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The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is back!
We head to Daytona this weekend. Qualifying will take place just a few hours before the start of the race, which means we won't have place differential stuff until after this article publishes, so in lieu of giving specific picks, I'll be doing a run through of drivers in this field who might interest me today.
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 NextEra 250 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
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How The Top-Priced Drivers Have Done At Daytona
Four drivers are priced at 10k or above on DraftKings:
John Hunter Nemechek ($10,500): Has to be the favorite to win the title this year. At this track, Nemechek has two top 10s in four Truck starts, plus two 11th place finishes in his two Cup starts here. Could be risky if he qualifies too high though, because that's the nature of Daytona.
Matt DiBenedetto ($10,300): Don't get fooled here. You see the name "Matt DiBenedetto" and might think "oh, he's good!" but this 25 Rackley truck is questionable. He should be a solid driver to play at Daytona because superspeedways are the great equalizer, especially if he starts below 20th, but once we get past this race, you'll want to avoid him unless his price crashes. He's run 13 Cup races here, with three top 10s. UPDATE: DiBenedetto starts 23rd, making this a solid play.
Zane Smith ($10,200): Smith moves into the 38 truck this year. It'll be interesting to see if that impacts his performance after consecutive second-place finishes in the points standings. In two Truck races here, he's finished 11th and 16th, on the lead lap both times. Depending on his starting spot, there's some interest here, but if Smith qualifies something like sixth, I'd avoid him because of the weird floor that Daytona has for every driver.
Chandler Smith ($10,000): Smith's only Daytona race saw him lead 22 laps and finish ninth. In two Talladega races, he had a third-place and a 19th place finish. I think there's theoretically a lot of upside here, depending on starting position.
Mid-Price NASCAR DFS Options
Daytona is the kind of place where mid-priced options can outperform the top guys pretty easily just because of how this track functions.
So, let's look at some guys between 7k and 10k who could be interesting.
Riley Herbst ($9,900) is in the 17 for DGR this week. That's a solid truck. Herbst has two Xfinity top 10s here. This is someone I'll want to think about.
Ben Rhodes ($9,700) won this race last year. I think his price is kind of assuming a top qualifying run, but if he falters at all, there will be upside. UPDATE: Rhodes starts 27th, making him my top play on this slate.
And really, that's the big thing here with this section. For the most part, I don't personally care how good these drivers are at Daytona. I care about waiting until after qualifying and playing as many of the guys in this price range as I can that start outside the top 20. Place differential really matters at a place like this, since a big chunk of this field will crash. Someone like Ty Majeski is unplayable if he qualifies third, but is a must-play if he qualifies in 28th.
(By the way, I love that NASCAR brought qualifying back, but making it a one-day show really, really makes it tough on us DFS writers. Won't someone please think of us!)
Anyway, the only guys I would actively avoid no matter what in this price range are Corey Heim, Jack Wood and Chase Purdy. I'd probably need to see each of them start 25th or worse, not 20th or worse, to make the risk worth it, as none have really shown a ton in the Truck Series yet.
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Potential NASCAR DFS Sleeper Picks
Let's look at potential options under $7,000.
Jordan Anderson ($6,800) has run five Truck Series races here and he has three top 10s. He's such a smart superspeedway racer who always seems to be around at the end. Assuming he doesn't have a shockingly good qualifying run, I'm all in on Anderson. UPDATE: Anderson failed to qualify for this race.
There's also a whole host of Niece trucks in this range. The drivers don't always have much experience, but two Niece trucks finished in the top five here last year. The Niece drivers in this range, who are great lineup fillers for you, are Kris Wright ($6,100), Thad Moffitt ($5,900), Lawless Alan ($5,100) and Dean Thompson ($4,800). Give me any of those guys if they start 25th or worse.
Another intriguing name at the low end of the spectrum is Colby Howard ($5,000), who is driving a second Bill McAnally truck, teaming up with Derek Kraus. Kraus is $7,600, even though Howard is arguably just as good a driver based on his limited showings in good equipment.
Jesse Little ($4,500) in the 02 truck is interesting too. Kris Wright drove that truck to a 12th place finish last year.
UPDATE: After qualifying, some additional names to look for: Timmy Hill, who starts 36th, and Tate Fogleman, who starts 32nd.
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