Overview
Richmond is known as “America’s premier short track” and could be considered a fan-favorite venue. The .75-mile asphalt oval opened in 1946 and the XFINITY Series has been racing there since 1982. The drivers will turn 250 laps totaling 187.5 miles making this race the one with the most dominator points available on the XFINITY schedule thus far in 2023. Green flag is set for just after 1:40 p.m. Eastern.
Strategy
I mentioned above that this race has the most dominator points available on the schedule to this point and that track position is important here. When considering those two factors, finding the driver(s) who will lead the most laps will be a major factor in winning or simply placing in a tournament. I’ll be looking to roster two potential dominators in most of my lineups because of the hefty amount of dominator points available.
Most comparable tracks: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway
*Note: all pricing is DraftKings focused
Top Drivers
Justin Allgaier ($11,000)
While the last two races at Richmond for Allgaier have not been stellar (13th and 14th place finishes) despite qualifying well, specifically in race their last year when he qualified on the pole. Prior to that, Allgaier had five consecutive top-four finishes including two straight wins there in 2020. When looking at the full body of work here for Allgaier he’s posted eight top-five’s and 11 top-10’s in 23 races there. The driver of the 7 car has been strong at similar tracks such as Phoenix and New Hampshire and he’ll be a contender here this week.
Chandler Smith ($10,800)
To start the season Smith has been very strong racking up top-10 finishes in each of his first five races. In his lone start at Richmond in the XFINITY Series he won, last season starting from the eighth-position leading 83 laps. Smith has qualified extremely well thus far in 2024 starting on the front row twice and fourth once, although the last two weeks he’s started 12th and 19th. Despite those lackluster qualifying efforts, Smith still managed to finish second two races ago and fifth in his last race. Two things are for certain and that’s that Smith is extremely talented and will have a good car to hit the track with this weekend. As of right now he’s the odds-on favorite to win the race.
Cole Custer ($10,500)
Custer did not qualify well at this event last season when he started back at 22nd. Despite that he managed to finish fifth and that was his third XFINITY top-five finish in eight races in this car at this track. Custer has been good at Phoenix and New Hampshire in this car too including a win at Phoenix last season to seal the XFINITY Championship. Custer has an average finish of eighth this season including three top-five finishes.
Austin Hill ($9,500)
Starting 18th, Hill already has three wins on the season and five top-10’s in six races. Despite a 37th place finish last week due to engine issues, Hill is in a position to pick up place differential points as well as being a contender to win. Hill’s car has been good on the long run this season leading 103, 19, and 39 laps in his three wins.
Corey Heim ($7,800)
A very talented young driver is Heim who finished 13th a couple of weeks ago. Heim is running the Craftsman Truck Series as a regular and he’s coming into this XFINITY race with momentum after a win last week.
Jeb Burton ($6,500)
When looking for some value on this slate I’m looking down to Jeb Burton. The Virginia native has been extremely strong at one of his home tracks, especially over his last four XFINITY races there. In those races Burton has finished 12th, 11th, 10th, and second while starting 16th, 38th, sixth, and 10th. Before wrecking out late in the race this year at Phoenix, Burton had been running well and finished 12th there last season in the last race. Burton also had a seventh-place finish at New Hampshire last season so it seems to me the he’s comfortable on the short tracks. His price offers good value.
Shane Van Gisbergen ($7,500)
It’s obvious the SVG is a great road course racer but it’s also clear that he’s just simply a great driver and is adapting well to the different types of tracks that NASCAR has to offer. SVG drove through the field at Phoenix where he started 23rd and finished sixth which is very impressive considering how that track plays and how the tire wear is. Going to Richmond he’ll have a lot of the same characteristics to deal with, except the tire wear is more severe. Overall, SVG makes for a solid mid-range play.
Also Consider:
Taylor Gray ($8,500)
Jesse Love ($9,400)
Sheldon Creed ($10,000)
Sam Mayer ($9,000)
Ryan Sieg ($7,000)
Bubba Pollard ($8,000)
GOOD LUCK!!