RADIO
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is back in action on Saturday at Pocono Raceway. The battle for a spot in the playoff field is coming down to the wire, as Saturday's race is the penultimate race of the regular season.
Two weeks ago, the series was at Mid-Ohio, where Corey Heim led 30 of the 67 laps on his way to the win. That race was a standalone contest, with the Cup and Xfinity Series elsewhere. That isn't the case this weekend, as we've got three Cup Series drivers in the field.
Here at RotoBaller, we want to help you make informed decisions about your DFS lineups, which is why I'll be breaking down the slates for the Craftsman Truck Series. Let's look at some NASCAR Truck Series DFS lineup picks for the CRC Brakleen 150 on DraftKings. Be sure to also check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Truck Series including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station. This slate locks on 7/22/2023 at 12:11 p.m. ET.
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Christopher Bell - $10,700
Starting 14th
Kyle Busch is in this field, but at $13,000, I need Busch to be a slam dunk play in order to use him. That essentially means I need him to win. But with Busch starting 12th, that's no guarantee, especially at Pocono. This track has hosted Truck Series races since 2010, and the lowest a winner has started was 10th—Brandon Jones in 2020.
That's why I like pivoting off Busch and grabbing Christopher Bell. He starts 14th so he suffers from the same issue as Busch in terms of track history working against him, but at $10,700 I don't necessarily feel he has to win the race. If Bell can get you +10 or so in place differential and a top five finish, you'll take it, and you'll be happy with that result.
Bell's run well here in the past, with top fives in all three national series, including a Truck Series win here in 2017.
Christian Eckes - $9,500
Starting 35th
Eckes is one of a number of place differential plays you can target in this field, which is full of good trucks starting much lower than you'd usually expect to see them.
After not running a qualifying lap, Eckes starts 35th, ahead of only Tyler Hill. It's a big change from his 6.8 average starting spot, and it offers a chance for Eckes to score big in place differential, something that usually isn't the case. In fact, he's got an average finish of 13.6 this season, meaning he loses an average of 6.8 PD points per race.
Eckes has won twice this year, taking the checkered flag at Atlanta and Darlington. I don't expect that to happen on Saturday at all, but I do expect him to have speed, since he's had speed most weeks this season. He was eighth in this race last year, leading five laps.
Ty Majeski - $9,200
Starting 34th
Majeski also didn't record a lap in qualifying, which is why he'll start 34th, one spot ahead of Eckes. And his numbers this year are a lot like Eckes in terms of the difference between qualifying and race performance, as he averages a start of 4.6 and a finish of 12.0.
Overall, Majeski has nine top 10s in 14 races and just one DNF. He sits third in the points standings. The usual concern with him is he qualifies too well to be a great DFS play, but this week he has virtually unlimited place differential upside.
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Nick Sanchez - $8,500
Starting 1st
It's always risky to play a polesitter because of the negative place differential potential, especially when that driver isn't someone in elite equipment. But this lineup shakes out well for Sanchez. He shares the front row with Jake Garcia, something that puts Sanchez in a good position to get out front early.
Let's just look at some recent results here. Last year, Chandler Smith led the first 27 laps from the front row and won the race. In 2021, the two front row drivers combined to lead 22 laps and both finished in the top 10. In 2020, Sheldon Creed parlayed a front row start into leading the first 30 laps and finishing third.
Sanchez should be able to lead a decent number of laps early, and this might be his best chance to win a Truck Series race yet, since Kyle Busch starts outside the top 10.
Dean Thompson - $6,900
Starting 33rd
No Truck Series driver has had worse luck this season than Dean Thompson. Feels like every week, something's happening to this truck. That includes this week, when his truck shut off during qualifying and he turned the slowest lap of any driver. He'll start 33rd because of that.
Thompson has been running at the finish in just six races this year. The Truck Series has run 14 races. That's...not good. But in the six races he's finished, he has two top 10s, Darlington and Charlotte. He was third at Charlotte. Over the last seven races, he has those two top 10s, and then five DNFs.
But with Thompson starting 33rd, there's less downside here than usual. A crash doesn't automatically kill you like it would if he started in the top 15 or so.
Cory Roper - $5,000
Starting 31st
Really like Roper as a super value option this week, someone who you can slide into any lineup to help you free up salary space to use on bigger names.
Roper returned to the Truck Series for the first time since 2021 at Nashville, starting 34th and finishing 21st in this 04 truck. This truck's had some solid results this year, including a top 10 at Bristol with Kaden Honeycutt driving. I think a top 20 is in reach for Roper on Saturday.
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