RADIO
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Indianapolis this weekend. While Cup and Xfinity will be on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Truck Series will be across town at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park to race on the 0.686-mile oval.
This is the first race of the Truck Series playoffs. There are 10 drivers with a shot at winning the title, with Corey Heim entering the playoffs with an eight-point lead on Zane Smith. Two drivers will be eliminated after the first three-race round, with Matt DiBenedetto and Matt Crafton opening this round below the cut line.
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 Tsport 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. This slate locks on 8/11/2023 at 8:06 p.m. ET.
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Truck Series DFS Preview - DraftKings
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Post-Qualifying Updates
I've got a really busy day on Friday, so I can't guarantee that I'm going to be able to get some post-qualifying updates in. I'll try, though! If I'm able to, I'll embed a Twitter thread in this space with some post-qualifying thoughts.
Analyzing The Top Drivers
There are six drivers priced at $10,000 or above on DraftKings.
Ty Majeski ($11,100): Majeski led 71 laps in this race last year and finished eighth. This season, he was fourth at Martinsville, second at North Wilkesboro, and second at Richmond, leading 168 of 250 laps last race. Consider him one of the favorites here. If he starts on the front row, he could drive away with this one.
Zane Smith ($10,900): Smith was third in this race last year. This season, he was third at Martinsville, crashed at North Wilkesboro, and third at Richmond. Don't think he'll have the juice to dominate, so this will really depend on qualifying and potential place differential.
Corey Heim ($10,700): Heim was fourth in this race last year. This year, he won Martinsville, was sixth at North Wilkesboro, and was sixth at Richmond. Good chance this one comes down to Majeski and Heim.
Grant Enfinger ($10,400): Enfinger won here last year, though it wasn't a dominant effort, as he led just 13 of the 207 laps. He was 14th at Martinsville, 10th at North Wilkesboro, and ninth at Richmond this year. Not sure I love Enfinger at this price unless he ends up with place differential upside.
Carson Hocevar ($10,000): Of the top drivers, Hocevar had the worst finish in last year's IRP race, finishing 21st, though he led 34 laps. He was 34th at Martinsville, fourth at North Wilkesboro, then won at Richmond, leading 64 laps. With how he's been running lately, Hocevar's an intriguing pick to win this one.
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Potential Mid-Priced Options
Matt Crafton ($8,900): Most drivers in this field don't have much experience here, as the Truck Series didn't race here from 2012 to 2021. But Crafton's got 12 IRP starts, with three top fives and nine top 10s. That experience could be big in helping him have a solid finish on Friday night.
Shane Van Gisbergen ($8,700): Here we are: the biggest mystery of the race. SVG has one NASCAR start—a Cup Series victory at Chicago last month. But that was a street course. This is an oval, and he doesn't really have much overall experience, outside of sprint cars on dirt ovals. This is a learning experience. But if he starts far enough back, he could be a good place differential play. He'll learn how to pilot this truck as the race goes along.
Tyler Ankrum ($8,500): Ankrum was sixth here last year, but he's struggled at short tracks this season, with just one top 20. That came at Richmond, when he finished 13th. Still, if Ankrum starts outside the top 20, I'll probably play a good bit of him based on his race last year.
Jake Garcia ($7,400): Garcia raced here last year, finishing 28th. But that was only his second Truck Series start, so I don't want to hold it against him. He was fourth at Richmond and has shown speed all year, so if he starts outside the top 15, he'll be a nice value.
Value Plays
Jake Drew ($6,600): Drew is set to make his second Truck Series start. He was 12th at Nashville for Thorsport after starting 24th, a really strong debut. Now, he'll be in the Hattori 61, which has raced twice this year, with Christopher Bell finishing 16th at North Wilkesboro and fourth at Pocono in it. Possibly a great place differential option if he qualifies around where he did at Nashville.
Layne Riggs ($6,300): Riggs finished seventh here last year driving the 62. This year, he returns driving for Spire. This is his third start of the year and the first two weren't great, but they also 1) weren't in this truck and 2) weren't at a short track. This has a chance to be a really great play.
Hailee Deegan ($6,200): Deegan has had a really disappointing year, but this could be a solid week for her. She was 13th in this race last year, and has been top 20 in every short track race this season.
Greg Van Alst ($4,700): Van Alst has to make the race before he can be considered a DFS option, but the 42-year-old will be finishing the season in the 20 truck for Young's Motorsports. This truck is 33rd in owner points, so Van Alst should make it into the field, though it's possible he misses the race depending on how qualifying goes, as this truck did DNQ Pocono with Chad Chastain driving. This truck hasn't been great, but it's improved lately. In the last seven races the team has made, it's got five top 20s.
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