This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
UNOH 200
Location: Bristol, Tenn.
Course: Bristol Motor Speedway
Format: 0.5-mile oval
Laps: 250
NASCAR Trucks UNOH 200 Race Preview
The 2024 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs fire up again this week at Bristol Motor Speedway after nearly a month-long break in the action. Layne Riggs kept the 10 championship contenders out of Victory Lane last time out at Milwaukee as the second-generation driver captured his first series win in convincing fashion. The 10 playoff contenders now have two chances remaining to assure themselves of a spot among the final eight championship contenders. Christian Eckes won from pole at Bristol earlier this season and will hope his success in March gives him an edge in the race to be the first playoff driver to secure a spot in the next round. Ben Rhodes and Rajah Caruth head into the weekend on the outside looking in. However, the points battle is a tight one. Only 11 points separate the bottom four drivers in the playoff standings, and anything can happen in the final two races of the first round of the 2024 championship playoffs.
Key Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 27
- Winners from pole: 7
- Winners from top-5 starters: 17
- Winners from top-10 starters: 23
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 91.919 mph
Previous 10 Bristol Winners
2024 spring - Christian Eckes
2023 - Corey Heim
2022 - Ty Majeski
2021 - Chandler Smith
2020 - Sam Mayer
2019 - Brett Moffitt
2018 - Johnny Sauter
2017 - Kyle Busch
2016 - Ben Kennedy
2015 - Ryan Blaney
The high-banked turns and short-track racing of Bristol Motor Speedway produce some of NASCAR's most exciting races, and the venue can be a challenging one for drivers to master. The tight track makes track position extremely import. In the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, no driver has started lower than 17th and won through the 27-race history at the track. Christian Eckes won from pole earlier this season, leading 144 of 250 laps. Only three prior races were won by a driver starting outside of the top 10, too. The track's steep banking and wide turns offer multiple grooves to use to make passes, but traffic is something that drivers will have to contend with throughout the distance. Drivers starting at the back of the field run the risk of falling off of the lead lap early due to the track's short length, too. Close racing with the reward of a spot in the next round of playoffs amps up the energy for this week's visit, and driver frustration can boil over quickly with the season on the line. Drivers will have to keep calm and maximize their equipment while minimizing mistakes to put themselves in position to battle for top finishes.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Trucks Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the UNOH 200 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Christian Eckes - $10,500
Ty Majeski - $10,200
Corey Heim - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Nick Sanchez - $9,800
Grant Enfinger - $9,600
Ben Rhodes - $9,200
Taylor Gray - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Tyler Ankrum - $8,700
Rajah Caruth - $8,500
Layne Riggs - $8,300
Tanner Gray - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Daniel Dye - $7,500
Stewart Friesen - $7,400
Dean Thompson - $7,000
Connor Mosack - $6,700
NASCAR DFS Picks for the UNOH 200
Christian Eckes - $10,500
Taylor Gray - $9,000
Rajah Caruth - $8,500
Daniel Dye - $7,500
Stewart Friesen - $7,400
Dean Thompson - $7,000
Christian Eckes started from pole and finished second and first in the last two series races at Bristol. Making things even more impressive is that he led more than 140 laps in each of those starts, too. There may not be a better driver at Bristol in the series right now than Eckes, and while sweeping race wins at a track in a season is very difficult to do, Eckes might be capable given his recent speed. Taylor Gray should be chasing a top finish, too. Gray scored top-five finishes in three of the last four races ahead of this week's contest and he has finishes of seventh and fifth from his last two Bristol starts. Gray's recent finishes along with his Bristol record make him a choice fantasy players should consider including this week.
Rajah Caruth and Daniel Dye are both hoping to bolster their positions in the playoff standings this week. Caruth needs to improve his standing while Dye sits in one of the transfer spots, but any missteps in the next two races could change their situations. Bristol is a place the unexpected can happen, and both drivers need to focus on collecting stage points and finishing the race in the best possible position. Caruth is capable of doing just that. From three series starts at Bristol, he has two top-10 finishes including his eighth-place finish this spring. Daniel Dye finished 13th at the track in March and is riding high after an an eighth-place finish in the first race of the playoffs helped him improve his position to seventh in the standings. Continuing that level of performance or better through this week would be a good thing for his playoff hopes.
Stewart Friesen and Dean Thompson can focus on individual success this week without the pressure of advancing in the playoffs. Friesen boasts a respectable Bristol record with three top-fives and four top-10s from nine Bristol starts. He has not finished in the top 10 at the track since 2022, though. Some of that is down to his qualifying. If he can improve his starting position this week from 23rd earlier this year, he should have more of a chance to claim another top finish. Thompson has been qualifying better at Bristol than Friesen, but completing the race distance is his concern. Thompson crashed out of two of his three Bristol starts and finished 23rd earlier this season after starting 22nd. His average starting position at the track is 16.3, though. That average suggests a better finishing potential is out there that he just needs to deliver.
