This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
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Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Course: Texas Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 147
Race Preview
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway to kick off the All-Star Race weekend at the 1.5-mile oval. John Hunter Nemechek won last year's lone race at the track, but it was Zane Smith who dominated at Kansas to win his third race of the season last week. The series is now halfway through its regular season and six playoff spots remain available for non-winners. This week's race will be the 48th time the series has competed at Texas. Twenty five different drivers have visited Victory Lane, and Nemechek, Todd Bodine, and Matt Crafton are the only prior track victors to be entered this week. The entire field will be hoping to catch Smith who is streaking away at the top winner's list while Ben Rhodes sits atop the points, though.
Key Stats at Texas Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 47
- Winners from pole: 7
- Winners from top-five starters: 27
- Winners from top-10 starters: 39
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2
- Fastest race: 158.002 mph
Previous 10 Texas Winners
2021 - John Hunter Nemechek
2020 fall - Sheldon Creed
2020 spring - Kyle Busch
2019 fall - Greg Biffle
2019 spring - Kyle Busch
2018 fall - Justin Haley
2018 spring - Johnny Sauter
2017 fall - Johnny Sauter
2017 spring - Christopher Bell
2016 fall - Johnny Sauter
The fast high banks of Texas Motor Speedway are familiar to the Trucks competitors. Like most other 1.5-mile ovals, track position is one of the biggest factors of success. The most unique aspect of Texas is in turns 1 and 2. While the banking is slightly shallower in that section, it still offers drivers room to adjust their lines and make passes. Drivers who are fast out of the gate do have the potential to dominate the race. Clean air has a distinct advantage, and teams will work hard to maximize track position on restarts to take advantage of that. Teams may gamble with two-tire stops to get that track position and have a shot at the lead. Late restarts and untimely cautions could shake up the running order late in the race, too. Typically, the winner comes from the top starting positions. No one has started lower than sixth and won since 2017 and the last two races have been won by the polesitter.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
John Hunter Nemechek - $10,900
Zane Smith - $10,600
Ross Chastain - $10,400
Ben Rhodes - $10,100
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Grant Enfinger - $9,800
Christian Eckes - $9,600
Carson Hocevar - $9,400
Corey Heim - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Ty Majeski - $8,900
Matt Crafton - $8,700
Stewart Friesen - $8,500
Tyler Ankrum - $8,400
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Matt DiBenedetto - $8,000
Todd Bodine - $7,700
Austin Wayne Self - $6,800
Hailie Deegan - $6,600
My Picks
John Hunter Nemechek - $10,900
Corey Heim - $9,000
Matt DiBenedetto - $8,000
Derek Kraus - $7,800
Todd Bodine - $7,700
Hailie Deegan - $6,600
John Hunter Nemechek, having broken through for a win at Dralington, enters this week's race as the defending winner with a streak of five straight finishes of sixth or better this season. He won last year's race from pole with 64 laps led. Fantasy players should consider Corey Heim consider this week, too. Despite three of four races this season ending in disappointment, he won at Atlanta and qualified in top six three of those starts. He led 24 laps last week and won a stage. If he can get past the mistakes that have hampered him he could outperform this week. Matt DiBenedetto earned his third top-10 of the year last week. This will be his first Texas start in the Trucks, but his best Cup Series finish at the track was third in 2021. Derek Kraus moved a little closer to the cutoff line for the playoffs with an eighth-place finish at Kansas. He has three Texas starts with one top-10 and an average finish of 11th. Six-time Texas winner Todd Bodine will make his third start of the season this week. Last time out he finished 10th at Darlington, and his experience at this track could be a difference maker. Finally, Hailie Deegan reenters the choices this week after getting back among the top-20 finishers last week. Her 17th-place finish was her best since Daytona and her fourth top-20 of the year so far.
