United Rentals 300
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
Course: Daytona International Speedway
Format: Tri-Oval
Length: 2.5 miles
Laps: 120
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series United Rentals 300 Preview
A new NASCAR season is upon us. Even though the Championship race concluded just over three months ago, there are a lot of changes to cover what is formerly known as the Xfinity series. The second-tier NASCAR Circuit is now known as the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, and we have a fresh crop of rookie drivers to get familiar with. The two most prominent additions to the series are Rajah Caruth and Corey Day, both of whom have raced part-time in the series in recent years. Patrick Staropoli, Austin Green and Lavar Scott are also now full-time drivers and will be names to get more familiar with as the season progresses.
Key Stats at Daytona
- Number of Races: 68
- Winners from Pole: 7
- Winners from Top 5: 30
- Winners from Top 10: 48
Previous Winners at Daytona
2025 fall – Connor Zilisch
2025 spring – Jesse Love
2024 fall- Ryan Truex
2024 spring– Austin Hill
2023 fall- Justin Allgaier
2023 spring- Austin Hill
2022 fall- Jeremy Clements
2022 spring- Austin Hill
2021 fall - Justin Haley
2021 spring- Austin Cindric
Daytona International Speedway is one of the most well-known speedways in the country and annually kicks off the NASCAR calendar. The superspeedway is known for producing the "big one," a race-altering crash that often alters the outcome of the race in a significant manner. The style of racing also differs from what we see on a typical track, as teammates and manufacturers will often race together in packs. This is more typical in the Cup series (due to a higher level of overall skill), but this race will be heavily reliant upon collaborative strategy relative to many of the other races we'll see in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
In line with that general trend, we tend to see manufacturer dominance at Daytona more than most tracks. Chevrolet clearly holds the crown, having won 15 of the last 17 races. Toyota appeared to have closed the gap last by showing well in practice, but by qualifying and race day, Chevrolet was convincingly the quickest manufacturer.
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Values for the United Rentals 300
Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap
Tier 1 DraftKings Values
Austin Hill - $10,500
Jesse Love - $10,200
Justin Allgaier- $10,000
Tier 2 DraftKings Values
Sheldon Creed - $9,500
Carson Kvapil -$9,100
Carson Hocevar - $9,000
Tier 3 DraftKings Values
Taylor Gray - $8,700
Gio Ruggiero - $8,300
Harrison Burton - $8,000
Tier 4 DraftKings Values
Dean Thompson - $6,900
Lavar Scott- $5,000
Patrick Emerling - $4,900
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Optimal DFS Lineup for the United Rentals 300
Austin Hill - $10,500
Jesse Love - $10,200
Carson Hocevar - $9,000
Gio Ruggiero - $8,300
Dean Thompson - $6,900
Patrick Emerling- $4,900
Before getting into specific drivers, it's worth diving into the general philosophy and opportunity of Daytona and the first race of the season. There are a lot of things we know, but there are just as many that we don't. That creates inefficiency in pricing and opportunity to build a stars and scrubs lineup. The sample above is an extreme example, but there are variations of it that are still sound builds for those that want to take on less risk.
Any combination of the drivers in Tier 1 make sense. Allgaier only has one win in 30 starts at Daytona, but he's finished inside the top 10 in seven of the last nine races at the track – five of which have been top-five finishes. Anyone who has followed this series knows that Austin Hill owns this track. In a head-to-head comparison with Allgaier, Hill has led 148 laps to Allgaier's 90 combined across the last six races. Hill also has two wins in that span. He had accidents in each of the races at Daytona last season, so he has the better chance of a very big score, while Allgaier is the steadier option. Love shouldn't be discounted. He finished fourth in first in the two races last season and dominate the field alongside Hill for most of the spring race.
Hocevar and Creed are also more on the side of known quantities. Hocevar is volatile race-to-race given his aggressive driving style, but he is guaranteed to be one of the fastest drivers on Saturday night. Creed is a discount version of Allgaier. He has finished inside the top 10 in four of the last six races at Daytona and inside the top five on three occasions.
Even in the lower price ranges, there are some drivers with strong records at Daytona. Emerling is certainly the most surprising of all. He's raced at the track as part of the O'Reilly Auto Parts series (Xfinity at the time) four times in the last two seasons, finishing 17th and 18th in 2024 and 10th and 13th in 2025. In the two races last season, he delivered 59.9 and 51.4 DK points, respectively. It's a small sample, but at the very least, Emerling is mispriced based on past results. Needless to say, he unlocks pretty much any roster build given his price point. Thompson is a bit of a less risky punt option. He performed well in general in the series last year, and he finished seventh and eighth at Daytona.
From there, we can get into some of the unknowns with high upside and a palatable price. Giovanni Ruggiero arguably adds unnecessary risk because he's not cheap, but he performed very well at Daytona and Talladega in the Truck Series in 2025 and has the potential to be an impact rookie. Harrison Burton is a safer pick in a similar price range.
Lavar Scott is another rookie worth getting familiar with. He didn't have much success in his debut in the series last season, but he was strong in the ARCA Menards series, bringing home top-six finishes at both Daytona and Talladega.
NASCAR Best Bets for the United Rentals 300
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 10:30 AM ET Friday
Race Winner – Austin Hill (+450), Jesse Love(+550), Carson Hocevar (+1400)
Top-Five Finish – Justin Allgaier (-105), Sheldon Creed (+150)
In contrast to DFS lineups, it's important to be realistic with wagers. Sportsbooks typically don't offer a wide range of wagers for the O'Reilly Auto Parts series, meaning picks will primarily be regarding drivers with projected top finishes. That makes it very important to consider drivers who have a truly realistic chance to win. All three of Hill, Love and Allgaier qualify, as does Hocevar.
Creed has yet to win a race in the series but has been very good overall and at Daytona, making him a very strong pick for a top-five finish and also puts him in consideration for the top three (+275).
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