This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Fresh From Florida 250
Location: Daytona Beach, Fla.
Course: Daytona International Speedway
Format: 2.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 100
NASCAR Trucks Fresh From Florida 250 Race Preview
Ty Majeski dominated the 2024 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series finale at Phoenix Raceway to capture the season championship last November. It doesn't feel like that was too long ago, but it is now firmly in the rearview mirror as the engines fire for the start of the 2025 season. Like the Cup Series, the Trucks start their season at Daytona International Speedway where Nick Sanchez won in 2024. The entire field will be hoping to add their name to the high-banked superspeedway's winner list in order to quickly book their spot in the 2025 playoffs, but they may have to get past a familiar name first. The defending series champion will be itching to get his title defense started off on the right foot after starting on the front row in the last three Daytona races and finishing in the top 10 twice. For him, and every other competitor, the Truck Series season may seem like a long one, but races tick past very quickly. Only 18 races make up the regular season, which means there isn't much time to correct course if you get off to a slow start. A top finish in the first opportunity at Daytona is the best way to set the stage for a successful 2025 championship run, but competition will be fierce with all 38 entrants vying for just one spot in Victory Lane Friday night under the lights at Daytona.
Key Stats at Daytona International Speedway
- Number of races: 25
- Winners from pole: 4
- Winners from top-5 starters: 9
- Winners from top-10 starters: 14
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 5
- Fastest race: 146.622 mph
Previous 10 Daytona Winners
2024 - Nick Sanchez
2023 - Zane Smith
2022 - Zane Smith
2021 - Ben Rhodes
2020 - Grant Enfinger
2019 - Austin Hill
2018 - Johnny Sauter
2017 - Kaz Grala
2016 - Johnny Sauter
2015 - Tyler Reddick
Daytona International Speedway is a high-banked superspeedway where navigating the draft is often more important than single-car speed. Nick Sanchez's victory in this race last season from the sixth position is the best starting spot of any victor in this race since Johnny Sauter's win in 2018 from the front row. The five winners between those two all started 10th or lower. Therefore, Daytona's draft makes it possible for Friday's winner to come from anywhere on the grid. To have the best shot at a good result, fantasy players this week should pay more attention to a driver's ability to move forward in the draft than what their grid position may be. The only scheduled practice session was cancelled due to rain, which means the only track time ahead of the race will be when drivers qualify Friday afternoon, placing extra emphasis on making sure ever detail has been addressed before the green flag waves just a few hours later. Even with speed in the draft, Daytona presents many unknowns, though. The high speeds mean any mistakes on track or pit road risk a driver losing the pack and quickly falling off of the lead lap. Similarly, with the action centered on a pack of trucks, one crash can collect many innocent bystanders. Winning this race will take a truck that is able to make passes in the draft, making few if any mistakes through all 250 miles, and getting bit of luck to avoid collateral damage in the race's multi-truck crashes.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Trucks Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Fresh From Florida 250 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Michael McDowell - $10,000
Corey Heim - $9,900
Justin Haley - $9,800
Ty Majeski - $9,600
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Ben Rhodes - $9,000
Layne Riggs - $8,800
Johnny Sauter - $8,600
Tyler Ankrum - $8,400
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Kaden Honeycutt - $8,000
Connor Mosack - $7,700
Stewart Friesen - $7,500
Tanner Gray - $7,400
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Matt Mills - $7,000
Jake Garcia - $6,900
Toni Breidinger - $6,000
Frankie Muniz - $5,300
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Fresh From Florida 250
Justin Haley - $9,800
Chandler Smith - $9,300
Layne Riggs - $8,800
Johnny Sauter - $8,600
Stewart Friesen - $7,500
Toni Breidinger - $6,000
With several NASCAR Cup Series regulars starting this week's Trucks Series race, fantasy players get a wider selection of superspeedway prowess. Justin Haley is certainly one of those options worth considering. Haley won a rain-shortened Cup race at Daytona and will be behind the wheel of one of Spire Motorsports' entries Friday night before tackling the 500 on Sunday. He hasn't competed in the series since 2020, but he does have three wins since 2015 and will be going for nothing less than the victory. Chandler Smith may also be a good selection. He started ninth and led 22 laps in this race in 2021 and has something to prove in 2025. He joins Front Row Motorsports this season after racing in the Xfinity Series last year with two wins, 17 top-fives, and 22 top-10 finishes. He is likely to be in the championship conversation this season with FRM propelling him forward, especially this week at Daytona where FRM won two of the last three races with Zane Smith behind the wheel. Layne Riggs should be another top consideration. He made an impact in 2024 with back-to-back victories at Milwaukee and Bristol and took home rookie-of-the-year honors. He scored seven top-fives and 10 top-10s last season and exited this race early last year after crash damage ruined his chances.
Veteran Johnny Sauter is typically someone to keep an eye on at Daytona and this year should be no different. He won this race three times and started on the front row in two of his last three tries. He led 24 laps last year from the second starting spot before crashing out, and led a total of 175 laps in 15 Daytona tries. When Sauter has a clean race, he typically finishes in the top 10. Like Sauter, Stewart Friesen is a veteran worth considering. Last season wasn't the best for him and he missed out on the playoffs. However, he finished 14th at Daytona and the equalizer of the track's draft puts more emphasis on his veteran skillset, which could be an advantage for him.
Finally, Toni Breidinger steps up to the Truck Series full time in 2025 after two seasons in ARCA. She is replacing Dean Thompson in TRICON Garage's No. 5, who is moving on to the Xfinity Series. Breidinger tallied 27 top-10s in ARCA competition and finished fourth in last year's series standings. She entered this race last year, qualifying 15th, but was relegated to a 27th-place finish three laps down after a late crash. Breidinger is one of six drivers aiming to be this season's rookie of the year.
NASCAR Trucks Best Bets for the Fresh From Florida 250
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 1:00 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Corey Heim +900, Johnny Sauter +1800
Top-three Finish - Matt Crafton +850
Race winner odds for Friday's Fresh From Florida 250 are bigger than at most other tracks due to the unpredictable nature of superspeedway racing. One of the series-regular favorites to win is Corey Heim, who would also make a top fantasy selection if you can make the math work. Heim finished second at Daytona last year and was eighth the year before that. The payout for a Heim win on Friday is also more than three times what you would get if you chose him to finish in the top three and also greater than would typically be on offer as a favorite at almost any other track. While Heim may be one of the to contenders, another race winning option with an even bigger payoff to consider is Johnny Sauter. The veteran has three wins in this race, and he typically finishes near the front if not involved in a crash. Both Heim and Sauter offer a nice return for drivers that are certainly capable of winning this race.
Another potential betting value for Friday appears with Matt Crafton finishing in the top three. The veteran ThorSport Racing driver has never won at Daytona, but he does have two top-fives and 10 top-10s from 24 tries. Most compelling are his ninth- and seventh-place finishes in his last two Daytona appearances, though. Crafton is a veteran who knows how to get to the end of these races and has a team that can put him in position to be among the top five. Compared with relatively tighter spreads on other drivers in the field, Crafton should be an option worth considering.
