This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
O'Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio
Location: Lexington, Ohio
Course: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Format: 2.26-mile road course
Laps: 67
NASCAR Trucks O'Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio Race Preview
One week after IndyCar tackled the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series get their turn on the natural-terrain road course. Last season's race at the track was the first time the series made the stop at the classic circuit, and Parker Kligerman won from the front row. He was one of just three drivers to lead that afternoon and he dominated, leading 56 of 67 laps. This weekend's O'Reilly Auto Parts 150 will be the second and final road course stop of the season and is one of just three races remaining to finalize the field for the championship playoffs. Zane Smith was the driver that went to Victory Lane earlier this year at Circuit of the Americas, and he should be one of the drivers to watch this week considering he was runner up to Kligerman in this race last season.
Key Stats at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
- Number of races: 1
- Winners from pole: 0
- Winners from top-five starters: 1
- Winners from top-10 starters: 1
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 65.116 mph
Previous Mid-Ohio Winners
2022 - Parker Kligerman
Mid-Ohio's 2.26-mile course is a challenging natural-terrain road course featuring 13 turns along with elevation changes and off-camber corners. The circuit is relatively narrow and the best spots for overtaking are the ends of the two long straights leading to turns 2 and 4. Last year's contest produced five lead changes among three drivers along with seven cautions. The average green-flag run lasted just 6.5 laps. While both Circuit of the Americas and Mid-Ohio share some characteristics, they are two very different tracks. The wide surface at COTA encourages multiple lines and opens passing opportunities, whereas Mid-Ohio's narrow track means passes will have to be carefully planned and any missteps will be punished with losing multiple positions. Therefore, track position will be extremely important. Fantasy players may want to adjust their lineups in advance of Saturday's race based on where their targeted drivers end up on the starting grid.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Trucks Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Zane Smith - $10,700
Corey Heim - $10,400
Carson Hocevar - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Christian Eckes - $9,900
Stewart Friesen - $9,700
Ben Rhodes - $9,600
Matt DiBenedetto - $9,200
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Tyler Ankrum - $8,900
Taylor Gray - $8,700
Nick Sanchez - $8,500
Matt Crafton - $8,400
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Conor Daly - $7,500
Marco Andretti - $7,300
Timmy Hill - $5,400
NASCAR DFS Picks for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 150
Zane Smith - $10,700
Corey Heim - $10,400
Nick Sanchez - $8,500
Conor Daly - $7,500
Marco Andretti - $7,300
Timmy Hill - $5,400
Winning at Circuit of the Americas in March along with a second-place finish at Mid-Ohio last season make Zane Smith a top choice this week. He has consistently been one of the top drivers in the series on road courses with top-10s and top-fives at places like Daytona and Watkins Glen, too. Smith may be one of the few drivers that fantasy players should consider selecting this week regardless of where he qualifies because of his skill on this type of circuit. Corey Heim should also be a top contender. He finished sixth at COTA early in the season and is currently on a run of six straight top-10 finishes, excluding Gateway, which he missed due to illness. Heim also led three laps at this track in last season's race before being struck down by a gearbox failure. Nick Sanchez is another nice selection this week. He sits 10th in the standings and is working hard to make sure he is among the playoff contenders. He enters the weekend with a string of three consecutive top-10 finishes and also finished seventh at COTA in March. This will be Sanchez's first trip to Mid-Ohio, though.
Two part-time competitors lead the second half of this week's lineup. Both Conor Daly and Marco Andretti have IndyCar experience at this track, which should benefit them against the regular competitors this week. Daly was called into action at the track last week after Simon Pagenaud crashed in IndyCar practice and was not cleared to race. He finished the race 20th despite hopping into the car for the first time during that morning's warm up. Andretti will make his second NASCAR start and first in a truck. He has 15 Mid-Ohio starts under his belt and brings a wealth of track experience to his first series start. Both drivers should be expected to improve as the weekend moves on. Timmy Hill finishes the selections and brings a 17th-place Mid-Ohio result from last season's race with him. He finished 25th at COTA in March.
