RADIO
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Kansas on Saturday night for the Heart of America 200, marking the first time the series has been on track since April 14, when Corey Heim won his first race of the season at Martinsville.
The Truck Series hits this track twice per season, with Zane Smith and John Hunter Nemechek claiming wins here last season. Nemechek has moved on to the Xfinity Series, while Smith currently sits second in the Truck Series points, 26 points behind Ty Majeski, who was second in this race one year ago.
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 Heart of America 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 5/6/2023 at 8:11 p.m. ET.
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Kyle Busch
Starting 2nd - $13,000
When Kyle Busch is in a Truck Series race, you obviously have to consider playing him in DFS. That's the case again, as he climbs in the Kyle Busch Motorsports 51 truck.
Any concerns that KBM's move to Chevrolet would lead to Busch being less dominant in the Truck Series seem to have been answered, as he's run three races this season, with a worst finish of second.
His best race came at the track that compares best to Kansas, Las Vegas. Both are mile-and-a-half intermediate tracks, and Busch started on the pole in that one, leading 84 laps and ending the day in victory lane. With Busch starting on the front row, I see no reason why he can't run away with this one as well.
Matt Crafton
Starting 21st - $9,000
Crafton has definitely taken a step back this season, as his average finish of 15.0 is his worst since 2002. But he still ranks seventh in the point standings and has three top 10s this season, so it's not like Crafton has become some non-entity.
Starting 21st on Saturday night, Crafton feels like someone with a little place differential juice, especially at Kansas, where he's won three times, more than at any other track on the Truck Series circuit. He has 14 top 10s in 25 starts, with an average finish of 11.6.
He hasn't been quite as good lately, finishing outside the top 10 in two of his last three races here, but he had a streak of five consecutive top 10s here before that, including a win in the 2020 spring race.
Matt DiBendetto
Starting 18th - $8,300
DiBenedetto got off to a slow start to the season, with just one top 10 in the first five races. But he's coming off of back-to-back top 10s entering Saturday night's race, which includes the only 11 laps he's led all year.
Of course, it's hard to know how much momentum he might bring into this one, as those races were at a short track and a dirt track, and it's been a few weeks since Martinsville. Still, DiBenedetto appears to be improving right now.
Plus, Kansas was good to him last year. He was seventh in this race, then 12th in the fall race. Both of those were above his average finish of 16.2 last season. Starting 18th on Saturday, I think there's some decent PD upside for DiBenedetto, who should be able to contend for a low-end top 10.
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Taylor Gray
Starting 19th - $7,600
I think Gray's someone who might go underused on this slate. But with drivers around him in price like Jake Garcia and Chase Purdy starting too high for my liking and Johnny Sauter driving a truck that I don't really trust, this is someone who really piques my interest.
Gray has limited experience on speedways in NASCAR, as his only 1.5-mile start was at Texas earlier this season, where he finished 24th. But he's getting some experience at Kansas already today by running the ARCA race, where he'll start fifth.
Additionally, Gray ran well at Texas before he was involved in a crash. His average running position was 13th, his best mark of the year so far, and he ran as high as fifth. He spent 72.9% of the race in the top 15, per Racing Reference.
Dean Thompson
Starting 22nd - $6,600
Up and down year for Thompson in his first year at Tricon, as he's crashed out three times. But his average running position has been in the top 20 in four of the seven races so far, so while the finishes aren't always there, he's still run some solid laps.
And last time we are at a track like Kansas, Thompson was running really well. At Texas, he ran as high as third and made 38 quality passes, with an average running position of 12th.
Unfortunately, he crashed out and finished 28th:
Could he find some of that magic again on Saturday night, and actually get to the end this time?
Lawless Alan
Starting 34th - $5,200
If you're going to pay up for Kyle Busch, you've got to hit on a really cheap driver to balance things out. Lawless Alan is my pick this week to be that cheap driver, though that really speaks more to how I don't love the other value options.
Of the seven drivers at Alan's price or cheaper, just three—Alan, Mason Maggio and Josh Reaume—have even started races this year. I suppose you could take a shot at $4,700 Toni Breidinger running a Tricon Garage truck, but her ARCA track record makes me want to fade her.
What I think could be interesting: the idea that a lot of unproven drivers are in this race can help a guy like Lawless Alan finish better than usual, because he'll have a better idea of how to keep the truck clean than other drivers will.
Also of note: starting 34th gives Alan could PD upside, considering his average finish this year is 23.8. And he was top 20 at both intermediate tracks he's run, so maybe this is just the kind of place that suits him.
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