This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Vankor 350
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Course: Texas Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 167
Race Preview
Sheldon Creed won his first career NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors trucks series race last week at Kentucky, topping Ben Rhodes and leading 20 total laps. The win solidified his spot in the championship playoffs with five races remaining in the regular season to finalize the rest of the contenders. This week, the trucks return to Texas Motor Speedway for the 45th time in series history. The track has produce 23 different winners. Teammates Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle won the two visits to the track last season, sweeping race wins for Kyle Busch Motorsports. This week's race features four past winners at the track with Johnny Sauter, Kyle Busch, Matt Crafton and Justin Haley all entered to compete.
Key Stats at Texas Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 44
- Winners from pole: 5
- Winners from top-5 starters: 24
- Winners from top-10 starters: 36
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2
- Fastest race: 158.002 mph
Previous 10 Texas Winners
2019 fall - Greg Biffle
2019 spring - Kyle Busch
2018 fall - Justin Haley
2018 spring - Johnny Sauter
2017 fall - Johnny Sauter
2017 spring - Christopher Bell
2016 fall - Johnny Sauter
2016 spring - William Byron
2015 fall - Erik Jones
2015 spring - Matt Crafton
Texas Motor Speedway is a fast 1.5-mile quad-oval, which is similar in configuration to Charlotte and Atlanta Motor Speedways. Chase Elliott and Grant Enfinger won at those two racks earlier this season. Texas does have some unique features fantasy managers will need to keep in mind. Turns 1 and 2 of the speedway have less banking than turns 3 and 4, which will require drivers to adjust their lines at opposite ends of the track to find the spot their machine works the best. The newer pavement is also not as abrasive as Atlanta, which means tire wear likely will not have as much of an impact. Regardless of these differences, Texas remains a horsepower track. Drivers will work to carry as much speed through each turn to propel themselves down the straights while using the draft to set up passes on the opposition.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Busch - $16,000
Ross Chastain - $11,500
Johnny Sauter - $10,900
Austin Hill - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Brett Moffitt - $9,700
Matt Crafton - $9,500
Todd Gilliland - $9,300
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Stewart Friesen - $8,900
Ben Rhodes - $8,700
Tyler Ankrum - $8,500
Christian Eckes - $8,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Zane Smith - $7,900
Sheldon Creed - $7,700
Grant Enfinger - $7,500
Ryan Truex - $7,000
Norm Benning - $5,700
My Picks
Johnny Sauter - $10,900
Justin Haley - $10,500
Ben Rhodes - $8,700
Zane Smith - $7,900
Tanner Gray - $7,300
Natalie Decker - $4,700
Avoiding Kyle Busch could be risky, but fantasy managers will be able to have a much deeper roster if they do so. Leading my selections is Johnny Sauter, a five-time winner at Texas who finished third in this race last season. He also has two top-fives from the three races leading into this weekend. Justin Haley was able to race in the NASCAR Cup All-Star Race on Wednesday and returns to Texas this weekend in the trucks where he won in 2018. In four truck starts at this track his worst finish is sixth. Ben Rhodes will start Saturday's race in 10th. He scored two of his three top-fives so far this season in the last two races and led 20 laps at Texas last fall before being forced out with transmission trouble. Zane Smith will start sixth for this race and has been scoring regular top-10 finishes in the truck series this season. He is currently sixth in the standings and should be a top-10 contender again this week in Texas. Tanner Gray has two top-10 finishes from seven truck starts this season. His last four races heading into this week's race have ended with finishes of 12th or better, too. The last spot on this roster goes to Natalie Decker. Decker has one series start at Texas where she finished 22nd after starting 32nd. She will start 12th this time in what will be her fifth start in the series this season.
