The rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for that day. The ordering is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the value of each driver.
The DraftKings NASCAR Draft Top 250 slate locks at 3:38 p.m. ET on Saturday. Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $60K Spook-tane [$10K to 1st] (XFIN)
1. A.J. Allmendinger ($12,500) - Flat blanked turns require the precise braking that is also necessary to excel at a road course. Allmendinger was chalk several times in the Cup Series races at Martinsville. He’s earned a top 15 finish in 12 of his last 15 Cup races at Martinsville.
2. Ross Chastain ($9,700) - His back is against the wall, but Chastain has to like the spot that he is in. He’s only 15 points out of the playoffs and Martinsville is not an intermediate track where he is at a clear disadvantage. Better yet, Chastain is really good at Martinsville. He finished 2nd and 4th in the Truck Series races last season, and led over 50 laps in both races.
3. Harrison Burton ($10,300) - There might be a slight edge for Burton this weekend. Among the top tier drivers, Burton has the most recent experience at Martinsville. He did not run very well last year (finishes of 11th and 18th), but he has raced at his home track seven times with a best finish of 4th in 2017.
4. Noah Gragson ($10,000) - There is one driver in the field with a win at Martinsville. Gragson only led 10 of the 200 laps, but a win at Martinsville is a win. In his other three Truck Series races, Gragson finished 4th, 5th, and 7th for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
5. Austin Cindric ($11,100) - His three Truck Series races for Brad Keseslowki’s truck team are not very impressive, but he was a rookie. He finished 25th, 21st, and 10th. At least he showed improvement in his final truck race at Martinsville.
6. Myatt Snider ($7,100) - This is an egregious misprice. Snider is in the #21 RCR car this weekend and he’s starting 22nd. In his three Truck Series races at Martinsville (2018-19), he finished 6th, 3rd, and 6th.
7. JJ Yeley ($6,000) - The Rick Ware #17 was decent at The Roval. Although this car has only run one race this season, Rick Ware has been working with Bobby Dotter putting out cars weekly in the Xfinity series. Yeley has 18 cup races at Martinsville, he should have a good idea of how to earn a top 20 finish.
8. Brandon Jones ($8,900) - This is cheating. The field has almost no experience and they’re not allowed to practice, so what did Moneybags do? Jones bought a ride with KBM this weekend. He’ll get 200 Truck Series laps on Friday night to help him prepare for the Xfinity cutoff race on Saturday.
9. Justin Allgaier ($10,700) - Go back to the 2014-15 season, and Allgaier ran four Cup races at Martinsville over that time period. Despite racing for a small underdog team (HScott Motorsports), Allgaier earned finishes of 23rd, 17th, 42nd, and 13th.
10. Justin Haley ($9,400) - His Martinsville experience is not as recent as some of the drivers in the field, but it’s not as ancient as some of the drivers in the field. Haley earned two top 10 finishes in his final season in the Truck Series with GMS.
11. Brett Moffitt ($7,900) - DFS players have to reset their brain. Forget the names, teams, and manufacturers. Let’s refer to Moffitt as Driver X, so we are not distracted by 2020 stats. Driver X has recent experience at Martinsville. He has three top five finishes in his last five races at The Paperclip. Driver X is racing at Martinsville on Friday night. Is Driver X a favorite to win?
12. Chase Briscoe ($11,500) - In 2017, Briscoe ran two Martinsville Truck Series races for Brad Keselowski’s truck team. He finished 11th in the spring race, and 19th in the fall race. Briscoe won the pole for the fall race and proceeded to not lead a single lap.
13. Jeb Burton ($8,500) - Let’s time travel back to 2013. Jeb Burton led 154 laps in a Truck Series race at Martinsville and finished 3rd behind Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter. He has raced at his home track 12 times. Last year, he competed in a Martinsville Truck and Cup Series race.
14. Riley Herbst ($9,100) - Every week, Herbst is at a disadvantage. The top tier Xfinity drivers have practiced and raced at each track. This week, all things are equal. Few drivers have relevant or recent experience. They’re all noobs this week.
15. Brandon Brown ($7,500) - His best finish in a Truck Series race at Martinsville is 14th. Brown finished 24th and 27th in his other two Truck Series races for his father’s team.
16. Ryan Sieg ($8,100) - There is one scenario where Ryan Sieg makes the championship race. If all of the top tier drivers wreck out, then Sieg can sneak in through attrition. It’s not far detached. Last year’s playoff Truck race was an absolute debacle, and that was with practice.
17. Jeffrey Earnhardt ($5,200) - In his three Martinsville Cup races and his one Truck race, he did absolutely nothing. Those races were in inferior equipment, so it’s hard to evaluate his ability. He’s not in a great car this weekend, but it’s better than what he has driven at Martinsville previously.
18. Jeremy Clements ($7,800) - He’s never raced at Martinsville before, but he’s starting 23rd. Clements won’t be the most popular middle tier play. Myatt Snider’s ownership will likely make Clements seem irrelevant, but in a wreckfest, Clements has some value.
19. Gray Gaulding ($7,600) - Qualitatively, his Martinsville experience isn’t great. Quantitatively, he has nine races at Martinsville, and that’s better than most of the field. It’s a Bobby Dotter car starting in the back, and his salary is affordable.
20. Josh Reaume ($5,300) - This is your warning - The #93 RSS car has parked plenty of times in the past. Myatt Snider is moving into the RCR car this weekend, so the #93 is open, and on the entry list, it’s listed as having a sponsor. Reaume is racing on Friday, so he’ll be in good shape on Saturday, but will he actually race?
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NXS $60K Spook-tane [$10K to 1st] (XFIN)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above.