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The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will make its inaugural visit to COTA on Saturday.
There's qualifying for this race and it takes place on Saturday morning, so this week's article is missing a big part of the equation, since we won't know about place differential. And because NASCAR has never been here, we also don't have track record information. So, lots of guesses! But that's what makes fantasy fun, right? The guessing? (Keep in mind too that because of qualifying, drivers could miss this race who are mentioned here, which obviously would make them bad plays!)
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 Toyota Tundra 225 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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John Hunter Nemechek #4 ($10,400)
The easy play to make this week is to bet on the best regular in the Truck Series, John Hunter Nemechek.
In six road course starts in this series, Nemechek had four top 10s, including a third-place finish at Daytona earlier this season. He's also got a Truck Series win on a road course.
Nemechek's experience on this type of track makes him an ideal anchor for your fantasy lineup. Things will get weird here, so having someone you can trust as your top play makes a ton of sense.
Paul Menard #66 ($9,600)
Paul Menard is back? In a Thorsport truck? What???
Last time we saw Menard was the end of the 2019 Cup Series season. He retired then, then didn't race in 2020. But he's back, suddenly, in the Truck Series at COTA, which is just a shocking development.
Menard ran 30 road course races in the Cup Series with just one top 10 finish, so he's not necessarily great at this kind of track. But he also has 471 Cup Series starts and will be in some really good equipment, making him a driver that I trust to learn this track quickly.
Kaz Grala #02 ($9,500)
Grala makes his second start of the season in the 02 truck after finishing eighth at the Daytona road course race. In three Truck Series starts on road courses, Grala has an average finish of 12.3, plus he has a Cup Series top 10 at a road course as well.
Simply put, Grala is really good at this type of track. And while the 02 truck isn't necessarily thought of as one of the good teams in this series, it's solid-enough equipment that a driver with Grala's skill level can get a good finish out of it.
And hey, maybe because this isn't a great truck, Grala will qualify a little deeper in the field and get you some place differential? Obviously there's a lot of projection in saying that, but it's worth mentioning as a possibility.
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Stewart Friesen #52 ($8,100)
While Friesen's whole reputation is built around his dirt track prowess, Friesen's no slouch on road courses, with an average finish of 8.8 in four races. That's actually a better average finish than he has at dirt tracks!
Friesen's a driver whose viability will really depend on qualifying. He probably caps off as a sixth-place truck, so if he qualifies too high, the upside won't quite be there. Even with his strong runs, he's only led two laps on road courses, so it's not like Friesen will run off from the field.
But get him deeper in the field after qualifying and there will be a lot of value here.
Michele Abbate #30 ($6,500)
This is potentially one of the most interesting plays of the weekend.
The On Point 30 truck isn't what you'd call a good truck, but it's also not a bad truck! We've seen some solid runs from this team at tracks where speed isn't a huge concern, like short tracks.
Abbate has never started a truck series race, but she does have a lot of experience racing in the Trans Am series, where she's found a lot of success.
And maybe most importantly, she's raced here before! In fact, she's finished second before at this track in the TA2 class. That should give her a big advantage at a place where stock cars haven't run before, making her an extremely strong play, provided she makes the field.
Camden Murphy #11 ($5,700)
Murphy has made 27 starts in the Truck Series with an average finish of 26.4, but his average finish at road courses is better at 22.0.
Murphy has only run in NEMCO trucks over the past few years, which weren't the best trucks in 2019. But the past two years with NEMCO putting more effort into running select races, Murphy has a pair of top 20s.
This 11 truck is some pretty solid equipment, with Spencer Davis getting a pair of top 20s out of the truck this season, and Bubba Wallace having a good run in it too. Murphy's no Bubba Wallace and this truck probably isn't quite as good as NEMCO when NEMCO is running their best stuff, but it's still a truck with some upside that you can get at a really cheap salary.
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