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The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Kansas on Saturday as the playoffs inch closer and closer. Just two more races remain before the Round of 12 begins. Can we get a new winner on Saturday to shake up the postseason picture?
Last week, Noah Gragson won at Darlington, his fourth win this season. He currently sits fourth in the regular season standings behind A.J. Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs and Justin Allgaier. Gibbs leads in wins with five.
Here at RotoBaller, we want to help you make informed decisions about your DFS lineups, which is why I'll be breaking down the slates for the Xfinity Series. Let's look at some NASCAR Xfinity DFS lineup picks for the Kansas Lottery 300 on DraftKings. Be sure to also check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Xfinity Series including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station. This slate locks on 9/10/22 at 3:17 p.m. ET.
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Xfinity DFS Picks - DraftKings
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Ty Gibbs ($10,600) - Starting 2nd
I think this is a race between Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson, but Gragson's poor track record here has me leaning in Gibbs' direction.
One major plus for Gibbs is that he starts on the front row with teammate Brandon Jones. Gibbs had the faster car in practice and should be able to get past Jones early, giving him a better chance that Gragson at leading early laps in this one.
Also of note here: Gibbs has run one Xfinity race at Kansas. He won that race. It wasn't a dominant win as he led just 14 laps, but a win's a win, especially when Gragson doesn't even have a top 10 here in four starts. I think Gragson shows major improvement today, but Gibbs is my pick to win.
Ross Chastain ($9,900) - Starting 15th
Chastain is in the 48 this week. This is his fifth Xfinity start of the season and his second in this car. Last time out, he finished 15th at Darlington.
Chastain is an incredibly talented driver. This Big Machine car might not be the best in the field, but it's a solid-enough car that Chastain should be able to coax a top 10—or even a top five—out of it.
Beyond that, there's not much to say here. We know who Chastain is. We know what he can do in mid-tier equipment, which is outperform it. He just needs to run a clean race.
Sammy Smith ($8,900) - Starting 11th
Smith, who is rumored to be getting the 18 car on a full-time basis next season, starts 11th, the lowest starting spot in this race for a Joe Gibbs car, as the other two are on the front row.
What this suggests to me: Smith should have the power underneath him to move up through this field and battle for a top five. He was third quickest in practice and has a third and a 12th in the two races he's finished this season.
Of course, mentioning that last stat means I also have to mention that Smith has three DNFs in five starts. One was a crash at Daytona, so I don't want to hold that one against him too much.
Still, Smith is risky because of his lack of Xfinity experience. He has the speed to pay off, but you have to hope he keeps the car on the track.
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Derek Griffith ($7,400) - Starting 35th
Major place differential upside here. Griffth is in the Sam Hunt Racing car this weekend, which has consistently been shown to be a pretty solid car, even if it isn't as good as the top Toyotas.
Griffith was 23rd in practice, but struggled on his qualifying run, putting him back in 35th at the start of this one.
In three races this year, Griffith has an average finish of 21.7, with a best finish of 18th.
He's not an exciting play, but he is someone who can gain 15 spots on Saturday.
Rajah Caruth ($6,800) - Starting 27th
Caruth is a really talented driver. We've seen it in the Truck Series this year, where he has an average finish of 18th in two races despite being in a Spire truck that doesn't always have speed. His best Truck finish is 11th.
In Xfinity, it's been a different story. This Alpha Prime Racing car is one of the better mid-pack teams, but the finishes haven't been there. Caruth has made three starts, with two DNFs and a best finish of 24th.
But there have been signs. He ran as high as 15th at Dover before a suspension issue 58 laps in. He's shown speed in qualifying. A good run is coming. And with Caruth starting 27th on Saturday, there's place differential upside if that good run comes today.
Ryan Vargas ($5,700) - Starting 38th
Vargas is so difficult to predict, but this car is at least better than a handful of the other cars starting deep in the pack. I'd expect him to gain positions on Saturday. The big question is how many.
In practice, Vargas was 28th, ahead of pretty much all the cars you would expect a JDM car to beat. Teammate Bayley Currey was 12th, but Currey's 23rd-place starting spot worries me too much. If the JDM cars don't show the same speed in the race, Currey can lose you too many PD points, whereas Vargas is positioned to be a positive in that realm.
This season, Vargas has an average start of 28.6 and average finish of 24.6. He gains spots on race day.
He's also shown he can gain when starting this far back. In the last four races that he started 35th or worse, he has a worst finish of 25th.
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