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NASCAR Truck Series: DraftKings DFS Preview for Bristol Weather Guard Truck Race (3/16/24)

Justin Carter's DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Read his daily fantasy NASCAR advice and Truck sleepers.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is back in action this week at Bristol. After running this race on the dirt for the last three years, this year marks the return of the spring race to the normal Bristol track. It's also the first time ever that the Truck Series will run here in the spring on this surface.

Last time out at Las Vegas, Rajah Caruth earned the first win of his Truck Series career, holding off a late charge from Tyler Ankrum. That win has Caruth fourth in the point standings, while Ankrum currently leads despite not winning a race yet.

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 Weather Guard Truck Race 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 3/16/2024 at 8:09 p.m. EST.

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Truck Series DFS Preview - DraftKings

Be sure to also check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles and analysis to help you set your optimal DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. 

 

Bristol Race Trends

Don't expect a ton of lead changes here. You should be looking for a couple of drivers who can take turns at the front to anchor your lineup.

Last year, we saw just four lead changes, and one of those was just for one lap. We saw three long stints of drivers out front, with Christian Eckes pacing the field for a 60 and a 90-lap segment, while Zane Smith led 43 consecutive laps in the middle of the race.

The year before, same story. Three lead changes, with four drivers each taking a turn at the front. The laps led segments then were 27, 89, 39, and 45 laps. Once a truck is in front, that truck tends to stay in front for a while.

The other thing to note is that place differential can come into play pretty substantially. Of the top 15 drivers in the race here in September, seven started the race outside of the top 15. In 2022, that number was six. There's a lot of bumping and grinding here, so drivers can make some big movement through the field.

 

Drivers Who Could Dominate

Note: This section was written before qualifying.

Kyle Busch ($15,000) is so expensive—$5,000 more than any other driver. There's reason for that, as we have 150 laps led and fastest laps up for grabs and Busch has won here at every level of NASCAR. Still, that price has me a little scared off, because it means I'll have to really win at the margins.

Corey Heim ($10,000) might be the best pivot off Busch depending on how qualifying goes. He's the most recent Truck Series winner at this track, though he only led six laps in the win last September. Heim also won at Martinsville last season, showcasing his strong record on short tracks.

That's where Christian Eckes ($9,800) comes into play. Eckes led 150 laps in last year's race, starting on pole and leading the first 60 laps of the race before later retaking the lead. He also has finishes of 12th and eighth on the pavement at Bristol. He has a great shot to pull off a win here.

Zane Smith ($9,500) is back in the No. 91 truck this week for his second start of the season. He was eighth at Vegas, but never really felt like a contender. Bit of risk here because he won't have the best truck, but Smith is really good at Bristol. He hasn't won here, but he led 43 laps in 2023 and 39 in 2022. His best finish is second.

 

 

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Like what you're reading? You can show your support for Justin by using promo code CARTER when purchasing a NASCAR Premium Pass. You get 10% off and full access to all of our Premium NASCAR articles, DFS tools, and Lineup Optimizer!

 

Top Place Differential Plays

Check back here after qualifying for thoughts on place differential.

Some really solid place differential plays today. We have Layne Riggs ($8,200) starting 28th—results haven't been great this year, but the No. 38 truck has speed.

Ty Dillon ($7,300) is another I really like from his 26th starting spot.

Sprinkle in guys like Tanner Gray ($7,200) and Dean Thompson ($6,800).

 

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Deep Sleepers

Pre-qualifying thoughts

Hard to really talk about sleepers before qualifying, because it'll matter where the trucks line up to get a sense of who has the best place differential upside.

But a couple names that stand out are William Sawalich ($6,900) and Bret Holmes ($5,800). Sawalich is making his first start of the season, but he's a former ARCA winner at this track. He had a top 10 in half of his six Truck Series starts last season.

As for Holmes, he's finished with positive place differential in every race this season. After the first two, I thought it might have just been because of superspeedway racing, but he started 20th and finished 12th at Vegas. This is the first short-track test for him, but as long as he qualifies outside the top 20, I'll have interest.

Post-qualifying thoughts

After qualifying, I still like Holmes, though maybe slightly less. I might pivot off him to Thad Moffitt ($5,700) in some lineups because there's more place differential upside, though Holmes probably has a better overall finish than Moffitt.

NASCAR DFS News and Driver Outlooks

More Fantasy NASCAR Analysis



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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.

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