
Dave's NASCAR DFS Picks (Truck Series) for the Love's RV Stop 225 at Talladega (2025). Read his daily fantasy NASCAR advice and NASCAR Trucks DFS sleepers, values for Talladega.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns following an off week. There are two races left in the Round of 8. Corey Heim already punched his ticket to the championship race at Phoenix when he scored a victory at the Roval two weeks ago. However, there are still three spots up for grabs in the season finale at Phoenix.
The points standings are tight, with only four points separating the second-place driver from the eighth. With the Truck Series visiting the infamous Talladega Superspeedway this week, we are sure to see plenty of movement in the standings following this race.
Talladega is the biggest wildcard race of the Round of 8. The pack-style of racing puts drivers in a box, and it only takes one small mistake to set off a wreck that could wipe out half of the field. For DFS purposes, these superspeedway races can become total dart throws. Anyone in the field can win due to the unique style of racing at these tracks. Still, we do our best to identify several potential plays as well as drivers to fade. Let's dive in and look at some NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Love's RV Stop 225 at Talladega 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 10/17/25 at 4:21 p.m. EDT.
*Please note, Craftsman Truck Series qualifying takes place on 10/17/25 at 12:30 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
Ty Majeski ($10K)
Starts 2nd
Majeski hasn’t had much luck at Talladega in his Craftsman Truck Series career. In three Talladega starts, Majeski has an average finish of 18.7 with his best result being a 12th-place effort in last year’s race.
However, he’s been successful at Daytona and has one top five, three top 10s, and an average finish of 12.8 in five career Daytona Starts. He’s also experienced success at Atlanta since the track was reconfigured into a drafting-style track. Majeski has two top fives and three top 10s since the track's reconfiguration.
Majeski is a solid drafter, and it’s only a matter of time before he posts a strong finish at Talladega.
Corey LaJoie ($9.8K)
Starts 18th
LaJoie has not started a Truck Series race at Talladega, but he’s had quite a few solid runs on drafting tracks over in the Cup Series. He’s an intriguing play at this price and is a dark horse to pick up the win here.
Grant Enfinger ($9.5K)
Starts 15th
Enfinger is the defending champion of this race.
GRANT ENFINGER WINS AT TALLADEGA. He will race for a @NASCAR_Trucks championship in Phoenix! pic.twitter.com/16BZlCCWcM
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 4, 2024
He is a two-time Talladega winner, with his other victory at the track coming in 2016. Enfinger also has a win at Daytona in 2020 on his resume.
The driver of the #9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet has fared well at the drafting tracks so far in 2025. He finished fourth at Daytona in February and followed that up with a 10th-place effort at Atlanta.
Look for him to be one of the contenders this weekend, and he is live for his third career Talladega victory.
Chandler Smith ($9.3K)
Starts 25th
Smith has not won at a drafting track in his Craftsman Truck Series career, but he has still posted solid results at the drafting tracks. He has two top fives at Atlanta since they reconfigured the track, two top 10s in three career Daytona starts, and two top fives in four career Talladega starts.
Smith has had some good runs at this style of track, and it feels like only a matter of time before he takes home a checkered flag.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DFS Fades
Corey Heim ($11K)
Starts 3rd
Heim has already secured a spot in the championship race at Phoenix after he won at the Roval two weeks ago.
NASCAR TRUCK SERIES HISTORY! Corey Heim bounces back on the Charlotte Roval to become the winningest driver in a single Truck Series season (10). https://t.co/3OzcwAIOS3 pic.twitter.com/M6WjCVeGSs
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 3, 2025
That’s good news because this race is a complete wildcard, and a poor finish at Talladega can ruin your championship hopes.
Fading Heim has nothing to do with his talent, as he was victorious at Daytona earlier this year in the season opener. It has everything to do with him being the most expensive driver in a race where anything can happen. This is probably the only type of track where fading Heim makes sense.
TRICON Garage looks very fast this weekend, so I won't argue if you want to include Heim in your lineups. He just feels like too chalky a play considering all the unknowns at this track.
Layne Riggs ($10.5K)
Starts 35th
Riggs has not been good at the drafting tracks during his Craftsman Truck Series career. He has not finished inside the top 10 in six career Truck Series starts at Atlanta, Daytona, and Talladega. He also has just two top 20s in those six starts.
For whatever reason, Riggs just hasn’t had much luck at these tracks. Perhaps it’s just bad luck. Or maybe his driving style doesn't mesh well with drafting tracks. Either way, it’s probably best to avoid Riggs this weekend.
Update- Riggs did not make a qualifying run and will start 35th. He now offers value as an intriguing place differential target. His price is still not ideal, so I think the correct move is still to fade. However, he does offer more value to DFS gamers considering his starting position, and I won't argue with anyone who wants to take a shot on him here.
Mid-Tier NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DFS Options
Ben Rhodes ($8.7K)
Starts 7th
Rhodes has three top fives in nine career Talladega starts with an average finish of 14.6. He also won at Daytona back in 2021. Rhodes also finished seventh at Atlanta earlier this year. He’s a competent drafter and will be live for a good finish this weekend, provided he avoids all the wrecks.
Kaden Honeycutt ($8.5K)
Starts 5th
Honeycutt crashed out of the Daytona race and finished 35th. He bounced back at Atlanta, though, and posted a sixth-place result after starting 25th.
Honeycutt has finished inside the top 20 in both of his Craftsman Truck Series Talladega starts. He has an average finish of 15th in those races against an average starting spot of 27th. His best finish at the track was an 11th-place effort back in 2022 after starting 36th.
Parker Kligerman ($8.2K)
Starts 21st
Kligerman is a very good drafting racer and is a two-time Talladega winner in the Craftsman Truck Series. He has two victories, three top fives, and five top 10s in eight career Talladega starts.
He’ll be in contention for the victory and is a great play this weekend.
Giovanni Ruggiero ($7.8K)
Starts 1st
Ruggiero finished runner-up at Daytona after starting 34th. He followed that up with an 11th-place effort at Atlanta after starting 22nd. That means Ruggiero has scored positive place differential points at both drafting tracks this year.
This weekend will mark his first career Talladega start, but the concepts remain the same as Daytona and Atlanta. Ruggiero looks like a competent drafter, and he should be live for a solid finish this weekend.
Even though Ruggiero starts on the pole, TRICON Garage showed good speed earlier today. He is live for dominator and fastest lap points, and that could be enough to offset any negative place differential points, provided he is not caught up in any wrecks.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DFS Value Options
Bayley Currey ($6.9K)
Starts 20th
After finishing 21st at Daytona, Currey posted a fourth-place effort at Atlanta. Target him as a place differential play.
Matt Mills ($6K)
Starts 23rd
Mills finished 12th at Atlanta after starting 24th. Target him as a place differential play.
Frankie Muniz ($5.5K)
Starts 28th
Muniz’s only top 10 finish of the season came at Daytona back in February. He didn’t have as much luck at Atlanta and finished 26th after crashing out of that race. He did, however, post top 20s at Michigan and Pocono. Both of those tracks have drafting elements to them.
This is one of the rare times that Muniz could be a good play. He’s a solid, cheap place differential target.
Josh Reaume ($5.4K)
Starts 29th
Reaume has scored top 20s at both drafting tracks this year. He also finished sixth at Daytona back in 2019. Reaume is another cheap place differential target.
Greg Van Alst ($5.2K)
Starts 34th
Van Alst normally competes in the ARCA Menards Series. However, he’ll be entering this weekend’s Truck Series race as an owner/driver. His only career ARCA Series victory came at Daytona in 2023, so he’s previously shown some skill at the drafting tracks.
He finished third at the Daytona ARCA Series race and posted an 11th-place result at Talladega, too. Van Alst is worth gambling on this weekend in the event he posts a solid finish in a potentially crash-filled race.
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 had a 60+ unit betting profit in 2024 NASCAR, and a 25% average annual profit since 2018. He won the FSWA Racing Writer Of The Year award in 2023, and has been nominated for DFS Writer Of The Year in 2024.
Five-time NASCAR Racing Writer of the Year finalist and fantasy industry legend Scott "The King" Engel is also in the crew, bringing you his weekly strategies and lineup picks. Set your winning DFS lineups with our award-winning team. He has been nominated once again in 2024 for this award.
