RADIO
Ready for some Thursday night NASCAR?
The Camping World Truck Series heads to Bristol for the rare Thursday race. This is also the final race of the Round of 10, so two drivers will see their playoff hopes dashed by the end of this one.
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 Truck Series. Let's look at some NASCAR Truck Series DFS lineup picks for the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics on DraftKings. Be sure to also check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Truck Series including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station.
Truck Series DFS Preview - DraftKings
Be sure to also check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles and analysis to help you set your optimal DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Sam Mayer #32 ($11,900)
Starting 39th
Sam Mayer starts 39th this week. While I don't think the 32 truck has race-winning upside, Mayer is the defending champion of this week and has been consistently turning in solid showings when he jumps into this truck -- top 10s in all three starts, including two races where Mayer started 40th and finished ninth.
The price is high here, but it's not often you get someone who can gain 30 positions on race day. That makes him one of my top plays, regardless of the whole "is this truck bad???" issue. Bad trucks can find success at short tracks. If this were a 1.5-miler, then I'd be worried.
Sheldon Creed #2 ($10,600)
Starting 1st
Sheldon Creed is on a two-race winning streak. Getting a third in a row will be tough, but Creed starts on the pole and is driving for the team that dominated at this track in 2020, so I think we need to take a chance on Creed.
It'll require a lot of laps led and fastest laps to pay off, but with how Creed has looked lately, we can't count out the possibility that he just decimates this field, leading over 100 laps and winning. Sure, he was only 11th here last year, but he was sixth back in 2019.
Taylor Gray #17 ($8,100)
Starting 35th
I love the place differential upside here. (In fact, there's a LOT of place differential plays I love this week -- another, even better play is still to come in today's article.)
Taylor Gray is set to make the third start of his Xfinity career. The 16-year-old struggled at Watkins Glen to a 35th-place finish, but saw a huge improvement at Gateway, taking this 17 truck to a 12th place finish.
This is a 10h-15th place truck with a talented young driver. On one hand, that means that mistakes will happen -- he'll push it too far, or he'll get mired in a mid-pack crash. On the other hand, it means that Gray isn't getting the respect from the DFS pricing folks yet that he deserves, so there's going to be some really good value with him.
Did you know RotoBaller has a Premium DFS NASCAR subscription?
Like what you're reading? You can show your support for Justin by using promo code CARTER when purchasing a NASCAR Premium Pass. You get 10% off and full access to all of our Premium NASCAR articles, DFS tools, and Lineup Optimizer!
Doug Coby III #24 ($6,900)
Starting 30th
Oh my.
Doug Coby's never made a start in one of the top NASCAR series, but he won an SRX race earlier this year, jumping in and beating guys like Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart. It was an impressive win.
Coby is also a six-time champion on the Modified tour. He's run eight races at Bristol in that series, with four top fives.
He's also driving a GMS truck, the team that's won the past two races with Sheldon Creed. Last year, Sam Mayer jumped into this truck at this track and won, while Brett Moffitt led 117 laps and finished second in another GMS truck.
So, uhh...yeah, play Doug Coby. Ignore that he's never made a Truck Series start. The place differential upside here is just too great for me to worry about how he adapts to driving a truck.
Lawless Alan #45 ($6,400)
Starting 25th
Honestly, Lawless Alan hasn't been very good and I almost went with the $100 cheaper Colby Howard in this spot, but Alan having five extra PD spots available and (probably) a better truck is why I went with him.
In six starts this year, Alan's average finish is 28.7. Yikes. But five of those starts were for Reaume, so I don't want to let that influence me too much since this is a Niece truck. Alan could get a top 15 if he can actually run a clean race. Expecting that is super risky, but...well, might as well take a risk over playing it safe in a GPP, right?
Cory Roper #04 ($6,100)
Starting 37th
Cory Roper is, like, the ultimate boom/bust play. In 11 starts this season, Roper has started 30th or worse five times. In those five starts, he's finished third, 27th, 30th, 31st, and 17th. He has three top 20s, but also three finishes of 34th or worse.
If Roper runs a clean race, he can sneak into the top 20. If he doesn't, he won't pay off. It's a risk you have to take in at least a handful of your lineups, because there is the potential for a plus-20 in place differential. There's also the potential for a 37th-place finish. But at $6,100, I'm taking that risk.
