Winn-Dixie 250 Powered by Coca-Cola
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
Course: Daytona International Speedway
Format: Tri-Oval
Length: 2.5 miles
Laps: 100
NASCAR O'Reilly Series Race Preview
Carson Kvapil continued his surge up the standings with a double-overtime win at Iowa. He led only nine total laps, but he survived chaos at the start of the second overtime and has now won consecutive O'Reilly Series races. Kvapil now sits in second place in the season-long standings as we head into the final race of the regular season. After an irregular schedule for much of July and August, the O'Reilly Series will race every weekend until a champion is crowned on November 8 in Homestead.
While technically four playoff spots remain up for grabs, two are truly wide open. Taylor Gray sits one point behind both Brent Crews and William Sawalich for a playoff spot, while Rajah Caruth is only 15 points out a playoff position. A lot has the chance to change this weekend and a lot is at stake.
Key Stats at Daytona Speedway
- Number of Races: 69
- Winners from Pole: 8
- Winners from Top 5: 31
- Winners from Top 10: 49
Previous Winners at Daytona International Speedway
2026 spring – Austin Hill
2025 fall – Connor Zilisch
2025 spring – Jesse Love
2024 fall- Ryan Truex
2024 spring– Austin Hill
2023 fall- Justin Allgaier
2023 spring- Austin Hill
2022 fall- Jeremy Clements
2022 spring- Austin Hill
2021 -fall Justin Haley
2021 spring- Austin Cindric
The regular season will end the same way it began this weekend with a race at Daytona International Speedway. The race will be 50 miles shorter compared to the race in February, but the other typical characteristics of races at Daytona should shine through. Cars that share a manufacturer will work together more than is typically the case, leading to "pack racing" and an increased chance for the "big one" – a race-altering crash that impacts a significant portion of the field.
Manufacturers often aren't worth considering when predicting the outcome of a race, but the pack-style racing changes that for races at Daytona. A Chevrolet driver has won 16 of the last 18 races at the track in the O'Reilly Series, with Austin Hill playing a primary role in that. Given that this race is the last of the regular season, it obviously takes on an outsized importance.
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Values for the United Rentals 300
Tier 1 DraftKings Values
Austin Hill - $11,000
Jesse Love - $10,700
Justin Allgaier- $10,500
Sheldon Creed- $10,000
Tier 2 DraftKings Values
Carson Kvapil - $9,700
Sammy Smith - $9,300
Brent Crews - $8,700
Rajah Caruth - $8,000
Tier 3 DraftKings Values
William Sawalich - $7,800
Parker Retzlaff - $7,700
Ryan Sieg - $7,400
Tier 4 DraftKings Values
Anthony Alfredo - $6,900
Dean Thompson - $6,800
Optimal Lineup for the Winn-Dixie 250
Justin Allgaier - $10,500
Corey Day - $8,900
Rajah Caruth - $8,000
William Sawalich - $7,800
Parker Retzlaff - $7,700
Dean Thompson -$6,800
Austin Hill and Jesse Love are the obvious starting point of drivers to consider given their run of success. Hill has run into some bad luck with wrecks or car problems in recent races at Daytona, but he knows how to win superspeedway races and has done so regularly. The story is similar for Love, though he hasn't illustrated the same dominance in converting his speed into race results. Allgaier doesn't have the same reputation as that duo, but he's unsurprisingly turned in strong finishes at Daytona and is also a strong driver to build through.
There is a strong case for several midfield drivers after the trio of elite options. Sawalich has shown a lot of speed at Daytona in his admitted limited sample, though that is masked by some subpar end results. Nevertheless, he's earned points in four of the six stages while qualifying fourth and fifth in three opportunities. Caruth also has a limited sample, but he got off to a hot start to his first full-time season in the series thanks to good showings at Daytona and Atlanta.
Thompson has made a habit of performing well at superspeedways and stands out as the value option. Alfredo has the combination of a decent history at Daytona and a relatively strong overall season. He is another potential value.
The rest of the lineup is mostly up to fitting in drivers within the salary cap, with Smith and Crews being decent options that don't show up in the sample lineup.
NASCAR Best Bets for the Winn-Dixie 250
Race Winner –Austin Hill (+300), Jesse Love (+500), Justin Allgaier (+800), Carson Kvapil (+1100)
Driver Props
Justin Allgaier (-120) vs. Sheldon Creed (-110)
Brent Crews (-115) vs. Taylor Gray (-115)
Hill and Love are rightfully the favorites, but Allgaier is undervalued relative to them and offers nice value both as a race winner and in his head-to-head matchup. As was noted, Kvapil is one of the hottest drivers in the Series, so his relatively long odds to win are worth considering.
Crews and Gray is a very intriguing matchup for multiple reasons. Both could secure a playoff spot, but one could realistically be knocked out with a strong showing from Caruth. Crews and Gray are in similar positions from a track history standpoint as well. The differentiation is that the drivers have headed in opposite directions in recent races, with Crews surging and Gray slumping.
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