RADIO
This Saturday, we've got a NASCAR double feature, with both the Truck and Xfinity Series running races at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The first race on that docket is the Trucks. Like we had at Charlotte, this race has an extended field of 40 trucks, eight more than the usual 32 that take the green in this series. The race also features Kyle Busch, and while he's not coming from the back of the pack this time, he's still Kyle Busch, so he has a great chance of winning.
Here at RotoBaller, we want to help you make informed decisions about your DFS lineups, which is why I'll be breaking down the slates for the Truck Series. Let's look at some NASCAR Truck Series DFS lineup picks for the Vet Tix Camping World 200 on DraftKings. (And if any other DFS providers want to start doing Trucks, we'll do those too!) Be sure to also check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Truck Series including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station.
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Truck Series DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings
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Ross Chastain #42 ($11,300)
Starting 27th
For the second Truck race in a row, I'm going to be constructing a roster that doesn't feature Kyle Busch. I just don't think he has quite the advantage in this series as he does in Xfinity, especially when he's pulling off the grid in sixth, severely limiting his upside for place differential points.
That's where Chastain comes into play. He starts way back in 27th for this one in the Niece Motorsports 42 truck. Last year, he took a Niece truck from a 21st starting spot to a sixth-place finish in this race, and one of his three wins last season came at a 1.5-mile track. He doesn't have any DNFs on 1.5 milers this year or last year and in that time frame has posted the fourth-best driver rating on this kind of track.
Chastain doesn't have the speed to consistently give you fastest laps, but he does rank in the top 12 in both early and late run speed. He should be able to make his way towards the front in this one and is a great option if you don't want to pay up for Kyle Busch.
John Hunter Nemechek #8 ($10,600)
Starting 29th
Another good driver who is starting pretty far back, Nemechek won this race back on 2016, starting 18th and leading eight laps on his way to the win. In his other Truck Series start here, he crashed out, finishing 29th.
We don't have a long track record to draw from for Nemechek at Atlanta and we don't have much to work with about his truck this year as he's run just one race in the series, but that race was at a 1.5-mile track and saw him go from 28th to sixth at Charlotte.
Despite the low starting position, he moved forward quickly, running 81.3 percent of the laps in the top 15 and having an average running position of 10th. While he posted just one fastest lap in that race, it was clear that NEMCO put all their attention into giving John Hunter a competitive truck. With another low starting spot on Saturday, Nemechek should be a quick riser through the field.
Matt Crafton #88 ($8,900)
Starting 14th
2020 hasn't been the best year for Matt Crafton. In three races, he's posted finishes of 15th, 4th, and 35th. But if there's one thing you shoud know about NASCAR's Truck Series, it's that you should never bet against Matt Crafton, even if he hasn't won a race in the series since 2017.
Last year's champion has three top fives in the last five races here, including a win in 2015. He's led laps here in each of those races and at least 88.4 percent of his passes have been quality passes in that time frame. The amount of fastest laps he's had here has dropped over the last three years, but he still traditionally runs well at this track as long as he keeps the truck clean.
Austin Hill #16 ($7,200)
Starting 4th
There's obviously reason to be wary of someone starting this high in the field because of the potential downside of place differential, but Hill's run really, really well this year in this Hattori truck.
So far, Hill's gotten a top-10 finish in all three races, including a third-place run at Vegas. This team's had a lot of speed on this track type, and Hill ran 10 fastest laps at Charlotte. He's led two of the three races thus far, including leading for 26 laps at Charlotte.
Hill's also the points leader. Last year, he won four races for this team, including wins down the stretch at Vegas and Homestead. This 16 team has been one of the top teams in the series for the last three seasons, and any concerns that originally were shared about Hill replacing Brett Moffitt are gone. Hill's first win of 2020 could very well come on Saturday.
Ty Majeski #45 ($5,900)
Starting 18th
Like with Crafton, 2020 hasn't been exactly the start Majeski wanted. After a 32nd place finish at Dayton, he improved to 13th at Vegas before netting his first top-10 run at Charlotte with an eighth-place finish.
He starts 18th on Saturday and ranks 11th in early run and 15th in late run speed this year. He's been the fifth-fastest driver on restarts. There's speed in this truck, but Majeski needs to show he can take that speed and consistently turn it into top 10s.
One of Majeski's two Xfinity top 10s came on a 1.5-mile track last year with an eighth-place run at Kansas, and he has ARCA wins at Charlotte and Chicagoland. Majeski's a competent driver on intermediate tracks, running a solid truck and coming from a mid-pack starting position. There's plenty of upside for him on Saturday.
Tanner Gray #15 ($5,200)
Starting 21st
Playing Gray does leave you with a little extra salary space that you could use in theory on someone higher priced up the lineup, but I really like him at this price on Saturday.
Gray ranks 13th in early run speed and 11th in late run speed this season, as well as 10th in total fastest laps run. He's sixth in restart speed and 16th in green flag speed.
He's turned all that into a top-10 run at Vegas, where he finished in eighth, though he only finished 20th at Charlotte. Still, while there's downside to Gray, a 21st place start means that barring mechanical failure or an accident, Gray shouldn't hurt you in terms of place differential, as he's racing a truck that's top-20 speed on a consistent basis.
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