Up first this weekend is the Gander RV Truck series with the Friday race at the Monster Mile. This is a one-mile, high-banked, concrete, oval that is really a unique track across the NASCAR series in general as you can’t really even compare Bristol to it simply because the speeds and braking points and driving style on the tracks are still different as Dover is twice the size of Bristol.

This will be a 200-lap race, scheduled distance, with the stages being 45-45-110 meaning quite a lot of pit strategy will play out in the third stage especially with cautions playing a big part coming down the stretch. With the race being 200 laps, laps led dominator points will be a key part of the scoring and here it’s typically been a few different drivers that lead at least 70 laps over the last five races here with the lone exception being a couple of years ago when one driver led 137 laps on the way to the victory. The other thing to keep in mind here is that over the last five races, the most cars on the lead lap at race’s end has been 16 with it being 10 or fewer three times, so drivers might get capped with just how far they can move up depending on how many laps down they are.

Draftkings isn’t offering the best contests this week for the Truck race and given the chaos that can happen here, playing light may not be the worst idea. I’ll be likely playing 5-7 lineups and mostly focusing on GPPs.

Playbook

Austin Hill ($11,200 P3) - Hill has been one of the fastest trucks all season even if the results haven’t always borne that out. Starting P3 gives him the inside shot to lead laps early with the speed he’s got in that ride. This track hasn’t always been his friend but he does have a P7 finish here and him leading laps and finishing P6 or better makes him an intriguing GPP play to avoid some of the other chalk at the top of the salary list.

Johnny Sauter ($10,600 P15) - Here comes massive chalk city folks. Sauter has won the last three races at Dover and done so leading 213 laps, though 180 something were in one race two years ago. Sauter will start P15 on Friday and that basically means you nearly have to play him in cash for the PD upside and the chance he makes it four in a row and still being a discount from the top few drivers. However, in GPPs he should be played far less simply to improve your shot at winning and having a different lineup than others.

Matt Crafton ($10,300 P4) - Crafton won this race four years ago and he’s been routinely in the top-10 at “similar” tracks in the past year as well as recently this year. Starting P4 at this price tag means he’s going to have to lead laps to hit value but he’s done that before, 46 in the last three races here with two top-fives. So the upside is a bit limited but he should be less played in GPPs and that’s really where his value comes from as a differentiator you hope can be out front and then finish top-five.

Brett Moffitt ($10,000 P1) - Moffitt is on the pole and that will automatically make him a good bet to lead laps early and often especially considering that he led 81 last year with nearly 50 fastest laps. Moffitt does have negative PD downside to him given that he’s on the pole but having finished in the top-five several times in the last couple of months of racing makes that less of a concern to really cost you points. If he goes out and leads a good chunk of laps and finishes top-five he’ll hit value.

Christian Eckes ($9,700 P9) - Eckes has finished P7 or better four times in the last five races aside from the road courses and now comes to a track that fits the background he has in short track racing. He’s been close to a couple of wins this year and here’s to hoping that the starting spot and some other names around him driver roster-percentage down for him as he is a solid play in both formats for a guy with a safe floor.

Chandler Smith ($9,300 P23) - Smith gets one of the best trucks on the track on Friday in the #51 KBM ride. There are only two races on his resume in the last 10 this season and the limited success may help keep some people from playing him, but starting P23 in this truck will still entice quite a few to play him. His driving style generally seems to fit the shorter tracks better and he had some success at them last year. The price is a tad higher than we’d like to see but with the equipment he’s in, it’s understandable. Smith is a low-tier cash play but a better fit for small-field GPPs.

Sheldon Creed ($9,100 P2) - Creed is fresh off a win at Daytona and a riveting post-race interview. There is some risk that comes with Creed as, he wilfully admitted after his win, he crashes a fair bit but has certainly been improving with four top-10s in the last five races on ovals this year. He’ll start P2 for the KDI 200 which gives him a shot for early laps led but negative PD is always in play with Creed setting him up better for a GPP play.

Todd Gilliland ($8,900 P17) - Gilliland has pretty well been a top-10 truck much of the last handful of races this year and now he’s starting P17 on Friday. While the last few race at Dover haven’t all gone his way he still has a top-10 in the last three and if that plus the recent speed meet up, another one could be on the horizon after 200 laps. Gilliland might go a bit overlooked with some of the names that are around him.

Ben Rhodes ($8,700 P10) - Rhodes has three top-10s and a top-five in the last three races he’s run at the Monster Mile with an average finish of P6. Prior to the last two weeks, Rhodes has also finished in the top-10 seven of the last eight races. He’ll start P10 and he likely stays inside the top-10 all day before finishing there as well for a bit of PD and a great finish from a mid-tier salary.

Zane Smith ($8,500 P7) - It’s hard to believe that Smith will be sneaking up on anyone any time soon following his win at Michigan and posting great dominator point numbers over the last handful of races this year. The truck is fast, he’s good, and he’s starting within striking distance of a great run and a chance to lead laps once again. The price tag is unfortunately low because that means his popularity will be quite high on Friday.

Grant Enfinger ($8,400 P8) - Enfinger has shown to have very good consistency in the last five non-road truck races finishing inside the top-11 each time and at Dover, Enfinger has two top-fives in the last three races finishing as high as P3. There might not be a ton of upside here for Enfinger but the floor is really quite nice at this price having a guy like this in any lineup is quite helpful.

Derek Kraus ($8,000 P16) - Aside from last weekend at the novel Daytona Road Course, you have to go back to Homestead in mid-June to find the last time that Kraus hasn’t finished P11 or better in a race. That stretch has been good for a 7.8 average finish which coincides nicely with the P8 he had at Dover last year after starting P15. Sitting squarely in the mid-tier will make him a popular play for a safe PD play and a driver with strong finish position potential.

Ty Majeski ($7,500 P21) - Majeski has been hit-and-miss this year to be sure. However, there is no doubt in the upside he possesses having run consistently in the top-15 in the last five non-road course races. Starting P21 gives him the PD we’re looking for and the streak of consistent finishes he’s in the middle of, mitigates the risk he carried earlier in the year. 

Dawson Cram ($6,500 P35) - Cram is starting dead last which is great PD upside right off the bat but the factor in that he’s finished in the mid-20s in the oval races he’s run and it’s a stronger case. There is a bit of concern here that he could get lapped decently early and that could cap his PD upside, but as a GPP play he’s worth the shot as a budget-friendly driver.

Tyler Hill ($6,000 P34) - Hill, not to be confused with Timmy who is also in play in a truck that has been running near the top-20 no matter who’s driving it, is very intriguing this week starting this far back and having a top-20 finish here last year. He’s finished P27 or better in three of the last five oval races this year for truck. The price tag is very easy to work in for cash or GPPs.

Spencer Boyd ($5,800 P19) - There is some risk here with Boyd as he’s starting higher than he typically does this year but in each of the last handful of oval races, he’s picked up several spots of PD and at Dover he finished P22 in his lone race. The fact that he is staring better than he normally does may have him played less and he works as a pivot in GPPs.

Sam Mayer ($5,600 P26) - Mayer hasn’t raced yet this season but the #24 truck has been fast the last several races, not including road courses, and at this price tag in this equipment it’s tough to ignore Mayer. He will likely be the chalkiest cheap option given the equipment and his PD potential, not to mention there aren’t many good cheap options this week. Mayer is safe for cash or GPPs.

Jennifer Jo Cobb ($5,300 P29) - The Truck series veteran who just last week made her 200th start in the series is starting right about where she’s averaged for the last three races at Dover before finishing 4-5 spots higher typically including a best finish of P22 in that span. She’s a cheap PD play for us in the hopes that she can grab about five spots like we’ve seen her do more than a few times in the last 10 races.

Tim Viens ($4,800 P24) - Viens is incredibly cheap and is coming off the best finish of the year for him, granted in a small sample size, as he finished P24 at the road course last weekend. He’s typically started in the 30s and moved up for an average finish of P28 but at this price you don’t need much from him to hit value as if he can just hang on to around this spot, he hits.

Example Lineups

Remember these are examples to show the strategy behind the build but aren't meant as plug-n-play options.

DK Cash

Johnny Sauter - $10,600

Brett Moffitt - $10,000

→ Pivot- Chandler Smith $9,300

Todd Gilliland - $8,900

Derek Kraus - $8,000

Tyler Hill - $6,000

→ Pivot - Timmy Hill - $6,400

Sam Mayer - $5,600

DK GPP

Austin Hill - $11,200

Chandler Smith - $9,300

→ Pivot - Matt Crafton $10,300

Zane Smith - $8,500

→ Pivot - Grant Enfinger - $8,400

Ty Majeski - $7,500

→ Pivot - Clay Greenfield - $7,200

Dawson Cram - $6,500

Timmy Hill - $6,400