The rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for that day. The ordering is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the value of each driver.
The DraftKings NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona slate locks at 7:41 p.m. ET on Friday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NTS $125K Piston [$25K to 1st] (Trucks)
1. John Hunter Nemechek ($10,500) — He was feet away from winning the Talladega truck race last fall, but Tate Fogleman was thirsty, and in one of the dirtiest moves in recent memory, dumped Nemechek. The No. 4 KBM truck has the speed and Nemechek has the talent, but they’ll also need the luck.
2. Grant Enfinger ($9,100) — Having the honor of being the best plate racer in the Truck Series is not something to brag about. First of all, it’s plate racing, but Enfinger does have two wins and six top top-10 finishes in the last 13 plate races. Unfortunately, it also means Enfinger has been stuck in the Truck Series.
3. Ben Rhodes ($9,700) — The 2021 Truck Series Daytona race winner can repeat. His ThorSport truck is definitely a race-winning truck and Rhodes has eight top-15 finishes in the last 12 plate races.
4. Chandler Smith ($10,000) — In three plate track races, Smith has a third and ninth place finish. Smith led the most laps (22) in last season’s opener at Daytona. His KBM truck does not provide a huge advantage this weekend, but there is still an advantage.
5. Johnny Sauter ($8,500) — Although his career is winding down and his performance is falling off, Sauter is fine at the plate tracks. He won at Daytona in 2018 and 2016. At Talladega in 2019, he crossed the finish line in first place, but a yellow line violation forfeited the win.
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6. Austin Hill ($8,800) — This isn’t the same Hattori truck Hill has been driving for the last three seasons, but it should be capable of winning the race. Spire Motorsports didn’t buy a truck for fun, and Hill would not agree to drive a piece of junk. Hill won the 2019 Daytona Truck race.
7. Matt Crafton ($9,500) — Does experience matter at a plate track? Is it possible that knowing too much could hinder performance? Crafton has never won at Daytona or Talladega, but he has five top-15 finishes in his last six Daytona races.
8. Christian Eckes ($8,900) — After squandering an opportunity in a full season with crew chief Rudy Fugle at Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2020, Eckes earned a surprise win in a part-time role for ThorSport last season. Eckes has not finished better than 18th in three plate track races, but that’s a small sample size.
9. Derek Kraus ($7,600) — The ARCA West phenom has struggled in the Truck Series. His talent has not disappeared but his equipment advantage has. Kraus had the best car on the West Coast minor league circuit. Now, instead of an equipment advantage, he is at a disadvantage, but that doesn’t matter at a plate track, as he has finished fourth and 10th in four plate track races.
10. Tyler Ankrum ($7,800) — If the Daytona and Talladega races are heavily influenced by luck, then Ankrum has a shot. If it’s actually skill, then he does not. Ankrum finished 27th and 28th in his two Daytona races. The former is likely true and Ankrum is due.
11. Parker Kligerman ($8,600) — Daytona involves a lot of luck and strategy. Luck cannot be controlled, but strategy can be. Some drivers just know when to go. This race can be a thinking man’s race and Kligerman is a cerebral racer, and he has the plate track win to prove it (Talladega 2017).
12. Hailie Deegan ($6,900) — Her Truck Series career has gotten off to a rough start, but Ford still believes in her and is making Xfinity Series plans for 2023. She’s got to start earning top-10 finishes to justify this move, and a Daytona top-10 finish would be a step in the right direction.
13. Jordan Anderson ($6,800) — This truck team regressed in 2019 and raced sparingly in 2020 and 2021 with the creation of Jordan Anderson’s Xfinity team. Although the truck struggles to compete at most tracks, Anderson has nearly won the last two Daytona races, finishing runner-up each time. Also, he has finished 11th and sixth in the last two Talladega races.
14. Spencer Boyd ($4,600) — Young’s Motorsports is a decent small team that finishes around 20th place each week, but at Daytona and Talladega they are contenders. Tate Fogleman won the 2021 Talladega race and Boyd won the 2019 Talladega race for this team.
Editor’s Note: Jennifer Jo Cobb failed to qualify for the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona.
15. Jennifer Jo Cobb ($4,500) — It would not be a rankings article without mentioning Jennifer Jo Cobb. If she qualifies for the race, she’ll likely start in the back and have the potential to score 20 place differential points. She’ll need wrecks to happen, and they will.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NTS $125K Piston [$25K to 1st] (Trucks)
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