RADIO
Happy Valentine's Day! Hopefully, you're getting all the romance out of the way early so you can turn all your attention to the first race of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. That's right: it's time for Daytona.
The series looks a bit different this year as drivers like Christian Eckes, Nick Sanchez, and Taylor Gray have all moved to the Xfinity Series on a full-time basis, but names like Corey Heim and Grant Enfinger are back, joined by exciting new young talents including Andres Perez de Lara and Gio Ruggiero.
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 NASCAR Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 on DraftKings. Be sure also to check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Truck Series, including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station. This slate locks on 2/14/2025 at 7:30 p.m. EST.
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Top Drivers
Note: This was written before qualifying. If you have any lineup questions after qualifying, hit me up over on X. This is a week where qualifying will really, really matter, so feel free to ask whatever -- preferably on the timeline and not in DMs, so I can quote your questions to help as many followers as possible.
Michael McDowell - $10.0K
After spending years with Front Row Motorsports, Michael McDowell moves to Spire for 2025. In addition to running the Cup Series full-time, McDowell is dipping down to the Truck Series this weekend, running his first race in the series since 2009.
McDowell might lack Truck Series experience, but the 2021 Daytona 500 champion has plenty of superspeedway experience and should be in the mix on Friday night.
Corey Heim - $9.9K
With Christian Eckes now in the Xfinity Series, Corey Heim is the clear favorite to win the 2025 championship after coming up just short in both 2023 and 2024. In three Truck Series starts at Daytona, Heim has two top 10s, including a runner-up finish here last year.
Daniel Hemric - $9.5K
With Eckes in Xfinity now, veteran driver Daniel Hemric takes over the No. 19 truck. Hemric is infamous for his inability to win races, with just one single win in NASCAR's top three series.
New look and a new driver for the vehicle that dominated the Craftsman Truck Series last year.
Daniel Hemric returns to Trucks full-time for the first time since 2016, looking to finish the job that McAnally-Hilgemann Racing started a year ago. pic.twitter.com/5YaFlqESnB
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) February 13, 2025
This year could change that narrative, though. Eckes won four times in this Truck last season and recorded a top 10 in 22 of the season's 23 races.
Chandler Smith - $9.3K
Front Row Motorsports expands to two trucks this season with the addition of Chandler Smith in the N0. 38. Smith ran in the Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing last year, where he won a pair of races. He's a five-time Truck Series winner and should be a huge threat each week.
Grant Enfinger - $9.1K
The last time the Truck Series was at a superspeedway was at Talladega in October when Grant Enfinger led 34 of 85 laps on his way to the victory. He won this race in 2020. It wouldn't be shocking at all to see Enfinger open 2025 with a victory.
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Mid-Tier NASCAR Trucks DFS Lineup Options
Layne Riggs - $8.8K
Layne Riggs missed the playoffs last year, but he will enter 2025 as a title favorite because of how he ran once the playoffs arrived. Riggs couldn't run for a title at the end of 2024, but he did manage a pair of wins during the playoff portion of the season.
Parker Kligerman - $8.7K
While Parker Kligerman has now retired from full-time racing, he's set to make some appearances this season in the No. 75 for Henderson Motorsports. He finished ninth in this truck at Talladega in 2023 and he has a pair of Truck Series wins at that track, which races essentially the same as Daytona.
Rajah Caruth - $8.2K
Truck practice is later today (5p ET, FS1). Rajah Caruth talks about his growth as a driver as he enters his third full season in the series. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/dGzcjb73po
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 13, 2025
I'm shocked Rajah Caruth is so cheap this week. Last year, he finished in the top five at both Daytona and Talladega, the only driver to do so. He was also eighth at Atlanta, another track that features this style of pack racing.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Sleeper Picks
William Sawalich - $7.9K
William Sawalich will be racing in the Xfinity Series full-time this season but is set to still make some appearances in the TRICON Garage No. 1 truck. His previous 16 Truck Series starts have resulted in just three top 10s, none of which happened last year. Still, he's a talented young driver who should keep getting better. This price feels a bit too cheap.
Connor Mosack - $7.7K
Connor Mosack moves into the Truck Series full-time this season in the No. 81 for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. His track record on superspeedways is pretty bad, with just one start on one in the top three series. That was in 2023 at Daytona in Xfinity, where he crashed and finished 37th.
Mosack does have a runner-up ARCA finish at this track, though, and he'll have several teammates in the field as drafting partners. He could be a sneaky top-10 contender if he keeps the truck clean.
Of course, "if he keeps the truck clean" is true of everyone this weekend. Expect the unexpected at Daytona.
Tanner Gray - $7.4K
While his brother is off for the Xfinity Series this year, Tanner Gray gets another year with TRICON. His average finish in 2024 improved a full position from where it was in 2023, up to a career-best 15.7, though he failed to record a top five for the first time in a full-time campaign.
Gray's probably never going to be a consistent Truck Series threat, but if he can continue to make modest improvements, he could sneak into the playoffs. He has two top-5s in five Daytona starts.
Andres Perez de Lara - $6.7K
Andres Perez de Lara won the ARCA title last year despite not winning a race. Now, he moves to the Truck Series full-time for Spire, essentially replacing Nick Sanchez. (Rev Racing's No. 2 truck, which Spire helped run, is gone now, and Spire has expanded to a fourth full-time team.)
Familiar colors for racers from Mexico. Telcel is sponsoring ARCA champion Andres Perez as he moves up to Trucks for his rookie year.
Note Perez's full surname (Perez de Lara) and how it takes up almost the whole back window pic.twitter.com/W4BcqCDOsM
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) February 13, 2025
Perez might not be a top contender in his first season, but $6.7K feels cheap considering the equipment he's in and the fact that he showed in ARCA that he's a reliable -- if unspectacular -- driver.
Gio Ruggiero - $6.3K
We have another TRICON driver here in Gio Ruggiero. Honestly, I don't have high hopes for this No. 17 truck in 2025, as Ruggiero's never raced anything higher than ARCA. Still, a TRICON truck at $6.3K is a steal.
Drivers Under $6.0K
This is Daytona. Weird stuff happens. Any driver who costs $6.0K or less and starts outside the top 30 has some chaos appeal. I wouldn't go particularly heavy on any of those drivers, but you can sprinkle them around.
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