This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Drive for the Cure 250 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Location: Concord, NC
Course: Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
Format: Roval
Laps: 67
NASCAR Xfinity Drive for the Cure 250 Preview
The race at Talladega last Saturday delivered exactly what NASCAR hopes for with the current playoff format, as chaos took over and the standings were significantly shuffled in the process. Sammy Smith emerged as a contender in the second stage and avoided the major collisions in Stage 3 to earn a victory and punch his ticket to the Round of 8. That was his second win of the season and jumped him last in the playoff standings.
The losers of the chaos were some of the most established names in the series. Justin Allgaier sits seven points down on the cut line while A.J. Allmendinger is only seven points to the good. After being disqualified last weekend, Sam Mayer may need a win at the Roval to keep his playoff hopes alive. We're headed into a compelling weekend.
Key Stats at the Charlotte Roval
- Number of Races: 6
- Winners from Pole: 2
- Winners from Top Five: 3
- Winners from Top 10: 4
Previous Winners at the Charlotte Roval
2018 – Chase Briscoe
2019 – AJ Allmendinger
2020 – AJ Allmendinger
2021 – AJ Allmendinger
2022 – AJ Allmendinger
2023 – Sam Mayer
The Roval is a divisive track, but it once again plays a pivotal role in the NASCAR season as both the Cup and Xfinity series get ready to whittle down the field to eight remaining playoff teams. As the name implies, the race is a combination of the road course on the infield of the speedway and completed on the traditional oval track. There was also a realignment to the course for 2024, the biggest of which occurs at and into the leadup of Turn 7, which is now a much sharper turn and is projected to be a "calamity corner." The stated goal was to create more passing zones, but we'll find out Saturday and Sunday as the Xfinity and Cup series races take place.
That change in layout has had some drivers saying this will run as an entirely new track, an interesting wrinkle for those trying to project the outcome. Nevertheless, there are some drivers with strong backgrounds and results on road courses that we can focus on. One other variable to keep in mind is each driver's playoff situation. On road courses in particular, drivers will typically have to choose between prioritizing stage points and going for the win, so those close to the cut line could opt to lock in points rather than going all-out for the victory (Allmendinger, van Gisbergen, Mayer)
NASCAR Xfinity DFS Tools
DraftKings Values for the Drive for the Cure 250
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Shane van Gisbergen - $10,500
AJ Allmendinger - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Sam Mayer - $9,500
Cole Custer - $9,300
Sheldon Creed - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Connor Mosack - $8,800
Austin Hill - $8,300
Brandon Jones - $8,000
DraftKings Tier 4 Values
Riley Herbst - $7,900
Alex Labbe - $7,700
Austin Green - $7,500
DraftKings Tier 5 Values
Josh Williams - $6,500
Sage Karam - $6,400
NASCAR Xfinity Picks for the Drive for the Cure 250
AJ Allmendinger - $10,200
Cole Custer - $9,300
Austin Hill- $8,300
Brandon Jones - $8,000
Alex Labbe- $7,700
Sage Karam -$6,400
As we've had the past few weeks there are some key values to lock in and build lineups around. Austin Hill is the first as he pops in the optimizer as the best value. Admittedly, his results at the Roval haven't been spectacular, but he's a solid road course driver. He moved up the field from his qualifying position at COTA, Portland, and The Loop this season, finishing second, 11th, and seventh, respectively. While not spectacular, those finishes well out-pace his cost. There's some risk he only races for stage points (37 points above the cut line), which is the only red flag.
Karam is my locked-in punt selection. He has a background with road courses thanks to his time in IndyCar and Rally Cross, and his history at road courses as a NASCAR driver is solid. Don't bet on seeing him at the top of the field, but that's not needed at his cost. Alex Labbe isn't as exciting due to his cost, but the case for him is relatively similar. He's appeared in the Xfinity series only a few times this season but all three of his races have come at road courses. He's also had a good history at the Roval, tallying three top 10s in six appearances while finishing no worse than 15th. Another point in favor of both of these drivers is that they don't need to be concerned about stage points due to non-playoff status and focus on going for the win.
Looking from the cut line, Custer is in a similar spot to Hill. He's 37 points up on the cut line so there is some risk that he opts to race for points rather than race for the win to potentially lock in his spot for the Round of 8 at the end of Stage 2, however, his results at the Roval have been excellent. He owns a 120.0 driver rating and has finished no worse than eighth in his three Xfinity races at the course. Custer has led only five laps in that span, so a win may not be realistic, but a top-10 finish is close to a lock and a top-five should also be in play.
The top of the price pool should come as no surprise, and it comes down to Allmendinger and van Gisbergen. Both are on the outside looking in to advance, but both have results that speak for themselves at this track (at least for Allmendinger) and all road courses.
