Overview
With three races left before the Xfinity playoffs, the drivers hear to Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. They’ll turn over 147 laps for a total of 200 miles on the 1.366-mile asphalt oval often referred to as the “Lady in Black” or the “Track Too Tough To Tame”. The banking in turns one and two sit at 25 degrees with three and four resting at 23 degrees. Darlington is an extremely tricky track and one that the drivers often find themselves dealing with turn two, one of the toughest corners in NASCAR. With this weekend came a new wrinkle as the often-patched turn two was completely repaved. With two cautions spanning nine laps after lap 132 at Darlington earlier this season, Justin Allgaier and Josh Berry traded the lead three times before Allgaier eventually hung on in what was an incredibly exciting race. Both were able to drive up through the field (Allgaier started 16th, Berry 24th) to find a way to finish one-two. Other highlights included Michael Annett finishing seventh after starting 20th and Brandon Jones finishing third after starting 22nd. Daniel Hemric started seventh and finished fifth while leading 38 laps and having the second-most fastest laps with 8. He’ll be on the pole on Saturday as a dominator contender. Let’s not forget that we’ll have three Cup regulars in this race with Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and Austin Dillon joining the field. Hamlin ran this race last year, started 37th and finished fifth. Reddick fares well at these types of tracks, track in which some drivers seperate themselves by running as close to the wall up the track as possible. Reddick has finished second and third in his last two Xfinity races at Darlington respectively with 70 laps led in his last appearance. This will be a fun and exciting race and one where we can make some substantial DFS profit!
Most comparable tracks: Homestead and Atlanta Motor Speedway
*Note: all pricing is DraftKings focused
Dominators
These are the drivers that we can typically expect to, you guessed it, dominate the race. When we think dominator we are looking for guys that will be in a position to lead a hefty amount of laps as well as be able to turn over fastest laps.
Daniel Hemric ($9,200)
Starting on the pole, Hemric should be able to get out to an early lead and pace the field for the majority of the first stage. In two of his last three races at Darlington in an Xfinity car Hemric has finished in the top six with his last race resulting in a fifth-place finish with 38 laps led. Due to some high-price tagged place differential candidates this week, though, dominator plays such as Hemric could slide under the radar as far as ownership goes.
Noah Gragson ($9,900)
Gragson, one of the more aggressive drivers in the Xfinity Series has seen some solid results at Darlington, a track that suits his style. In four trips to the Lady in Black in an Xfinity ride, Gragson has two top fives and four top ten finishes with 40 or more laps led on two occasions. Starting eighth, it might take a bit longer for Gragson to get to the front but if he does he’s a prime dominator candidate.
Denny Hamlin ($10,400)
As one of the Cup regulars in this race, Hamlin serves as a candidate to dominate at a track he’s always had success at including three wins and five top 10’s in a Cup car in 18 races as well as five wins in 13 trips at the Xfinity level.
Also consider:
Justin Allgaier ($9,700)
Justin Haley ($8,400)
Place Differential Targets
This is where the focus should be and where the money is going to be made. Finding the drivers with place differential that can stay out of trouble and see this race to the end is paramount.
To be brutally honest, I don’t see any “sneaky” place differential targets in this race. Simply put, most of the top drivers are starting toward the back and the value options in this area are somewhat obvious. Below I’ll list the “chalk” options and after that, I’ll mention some to consider if you’re looking to get away from the herd.
Austin Cindric ($11,300), Starting 24th
Austin Dillon ($10,800), Starting 35th
Tyler Reddick ($10,200), Starting 28th
Brandon Jones ($10,600), Starting 25th
Value Place Differential Plays:
Gray Gaulding ($6,900), Starting 40th
Timmy Hill ($5,200), Starting 29th
Brandon Brown ($7,600), Starting 23rd
Speedy Notes
Driver(s) I have most exposure to: Denny Hamlin
Driver I’m fading that worries me: Austin Dillon
Driver(s) I have zero interest in: Harrison Burton
GOOD LUCK!!