This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Focused Health 250
Location: Del Valle, TX
Course: Circuit of the Americas
Format: Road Course
Length: 2.426 miles
Laps: 65
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Race Preview
After starting the season at a pair of super speedways, the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series heads to Circuit of the Americas. That will shake up the leaderboard and true contenders for the win, as the Richard Childress Racing duo of Austin Hill and Jesse Love are far less likely to dominate the field on Saturday evening. That's particularly true because both Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen are in the field, the two most dominant drivers on road tracks in recent years.
Key Stats at Circuit of the Americas
- Number of Races: 5
- Winners from Pole: 4
- Winners from Top 5: 5
- Winners from Top 10: 5
Previous Winners at Circuit of the Americas
2025- Connor Zilisch
2024- Kyle Larson
2023- AJ Allmendinger
2022- AJ Allmendinger
2021- Kyle Busch
The NASCAR series is still relatively new to racing at COTA, but some trends have emerged. Qualifying is extremely important based on the results, with three consecutive pole-sitters taking home the win and no winner coming from outside the top five. However, as road courses become more prevalent and drivers become more comfortable on road tracks, it's possible that the field starts to even out—though that's not likely to happen this weekend.
For the second consecutive year, NASCAR will race on a shortened 2.3-mile circuit as opposed to the traditional 3.4-mile layout. That should make the track faster, as the S curves and a right hairpin turn are both cut out.
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Values for the Focused Health 250
Based on standard $50k salary cap
Tier 1 DraftKings Values
Shane van Gisbergen - $15,000
Connor Zilisch - $14,000
Tier 2 DraftKings Values
Austin Hill - $9,200
Ross Chastain - $8,700
Brent Crews - $8,400
Sammy Smith - $8,300
Taylor Gray - $8,200
Tier 3 DraftKings Values
Carson Kvapil - $7,900
William Sawalich - $7,800
Brandon Jones - $7,400
Tier 4 DraftKings Values
Alex Labbe - $6,800
Jeremy Clements - $6,200
Brennan Poole - $6,000
Anthony Alfredo - 5,700
Ryan Ellis - $4,800
Preston Pardus - $4,700
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the Focused Health 250
Connor Zilisch - $14,000
Sammy Smith - $8,300
Carson Kvapil-$7,900
Brandon Jones- $7,400
Jeremy Clements-$6,200
Brennan Poole-$6,000
It's not groundbreaking analysis to say that the decision of whether to roster one of Zilisch or Van Gisbergen will dictate the rest of the roster build. Rostering Zilisch leaves an average of $7,200 for the remaining five spots, and Van Gisbergen $7,000. Both common sense and the betting odds suggest it would be a significant surprise if one of the two didn't win, so I'd lean toward investing in one of them and sacrificing elsewhere.
Luckily, there are some decent value options to balance out that cost. Each of Labbe, Clements, Poole, Ellis and Alfredo have finished inside the top 20 in two of the last three races at COTA. Alfredo has the best qualifying position of that group, but all have the potential to deliver decent value. Pardus would be a true punt play. He has a limited track record in the series, and he hasn't had much success even when he has gotten an opportunity. However, he qualified 17th and does know the track well. He also has the benefit of balancing out the cost of one of the Tier 1 drivers, allowing for a very balanced build in the remaining four roster spots.
Brandon Jones hasn't had success at COTA, but he impressively qualified fourth for Sunday's race. His starting position and the significant discount of his price tag is enough to make him a surprising value option.
Among the drivers priced in the middle tiers, Kvapil and Smith are among the more intriguing. Kvapil qualified fifth last year and sixth for Saturday's race. Given the importance of starting position, he should be a strong option to consider. The chances of a boom performance from Smith are limited, but he's scored points in five of the six stages in the last three years and also has finishes of fourth and 11th. He's qualified 10th, so another solid showing looks to be in order.
Best Bets for the Focused Health 250
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 11:00 AM ET Saturday
Outright Winner - Connor Zilisch (-105), Shane van Gisbergen (-105), Austin Hill (+1500), Brent Crews (+2200)
This isn't the best week from a betting perspective given how much Zilisch and Van Gisbergen stand out from the rest of the field. The odds reflect that. Zilisch and Van Gisbergen share the same odds to win, with the next closest driver being Hill.
Hill leads off as one of the more interesting drivers we've yet to discuss. He's led only seven total laps in his four races at COTA, though they have come in the last two years, and now he's qualified third. It's hard to envision him truly rivaling either of the favorites, but he at least starts in a position to do so.
Crews is an extreme long shot. He's making his debut in the series (Xfinity and O'Reilly's), but he has experienced strong success at road courses in the Truck Series. He finished second at the Roval and eighth at Lime Rock Park last season. Crews has now followed that up by qualifying seventh. The more realistic option would be a top-five finish, but that is not available on the major sportsbooks at the time of drafting.
