This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
New Holland 250
Location: Brooklyn, Mich.
Course: Michigan International Speedway
Format: 2.0-mile D-shaped oval
Laps: 125
Race Preview
Five races remain in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season, and the countdown to the playoffs continues this week with a return to Michigan International Speedway for the first time since 2019. The series traditionally had one Michigan visit each year until the pandemic altered the schedule in 2020. The track has hosted 28 series races, and the most recent winner was Tyler Reddick. With seven playoff positions still to be settled the action continued to heat up. Austin Cindric currently sits atop the standings with five wins, including last week's race around the road course at Indianapolis. In fact, both Indianapolis NASCAR winners from last week will start on the front row this week at Michigan. Cindric will lead the field to the green flag with AJ Allmendinger alongside, who won last week's Cup Series race.
Key Stats at Michigan International Speedway
- Number of races: 28
- Winners from pole: 3
- Winners from top-5 starters: 16
- Winners from top-10 starters: 19
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2
- Fastest race: 169.571 mph
Previous 10 Michigan Winners
2019 - Tyler Reddick
2018 - Austin Dillon
2017 - Denny Hamlin
2016 - Daniel Suarez
2015 - Kyle Busch
2014 - Paul Menard
2013 - Regan Smith
2012 - Joey Logano
2011 - Carl Edwards
2010 - Brad Keselowski
Michigan International Speedway is a big, wide oval that requires horsepower and momentum for success. The wide corners offer plenty of choices for drivers to move their cars up and down the track to affect handling and maximize speed down the long straights. That flexibility allows more passing than at some other circuits on the calendar. Michigan's long lap also opens the door to differing pit strategies. Pitting under green is less of a penalty than at some of the shorter circuits, which could come into play as drivers sacrifice stage finishes to maximize their chances for the race win. Another thing for fantasy managers to consider is the fact that Ford hasn't won at Michigan in the Xfinity Series since 2011 despite dominating Victory Lane at the track in recent seasons in the Cup Series.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Ty Gibbs - $11,000
Tyler Reddick - $10,500
Justin Allgaier - $10,200
Austin Cindric - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Daniel Hemric - $9,800
Harrison Burton - $9,600
Brandon Jones - $9,400
Noah Gragson - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
AJ Allmendinger - $8,900
Justin Haley - $8,700
Sam Mayer - $8,500
Jeb Burton - $8,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Riley Herbst - $7,900
Brandon Brown - $7,600
Jeremy Clements - $6,800
Alex Labbe - $5,600
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Ty Gibbs - $11,000
Daniel Hemric - $9,800
Riley Herbst - $7,800
Ryan Sieg - $7,400
Landon Cassill - $7,000
Jeremy Clements - $6,800
Ty Gibbs has been nothing short of a sensation in the Xfinity Series this season. He has won three of 11 races thus far and will start 10th this week at Michigan. He has only failed to lead laps in two of those 11 starts and has made himself a reliable fantasy selection despite only running a part-time schedule. Daniel Hemric will line up seventh as he continues to prepare for the playoffs. He was the runner up at this track last time out in 2018, and a first season win this weekend would clinch his spot in the championship playoffs. Riley Herbst crashed out of his only series start at this track in 2019. He started that race 30th, but will be ahead of much of the traffic early this time with his eight-place starting spot. Ryan Sieg has six series Michigan starts and hasn't finished lower than 19th in any of them. He starts 23rd this week, which gives him a good chance of extending that run of top-20s. Landon Cassill also has a good deal of Michigan experience with four series starts and a best finish of 14th. He also finished 17th last week at Indianapolis. Selecting Jeremy Clements also gives fantasy players another potential playoff contender deeper in the roster. He will line up 11th Saturday and has finished 16th or better in the last four races, and has back to back 15th-place finishes in his last two Michigan starts.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Bubba Wallace - $11,500
Noah Gragson - $9,000
Brett Moffitt - $8,100
Myatt Snider - $7,700
Brandon Brown - $7,600
Colin Garrett - $6,000
Bubba Wallace will make a rare Xfinity Series appearance this week. His 36th-place starting position should make him a top fantasy target with the assumption that he'll be able to finish significantly higher in the order. Noah Gragson is still searching for a 2021 win, and getting it prior to the playoffs would be a boost for him. He'll start fourth this week and finished second the last time the series visited this circuit. Brett Moffitt will be anxious to make a return to ovals this week. He has had his share of challenges at the road courses but has been capable of delivering top-10 finishes at the ovals with the most recent coming at New Hampshire. Myatt Snider enters this week's race with two top-10s in the last three races. This will be his first series appearance at Michigan and will have the ninth starting position to work from. Brandon Brown sits just behind Herbst in the playoff standings and will aim to make up some of that narrow point deficit. He has two prior Michigan Xfinity starts. Finally, Colin Garrett returns to the Xfinity series for the first time since Talladega. He finished 15th in that race and will line up 29th this time.
