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Justin Carter's DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway. Read his daily fantasy NASCAR advice and Truck sleepers.
While the Cup and Xfinity Series are heading to Richmond this weekend, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series stays in Texas for the second weekend in a row, heading up to Texas Motor Speedway to race as a companion series for the IndyCar race there.
Last week, Zane Smith won his second race of the season, and he now sits atop the overall standings by two points over Ty Majeski, with Ben Rhodes, Christian Eckes and Grant Enfinger rounding out the top five. So far, the point standings aren't too different from last year—all five of those drivers made the playoffs last season.
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 SpeedyCash.com 250 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 4/1/2023 at 4:38 p.m. ET.
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Post-Qualifying Updates
Normally, I'd guarantee some post-qualifying updates are added here, but I've got a lot on my plate today, so I'll just say that I should be able to tweet out some updates over at @juscarts, and I'll try to get those added here too.
What Past Texas Races Can Teach Us
Texas Motor Speedway has become...pretty hated among NASCAR fans. The 1.5-mile track just doesn't produce the greatest racing anymore. But last year's Truck Series race here was actually...decent. Four drivers led double-digit laps, and while the top five starters all finished seventh or better so there wasn't much of a surprise factor, it was still an enjoyable race, with Stewart Friesen leading 60 laps and coming out on top at the end. There were 18 lead changes in the race.
Still, recent results here show that if you want someone who can get you laps led points and contend for the win, you need to play someone starting on the first two rows. A driver starting fourth or better has won four straight Truck Series races here, and the last time someone won here while starting lower than sixth was in 2017, when Christopher Bell won from 21st.
So while there's been a decent amount of passing at the front of the field, we don't really get contenders for the win that often who don't start up there.
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Potential Top Plays
Zane Smith ($10,900) has won twice this year and is the favorite pretty much everywhere. He finished 32nd here last year, but he was third here in 2020, and led double-digit laps in two of his four starts. If he has a strong qualifying effort, he'll probably be the favorite.
Christian Eckes ($10,100) has a win this year as well, and has been running really well. In three starts here, he's finished second twice, leading at least 40 laps in both of those races. Eckes is a really appealing play here, and like Smith is someone who can lead a lot of laps.
One name that I think could be sneaky good if he either qualifies in the top five to give him a chance to win or struggles in qualifying to give him place differential upside is Nick Sanchez ($9,300), who has run really well all season. He hasn't always put the finishes together, but he's a promising young driver who's going to win a race at some point, and he's qualified in the top four in three of the four races this year.
Potential Value Plays
Jake Garcia ($8,000) might not be cheap enough to be a value play anymore, but he's finished in the top 20 in every race he's run this season. If he starts outside the top 20, he'll be a top place differential option.
Ryan Vargas ($7,300) has made one start in this 30 truck, starting 35th at Atlanta and finishing 14th. He's another driver who I could see having some good place differential upside at an affordable salary.
Daniel Dye ($7,000) hasn't been impressive for GMS, but he's finished better than he started in three of the four races this year. If he continues to have some issues in qualifying and then gains spots on race day, he'll remain a viable DFS play.
Josh Reaume ($5,700) is in the 22 this week. He has finishes of 19th and 23rd in this truck, and the other two drivers to run it were top 25 as well. But not counting the road course race, the team has had very little qualifying speed, so this is another spot you might target place differential.
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