This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Victoria's Voice Foundation 200
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Course: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile oval
Laps: 134
Race Preview
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resumes action this week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after having last week off. Zane Smith won the opening round of the 2022 season two weeks ago at Daytona to get an early jump on the championship battle. However, this week Christian Eckes will be aiming to repeat his win at Las Vegas from last fall. They will all have to contend with Kyle Busch, though, who is entered this weekend. He leads the series in wins at this track with three, while teammate John Hunter Nemechek is the defending victor of this spring edition. This will be the 30th time the Trucks raced at Las Vegas and will be a milestone 500th consecutive start for Matt Crafton.
Key Stats at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 29
- Winners from pole: 9
- Winners from top-5 starters: 18
- Winners from top-10 starters: 22
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 1
- Fastest race: 143.163 mph
Previous 10 Las Vegas Winners
2021 fall - Christian Eckes
2021 spring - John Hunter Nemechek
2020 fall - Austin Hill
2020 spring - Kyle Busch
2019 fall - Austin Hill
2019 spring - Kyle Busch
2018 fall - Grant Enfinger
2018 spring - Kyle Busch
2017 - Ben Rhodes
2016 - Tyler Reddick
Christian Eckes extended Toyota's reign at Las Vegas last fall, making it six consecutive trips to Victory Lane for the manufacturer. The manufacturer has now won eight of the last nine races there. Like most traditional 1.5-mile ovals, Las Vegas will favor drivers who start close to the front of the field. Eight of the last nine Las Vegas winners started 11th or better. Eckes started 15th and won last fall, however. Track position and restarts tend to be among the biggest factors in winning at the desert oval. Cautions throughout the race's 134 laps will shape pit strategy, and drivers lacking speed early will look for early trips to pit lane to make adjustments. Long green-flag runs can trap slower vehicles down a lap and give them little opportunity to move forward. Last year's races featured nine and 10 caution periods respectively.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Busch - $15,000
John Hunter Nemechek - $12,000
Ben Rhodes - $10,500
Zane Smith - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chandler Smith - $9,900
Christian Eckes - $9,600
Ryan Preece - $9,400
Ty Majeski - $9,200
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Matt DiBenedetto - $8,900
Grant Enfinger - $8,700
Matt Crafton - $8,500
Carson Hocevar - $8,400
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Derek Kraus - $7,700
Todd Bodine - $7,500
Hailie Deegan - $6,500
Austin Wayne Self - $5,900
My Picks
John Hunter Nemechek - $12,000
Ty Majeski - $9,200
Matt DiBenedetto - $8,900
Todd Bodine - $7,500
Hailie Deegan - $6,500
Austin Wayne Self - $5,900
Nemechek won this race last year on his way to battle for the 2021 championship. He missed out on that title, but was the regular-season champion and is on the prowl again in 2022 with two stage wins at Daytona. In addition to his spring Las Vegas win last season, he led 33 laps in the return visit. Ty Majeski opened his 2022 season with a seventh-place run at Daytona. He finished 13th in his only series start at this week's track in this race last year. Matt DiBenedetto kicked off his full-time Trucks Series campaign with a confidence boosting top-10 at Daytona. This will be his first visit to the track in the series, but he does have a pair of runner-up finishes there in the Cup Series. He finished 12th at the track in his last visit in the Cup Series last fall. Former series champion Todd Bodine makes his return to the series for the first time since 2013. He is running a part-time schedule this year for Halmar Friesen Racing. He has two prior NASCAR Las Vegas wins, one in the Xfinity Series and one in the Trucks. Hailie Deegan's sophomore campaign started with her getting caught in a wreck at Daytona and finishing 17th. It wasn't the start she wanted, but she may have more of an opportunity this week. Her average finish from her two starts at this track last year is 29.5, but she should be considered a contender for a top-15 finish this week. Finally, Austin Wayne Self has a pair of Las Vegas top-10s from his 10 series starts at the track. The most recent of those came last fall when he finished eighth after starting in the 13th spot.
