NASCAR Truck Series Window World 250 DFS: DraftKings Lineup Picks for North Wilkesboro (5/17/25)

May 17, 2025

Justin's DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Window World 250 at North Wilkesboro. Read his 2025 daily fantasy NASCAR advice and Truck sleepers.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is at North Wilkeboro this weekend for the Window World 250, marking the third year in a row that the legendary track has hosted the series since it was reopened in 2023.

Last week, the series was at Kansas Speedway in a race dominated by three drivers you expect. Cup regulars Carson Hocevar and William Byron finished first and second, while Truck Series points leader Corey Heim was third.

Let's look at some NASCAR Truck Series DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Truck Series Window World 250 on DraftKings. Be sure also to check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Truck Series, including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station. This slate locks on 5/17/2025 at 1:46 p.m. EDT.

Truck Series DFS Preview - DraftKings

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

Top Drivers

Note: I wrote this whole article, and was about to hit publish when qualifying was canceled, so look for bolded notes at various points that add some additional context now that we know the starting lineup early.

Kyle Busch - $12.7K

Starts Second

So, Kyle Busch is racing in the Truck Series and he isn't running away from the rest of the field when it comes to price? Hmm.

Busch has run one Truck Series race this season, starting ninth at Atlanta and going on to win while leading 80 laps. He's the best driver in this field and he's in one of the best trucks. He almost certainly will have a great shot to win.

Corey Heim - $12.2K

Starts First

And, there it is — the giant price jump for Corey Heim that I think we all expected could come, as he costs $1.2K more than he did a week ago and is a full $2.0K more than the next Truck Series regular.

#NASCAR... With rain gracing North Wilkesboro this morning, qualifying for the NASCAR Truck Series has been cancelled. Corey Heim will start on pole.

Practice will begin shortly at 10:40 AM ET.https://t.co/hOL4fmd9OY

— TobyChristie.com (@TobyChristieCom) May 17, 2025

There's good reason for that, though. Heim has been by far the best driver in the series this season. He's won one-third of the races this year and has finished outside the top 10 just once, with an average finish of 5.4.

Heim won this race last year, leading 66 laps. The year before, he led 75 laps and finished sixth. Even with Busch racing, Heim should be viewed as the favorite.

Layne Riggs - $10.2K

Starts 26th

It's been a disappointing season for Layne Riggs. The addition of a second Front Row Motorsports truck has really hurt this No. 34 team, but this could be a good week to turn things around since Riggs has been good on short tracks in his career.

In 12 short track starts, Riggs has a win with five top fives and nine top 10s. His average short track finish is 7.6 compared to an 18.2 average on intermediate tracks.

EDIT: Riggs starts 26th, giving him huge place differential upside. Love this play.

Ty Majeski - $9.7K

Starts 12th

Last year's champion has just four top 10s this year and none have come at short tracks. However, I can't let that cloud my judgment, because Ty Majeski's Truck Series career suggests he's really good at short tracks.

Four of his six career wins have come at short tracks, and his average finish in 18 short track starts is 9.2 compared to 12.6 at intermediate tracks. He was second in his first North Wilkesboro start in 2023, then led 50 laps here last year before finishing 11th.

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Mid-Tier NASCAR Trucks DFS Lineup Options

Chandler Smith - $9.5K

Starts 14th

Honestly, DraftKings should swap the prices of the two Front Row Motorsports drivers, as Chandler Smith has been a step ahead of Layne Riggs all year.

But hey — that just means there's a bit of an edge here with playing Smith, who has six top 10s and sits second in points. He was fourth at Martinsville, then won at Bristol, proving he can contend at short tracks in this truck.

Daniel Hemric - $9.0K

Starts Seventh

The closest comparison that the Truck Series has run to North Wilkesboro this year was Martinsville, a race that saw Daniel Hemric land in Victory Lane. He only led four laps, but he was up front when it mattered. He's a sneaky strong contender on Saturday.

Sammy Smith - $8.8K

Starts Third

With the Xfinity Series off this weekend, Sammy Smith dips down for another Truck Series race. His first start of the year at Rockingham didn't go very well, as he started 11th and finished 16th.

However, Smith ran well in four starts for Spire last year, including the race here at North Wilkesboro, where he started all the way back in 31st but ran a good race to finish fifth, one of three top 10s he had in the Truck Series last year. He should be a strong contender for a top 10, though likely not for the win.

Edit: I'm probably fading now after qualifying was rained out and Smith starts up in third.

Grant Enfinger - $8.6K

Starts Eighth

The runner-up here last year, Grant Enfinger is usually strong on short tracks, though he was only 29th at Martinsville earlier this season.

Considering he's 2-for-2 when it comes to getting top 10s at North Wilkesboro since the track's return, let's go with that as the most important factor when determining how he'll run on Saturday.

Tyler Ankrum - $8.4K

Starts 13th

I just witnessed a Tyler Ankrum win at Rockingham speedway in 2025

what is this timeline pic.twitter.com/jbwL7BJZR7

— caba🍉 (@cabanascar42) April 18, 2025

Tyler Ankrum has been one of the best drivers in the Truck Series in 2025, posting seven top 10s through the first nine races, with six of those being top fives. We've run three short tracks, and he has a win with a lowest finish of fourth in those three races. Considering his production, he feels a bit underpriced.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Value Picks

Note: Some of these won't necessarily be values after qualifying. Check back then for updates, which will be at the top of the article.

Stewart Friesen - $7.7K

Starts Sixth

It's been a great campaign so far for Stewart Friesen, who already has one more top five than he had in 2024 and is over halfway to his top 10 total from last season.

Friesen DNFed at two of the three short tracks so far, but was ninth at Martinsville. The big reason I'm high on him this week, though, is that he's been solid in both his starts here, going +20 in place differential in 2023 and then getting a top 10 here last year.

Edit: Ehh, the starting spot's a bit too high, so let's go ahead and call this a fade.

Tanner Gray - $7.5K

Starts 24th

Wasn't on my radar before qualifying was rained out, but starting 24th makes Gray appealing.

Jake Garcia - $7.3K

Starts Fifth

It's been a strong year for Jake Garcia, who has six top 10s already after recording just two of them all of last season. He's also landed on the pole twice. In his previous short track starts this season, he was third at Martinsville, seventh at Bristol, and second at Rockingham.

Edit: I'm still playing after qualifying was rained out, but starting fifth definitely makes this a little bit risky.

Giovanni Ruggiero - $7.0K

Starts Fourth

Gio Ruggiero and this No. 17 truck are finding something, recording top 10s in three of the last four races, including a fourth at Kansas last week.

Gio Ruggiero finished P5 in tonight’s CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race.

+32 regular season points

📍 Kansas Speedway#NASCAR | #CRAFTSMAN | #HeartofHealthCare200 | #FirstAutoGroup

(📸- @TRICONGarage) pic.twitter.com/6xWBv4qRIu

— Washington Sports (@WashingtonFan9) May 11, 2025

For DFS purposes, his strong-ish qualifying runs pose a little concern, but he's starting to perform well enough during races to push that concern aside. He started 10th last week and still went +6 in place differential.

Edit: Yikes. I like how Ruggiero has been running, but a fourth-place starting spot is too high for my liking. Unfortunately, I have to fade here.

Andres Perez De Lara - $6.4K

Starts 20th

Andres Perez is definitely having a disappointing rookie season as the defending ARCA champion sits just 19th in points with one top 10.

However, that one top 10 was at Martinsville, and Perez had positive place differential in two of the three short track races so far this year. I'm cautiously optimistic about this play.

Edit: I am still cautiously optimistic with Perez starting 20th

Dawson Sutton - $6.3K

Starts 17th

Dawson Sutton is quietly putting together a decent season, especially considering that this No. 26 truck is a bit behind a lot of the other teams.

Sutton enters Saturday with five consecutive top 20s, including posting his two best finishes of the year in the last two races. He was 16th at Martinsville. His Truck Series debut was at this track last year and he really struggled, but I think we can chalk that up to it being his debut in what was at the time a second part-time Rackley W.A.R. truck.

Edit: Yeah, definitely a little risky with a 17th-place starting spot. I'll have some exposure, but not much.

Jack Wood - $6.1K

Starts 22nd

Jack Wood finished in the top 20 in all three short-track races so far in 2025. He was a solid 12th in this race last season, going +5 in place differential. He's definitely a boring play, but at $6.1K, I imagine he'll be in a number of my lineups if he starts around his average of 17.4 or worse.

Edit: I'm all over this play.

Patrick Emerling - $5.9K

Starts 32nd

This is by far the most confusing play of the race. Patrick Emerling's NASCAR record isn't very good, but he's driving the No. 75 truck for Henderson Motorsports this week. That's a solid truck, so there could be some upside here.

Edit: Love this play so much now. I should also note that Luke Baldwin (starts 30th) is now a strong for place differential.

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