This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Window World 250
Location: North Wilkesboro, N.C.
Course: North Wilkesboro Speedway
Format: 0.63-mile oval
Laps: 250
NASCAR Trucks Window World 250 Race Preview
Carson Hocevar made a triumphant return to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, winning a week ago at Kansas Speedway after a physical tussle with Layne Riggs in the final laps. Hocevar held on to win, but Riggs lost his runner-up finish after his truck failed post-race inspection later. The finish would have been the best of the season for Riggs, but the effort was wiped out after the infraction. This week, the series continues its run of back-to-back races with a stop at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The North Carolina track is one with significant NASCAR history, but this will be just the fifth time the trucks have run it. Corey Heim won this race last season, which was the second time the trucks visited since 1996. For his part, Heim grabbed a third-place finish last week at Kansas, which helped him retain the top spot in the standings. He now holds a 64-point lead over Chandler Smith in second with the gap seemingly widening every week. Heim will aim to keep that trend rolling this week at historic North Wilkesboro's short oval.
Key Stats at North Wilkesboro Speedway
- Number of races: 4
- Winners from pole: 0
- Winners from top-5 starters: 1
- Winners from top-10 starters: 2
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 96.126 mph
Previous North Wilkesboro Winners
2024 - Corey Heim
2023 - Kyle Larson
1996 - Mark Martin
1995 - Mike Bliss
North Wilkesboro Speedway is a flat and short oval with a freshly repaved surface. Like any short track, starting position is an important advantage. No less important is an ability to get off of the track's turns as quickly as possible to set up passes under braking into the next. Last season, teams used pit strategy to gain positions throughout the race, a strategy that enabled Corey Heim to win from the 12th starting spot. Given the difficulty of passing on the flat track, strategy is one of the best ways for a driver to move forward. Notably with North Wilkesboro is the track's slope. There is a 14-foot elevation difference between each end, which adds a unique aspect to corner entry speeds at opposing ends of the circuit that drivers must account for. Drivers who qualify up front will be the favorites to win, but those that start mid-pack will hope to chase the lead down through pit strategy throughout the race's 250 laps.
RotoWire NASCAR Truck Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Window World 250 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Busch - $12,700
Corey Heim - $12,200
Layne Riggs - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Ty Majeski - $9,700
Chandler Smith - $9,500
Daniel Hemric - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Sammy Smith - $8,800
Grant Enfinger - $8,600
Tyler Ankrum - $8,400
Ben Rhodes - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Rajah Caruth - $7,800
Stewart Friesen - $7,700
Matt Crafton - $6,900
Connor Mosack - $6,800
NASCAR Truck Series DFS Picks for the Window World 250
Corey Heim - $12,200
Grant Enfinger - $8,600
Rajah Caruth - $7,800
Stewart Friesen - $7,700
Matt Crafton - $6,900
Connor Mosack - $6,800
Despite not getting the win at Kansas last week, Corey Heim remains the driver to beat in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. He has three victories so far this season and is on a run of seven straight top-10 finishes. If that wasn't good enough, Heim also won this race at North Wilkesboro last season. In the two series races held at the track Heim sat on pole one, led a combined 141 laps and scored an average finish of 3.5. It will be tough with Kyle Busch in the field, but Heim has been equal to the task this season.
With two North Wilkesboro top-10 finishes, veteran Grant Enfinger is the next choice. Enfinger sits fifth in the championship standings heading into the weekend and has two top-10 finishes in the last three races. He started and finished in the top 10 in both races at this track, too. His experience, and success at North Wilkesboro, should provide fantasy players with a reliable points output. Further down the order, Rajah Caruth is worth considering. While he has not yet scored a top-10 finish at North Wilkesboro, he made significant improvement at the track last season. After 23rd and finishing 34th in 2023, Caruth started 24th but finished 14th last year. That ability to move through the field, like he showed last season, could serve him well again this time around. Even better would be if he can improve his qualifying. Before Kansas, Caruth was also on a run of four consecutive top-10 finishes.
Stewart Friesen and Matt Crafton add more veteran experience to this lineup. This old school track can favor experience, and that is something Friesen and Crafton are not short on. Friesen finished 13th and 10th in the last two North Wilkesboro races, and that the 13th-place finish came despite a starting position of 34rd. Crafton's results are relatively similar. His best was a seventh-place finish in the 2023 edition of this race, and his average finish from the two tries is 13.5. Friesen's is 11.5. Both of these selections should confidently offer top-15 points with the added upside of a potential top-10 or more.
Finally, Connor Mosack rounds out the selections by virtue of his ability to score top-20 finishes this season. His best result so far was ninth at Rockingham, but he did score four top-20s from the first nine races, too. Mosack showed potential top-10 speed a week ago at Kansas, and with clean execution this week, a top-15 result should be within his grasp.
NASCAR Truck Series Best Bets for the Window World 250
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 1:30 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Corey Heim +225, Layne Riggs +600
Corey Heim wasn't able to get the win last week at Kansas, but he stands a good chance of grabbing his fourth of the season with a return to North Wilkesboro. Heim has been excellent at this track, qualifying on pole in 2023 and winning the race in 2024. His win last season came from the 12th position, too. No one has been as strong as Heim has been at this track, and no driver has been as successful as him this season, too. Heim and his Tricon Garage team have been firing on all cylinders this season and have their eyes firmly set on capturing this season's championship.
North Wilkesboro and Kyle Busch are the more immediate focus, though. While Busch's presence at these races often make him the favorite, that is good news for those betting on Heim since they get better odds. Those looking for more lucrative options might consider Layne Riggs, too. The Front Row Motorsports driver enters this race ninth in points despite suffering a disqualification at Kansas. He finished second on track in that race (ahead of Corey Heim) but was stripped of the finish and points following inspection. His third-place finish from the 23rd starting spot at North Wilkesboro last year is some evidence for his potential to finish at the top of the order this week.
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