Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250
Location: Sonoma, CA
Course: Sonoma Raceway
Format: 1.99-mile road course
Laps: 79
NASCAR O'Reilly Series Race Preview
The race at the Coronado Naval Base delivered in the expected ways, with chaos and drama leading the way. There were a total of eight cautions that ate up 17 of the 60 total laps, slightly less than the percentage of laps that were typically run under caution at the Chicago Loop. Austin Hill was the beneficiary of a late skirmish between Carson Kvapil and Taylor Gray to make a pass on the final lap to win the first road course race of his career. This also marked Richard Childress Racing's first win since the tragic passing of Kyle Busch.
The O'Reilly Series will now head to Sonoma for a more familiar road course, though it is worth noting that there is far less of a sample at Sonoma in this Series than Cup. We should have the chance for yet another shuffle in the bottom portion of the playoff picture, with Gray being a big winner from the results at Coronado.
Key Stats at Sonoma Raceway
- Number of races: 3
- Winners from pole: 1
- Winners from top-5 starters: 3
- Winners from top-10 starters: 3
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
Last 10 Road Course Winners
Naval Base Coronado (2026): Austin Hill
Circuit of the Americas (2026)– Shane van Gisbergen
Watkins Glen (2026) – Connor Zilisch
Portland International Raceway (2025) – Connor Zilisch
Watkins Glen (2025) – Connor Zilisch
Sonoma Raceway (2025) - Connor Zilisch
Chicago Street Race (2025) - Shane van Gisbergen
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez (2025) – Daniel Suarez
Circuit of the Americas (2025) - Connor Zilisch
Watkins Glen (2024) – Connor Zilisch
As noted above, there is a limited sample at Sonoma for the O'Reilly Series, though 2026 will mark the fourth straight year it has been run. Because of its permanence, unlike Chicago and Coronado, there is an abundance of technical challenges scattered throughout the course. The particularly unique thing about Sonoma is the change in altitude throughout a lap.
Even in the limited sample, the importance of qualifying has become clear. None of the three winners have started worse than fourth, with the last two winners coming from the front row. For those that want to expand the sample to find the drivers most likely to have success, Watkins Glen and COTA – both of which have already been run this season – are the best comps.
RotoWire NASCAR O'Reilly Series Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Pit Boss/Food Maxx 250
(Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
Tier 1 DraftKings Values
Shane van Gisbergen- $15,500
Connor Zilisch - $12,500
Brent Crews- $10,500
Tier 2 DraftKings Values
Carson Kvapil - $9,000
Sheldon Creed- $8,800
Corey Day- $8,700
Ross Chastain - $8,200
Tier 3 DraftKings Values
Taylor Gray - $8,000
William Sawalich - $7,800
Austin Green - $7,300
Tier 4 DraftKings Values
Alex Labbe - $6,900
Harrison Burton - $6,700
Blaine Perkins - $5,900
Optimal Lineup for the Pit Boss/Food Maxx 250
Brent Crews - $10,500
Carson Kvapil -$9,000
Corey Day -$8,700
Ross Chastain - $8,200
Alex Labbe - $6,900
Harrison Burton - $6,700
This week features a deep driver pool, thanks primarily to some road course aces being sprinkled throughout the prize pool. Of course, that term is used in relative terms. Van Gisbergen and Zilisch are obviously at the top of the pile, though they immediately present an interesting choice. Van Gisbergen took pole, but is nearly impossible to roster at $15,500. Rostering him alone would leave an average of $6,900 for the remaining five driver spots. Zilisch is a far more palatable price, but he qualified 30th after his tire got cut during his qualifying run. He is extremely unlikely to win, but he could a great DK score due to positions gained. Crews offers the middle ground, as he's the cheapest of the group and qualified seventh. He's shown great speed at every road course race of the year.
Chastain isn't exactly a road course ace, but he does inject some value into the pool. His price is particularly curious considering his excellent showings at Watkins Glen and COTA in the O'Reilly Series this year. He's a building block for the weekend. Tier is littered with strong road course drivers generally. Kvapil was very close to taking the checkered flag at Coronado, and he also had an excellent result at Watkins Glen. Day has been good for most of his rookie season, and road courses haven't been an exception, as he's finished with no fewer than 40 DK points in a road course race. Gray is also quickly proving to be excellent on road courses, putting up 63 DK points at Watkins Glen and 57.2 DK points at Coronado. He also finished seventh at Sonoma last year in his rookie year.
The bottom line is that the way the salaries are structured this weekend allow for a very strong build with a flatter approach to salary. As the sample lineup shows, rostering four drivers from Tiers 1 and 2 is very viable and all of them are strong options. For those who want to roster van Gisbergen or even Zilisch, rostering the combo of Green, Labbe and Perkins could be necessary. That's a high-risk trio, but also one that can pay off. Green has been the steadiest of the group and is the cheap road course race, while Labbe and Perkins are more volatile.
Best Bets for the Pit Boss/Food Maxx 250
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 11:30 PM ET Friday
Race Winner: Shane van Gisbergen (-125), Brent Crews (+380), Taylor Gray (+3500), Ross Chastain (+5500)
The betting market mirrors that of the pricing for DFS purposes, with van Gisbergen, Zilisch and Crews priced with odds of +380 or shorter, with only one driver having odds shorter than +3000. Even with the advantage that trio has, it's still hard not to take notice of some of the value the field offers. Gray has finished third and second at Watkins Glen and Coronado. While his finish at Coronado came without van Gisbergen or Zilisch in the field, his finish at Watkins Glen came with them in the field – and he also beat van Gisbergen.
The disrespect of Chastain this weekend is interesting. He's not in the same tier as van Gisbergen or Zilisch, but he feels undervalued having finished fourth at Watkins Glen and ninth at COTA.
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