The summer stretch of the NASCAR XFINITY Series enters the road course portion of its schedule, and starting with Saturday’s Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International, three of the next four races will be road course events.
This week, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is also at The Glen, and we have multiple big names pulling double duty, creating one of the more loaded field in several weeks. Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney are scheduled to be in the event, and former Cup driver and road course ace A.J. Allmendinger is also listed.
With multiple heavy hitters in the field, we can narrow our focus when it comes to pursuing dominator points at DraftKings. I expect Busch, Blaney and Allmendinger to hog most of the dominator points, and there’s a good chance that one of these big names will finish as the top dominator and top scorer at DraftKings.
However, you also need to keep in mind that Saturday’s race is just 82 laps, so I wouldn’t recommend trying to top load your lineups with all of these Cup stars. There aren’t enough dominator points to support huge point totals for three drivers, so ideally, you can identify the top option of the trio and build around them.
Having these established studs in the field also hurts the value of the XFINITY Series stars Christopher Bell, Cole Custer and Tyler Reddick. While these three have been dominating throughout 2019, none of them have shown elite upside at the road courses, and it is unlikely to happen this weekend with Busch, Blaney and Allmendinger lurking. The “Big 3” of the XFINITY Series could end up being a big waste of money this weekend.
One last thing to consider will be the place differential category. With fewer laps on tap than a typical race, differential points become more valuable by comparison. If any quality drivers start deeper in the field, they become must-own options, especially in cash games.
Must-Own Drivers
Kyle Busch ($12,100)
Busch hasn’t dominated at Watkins Glen at the XFINITY level like he has at a lot of other tracks, but he does have six Top 5s in 10 starts here, leading double-digit laps in five of those races. He also won his most recent start here in 2017, leading a race-high 43 laps in the process. At this price, he is going to have to dominate to make it worth your while, but Busch is capable of doing just that whenever he runs in the XFINITY Series.
Ryan Blaney ($11,800)
He has never participated in an XFINITY race at Watkins Glen, but Blaney does have two road course starts in the series, finishing in the Top 3 in both of them. Team Penske has always had an excellent road racing program, so look for Blaney to be a major player for the win with plenty of dominator upside.
A.J. Allmendinger ($11,500)
Allmendinger is one of the best road course drivers in NASCAR today, and he landed a ride with Kaulig Racing for Saturday’s race. He led 11 laps and finished second at The Glen last year in his only prior XFINITY start at the track, and he went to victory lane in his other two road course starts in the series. Don’t be surprised if Allmendinger ends up controlling this race from start to finish.
Difference Makers and Value Plays
Justin Allgaier ($9,900)
Among the series regulars, Allgaier is by far the most accomplished at the road courses. He owns three road course wins overall, and he won two of the four road races last year, finishing third or better in three of them. If you are looking to fade the big names, Allgaier should be one of your top alternatives.
Austin Cindric ($9,300)
Although he has been a boom-or-bust option at the road courses, there is no denying that Cindric is one of the best road racers in the XFINITY Series. He has led laps in four of his five starts, and he finished in the Top 3 in two of the four road course events last year, leading double-digit laps in two of those starts. Even in a loaded field, Cindric is a legit contrarian dominator candidate.
Ryan Preece ($8,700)
Preece isn’t known as a road course racer, but he when he had great equipment to work with last year, he finished fourth at Watkins Glen and fourth at The Roval for Joe Gibbs Racing. He will drive the JR Motorsports No. 8 this weekend, so he will once again be behind the wheel of elite equipment. The Top 5 upside could make him a great pivot to one of the high-priced Cup guys.
Chase Briscoe (8,000)
On the heels of his win at Iowa, Briscoe could be poised to make some more noise at The Glen this weekend. After all, he led 33 laps and went to victory lane at The Roval last fall in just his second road course start at the XFINITY level. He has also been rock solid all season, logging Top 10s in 14 of the 19 races. At worst, he should be a solid cash game option, and he is a dark horse candidate to challenge for the win.
Alex Labbe ($7,800)
Labbe made his first road course starts in the XFINITY Series last season, and he more than held his own. He cracked the Top 20 in all four races, logging a pair of Top 15s and posting a 14.2 average finish overall. If he starts in the middle of the pack or worse, I won’t hesitate to use him for some cap relief.
Ross Chastain ($7,500)
While he doesn’t have great equipment, Chastain always seems to get the most out of whatever he drives, especially in his road course starts. He has six Top 15s in his last 10 road races, and he has only finished outside the Top 20 once in that stretch. If Chastain has some place differential after qualifying, he should be a solid mid-priced play.
Sleeper Special
Joey Gase ($5,600)
Gase was a sneaky DFS sleeper at the road courses last year, cracking the Top 25 in all four races and posting a 22.0 average finish. He gained an average of 8.8 spots per race in those starts, gaining double-digit spots twice. If Gase starts around 30th or worse, he will be my punt play of choice if I decide to roster two of the high-priced studs.
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