this race. Rounding out the higher-risk lineup is Brandon Brown. He finished 26th in this race last season but has top-10 finishes at Mid-Ohio and the Daytona road course.
