RADIO
We've got a new track on Saturday, as they've thrown a bunch of dirt on top of Bristol Motor Speedway and decided we'd go dirt racing this weekend.
A bunch of Cup drivers are in this race, but because we won't have a starting lineup until Saturday afternoon after some heat races, we don't really know what to expect from the drivers this week, so instead of giving you the lineup picks I'd usually give you, I'm just going to write a bunch of words about a bunch of drivers and their pricing? I don't know, we're winging this!
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 Fr8Auctions 200 on DraftKings. Be sure to also check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Truck Series including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station.
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Truck Series DFS Preview - DraftKings
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Post-Qualifying Updates
Hopefully I'll be back before the race with updates once we know the starting lineup!
Drivers Who Ran Well At Eldora
Let's start by discussing drivers who've had success at the other dirt track that the Trucks used to run: Eldora.
Kyle Larson ($11,500)
Kyle Larson is an extremely good dirt racer. He won Eldora in 2016, but more importantly, he's won a countless number of dirt races around the country, plus finished second when running the Bristol Dirt Nationals super late model race at this track last week. Larson should be considered the clear favorite in both this race and the Cup race on Sunday.
Chase Briscoe ($11,000)
The 2018 Eldora winner, Briscoe had top 10s in all three of his starts at that track. Like Larson, Briscoe has a dirt racing background, and while the 04 Roper Racing truck is definitely not among the elite teams, the strange nature of this race should negate any speed disadvantages.
Stewart Friesen ($10,500)
The last winner at Eldora, Friesen also has a dirt racing background. Experience on dirt and at Eldora played a huge role in the DFS pricing this week. Friesen has the advantage over some of these other guys because he'll be in the truck that he's always in, so he brings some familiarity to the table. He has three top-five finishes at Eldora.
Bubba Wallace ($9,700)
The 2014 Eldora winner, Wallace doesn't do quite as much dirt racing as those other guys, but he has top 10s in both of his Eldora Truck starts. He's also driving a pretty solid 11 truck for Spencer Davis.
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Drivers With Little Dirt Experience/Poor Dirt Results
Who should you avoid because of their lack of dirt experience?
Kevin Harvick ($9,300)
Harvick's a great driver, but he has some things going against him. He isn't much of a dirt guy -- he ran a few modified races years ago but gave it up because he just didn't really like it. In the first Cup Series practice, he was only 14th quickest, with two of his teammates running faster.
Martin Truex Jr. ($9,100)
Truex was 13th fastest in Cup practice and is in a Kyle Busch truck for this race, but the other Joe Gibbs cars were all in the top four in Cup practice speeds, so I think it's fair to wonder about Truex's dirt racing ability, especially when he spun in Cup practice. If he starts far enough back, fine. But Truex feels like someone who'll be overused in DFS because of name recognition.
Austin Hill ($8,700)
Austin Hill had an average finish of 26.5 at Eldora. I think his DFS price for this race is really inflated.
Johnny Sauter ($7,300)
Eldora was a nightmare for Johnny Sauter. In seven starts there, he had one eighth-place finish. After that, he had just two other top 20s. Nothing about Sauter's runs at Eldora suggest that he should sniff your DFS lineup unless he winds up starting at the very, very back.
Potential Sleeper Picks
Who are some potential sleeper plays this week? Let's run through some, with most coming
Mike Marlar ($6,900)
Marlar took a Reaume truck to a fourth-place finish at Eldora in 2019. This 56 truck should be better than a Reaume truck. The dirt racing veteran was the World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion in 2018.
Jake Griffin ($5,700)
Fourth at Eldora in 2016, Griffin might not be in the best equipment this week, but he's a good dirt racer, with a lot of experience in late models. A nice potential value play.
Cody Erickson ($5,600)
Another driver in a truck that isn't great, but that should have a chance to compete if Bristol ends up being an equalizer. Erickson -- a Minnesotan farmer who also runs dirt races -- will need to start near the back to make him worth a DFS spot, but if he does, I like his chances of surviving what should be a chaotic race.
Hailie Deegan ($5,500)
Hear me out on this: Deegan ran one dirt race in ARCA and finished second. She has a past in off-road and dirt racing. Her aggressiveness could be a plus here...or it could bite her. We'll see, but I wouldn't be shocked to see this be Deegan's best Truck Series run.
Jessica Friesen ($5,000)
Stewart Friesen's wife Jessica is running this race in a Halmar Friesen truck, so she instantly has a better truck than most of these other value plays. She's been dirt racing her whole life, winning track championships since she was a kid. She's got decades of experience in dirt racing and is somehow only $5,000. That salary is just wildly low, even if this is her first Truck start.
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