RADIO
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Talladega this weekend. Superspeedway races are always significantly different than other races because the pack racing makes for a lot of movement and a lot of big crashes.
Place differential is more important than ever. You're going to want to mostly pick drivers that start outside the top 20, at least when it comes to finding value. You can afford to play a couple of top drivers if they start up front, but don't have too many drivers with good starting spots because you'll almost certainly lose place differential points because of it.
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 Love's RV Stop 225 on DraftKings. Be sure also to check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Truck Series, including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station. This slate locks on 10/4/2024 at 4:30 p.m. EST.
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Truck Series DFS Preview - DraftKings
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Top Drivers
Note: This was written before qualifying. If you have any lineup questions after qualifying, hit me up over on X.
Corey Heim - $10.0K
Corey Heim hasn't won at Talladega, but he was fifth here last year and then finished second and third in the two drafting races so far this season. With six victories in 2024, Heim should be a threat to add to that number on Friday.
Christian Eckes - $9.8K
It's always tough to rely on drivers at tracks like this since anything can happen, but Christian Eckes has three top-10s in five Truck starts at Daytona and one top-5 here at Talladega. Anyone could be caught in a crash at any moment, but Eckes should be near the front, putting him in a spot to avoid much of the carnage.
Nick Sanchez - $9.5K
Tonight, Nick Sanchez earned the 100th win at Daytona for Chevrolet. #NASCAR
— Jonathan Fjeld (@Jonathan_Fjeld) February 17, 2024
We've been to two of these drafting tracks this season. Nick Sanchez won the first one at Daytona and then finished fifth in the second one at Atlanta. He should be a contender again on Friday.
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Mid-Tier NASCAR Trucks DFS Lineup Options
Ben Rhodes - $8.7K
Truck Series win sims for Talladega:
1. Christian Eckes 10.1%
2. Corey Heim 7.5%
3. Tyler Ankrum 6.6%
4. Ty Majeski 6.6%
5. Ben Rhodes 6.5%Full win/T3/T5 sims plus values at @FDSportsbook (and a birthday narrative) ⤵️ https://t.co/VndgLP244s
— Jim Sannes (@JimSannes) October 4, 2024
Ben Rhodes struggled here earlier in his career, but he has a top-five finish in three of the past four Talladega races, and in the race where he wasn't in the top five, he led 20 laps.
Rajah Caruth - $9.0K
Rajah Caruth was in the top 10 at both drafting tracks so far this season, which includes a finish of third at Daytona. He should be a strong contender in this one.
Connor Zilisch - $8.8K
It seems like Connor Zilisch is capable of winning in any vehicle he's in on any track type. Road courses are his forte, but Zilisch has oval wins in ARCA. This is his first superspeedway start, so this could definitely be a disaster, but he seems to have this supernatural ability to pick up on any track type immediately.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Sleeper Picks
Alright, so we're going to quickly run through a bunch of names here because that's the kind of race this will likely be: one where a number of drivers are intriguing. Only play these guys if they start 21st or worse.
Daniel Dye - $7.4K
Daniel Dye has had a strong season, posting seven top-10s, and is sitting ninth in points right now. Dye was only 21st at Daytona, but he won the pole and finished ninth at Atlanta. Last year, he started 29th and finished sixth in this race.
Johnny Sauter - $7.5K
Veteran Johnny Sauter has definitely lost a step, but he led 24 laps at Daytona for Niece Motorsports back in February before he was caught in a crash. This is his second start in the Hattori No. 16 truck this season, and at IRP, he struggled to find speed, but the veteran driver brings a lot of superspeedway experience into this race.
Dean Thompson - $7.2K
Dean Thompson finished third in this race last season. He started fourth in that one, so there wasn't as much DFS upside there as you might have liked, and I'll fade him if he starts that high again, but he did show in that race that he can perform at tracks like this.
Ryan Reed - $6.8K
Ryan Reed is set to make his first Truck Series start since 2021. He's a two-time winner at Daytona in the Xfinity Series, so as long as his absence hasn't slowed down his ability to figure superspeedways out, he should be a sneaky good play.
Kaden Honeycutt - $6.7K
Kaden Honeycutt has started 10 races this year. He has five top 10s, including a pair of top fives. That includes a sixth at Atlanta earlier in the season.
Danny Bohn - $6.4K
It's been a bit since we've seen Danny Bohn, who ran 20 races in 2021 but hasn't started a Truck Series race since 2022. He's in a solid Niece truck and was eighth in the 2021 race at Talladega, plus eight at Daytona in 2022, so he knows how to run here.
Bret Holmes - $6.3K
Bret Holmes always seems to run well at superspeedways. Both of his Truck Series top-5s have some on these kinds of tracks, including a career-best third-place finish in 2022 here.
Stefan Parsons - $6.1K
This No. 75 truck is no stranger to strong runs at tracks like this back when Parker Kligerman drove it. Stefan Parsons has piloted it this season and was sixth at Daytona, continuing that legacy.
Bryan Dauzat - $5.1K
If you want a real deep cut, Bryan Dauzat was ninth at Daytona, and his only other top 10 in the Truck Series came here in 2018. He won't be fast, but he could be in a position to miss crashes by riding around in the back.
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