This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Love's RV Stop 225
Location: Talladega, Ala.
Course: Talladega Superspeedway
Format: 2.66-mile tri-oval
Laps: 85
NASCAR Trucks Love's RV Stop 225 Race Preview
Corey Heim won a week ago at Kansas to close out the first round of the 2024 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs in style. The entire picture changes this week, though. The original field of 10 championship contenders has been slimmed down to eight and the next three races will determine which four of those remaining drivers will get a shot at racing for the championship at Phoenix. First up on that path to glory is the imposing Talladega Superspeedway. It will be the 19th time the series has raced at the track and anything can happen. Only half of those prior races were won by someone starting inside the top 10 and four of the last five races were won by someone starting 20th or lower. This is a rare week that fantasy players won't have to rely on qualifying results when choosing their starters, but they will want to focus on drivers with superspeedway prowess. Talladega is a nervy place to kick off the final round of playoff eliminations and tension will be high on drivers and teams to avoid the track's notorious pitfalls.
Key Stats at Talladega Superspeedway
- Number of races: 18
- Winners from pole: 3
- Winners from top-5 starters: 6
- Winners from top-10 starters: 9
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 5
- Fastest race: 145.513 mph
Previous 10 Talladega Winners
2023 - Brett Moffitt
2022 - Matt DiBenedetto
2021 - Tate Fogleman
2020 - Raphael Lessard
2019 - Spencer Boyd
2018 - Timothy Peters
2017 - Parker Kligerman
2016 - Grant Enfinger
2015 - Timothy Peters
2014 - Timothy Peters
Talladega's high-speed pack racing means that drivers run their machines wide open all race long. Teaming up with other drivers to draft forward is the main way of making passes, and patience can often be a virtue. Staying out of crashes is often be more important than anything else, though. Simply remaining in the fray until the finish can open the door to success. Unlike Daytona, which where Nick Sanchez won earlier this season, Talladega is wider and tends to have more grip, which gives drivers some extra comfort as tires wear through a fuel run. Drivers will need to keep themselves out of trouble but move forward as stage and the race approaches their finishes. That can often be easier said than done since the level of aggression increases as those points approach. The last six series races were decided on the final lap. Anything can happen until the trucks cross the finish line for the final time.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Trucks Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Love's RV Stop 225 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Corey Heim - $10,000
Christian Eckes - $9,800
Grant Enfinger - $9,600
Nick Sanchez - $9,500
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Rajah Caruth - $9,000
Connor Zilisch - $8,800
Ben Rhodes - $8,700
Tyler Ankrum - $8,100
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Matt Crafton - $8,000
Chase Purdy - $7,800
Stewart Friesen - $7,700
Daniel Dye - $7,400
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Dean Thompson - $7,200
Kaden Honeycutt - $6,700
Bret Holmes - $6,300
Lawless Alan - $5,700
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Love's RV Stop 225
Nick Sanchez - $9,500
Layne Riggs - $9,300
Rajah Caruth - $9,000
Chase Purdy - $7,800
Stewart Friesen - $7,700
Kaden Honeycutt - $6,700
Two top-fives the first playoff round ensured Nick Sanchez advanced to the penultimate round or eliminations. A win and another top-five at the two superspeedway races this season ensure he should be a top consideration for fantasy rosters this week at Talladega, too. Sanchez won the season opener at Daytona before finishing fifth the following week at Atlanta. He also scored a seventh-place finish at Talladega last season after starting on the front row and leading 25 laps. This week's race could be an opportunity for Sanchez to stamp his ticket to the championship finale at Phoenix. It might be tough for Sanchez to top Layne Riggs, though. There is no hotter driver in the series right now. The Front Row Motorsports driver has finished first or second in his last three races and has a top-five finishing streak that goes back five races. He finished 33rd at Daytona and Atlanta earlier this season but is a completely different driver now than he was then. This will be his Talladega debut, but last year's race was won by teammate Brett Moffitt. Riggs has the team and equipment to finish up front again this week. Rajah Caruth should also be on radars this week. The playoff contender has proven capabilities at superspeedways including his third-place finish at Daytona earlier this year. He enters the weekend with three top-10 finishes from the last five races and finished 12th at this track last season.
For many, it is often worthwhile to include some logshot drivers in superspeedway lineups. Leading that charge this week is Chase Purdy. The Spire Motorsports driver sits 15th in points and finished 11th and seventh in the last two races. He has five total top-10 finishes this season and four of those have come in the second half of the year. This will be Purdy's fifth series start at Talladega, and he already has two top-10 finishes in that short span. He also started on pole in last year's race before crashing out. The current season hasn't been as competitive as Stewart Friesen was hoping for, but Talladega's equalizing draft and Friesen's experience could be a potent combination this week. He finished 14th at Daytona earlier this season and has two Talladega top-10s from seven series starts. This week is a chance for him to claim his sixth top-10 of 2024. Kaden Honeycutt could also prove to be a compelling choice this week. The Niece Motorsports driver came from the 36th starting spot to finish 11th at Talladega last season and went from 25th to sixth at Atlanta earlier this season. This is a part-time driver proving that he has superspeedway chops, which could pay off for fantasy players this week.
