RADIO
Dave's NASCAR DFS Picks (Truck Series) for the UNOH 200 at Bristol (2025). Read his daily fantasy NASCAR advice and NASCAR Trucks DFS sleepers, values.
After an off weekend, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is set to return this week. The Round of 10 resumes at Bristol Motor Speedway. Even though all three of NASCAR's top series are racing at Bristol this weekend, NASCAR rules prevent drivers from other series from entering this weekend's race. That means the Truck Series' regulars will duke it out amongst each other for the victory.
Corey Heim picked up his eighth victory of the season two weeks ago at Darlington and punched his ticket to the Round of 8 in the process. Chandler Smith and Kaden Honeycutt currently sit ninth and 10th in the standings and are on the outside looking in for the Round of 8. Jake Garcia and Rajah Caruth sit seventh and eighth in the standings and are just four and two points above the cutoff. All four of these drivers will need to avoid trouble and post a solid finish to improve their chances of advancing to the next round.
Will Heim score yet another victory this season at Bristol? Or will another driver stand up and punch their ticket to the Round of 8? Let's dive in and look at some NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol on DraftKings. Also, make sure to check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for the Craftsman Truck Series, including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station. Please note, this slate locks on 9/11/25 at 8:18 p.m. EDT.
Featured Promo! Save 50% on any PGA Premium Pass using discount code MASTERS, this week only! Win more with our DFS and Betting Packages, get expert tools and advice from proven winners including the Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, betting/props cheat sheet and more. GAIN FULL ACCESS HERE*Please note, Craftsman Truck Series qualifying takes place on 9/11 at 4:10 PM EST. Check back after qualifying for any updates.*
Craftsman Truck Series DFS Preview - DraftKings
Be sure to also check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles and analyses to help you set your optimal DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Top NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DFS Plays
Corey Heim ($14K)
Starts Second
The Truck Series has been Heim's personal playground so far in 2025. He has eight victories so far in 2025 and won the series' most recent short-track race at Richmond back in August.
HEIM TIME IN RICHMOND. Corey Heim rolls into @NASCAR_Trucks Victory Lane for the final race of the 2025 regular season. pic.twitter.com/hYG8hpARuh
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) August 16, 2025
As a matter of fact, Heim is currently in the middle of a three-race winning streak and is looking to capture his fourth straight victory this week. Heim finished third in the spring Bristol race. He also led 16 laps and posted a fourth-place finish in the second stage.
Heim has finished inside the top 10 in all five of his Truck Series starts at Bristol. He also won the fall race here in 2023. Heim is operating on a different level in 2025. He's already punched his ticket to the Round of 8, and there's no reason to fade him this weekend.
Layne Riggs ($12K)
Starts Seventh
Riggs is one of the best short-track racers in the series. He finished sixth at Bristol back in the spring, won at IRP in the summer, and has finished inside the top 10 in all but one short track race this year. Riggs is the defending champion of this race and has finished inside the top 10 in all three of his Bristol starts.
As long as Riggs qualifies towards the front, he'll be live for a ton of dominator and fastest lap points. Even if he has a poor qualifying run, he'll be a great place differential target, too.
It all makes Riggs a great alternative to Heim if you want to save some cash in your lineups this week.
Chandler Smith ($10.5K)
Starts Eighth
Smith won here back in April and did so in dominant fashion. He led 127 of 250 laps and even beat out Cup Series regular Kyle Larson in the process.
Chandler Smith holds off Kyle Larson to WIN the NASCAR Truck Series race at Bristol! #NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/0Ofpx25NO0
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 12, 2025
Smith's other victory this year came at North Wilkesboro. He's a two-time Bristol winner, and four of his seven career Truck Series victories have come on short tracks.
Bristol comes at the right time for Smith, who desperately needs a good finish to get above the cutline for the Round of 8. It's not the worst idea if you want to bypass Heim and Riggs and build your lineups around Smith. He should be in contention for the victory once again.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DFS Fades
Ty Majeski ($10K)
Starts Sixth
It's still hard to believe that the defending series' champion has yet to win a race this year. For whatever reason, though, the speed just hasn't been there for Majeski.
Even though Majeski led a race-high 143 laps and finished second at Richmond last month, he hasn't been fast enough on the short tracks this year to command this price. Majeski also crashed out of the spring Bristol race and finished 37th.
Dominator points are key at short track races, and unless Majeski shows serious speed in practice and qualifying, it's best to fade him in this price range.
Daniel Hemric ($9.7K)
Starts 11th
Hemric won at Martinsville earlier this year, but only led four laps in that race. He won the pole for the spring Bristol race but only led eight laps and finished 13th. If Hemric shows enough speed in practice, then he might be worth playing at this price. However, it's probably best to leave him out of lineups unless he qualifies toward the back.
Tyler Ankrum ($9.5K)
Starts Third
I was initially excited to play Ankrum this week, but I am a bit turned off by his price. He's posted three top-five finishes at the short tracks this year, but has hardly led any laps. He finished fourth in the first Bristol race earlier this year and should be live for a good finish this weekend.
However, unless he qualifies poorly, it's best to leave Ankrum out of lineups as he hasn't shown enough speed to gain the all-important dominator and fastest lap points needed to win tournaments.
Mid-Tier NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DFS Options
Corey LaJoie ($8.5K)
Starts 18th
LaJoie makes this fourth Truck Series start of the year this week. He's finished inside the top 10 in two of his three starts, including a fifth-place finish at Richmond last month after starting 26th. LaJoie is worth a play at this price.
Jake Garcia ($7.8K)
Starts First
Garcia is currently two points above the cutoff line for the Round of 8, so he needs a solid finish this weekend, too. Fortunately, he finished seventh in the spring Bristol race and at Richmond last month. He should be live for another solid finish this week.
Garcia unexpectedly won the pole. He is certainly at risk of losing place differential points following a great qualifying run. However, I am willing to gamble on Garcia leading laps and scoring fastest lap points. He could be a great advantage at this price despite a great qualifying effort.
Tanner Gray ($7.5K)
Starts 17th
Gray has three top 15s at short tracks so far this year and carries value as a potential place differential target.
Giovanni Ruggiero ($7.4K)
Starts 14th
Ruggiero has an average finish of 12th on short tracks this year. He has three top 10s on the short circuits already in 2025. Target him as a place differential play as he is live for a top 10 even if he qualifies poorly.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DFS Value Options
Matt Mills ($6.2K)
Starts 24th
Mills is a good place differential target at this price to pair with some of the more expensive drivers on the slate.
Jack Wood ($6K)
Starts 22nd
Wood finished 11th here in the spring after starting 19th. He also has top 20s at Martinsville, North Wilkesboro, and IRP.
More Fantasy NASCAR Analysis
The Keys to Weekly NASCAR Success
NASCAR is back, and it's time for you to win more with RotoBaller! Our NASCAR Premium Package for DFS and betting features several heavy hitters and proven winners.
Jordan McAbee anchors the team with his exclusive NASCAR DFS and betting picks, DFS projections and algorithm-predicted finishing order! Jordan has a 100+ unit betting profit since 2023, and a 25% average annual profit since 2018. He won the FSWA Racing Writer Of The Year award in 2023, and was nominated for DFS Writer Of The Year in 2024.
