NASCAR Xfinity Series Pocono DFS Picks

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Pocono this week on Saturday for racing at the tricky triangle track. Pocono is a large track so there are not a ton of laps to get dominator points, so place differential and finishing position is going to be important on the high speed track. The unique track produces good racing and is usually more predictable than a lot of tracks with practice speed translating to the race well so it is a good opportunity to do well in DFS this week.

Potential Dominators

Connor Zilisch

Justin Allgaier

Chase Elliott

Brandon Jones

Zilisch had one of the fastest cars in practice as he was fastest on the 10 lap average and 2nd in the 5 lap averages. Drivers good on road courses are usually good at Pocono and it looks like Zilisch will be one of the top contenders in the race today and is a top option for DFS. Allgaier is a driver that is usually good here at Pocono and has had speed at most tracks this season. He showed that speed in practice with some of the best lap averages and he will likely be a top contender for the race today as well. I expect Zilisch and Allgaier to be the best two cars in the race, but they start outside the top 5 which can open the door for pole sitter Chase Elliott to lead some laps. Elliott didn't look super fast in practice but it takes him some time to adjust to these cars. He should be good in the race but how much he leads will determine if he will be a good pick or not. Another driver that showed speed in practice was Brandon Jones. The only concern with him is he did not seem as good on the long run as Allgaier and Zilisch. But he had the best 5 lap average and could find himself out front at times and be a potential contender.

Place Differential Plays

Sammy Smith

Carson Kvapil

There are limited place differential plays today but I think Sammy Smith is a solid option. He starts in 13th but was top 10 in lap averages in practice. He should be able to run in the top 10 and have upside to get better in the race. Kvapil was solid in practice but qualified back in 22nd so he has some room to move forward in the race. I expect him to run close to the top 10 so he should be a good place differential play this week in Pocono.

Some other mid range plays I like today are Taylor Gray and Ryan Sieg as they both had good speed in practice and I could see them running around the top 5 and being solid value plays for a more balanced lineup today.

Cheap Options

Harrison Burton

Jeb Burton

Anthony Alfredo

Kyle Sieg

Leland Honeyman

Harrison Burton had really good speed in practice with top 10 lap times and he starts back in 16th. He should be a threat for a top 10 today and is a great value play at his salary. Same goes with his cousin Jeb Burton who had some solid lap times in practice and has ran solid at Pocono in the past. Starting in 20th he should be able to move forward and gain some place differential points. Alfredo wasn't too happy with his car in practice but starting in 28th should give him room to move forward and be a good option for the race. Kyle Sieg had his hood blow up in practice so he did not really get much time on track and starts in the back. He should have a solid car in the race and have the chance to gain a bunch of place differential points making him a solid option with top 25 potential. Honeyman is a solid flier as he spun in qualifying and starts in the back. He had ok speed but there are several cars starting in front of him that he is faster than so he should gain place differential points.