NASCAR DFS Preview (Trucks) | Knoxville Raceway | Clean Harbors 150

NASCAR DFS Preview (Trucks) | Knoxville Raceway | Clean Harbors 150

By: Dustin Maybin (@CUPharmDFS)

Let me begin by wishing a happy Father’s Day to all of you men out there doing what you can to raise your children to the best of your abilities in this crazy world! It may be an off week for the Cup Series, but the Truck Series grind doesn’t stop, even this week with limited data to go off of.

Given the lack of data, this is more of an overview of how to approach this race. For more updated changes, check out the Team Rise or Fall Discord!

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be racing at Knoxville Raceway tonight, one of the most well-known dirt tracks in America. For several years now, the trucks have ran at least one race on dirt each season dating back to Eldora Speedway in 2013. Last season, we had 2 dirt races at Bristol and here at Knoxville, both of which are jam packed with chaos.

Dirt track racing causes drivers to have less grip and thus control of their vehicles. Throttle control is a premium asset, rewarding drivers wiling and able to drive “on the edge” for maximum speed. Slide jobs to pass are also prevalent. This combination, in addition to inexperience for most drivers, leads to many accidents, carnage, and DFS variance. 

Last year at Bristol Dirt, 56 laps (37.3% of the race) were run under caution. Not to be outdone, an astounding 53.3% of the laps at Knoxville were run under caution! What does this mean for DFS purposes? Winning strategies are similar to how lineups should be constructed for superspeedway races. There are fewer dominator points available than usual, and several top trucks have the potential to score negative points. “Stacking the back” with drivers starting in the back half of the field will be essential to DFS success due to their unmatched place differential upside. 

Predicting who will win the race is a feat in itself as most of the Truck Series dirt races have been won by drivers with little dirt experience. Dirt “ringers” who do not typically run in the series have had strong runs, as have the top drivers in the Truck Series. However, variance doesn’t play favorites, so again, I will likely be playing at least 4 drivers starting worse than 15th in most of my lineups.

Tonight’s starting lineup will be set by qualifying heat races approximately 2 hours prior to the green flag. Thus, core plays will be posted later than usual. Tune in to the Discord channel for scrosby’s notes as well!

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