MillerTech Battery 250 presented by KOA
Location: Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Course: Pocono Raceway
Format: 2.5-mile road course
Laps: 100
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Series Race Preview
After a one-week hiatus, the O'Reilly Series is back in action at Pocono Raceway in what is typically an action-packed event. The last time out, Justin Allgaier took home his fourth win of the season at Nashville, though it was his first the March 28 race at Martinsville. His overall consistency – he has 11 top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes in 16 starts this season – has given him a commanding 179-point lead in the standings.
There weren't many other notable movers based on the results at Nashville, but the race for ninth through 15th positions is compelling. Those seven spots are separated by a total of only 45 points. As the regular season rolls on, pressure will continue to mount, with Brent Crews and William Sawalich both improving their outlooks of late.
Key Stats at Pocono Raceway
- Number of races: 10
- Winners from pole: 1
- Winners from top-five starters: 4
- Winners from top-10 starters: 8
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
Last 10 Pocono Raceway Winners
2025- Connor Zilisch
2024- Cole Custer
2023- Austin Hill
2022- Noah Gragson
2021- Austin Cindric
2020- Chase Briscoe
2019 – Cole Custer
2018- Kyle Busch
2017- Brad Keselowski
2016- Kyle Larson
The sample series of the O'Reilly Series at Pocono Raceway continues to expand, as this year will mark the 11th edition of the race. The winner's list remains very strong, with the majority of the group being current full-time drivers in the Cup Series.
Pocono Raceway is a flat 2.5-mile triangle, a relatively unique course on the schedule. Indianapolis is comparable to the point that it's flat and long, but there's also been enough recent running at Pocono to pick out trends standing alone. It's important to qualify well, but getting pole hasn't been a significant advantage. Eight of the 10 winners have started inside the top 10, while the lowest starting position for a winner has been 13th. It's likely not overly predictive, but three of the last four winners at Pocono have driven Chevrolets while only one Toyota driver has taken home a win.
RotoWire NASCAR Xfinity Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the MillerTech Battery 250
Based on a Standard $50K Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Justin Allgaier- $13,000
William Byron - $12,500
Connor Zilisch - $12,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Corey Day - $9,700
Sam Mayer - $9,200
Brandon Jones - $9,000
Taylor Gray - $8,800
Sheldon Creed - $8,500
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Carson Kvapil - $8,300
Sammy Smith - $8,000
William Sawalich - $7,800
Ryan Sieg - $7,500
DraftKings Tier 4 Values
Cole Custer- $7,100
Jeb Burton - $6,600
Anthony Alfredo - $6,300
Dean Thompson - $6,100
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the MillerTech Battery 250
Connor Zilisch - $12,000
Taylor Gray - $8,800
Sammy Smith - $8,000
William Sawalich - $7,800
Cole Custer - $7,100
Anthony Alfredo - $6,300
There are some strong values in the lower end of the field for Pocono, which opens up the overall build considerably. Alfredo and Thompson are the punt options, with both performing relatively well this season and historically at the Poconos. Alfredo has the longer track record at Pocono, finishing no worse than 16th in his four races and inside the top 15 in each of his last three.
Custer is one of my favorite values every time he is in the field. He is coming off of great efforts at Charlotte and Kansas, and has really racked up DK points with his ability to move through the field after poor qualifying efforts. That's a risky way to do things, but it has worked for Custer so far.
Continuing to work our way up the driver pool, there are two standout options in Tier 3. We mentioned Sawalich's hot run lately and there's no reason to expect that to change right now. He's logged three consecutive top-four finishes, scoring between 43.4 and 53.2 DK points. Smith is the other driver I want to target in Tier 3. He has consistently run inside the top 10 in all four of his races at Pocono, with the only downside being that he also qualifies well. That limits his upside on DK, barring a race win or a significant number of laps led.
Every driver in Tiers 1 and 2 has a clear case to be rostered. Day continues to get excellent results, so his case is straightforward enough. Creed's calling card is consistency, though he has been slumping of late, finishing 15th or worse in four consecutive races. Jones doesn't have particularly strong results at Pocono, but he qualifies exceptionally well and should eventually translate that into finishes. Finally, Gray is arguably the safest of the Tier 2 drivers from a track history perspective, but his inconsistency this season has put a damper on that.
To wrap things up, any of the Tier 1 drivers is a good option to build through and the ultimate choice will be dependent on cost/roster construction.
NASCAR Best Bets for the MillerTech Battery 250
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 11:30 PM ET Friday
Race Winner: Connor Zilisch (+400), Corey Day (+1100), Sam Mayer (+1300), Brandon Jones (+1400), Sammy Smith (+2200)
Top-5 Finisher: Sammy Smith (+250), William Sawalich (+330)
Head-to-Head Matchups:
Connor Zilisch (-140) vs. Brent Crews (+100)
Sam Mayer (-120) vs. Taylor Gray (-115)
The odds reflect that there isn't a clear favorite this weekend, as each of Allgaier, Zilisch and Byron are either +350 or +400. Zilisch would be my favorite of the group, but it's difficult to bet against Allgaier's success this season. There are some interesting drivers with longer odds. Day's results speak for themselves, while Jones' track record says he's likely to qualify well at a track that demands that for a race win.
Sam Mayer didn't draw much discussion in the DFS section because his track history at Pocono is comparable to Smith or Gray and because his results this season have been very boom or bust. His price still remains a bit inflated, but he's a decent option for a race winner and one of my favorite targets in the head-to-head matchups.
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