Slim Jim 200
Location: Martinsville, Va.
Course: Martinsville Speedway
Format: 0.53-mile oval
Laps: 200
NASCAR Trucks Slim Jim 200 Race Preview
Giovanni Ruggiero drove to his first career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory last week at Talladega, preventing any of the remaining playoff drivers from claiming a spot alongside Corey Heim in the championship finale. As it stands, seven drivers will be duking it out this week for three championship entries with only Heim confirmed as a championship finalist. The tight points battle that separated the pack widened a bit with Talladega's unpredictability and Rajah Caruth, Tyler Ankrum, and Kaden Honeycutt will all start Martinsville in the transfer positions.
There remains virtually no room for error, though. Just five points behind Honeycutt lurks Ty Majeski, who is ready to pounce. Layne Riggs, one of the favorites to challenge Heim for the title, is just one point behind Majeski, while Daniel Hemric and Grant Enfinger have a mountain to climb and will have to win to join the final four. As if the pressure wasn't heavy enough with the tight standings, short-track racing at Martinsville will be the decider. Hemric won at the track earlier this season, but the competition is sure to step up a notch with three entries to the championship finale up for grabs.
Key Stats at Martinsville Speedway
- Number of races: 49
- Winners from pole: 10
- Winners from top-5 starters: 31
- Winners from top-10 starters: 41
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2
- Fastest race: 75.296 mph
Previous 10 Martinsville Winners
2025 spring - Daniel Hemric
2024 fall - Christian Eckes
2024 spring - Christian Eckes
2023 - Corey Heim
2022 - William Byron
2021 - Zane Smith
2020 - Grant Enfinger
2019 fall - Todd Gilliland
2019 spring - Kyle Busch
2018 fall - Johnny Sauter
The battle to be part of the championship finale comes down to Martinsville Speedway's fast straights and flat turns. The famous circuit is just over a half mile in length and it stresses tires, brakes, and tempers. The best line through the long turns is on the inside. Drivers that get stuck on the outer groove often slip backward as a train of vehicles cycle by on the inside. In order to get to that lower groove first, drivers have to push hard off corner exit and brake heavily into the next. Passes can be set up by out braking other drivers or nudging the truck ahead off of the preferred line. Track position is exceptionally important, especially at stage and race finishes. Caution periods can give teams a chance to try different strategies in a bid to make up places, but a lack of grip from old tires can make holding position a difficult task for the driver. The best way to finish up front is to start there, so fantasy players will want to consult qualifying results before settling on their selections this week.
RotoWire NASCAR Truck Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Slim Jim 200 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Corey Heim - $13,000
Layne Riggs - $11,000
Ty Majeski - $10,500
Chandler Smith - $10,500
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Daniel Hemric - $9,500
Tyler Ankrum - $9,300
Grant Enfinger - $9,000
Kaden Honeycutt - $8,800
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Rajah Caruth - $8,500
Corey Lajoie - $8,300
Ben Rhodes - $8,000
Gio Ruggiero - $7,800
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Jake Garcia - $7,500
Tanner Gray - $7,300
Matt Mills - $6,300
Casey Mears - $5,800
NASCAR DFS Trucks Picks for the Slim Jim 200
Corey Heim - $13,000
Tyler Ankrum - $9,300
Ben Rhodes - $8,000
Jake Garcia - $7,500
Matt Mills - $6,300
Casey Mears - $5,800
Corey Heim remains the only NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoff contender locked into the championship finale. He has been the dominant driver all season and never seems out of contention, including last week at Talladega where he finished second. Heim only finished sixth at Martinsville earlier this season, but he started that race from pole, led 149 laps, and won both stages. He was in position to win that race until late contact caused him to lose his spot at the front and a chance at the victory. He is a prior Martinsville winner from 2023, though, and has also never finished lower than 11th at the track.
In that spring race where Heim dominated, Tyler Ankrum also made his presence felt. The playoff contender finished second and led 10 laps despite starting the race 24th. Ankrum clawed his way forward that day and was inside the top 10 by the end of the second stage, which gave him the track position necessary to claim the runner-up finish. That was his second top-five finish from his last three Martinsville starts, too. Those numbers make Ankrum a confident choice alongside Heim this week.
Another driver that came from behind to snag a top finish in the spring race was Ben Rhodes. He may not be in the playoff fight this week, but Rhodes brings value to fantasy rosters through his top Martinsville finishes. He started the spring race 20th and moved forward to finish fifth, which was his second Martinsville top-five in a row and his sixth top-10 from his last seven visits to the short track. Rhodes brings consistent top finishes to fantasy rosters this week, making him a worthy mid-tier selection for most formats.
Jake Garcia also had a good performance at this track in the spring. He is already out of the playoffs but wins are still a goal. He started the March race eighth and climbed to third place by the finish. That was one of two top-fives for him this season, which should give him some extra confidence heading into the weekend. He will need to overcome a stretch of two tough tracks with a road course and superspeedway the last two races, but Martinsville should give him a chance to end that rough patch.
In the lower-priced tiers, fantasy players might find value in Matt Mills. The Niece Motorsports driver is 18th in points with two top-10 finishes this season. His value comes from his ability to move forward at Martinsville, though. Only once from three Martinsville tries did he finish lower than where he started, and earlier this season he finished 15th from 23rd on the grid. Mills should be a confident top-20 finisher with added points from finish differential this week.
Veteran Casey Mears could also make an interesting play. He will make his series debut this week, which will also be his 600th start in NASCAR's three top series. Mears will drive for MBM Motorsports and their part-time program. Making his choice compelling is that he just raced at Martinsville this spring in the Cup Series, too. Martinsville is a place Mears knows well and should prove to be competitive despite wheeling a part-time entry.
NASCAR Truck Series Best Bets for the Slim Jim 200
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 6:30 PM ET Thursday
Race Winner - Corey Heim +120, Kaden Honeycutt +2000
Top-Five Finish - Ty Majeski -175
Matchup - Grant Enfinger -125, Tyler Ankrum -105
Even with low odds like we currently see for Corey Heim to win, it is still a reasonable wager. Heim has 10 wins this season and dominated at Martinsville in the spring before late contact ruined his chances of winning. That day he led 149 of 200 laps and won both stages. Heim was a dominant figure, and even if the field catches him this time around, Heim has shown his ability to overcome the competition. A long-shot option to consider might be Kaden Honeycutt, though. Honeycutt led 20 laps and finished second to Heim in both stages back in March. He was also the driver that had the contact with Heim that ruined both of their races. This time around, there is a spot in the championship finale for him as a reward if he can make a move stick and win the race, though.
A confident wager fans should consider this week is Ty Majeski for a top-five finish. Negative odds are not ideal, but the confidence level of Majeski's ability to finish in the top five at Martinsville is very high. From five series races at the track, two have been top-five finishes. The spring race also should have made it three for him. In that race, he started on the front row and finished third in both stages before crashing into Kaden Honeycutt late in the race. Majeski is one of the drivers that might be able to contend for the win against Corey Heim this week, so to get him for a top-five is an offer worth considering.
On the matchup front, Tyler Ankrum might offer an opportunity. He and Grant Enfinger both have championship incentive to do well this week, but Enfinger might be forced into more risks given his more precarious position in the playoff standings. Add to that the fact that Ankrum was the second-place finisher in the spring race and you have the makings of a good wager. In comparison, at Martinsville, Ankrum is entering this week with three consecutive top-10 finishes at the track whereas Enfinger has just one from the same span. Ankrum is the one to choose in this head-to-head battle.
Mapping out your wagers for the Truck Series race? Check out the latest Sportsbook Promo Codes to get special offers and make the most of your bets.
