This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Heart of America 200
Location: Kansas City, Kan.
Course: Kansas Circuit
Format: 1.5 mile tri-oval
Turns: 134
NASCAR Trucks Heart of America 200 Race Preview
The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns to Kansas Speedway this week. Corey Heim won last time out on a rain-shortened visit to Martinsville. This race was initially delayed by lightning, and the evening began with the trucks racing on wet tires as the track dried out. Heim, however, dominated the proceedings, whatever the conditions. He led 82 of 124 laps and took stage wins in addition to winning the race, while fending off veteran Kyle Busch who started in the front row. The win puts Heim in the playoffs as the fourth championship-eligible driver to earn a win this season.
Teams and drivers will need to rust off after a few weeks off to regroup and improve as the Kansas unloads. Each race will continue to grow in importance as we approach the playoffs. There are only nine regular season races left to earn that all-important win that would secure a spot in the championship elimination battle. Winless teams will feel the pressure mount each week they fail to make it to Victory Lane. Zane Smith and John Hunter Nemechek earned both Kansas saves last season. Smith already has two wins this year while six playoff berths remain to be claimed by the 2023 winners.
Kansas Speedway Key Stats
- Number of races: 25
- Pole winners: 4
- Winners among the top 5 starters: 17
- Winners among the top 10 starters: 24
- Winners from the 21st or less: 0
- Fastest run: 139.875 mph
Kansas’ 10 previous winners
Fall 2022 – John Hunter Nemechek
Spring 2022 – Zane Smith
2021 – Kyle Busch
2020 III – Brett Moffitt
2020 II – Matt Crafton
2020 I – Austin Hill
2019 – Ross Chestnut
2018 – Noah Gragson
2017 – Kyle Busch
2016 – William Byron
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks return this week to a 1.5-mile oval at Kansas Speedway for the first time since Texas in early April. While absolute speed is critical to success on this setup, track position and tire strategy can also be factors. Drivers will want to qualify well in order to start the race in an advantageous position rather than having to find opportunities to advance through tire strategy or pit sequence. Restarts, however, are another way for drivers to move forward. Upcoming restarts at the end of the race can also be game-changing opportunities for potential winners. Last warnings at Kansas tend to come with around 50 rounds remaining, setting up a short-term duel until the checkered flag. However, Kansas generally has relatively few warnings overall with five of the last six runs with five or fewer yellow flags. This trend means that drivers and teams need to find speed on the track rather than relying on caution to allow them to catch up. As a result, Fantasy players should pay close attention to practice and qualifying speeds when setting their rosters for Saturday’s race. As a general rule, those who start the race in the top 10 finish the race in the top 10.
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DraftKings Value Picks for the Heart of America 200 (based on standard $50,000 salary cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Busch- $13,000
Ross Chastain- $11,500
Zane Smith- $10,800
Ty Majeski- $10,500
DraftKings Level 2 Values
Corey Heim- $9,900
Stewart Friesen – $9,700
Finallyger Grant – $9,500
Nick Sanchez- $9,300
DraftKings Level 3 Values
Christian Eckes- $8,700
Matt DiBenedetto – $8,300
Carson Hocevar- $8,100
Johnny Sauter – $8,000
Long Term Values of DraftKings
Hailie Deegan – $7,100
Tyler Ankrum- $6,900
Caruth Figure – $6,700
Daniel Tincture – $6,400
NASCAR DFS picks for Heart of America 200
Zane Smith- $10,800
Nick Sanchez- $9,700
Christian Eckes- $8,700
Matt DiBenedetto – $8,300
Caruth Figure – $6,700
Brennan Poole- $5,800
Cup Series regulars Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain both make good selections for many fantasy player rosters for the Heart of America 200. However, rosters also pay for it. For that reason, in addition to the fact that the Truck Series riders were able to win despite interference from the Cup guys, Zane Smith might make the best value at the top of the list. Smith can run with the best of them and he has the advantage of running that gear all season. He has already won two in 2023 and has finished no worse than 11th at this track in any of his six visits. He is also the defending winner. Fantasy players looking for the next big hit probably already have their eye on Nick Sanchez. The Rev Racing driver has twice top-10 finishes this season and was 11th the last time at Martinsville. He moved up to 12th in the championship standings and could become a playoff contender on points alone. However, a victory also seems entirely possible. Last year, in ARCA competition at this track, Sanchez finished first and second in two races. This will be his first time racing on the track in the trucks.
Christian Eckes will make his seventh series start at Kansas this week. He started the 2020 spring race from pole and has not finished below 13th in any of the previous six races at the track. Likewise, Matt DiBenedetto brings a healthy dose of racing experience. It’s only his second season in the trucks, but he’s ranked 10th in the standings and a 9.5 average at Kansas in races last season. Not picking Cup drivers at the top of the list leaves room for someone like Rajah Caruth further down. Caruth is a rising star in the series with a best finish of 11th at Bristol. It was his second top 15 of the season, and he reached the top-20 list more frequently as the season progressed. This will be his first series race at Kansas, but he picked up a second-place finish at the ARCA competition track last year. Our final spot goes to veteran Brennan Poole. This will be Poole’s fourth start at Kansas. He finished 12th in both 2020 races at the track. He last attempted a start in Las Vegas, which retired with a rear gear problem.
The author(s) of this article may enter daily fantasy contests, including but not limited to games for which they have provided recommendations or advice in this article. By playing these games using their personal accounts, it is possible that they are using players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. CJ Radune enters daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: cjradune, RaceDayScore: cjradune.
