BetRivers 200
Location: Dover, DE
Course: Dover Motor Speedway
Format: 1-mile oval
Laps: 200
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Race Preview
Connor Zilisch won at Watkins Glen last weekend in one of the more compelling finishes this season after tracking down Jesse Love across the final 25 laps of the race. That marked Zilisch's second O'Reilly Series win of the season in only five races. However, he won't have the chance to become the second driver to win back-to-back races this season, as he's not in the field at Dover.
Elsewhere in the field, Brandon Jones and Brent Crews have made their move up the standings. Jones managed only one top-10 finish in his first five races, but he has finished inside the top 10 in five of his last seven. He currently sits fourth in the standings, only 52 points behind Sheldon Creed for second. Crews gained three spots in the standings last week alone, and he's finished no worse than sixth in any of his last five races. The rookie is gaining confidence and is surging up the standings.
Key Stats at Dover Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 79
- Winners from pole: 8
- Winners from top-5 starters: 45
- Winners from top-10 starters: 56
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 7
Last 10 Winners at Dover Motor Speedway
2025- Connor Zilisch
2024- Ryan Truex
2023 – Ryan Truex
2022- Josh Berry
2021- Austin Cindric
2020- Chase Briscoe
2020 – Justin Allgaier
2019 – Cole Custer
2019 – Christopher Bell
2018 – Christopher Bell
NASCAR heads to the "Monster Mile" this weekend, a track that has a considerable history in both the Cup and O'Reilly Series. That creates a risk that some of the historical stats can be taken out of context, but qualifying remains extremely important at Dover Motor Speedway. In the last 10 races, six drivers have started from inside the top five and seven inside the top 10.
There's also a distinguished list of recent winners, with Connor Zilisch the latest O'Reilly Series driver to graduate to Cup.
As for the track itself, it has some of the most extreme banking in the series and is unique in that it is entirely concrete.
RotoWire NASCAR O'Reilly Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the BetRivers 200
(Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
Tier 1 DraftKings Values
Justin Allgaier- $12,000
Brent Crews - $11,000
Ross Chastain -$10,500
Brandon Jones - $9,800
Tier 2 DraftKings Values
Sheldon Creed- $9,500
Jesse Love- $9,200
Corey Day-$8,700
Sam Mayer - $8,300
Tier 3 DraftKings Values
William Sawalich - $8,100
Austin Hill - $7,700
Parker Retzlaff - $7,500
Harrison Burton - $7,300
Ryan Sieg- $7,200
Tier 4 DraftKings Values
Dean Thompson - $7,000
Jeb Burton - $6,900
Jeremy Clements - $6,800
Brennan Poole - $6,400
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the BetRivers 200
Ross Chastain - $10,500
Brandon Jones - $9,800
Sam Mayer - $8,300
Austin Hill - $7,700
Harrison Burton - $7,300
Brennan Poole - $6,400
The top of the driver pool is loaded this week. Crews and Jones have both been driving very well, and Jones has a strong history at Dover. He's had an average start of 4.3 in the last three races, and he's finished inside the top eight in three of his last four races. Chastain suffered a gear issue when he was in this same race last year, but he qualified fifth and finished fifth and sixth in the first two stages of the race.
The second tier of drivers similarly has a number of strong options. Creed has unsurprisingly been solid and is a good choice pretty much every weekend. However, Mayer is the standout option. He's finished inside the top 8 in three of his four races at Dover, an even more impressive feat when considering he's qualified 24th and 20th. That has led to huge DK scores.
Hill and Harrison Burton are the key values of the weekend. Hill hasn't quite had everything come together at Dover, he's consistently been in the mix. Of the eight stages he's completed, he's finished inside the top 10 six times. Burton's history at the track primarily came from his first stint in the series, but he was also solid at Dover last season.
Any of the Tier 4 drivers is a good salary-saving option. I'd generally make my choice based on making the salary fit with the rest of the build.
Best Bets for the BetRivers 200
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 3:00 AM ET Saturday
Race Winner
Brandon Jones (+650), Brent Crews (+500), Sam Mayer (+1600)
Head-to-Head Matchups
Ross Chastain (-120) vs. Taylor Gray (-110)
Corey Day (-125) vs. Sam Mayer (-105)
William Sawalich (-120) vs. Austin Hill (-110)
Jones has the third-shortest odds to win the race, so he's not exactly a value pick. His history is strong at Dover, and he's finished eighth or better in five of his last six races overall this season.
A lot of the head-to-head matchups are too tight to have a clear advantage, but there are some exceptions. Of the three listed, Hill is my favorite pick. Sawalich had a strong race at Dover last season, but he's been off the pace of late. He's finished 20th or worse in three of his last four races and was 15th in the other. Hill is a key value both in the sports betting and DFS context.
Gray has been very boom or bust this season, so wagering on either side of his matchup is a risk. Mayer vs. Day comes down to buying into track history (Mayer) or recent form (Day).
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