Qualifying is in for San Diego. Brent Crews leads the board from pole, while Jesse Love, Brandon Jones and Corey Day bring the biggest DraftKings place-differential angles.
Saturday's O'Reilly race at San Diego should be a sharper test than the lap count suggests. Sixty laps around a 3.4-mile street course does not leave much room for recovery. A slow stop, a missed corner, or one blocked escape road can turn a strong car into a mid-pack problem before the race ever settles.
Qualifying sharpened the board. Brent Crews starts on pole and still sits first in both FantasyJolt and DraftKings projections. The No. 19 Toyota carries a $15 FantasyJolt salary and a $10,300 DraftKings tag, so this is not a discount play. It is a control play. If Crews owns clean air early, the slate can run through him.
Austin Hill is the practical counterweight. He starts fourth, ranks second in the FantasyJolt projection set, and gives lineups a sturdy $14 anchor who does not need chaos to pay off. Hill's value is less about being a street-course specialist than being hard to knock off a race.
Justin Allgaier is the name that makes the top tier uncomfortable. He rolls off 16th, which gives him more DraftKings and FantasyJolt place-differential room than the front-row cars. Allgaier's path is stage strength and mistake avoidance. If the race turns into a long green-flag rhythm test, the No. 7 can grind out points even without looking like the flashiest pick.
Jesse Love is the DraftKings swing piece after qualifying. He starts 37th, and our post-qualifying projection still ranks him sixth. That creates a massive place-differential profile, especially on DK where every forward spot matters. Sammy Smith starts 10th, ranks third, and remains the cleaner salary build on FantasyJolt at $12.
The mid-tier is where this slate gets interesting. Brandon Jones starts 33rd and Corey Day starts 31st, so both are viable DraftKings recovery plays even though neither is cheap enough to call a punt. Taylor Gray is steadier from 11th, while Rajah Caruth brings a useful P21-to-top-10 projection shape.
The deeper value is different by platform. On FantasyJolt, Jesse Iwuji at $3 is the salary release valve and Brennan Poole at $6 is the better floor play. On DraftKings, Iwuji's $4,800 salary and P35 start make him the cleanest punt, while Poole fits as the exact $6,200 cap filler in stronger optimal builds.
The fantasy rule for this race is simple: do not overpay for chaos, but respect it. San Diego should reward clean qualifying and smart tire management, yet one late caution can turn the final restart into a street fight. Build around one driver who can control the race, then fill the lineup with drivers who can survive the mess behind him.
Race Details
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Race | NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Race at San Diego |
| Series | NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series |
| Track | San Diego Street Course, San Diego, California |
| Course | 3.4-mile street course |
| Start | Saturday, June 20, 2026, 4 p.m. CT |
| Distance | 60 laps, 204 miles |
Top 10 FantasyJolt Projections
| Rank | Driver | Proj. Finish | Proj. Pts | FJ Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #19 Brent Crews | P9.9 | 56.0 | $15 |
| 2 | #21 Austin Hill | P10.8 | 49.6 | $14 |
| 3 | #8 Sammy Smith | P13.5 | 45.0 | $12 |
| 4 | #7 Justin Allgaier | P14.0 | 46.9 | $14 |
| 5 | #1 Carson Kvapil | P14.5 | 41.3 | $13 |
| 6 | #2 Jesse Love | P15.4 | 42.8 | $13 |
| 7 | #41 Sam Mayer | P16.1 | 39.5 | $14 |
| 8 | #54 Taylor Gray | P16.5 | 40.3 | $12 |
| 9 | #88 Rajah Caruth | P17.9 | 35.2 | $11 |
| 10 | #20 Brandon Jones | P18.2 | 36.1 | $11 |
Post-Qualifying Projection Update
Projection model: `entrylist-postqual-v1.0`
Projection refresh: 2026-06-20T19:05:43.134Z
Qualifying is now in the model. The biggest board moves are the obvious DraftKings place-differential lanes: Jesse Love from 37th, Brandon Jones from 33rd, Corey Day from 31st, Justin Allgaier from 16th and Rajah Caruth from 21st. Brent Crews remains the control play from pole.
DraftKings Recommendations
| Rank | Driver | Start | Proj. Finish | DK Pts | PD | DK Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #19 Brent Crews | 1 | P9.9 | 63.5 | 0 | $10,300 |
| 2 | #21 Austin Hill | 4 | P10.8 | 54.5 | +2 | $9,800 |
| 3 | #8 Sammy Smith | 10 | P13.5 | 52.0 | +7 | $9,100 |
| 4 | #7 Justin Allgaier | 16 | P14.0 | 51.8 | +12 | $10,000 |
| 5 | #1 Carson Kvapil | 5 | P14.5 | 42.3 | 0 | $9,400 |
| 6 | #2 Jesse Love | 37 | P15.4 | 56.5 | +31 | $9,600 |
| 7 | #41 Sam Mayer | 6 | P16.1 | 38.3 | -1 | $9,900 |
| 8 | #54 Taylor Gray | 11 | P16.5 | 38.3 | +3 | $8,900 |
| 9 | #88 Rajah Caruth | 21 | P17.9 | 41.5 | +12 | $8,500 |
| 10 | #20 Brandon Jones | 33 | P18.2 | 45.8 | +23 | $8,600 |
DraftKings Value Board
| Driver | Start | DK Pts | PD | DK Salary | Pts / $1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #91 Jesse Iwuji | 35 | 31.5 | +15 | $4,800 | 6.56 |
| #19 Brent Crews | 1 | 63.5 | 0 | $10,300 | 6.17 |
| #2 Jesse Love | 37 | 56.5 | +31 | $9,600 | 5.89 |
| #8 Sammy Smith | 10 | 52.0 | +7 | $9,100 | 5.71 |
| #21 Austin Hill | 4 | 54.5 | +2 | $9,800 | 5.56 |
| #20 Brandon Jones | 33 | 45.8 | +23 | $8,600 | 5.33 |
| #7 Justin Allgaier | 16 | 51.8 | +12 | $10,000 | 5.18 |
| #88 Rajah Caruth | 21 | 41.5 | +12 | $8,500 | 4.88 |
DraftKings Build
Optimal projection build under the $50,000 cap:
| Driver | DK Salary | Start | FJ Rank | DK Pts | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #19 Brent Crews | $10,300 | 1 | 1 | 63.5 | 0 |
| #2 Jesse Love | $9,600 | 37 | 6 | 56.5 | +31 |
| #21 Austin Hill | $9,800 | 4 | 2 | 54.5 | +2 |
| #20 Brandon Jones | $8,600 | 33 | 10 | 45.8 | +23 |
| #26 Dean Thompson | $6,900 | 23 | 15 | 33.0 | +8 |
| #91 Jesse Iwuji | $4,800 | 35 | 20 | 31.5 | +15 |
Total salary: $50,000
Projected DK points: 284.8
The build leans into Crews as the clean-air anchor, Love as the P37 recovery play, and Hill as the second premium. Brandon Jones and Dean Thompson add recovery paths, while Jesse Iwuji is the cap-saving punt that keeps the build at exactly $50,000.
FantasyJolt Recommendations
| Rank | Driver | Start | Proj. Finish | FJ Pts | PD | FJ Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #19 Brent Crews | 1 | P9.9 | 56.0 | 0 | $15 |
| 2 | #21 Austin Hill | 4 | P10.8 | 49.6 | +2 | $14 |
| 3 | #8 Sammy Smith | 10 | P13.5 | 45.0 | +7 | $12 |
| 4 | #7 Justin Allgaier | 16 | P14.0 | 46.9 | +12 | $14 |
| 5 | #1 Carson Kvapil | 5 | P14.5 | 41.3 | 0 | $13 |
| 6 | #2 Jesse Love | 37 | P15.4 | 42.8 | +31 | $13 |
| 7 | #41 Sam Mayer | 6 | P16.1 | 39.5 | -1 | $14 |
| 8 | #54 Taylor Gray | 11 | P16.5 | 40.3 | +3 | $12 |
| 9 | #88 Rajah Caruth | 21 | P17.9 | 35.2 | +12 | $11 |
| 10 | #20 Brandon Jones | 33 | P18.2 | 36.1 | +23 | $11 |
FantasyJolt Value Board
| Driver | Start | FJ Pts | PD | FJ Salary | Pts / $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #91 Jesse Iwuji | 35 | 21.0 | +15 | $3 | 7.00 |
| #44 Brennan Poole | 18 | 23.0 | 0 | $6 | 3.83 |
| #8 Sammy Smith | 10 | 45.0 | +7 | $12 | 3.75 |
| #19 Brent Crews | 1 | 56.0 | 0 | $15 | 3.73 |
| #21 Austin Hill | 4 | 49.6 | +2 | $14 | 3.54 |
| #54 Taylor Gray | 11 | 40.3 | +3 | $12 | 3.36 |
| #7 Justin Allgaier | 16 | 46.9 | +12 | $14 | 3.35 |
| #2 Jesse Love | 37 | 42.8 | +31 | $13 | 3.29 |
Recommended FantasyJolt Lineup
| Slot | Driver | Salary | Start | Base Pts | Slot Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A (2x) | #19 Brent Crews | $15 | 1 | 56.0 | 112.0 |
| B (1.75x) | #21 Austin Hill | $14 | 4 | 49.6 | 86.8 |
| C (1.5x) | #8 Sammy Smith | $12 | 10 | 45.0 | 67.5 |
| D (1.25x) | #44 Brennan Poole | $6 | 18 | 23.0 | 28.8 |
| E (1x) | #91 Jesse Iwuji | $3 | 35 | 21.0 | 21.0 |
Total salary: $50
Projected lineup score: 316.1
This is the aggressive post-qualifying build: Crews in the A-slot for pole control, Hill and Smith as the best upper-tier complements, then Brennan Poole and Jesse Iwuji as salary relief. If you want less punt risk, pivot Iwuji to Dean Thompson and downgrade one premium anchor.