Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200
Location: Darlington, South Carolina
Course: Darlington Raceway
Format: Oval
Laps: 147
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Race Preview
Kyle Larson took home the win last week in Las Vegas, taking advantage of a strong restart with 43 laps remaining. He became the second full-time Cup driver to take home a win in O'Reilly Series this season and the fifth overall winner in as many races. The standings are also starting to be a bit more meaningful as the diversity of the track types has risen – albeit still without a traditional short track – and there have been some notable performances to this point. Parker Retzlaff has taken advantage of an opportunity with Viking Motorsports by logging four top-15 finishes and currently sits ninth in the standings. Corey Day has also finished inside the top 10 in four consecutive races and is seventh in the standings as the series heads to Darlington Raceway.
Key Stats at Darlington
Number of Races: 70
Winners from Pole: 16
Winners from top-five starters: 46
Winners from top-10 starters: 55
Previous 10 Darlington Winners
2025 – Brandon Jones
Fall 2024 – Christopher Bell
Spring 2024 – Justin Allgaier
Fall 2023 – Denny Hamlin
Spring 2023- Kyle Larson
Fall 2022 – Noah Gragson
Spring 2022 – Justin Allgaier
Fall 2021- Noah Gragson
Spring 2021- Justin Allgaier
Fall 2020- Brandon Jones
Spring 2020 – Chase Briscoe
Darlington has typically been a popular track for Cup drivers to participate, and that is once again the case. Brandon Jones beat out Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain in 2025 to take home the win, and this year's race will feature Larson, Chastain and Bell.
Attrition in the race has trended down over the last few seasons, but it remains difficult to move through the field due to the track. Six of the last seven winners have started within the top three, and the remaining winner qualified seventh. To expand that sample a bit, only two of the last 25 winners have lined up outside the top 10 to begin the race and 18 of those 25 have started inside the top five. This isn't the week to take wild swings in DFS lineups or at your favorite sportsbook.
NASCAR O'Reilly Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200
Based on a Standard $50K Salary Cap
Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson- $15,000
Christopher Bell - $12,500
Justin Allgaier - $11,500
Ross Chastain -$10,000
Tier 2 Values
Austin Hill - $9,200
Sam Mayer - $8,500
Sheldon Creed- $8,000
Tier 3 Values
Corey Day - $7,700
William Sawalich -$7,500
Rajah Carruth - $7,200
Jeb Burton - $7,000
Tier 4 Values
Parker Retzlaff - $6,700
Brennan Poole - $6,300
Optimal DraftKings Picks for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200
Christopher Bell - $12,500
Sheldon Creed - $8,000
Corey Day - $7,700
William Sawalich - $7,500
Rajah Caruth - $7,200
Parker Retzlaff - $6,700
Based on the exceedingly high quality of drivers in the field, Tier 1 is a loaded list. The three Cup drivers are three of the most four expensive options, joined by Allgaier, who unsurprisingly also has an excellent history at this track. We also have a better sample from the Cup driver's experience in this Series, as Larson, Bell and Chastain have each participated in the last two years. There's not much to separate Larson and Bell, though here are some subtle signs pointing to Bell as the top option in Tier 1. Only Allgaier and John Hunter Nemechek have led more laps in the last three years at the track, though Bell has led 135 laps in only two races. Allgaier has led 177 laps in his last five races, while Larson has led just 47 laps in two races. Qualifying is similar. Bell has started on pole in each of his last two races, setting himself up for very strong finishes given track history.
Shifting to Tier 2, Hill stands out based on his average finish at Darlington and his average driver rating. His case is pretty straightforward, but it will be difficult to pair him with the top Tier 1 drivers for a price perspective. Mayer hasn't had consistently strong results at the track, but he has an average start of 4.6 while qualifying inside the top six in five consecutive races and inside the top five on four of those occasions. Creed appears mispriced. In his typical fashion, he has finished inside the top 10 in four straight races at Darlington and in five of his seven total races at the track. This week offers a very strong group of drivers above $8,000.
The $7,000 range is also strong, but managing salary will be important because punt options aren't plentiful. Retzlaff was mentioned in the introduction due to his solid start to the season. He hasn't been spectacular and isn't likely to contend for a win, but he could reasonably be priced a few hundred dollars higher. Day is another priority. Some of his finishes have felt a bit fluky due to his own mistakes harming other drivers than himself, but he's still been on an impressive run and is likely to rise in price soon. As can be expected, Caruth has had some inconsistency. However, he's still logged three top-10 finishes in his first five races in the O'Reilly Series. Darlington is a unique track compared to any other so far this season, but he also looks to be a good value this weekend.
Best Bets for the Sports Clips VFW Help a Hero 200
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 4:00 AM ET Saturday
Outright Winner:
Christopher Bell (+300), Sam Mayer (+1500)
Head-to-Head Matchups:
Corey Day (-120) vs. Nick Sanchez (-110)
Carson Kvapil (-120) vs. Taylor Gray (-110)
After limited offerings to begin the season, head-to-head matchups have returned to some sportsbooks. That adds some lower-variance options relative to picking only race winners or top-five finishers. Bell would be my favorite to win the race, and he does have some longer odds thanks to Larson also being in the field. Mayer could be a longshot to consider. His qualifying history has already been covered, and it feels inevitable that he'll eventually turn that into a strong finish.
Day is a great value in his head-to-head matchup. He may not keep his current run of finishes going, but Sanchez has yet to find any type of form with AM Racing. Kvapil vs. Gray is a closer call, but the latter has been more consistent to begin the season. Gray also hasn't had much success in his two races at Darlington in the O'Reilly Series.
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