NASCAR Truck Series: DraftKings DFS Lineup Picks for Mid-Ohio O'Reilly Auto Parts 150 (7/8/23)

Justin Carter's DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio. Read his daily fantasy NASCAR advice and Truck sleepers.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is back in action on Saturday, with a standalone race at Mid-Ohio. With no Cup or Xfinity ringers in the field, we get to see the Truck Series' top driver battle it out on the road course.

The most recent Truck Series race came on June 23 at Nashville, with Carson Hocevar taking home his second victory of the season. It was a close one though, as the top four finishers all led double-digit laps, with Zane Smith finishing second, followed by Nick Sanchez and Corey Heim. Despite missing a race, Heim holds a 16-point lead over Smith in the championship battle.

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 Toyota 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 7/8/2023 at 1:36 p.m. ET.

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Zane Smith - $10,700

Starting 10th

While I'll highlight a non-favorite bet a couple of drivers down, I think the smart money is that this race comes down to Zane Smith and Corey Heim. Heim has the early advantage as he sits on the pole and could lead laps early, but I think the place differential upside Smith has gives him a slight edge overall.

Also factored into that edge: the fact that Smith came from 13th to finish second here last year, behind only Parker Kligerman. Smith led eight laps. The only other non-Kligerman driver to lead was Heim, who started on the pole, led the first three laps, and then didn't lead again, eventually having a late mechanical issue and finishing 26th.

And then earlier this season at COTA, Smith outdueled Kyle Busch for the race win, while Heim finished sixth. Both are great drivers, but I lean Smith on a road course based on his track record, especially because he managed that win at COTA despite starting on the third row in overtime.

Stewart Friesen - $9,700

Starting 35th

Huge place differential upside here for Friesen, who was one of two drivers along with Colby Howard to not turn a lap in qualifying. (Howard, I should note, finished ninth here last year, starts 36th, and costs $5,800, so while he's not featured in this article, he should be in some of your lineups, even though he was only 24th at COTA).

Friesen ran well here last year, starting 19th and finishing fourth. Overall on road courses, Friesen has 10 starts, with five top 10s and an average finish of 13.0. They aren't his best track type and he's been pretty solid on them. Should contend for at least a top 15 on Saturday.

Tyler Ankrum - $8,900

Starting 13th

This might be a good week to throw a few bucks down on Ankrum as the race winner. He went out on Friday and won the ARCA race here, beating a handful of drivers who'll be in Saturday's race: William Sawalich, Jack Wood, Conner Jones, Dean Thompson.

In addition, Ankrum ran well at the first road course on the Truck Series schedule this season, as he brought the No. 16 truck home in fourth place at COTA.

Overall, Ankrum has seven top 10s in his nine road course starts in the Truck Series, including a pair of top five results. His average finish on this track type is 9.3, his best of any track type.

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Ryan Vargas - $7,700

Starting 29th

Vargas jumps back into the On Point No. 30 truck for the fifth time this season, and his first start since Charlotte. He was top 15 in his first two races this season, but then didn't have a lot of speed at Darlington and Charlotte, finishing outside the top 25 in both races.

The 22-year-old ran the Xfinity Series race here in 2021, making a strong run, as he started 17th and finished 18th. Considering 29 drivers finished on the lead lap and JD Motorsports is one of the backmarker teams in that series, it was an impressive result.

It's also worth noting that Colin Garrett was 20th in this truck at COTA, and that this truck has had some solid runs in 2023, with three top 15s—the two from Vargas, plus a 12th at North Wilkesboro with Chris Hacker driving.

Marco Andretti - $7,300

Starting 7th

This is probably the biggest boom or bust play in this field. Andretti has never made a start in the Truck Series and a seventh-place starting spot offers plenty of negative place differential downside, but he's also really cheap and has plenty of experience at this track, albeit in IndyCar.

Andretti has made 15 starts at this track in that series, with six top 10s. He's never led a lap here and his best result was a sixth-place finish back in 2009, so don't take this as me saying he's a lock to run well because of the experience. But it's something to take into account, as is the strength of this No. 7 truck, which Kyle Larson drove to a win at North Wilkesboro. Spire doesn't run this truck without thinking they've got a shot to contend.

Basically, this is a really risky play, but there's a little confluence of positive signs that have me pulling the trigger in more lineups than I probably should feel comfortable with.

Hailee Deegan - $5,600

Starting 26th

I'm not sure Deegan's stock has really ever been lower than it is right now, as she's really struggled to get good results in this ThorSport truck. She's finished with six or fewer fantasy points in three consecutive races. She's also finished 20th or worse in five consecutive starts.

But if there's a week for Deegan to get things right, this one feels like it might be it. For all her struggles, road courses have actually been a strength for Deegan. She was 16th at COTA earlier in the season, but more impressive was her run here last year.

Sure, the race was marred by cautions, with five non-stage cautions flying. But Deegan, who started 28th, kept her truck clean and ended up with a 10th place finish, ahead of drivers like Grant Enfinger, Ty Majeski, and Taylor Gray. This feels like a good spot for her.

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