The top DFS picks and best bets for the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including why Dan Marcus loves the value Carson Kvapil brings to lineups on DraftKings this week.

Pennzoil 250

Location: Indianapolis, IN
Course: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Format: 2.5 Rectangular Oval 
Laps: 100

NASCAR Xfinity Pennzoil 250

Connor Zilisch is hitting his stride at the right time and becoming a true contender to challenge for a championship in his first full season in the Xfinity Series. He’s won three of the last five races (Pocono, Sonoma, Dover) and finished second and fourth in the two races he hasn’t won. That has him second in the overall points standings, only 56 points behind Justin Allgaier for the lead.

That leads us into the Pennzoil 250, a track with limited recent history in the Xfinity series.

Key Stats at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

• Number of Races: 9
• Winners from pole: 4
• Winners top-five starters: 8
• Winners from top-ten starters: 9

Previous Eight Indianapolis Winners

2024 – Riley Herbst
2019 – Kyle Busch 
2018 – Justin Allgaier 
2017 – William Byron
2016- Kyle Busch 
2015- Kyle Busch 
2014- Ty Dillon 
2013- Kyle Busch 
2012 – Brad Keselowski

There’s limited relevant track history, though it is worth noting that qualifying will be very important. Each of the last eight winners has come inside the top three on the starting grid, and the worst starting position to win was eighth (2012).

Pocono Is another point of context, as they share characteristics of being a 2.5-mile asphalt track, and will be referenced in our picks below.

NASCAR Xfinity Series DFS Tools      

NASCAR Lineup Optimizer

NASCAR Projections

DraftKings Value Picks for the Pennzoil 250 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)

Tier 1 Values

Kyle Larson – $13,000
Justin Allgaier – $11,500
Connor Zilisch – $11,000
Aric Almirola – $10,500

Tier 2 Values

Jesse Love- $9,500
Sam Mayer – $9,000
Brandon Jones – $8,800
Taylor Gray – $8,600
Carson Kvapil – $8,400

Tier 3 Values

Christian Eckes – $7,900
Ryan Sieg – $7,700
Jeb Burton – $7,200
Dean Thompson – $7,000

Tier 4 Values

Josh Williams – $6,600
Anthony Alfredo- $6,500

NASCAR Xfinity Series DFS Picks for the Pennzoil 250

Connor Zilisch – $11,000
Brandon Jones- $8,800
Carson Kvapil- $8,400
Christian Eckes – $7,900
Dean Thompson – $7,000
Josh Williams – $6,600

The top of the price pool is flush with choices. Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola join the field this weekend, giving four solid choices to build your lineup through. Zilisch’s current form can’t continue forever, but he’s shown the ability to excel on this style of track and remains underpriced relative to the way he’s currently driving.

Jones shouldn’t be mentioned with the elite options, but he does have tracks where he can compete with the drivers listed in Tier 1. Indianapolis could be one. He qualified sixth at the track last year and has a 92.6 driver rating across the four races at Pocono, so he is a worthwhile investment. Kvapil is very similar. He has four top fives and eight top 10s this season, highlighted by a sixth-place finish at Pocono. Kvapil also finished 10th at Indianapolis last season.

Eckes and Ryan Sieg are both excellent value options, as reflected by the optimizer. Eckes had a 106.3 driver rating at Pocono in the Truck Series, then went from 15th to third in his first Xfinity race at the track. He has a chance to qualify well and finish even better. Sieg profiles as more of a steady option, though he also moved up the field from 27th to 11th last year at Indianapolis.

Thompson and Williams are both decent cheap options to make the salaries work. They put up 34 and 39 DK points at Pocono this season, respectively. There is some pretty significant risk to rostering both, so for cash games or a small tournament, an alternative build  is to pick one of Kvapil or Jones while rostering both Eckes and Sieg with Williams.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Best Bets for the Pennzoil 250

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 11:30 AM ET Saturday

Race Winner: 

Connor Zilisch (+350), Aric Almirola  (+750)

Head-to-head Matchups:

Jesse Love (-140) vs. Sheldon Creed (+105)

Connor Zilisch (-140) vs. Justin Allgaier (+105)

The wagering options are a bit more limited this week, with fewer head-to-head matchups than we’ve seen lately. Starting with potential race winners, the group of four drivers in Tier 1 all have the shortest odds and it seems pretty likely one of them will take the checkered flag. We didn’t talk about Almirola much during the DFS section, but he has performed very well on a limited Xfinity schedule this season, finished inside the top three in half of his eight races. He rightfully has the longest odds to win of the elite four drivers, so there is some value.

As for the head-to-head matchups, Creed vs. Love is interesting to dissect. Creed finished fifth at Indianapolis last season but qualified only 12th and hasn’t had a particularly strong history at Pocono. That gives me the lean to Love, but there is a case for Creed given the combination of his value and previous strong finish.

Zilisch vs. Allgaier is more of a toss-up, so I’ll simply lean on the value side of that head to head.

Mapping out your wagers for the Xfinity Series race? Check out the latest Sportsbook Promo Codes to get special offers and make the most of your bets.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it’s possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Dan Marcus plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: marcusd91
DraftKings: dmarcus87.

NASCAR Xfinity Series starting positions for Indianapolis Motor Speedway

NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will take the green flag this afternoon. Now, the field rolls to the 2.5-mile of Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a round of qualifying.

View the Indianapolis starting lineup for the NASCAR Xfinity Series below.

Indianapolis Menu
ARCA: Prac/Qual | Race
Truck: Prac/Qual | Race
Xfinity: Prac | Qual | Race
Cup: Prac/Qual | Race

Indianapolis TV Schedule

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Starting Lineup
July 26, 2025
NASCAR Xfinity Series

Pos | Driver | Best Time

1. Sam Mayer
54.014

2. Nick Sanchez
54.060

3. Sheldon Creed
54.098

4. Jesse Love
54.104

5. Brandon Jones
54.117

6. Aric Almirola
54.118

7. Connor Zilisch
54.196

8. Justin Allgaier
54.204

9. William Sawalich
54.286

10. Carson Kvapil
54.371

11. Sammy Smith
54.463

12. Jeremy Clements
54.470

13. Austin Hill
54.477

14. Taylor Gray
54.488

15. Christian Eckes
54.534

16. Dean Thompson
54.558

17. Leland Honeyman
54.569

18. Daniel Dye
54.641

19. Kyle Larson
54.641

20. Harrison Burton
54.678

21. Ryan Sieg
54.700

22. Anthony Alfredo
54.710

23. Jeb Burton
54.749

24. Katherine Legge
55.026

25. Matt DiBenedetto
55.051

26. Parker Retzlaff
55.066

27. Brennan Poole
55.169

28. Kyle Sieg
55.177

29. Blaine Perkins
55.364

30. Josh Bilicki
55.365

31. Josh Williams
55.371

32. Garrett Smithley
55.416

33. Mason Massey
55.782

34. Ryan Ellis
55.899

35. Logan Bearden
56.540

36. Joey Gase
56.767

37. Dawson Cram
57.122

38. David Starr
57.907

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Point Standings
(Before the Race)

Pos | Driver | Wins | Points

1. Connor Zilisch
4 Wins

2. Justin Allgaier
3 Wins

3. Austin Hill
3 Wins

4. Brandon Jones
1 Win

5. Sammy Smith
1 Win

6. Jesse Love
1 Win

7. Nick Sanchez
1 Win

8. Sam Mayer
+162

9. Carson Kvapil
+86

10. Sheldon Creed
+61

11. Taylor Gray
+36

12. Jeb Burton
+7

— Playoff Cutline —

13. Harrison Burton
-7

14. Ryan Sieg
-30

15. Dean Thompson
-62

16. Christian Eckes
-71

Links

Indianapolis Motor Speedway | NASCAR

Budweiser teased a major announcement with Dale Earnhardt Jr and MLB as the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds gear up to play at Bristol Motor Speedway. 

Since October 2024, Budweiser and the NASCAR legend have teased a potential collaboration, with the latter driving the No. 8 Budweiser car in the South Carolina 400. Then, it was announced that Earnhardt would be reuniting at the MLB Speedway Classic in August. 

The 50-year-old will be competing in the race, with fans excited with the prospect of seeing the legend in the car that he made famous from 1999 to 2007.

As the Braves and Reds matchup fast approaches, the beer company teased the return of the Bud Crew, showing a video of hemets adorned with the word “Bud” on the front. The Bud Crew are expected to be part of the fan experience at the event, according to On3. 

Fans also will have various opportunities to see the Bud Crew as they will be going around the speedway and fans will have a chance to see the Budweiser Clydesdales. 

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Fans on social media were generally confused by the teaser, with many questioning what the helmet and the word meant, especially as it related to the upcoming game. Budweiser’s social media accounts requested fans remain tuned in to what the teaser could mean. 

As NASCAR and MLB prepare for the return of Earnhardt’s famous Budweiser car, MLB’s X account announced the news of the legend’s return to the driver’s seat. “The legacy continues,” MLB’s post began.

“Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 8 Budweiser MLB car once again, 24 years after first winning with it at Daytona. This time, the NASCAR Hall of Famer will pilot the iconic scheme in support of the Speedway Classic at Anderson Speedway in the CARS Tour Series on August 16.”

Understanding just how much fans enjoyed seeing him in his famous paint scheme, the 50-year-old also shared his excitement, via a statement by JR Motorsports. “It is an incredible opportunity to reunite with Budweiser and Major League Baseball,” his statement began.

DON’T MISS

“I’ve watched that July 2001 race at Daytona so many times. It’s such a great memory for me. I am excited that we have this chance to collaborate with Bud and MLB to bring that scheme back again because of what it means to me and so many others.”

Earnhardt’s comments come after his participation in the South Carolina 400. Speaking to the media after the race, he said: “The fans really supported it well and that would encourage, I think, Budweiser to consider allowing us to run it more. I would love to run the car more. It’s not very expensive for us to come together and do it.

“But I’d love to see if they’d want to do it a few more years. It was a lot of fun, I think the fans like it and we’ve got a race for Sun Drop, a couple of races for Bass Pro Shops and one more race on the Bud deal, so we’ll see what’s next.”

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana native Chase Briscoe will lead the field to the green flag in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

This gives Briscoe poles in the crown jewel races of the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Brickyard 400 this season.

“Any time you’re driving fast race cars, it’s a lot of fun,” Briscoe said Saturday.

Briscoe grew up in Mitchell, Indiana, which is 90 miles south of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He claimed his fifth pole of the season with a lap of 183.165 mph.

Briscoe led a Toyota charge in qualifying. Toyota took the top five starting spots, the first time it has done so for a Cup race.

Bubba Wallace, who had never started better than 15th at Indy, will start second after a lap of 183.117 mph. Erik Jones (182.749 mph) qualified third, Tyler Reddick (182.678) will start fourth fourth and Ty Gibbs (182.445) qualified fifth.

Gibbs is racing Ty Dillon for $1 million in the In-Season Challenge final Sunday. Dillon qualified 26th.

Denny Hamlin, who seeks a victory at Indianapolis to complete a career grand slam of winning the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500 and Indy at least once, crashed on his qualifying lap and will start last in the 39-car field.

A great start put Fornaroli into the lead ahead of Turn 1

Fornaroli crosses the line to take a second consecutive Sprint Race victory

Championship standings 1 Verschoor 122   2 Crawford 116   3 Fornaroli 114   4 Dunne 112   5 Browning 98   6 Lindblad 85   7 Marti 73   8 Montoya 72   9 Martins 60   10 Beganovic 43

After making its return to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule following a three-year road course stint in 2024, the Brickyard 400, still considered by many to be a crown jewel race, is back again in 2025.

Though the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval is a superspeedway, it is not considered a drafting track like Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Atlanta Motor Speedway are, so the regular intermediate qualifying format is set to be used on Saturday to determine the full 39-car starting lineup for Sunday’s 160-lap race.

Each driver is set to make one single-lap qualifying attempt, and though there are technically still two qualifying groups, all results are combined to set the lineup. There are no longer any row-by-row lane designations based on group, nor is there a second round shootout for the pole position.

Additionally, the qualifying order was determined by the two-variable metric that NASCAR came up with before the 2025 season to replace the more complicated four-variable metric which was in place from 2020 to 2024.

A full breakdown of the current formula can be found here.

As race number 22 on the 26-race regular season schedule, this weekend’s race is one which, despite its crown jewel status, most drivers might consider to be just like any other regular season race.

Most drivers will either be looking to bolster their position in the playoff standings or better position themselves to make the playoffs, either by winning or getting enough points to feel a lot better about themselves with just four regular season races to go after this week. But there’s another battle set to go down this weekend.

NASCAR’s first annual five-round In-Season Challenge is set to come to a conclusion, and the unlikely championship battle between the two Tys, neither of whom has ever won a Cup race, is set to be a talking point throughout Sunday’s race.

The higher finisher of Kaulig Racing’s Ty Dillon and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs, two drivers who are not even currently slated to qualify for the playoffs, is set to be crowned the inaugural tournament champion.

Follow along with our Brickyard 400 qualifying updates from Indianapolis.

NASCAR at Indianapolis: Full Brickyard 400 starting lineup

1st – Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2nd – Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

3rd – Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

4th – Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

5th – Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

6th – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

7th – Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

8th – Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

9th – A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

10th – Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

11th – Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

12th – Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

13th – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

14th – Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford

15th – Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

16th – Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

17th – Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

18th – Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

19th – Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

20th – Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

21st – Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

22nd – Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

23rd – Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

24th – Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

25th – Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota

26th – Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

27th – Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

28th – Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

29th – Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford

30th – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

31st – Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

32nd – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

33rd – Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

34th – Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford

35th – Jesse Love, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet

36th – John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

37th – Josh Bilicki, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford

38th – Katherine Legge, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet

39th – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota