After a wild race in Vegas this past Friday at the Strat 200, we head to Talladega Superspeedway for what is sure to be an action-packed weekend for race fans. Austin Hill clinched his spot in the round of eight after his win Friday night following the restart on lap 96, it is safe to say that he never looked back. Here are the highlights from the World of Westgate 200. Heading into the high bank Talladega Superspeedway for the Chevrolet Silverado 250 there will be a full field of 39 drivers taking the green flag. The Chevrolet Silverado 250 is the final race in the first round of the playoffs. Currently only last weeks winner Austin Hill has made it to the next round. Two drivers will be eliminated after Talladega. As it now sits Ben Rhodes is six points behind Christian Eckes for the final playoff seed and Todd Gilliland trails Eckes by 19 points. The final spot is up for grabs as Eckes starts Talladega sixth, Gilliland in the 10th spot and Rhodes starting 11th.
Today’s free pick is going to be playoff driver Ben Rhodes ($9,000). Rhodes has never raced at Talladega in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Rhodes has however raced at fellow Super Speedway Daytona four times since 2017. In his four races at Daytona he has a top five finish. On the season Ben Rhodes has one win at Darlington, seven top five finishes, and 11 top 10. In 18 starts this year he has placed top 10 in 61 percent of his races. I like Rhodes this week as he starts later in the race (ninth), giving him place differential potential. With Rhodes currently being on the outside looking in on the playoff race I expect him to be fast and aggressive at the Chevrolet Silverado 250.
Starting at $5 per week subscribers can expect to find high value plays that are well priced on DraftKings. We have DFS Potential Dominators, DFS Place Differential Options and who to avoid for the upcoming Chevrolet Silverado 250.
DFS Potential Dominators
Sheldon Creed: Coming into the weekend Sheldon Creed ($9,200) will race at Talladega for his second time, where in his first race he finished ninth. In his last race he did lead 43 laps, which if he were to do again would boost his DFS point total. Sheldon Creed was the dominant driver at the World of Westgate 200 last week. Creed controlled the race until lap 89 of 134, but ultimately finished runner-up by .55-seconds. Creed was successful in winning stage one and two in the race each by a four second advantage. Creed is sitting relatively comfortable in the playoff standings going into the Chevrolet Silverado 250 with a 52-point lead over the ninth-place driver Ben Rhodes. I think you will see an aggressive Creed racing at Talladega trying to prove that he should have won at Vegas. I also really like Sheldon Creed at this price point. He does not have place differential potential but if he is fast like he was last weekend he should be a sure bet for the win and the most laps lead.
Matt Crafton: With this being the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series first stop at Talladega this year I am going to be putting seasoned veteran Matt Crafton ($8,800) into my lineups. Matt Crafton has been in all three races at Talladega since 2017 where he has two top 10 finishes. Of the drivers starting in the top 15 only three drivers have raced Talladega as much as he has recently. Experience may have a large effect as pressure starts to mount to make the round of eight. Crafton was the 2019 Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Champion last year, showing that he knows how to win when it matters. Crafton recently has finished top five in the last 10 races five times, to go along with his win at Kansas Speedway. At this price point Matt Crafton is a great way to round out your lineup this week.
DFS Place Differential Options
Todd Gilliland: Coming into the Chevrolet Silverado 250 Todd Gilliland ($9,400) currently sits 19 points behind eighth place Christian Eckes in the playoff. From his standpoint he cannot fall further in the playoffs as he currently has the lowest spot. Gilliland will be extremely aggressive this week as he has nothing to lose. The drivers in the top eight currently might be concerned about losing points and may be a bit conservative which should open the track for Todd Gilliland to potentially race for the win. At Daytona earlier this year Gilliland was able to climb nine spots in the race. With Gilliland starting 10th at the Chevrolet Silverado 250 he has lots of potential for place differential points to go along with his predictably aggressive racing style this weekend. Another key note of information is that Gilliland placed second at Talladega last year.
DFS Picks to Avoid
Christian Eckes: At Daytona International Speedway earlier this year Christian Eckes ($10,200)had a large negative place differential; starting third and finishing 22nd. Eckes starts the Chevrolet Silverado 250 in a tough spot as he has the final playoff spot and a six-point lead over the ninth-place driver. Eckes and his racing team will have to decide if they want to try and win or if they want to race for points. With Ben Rhodes and Todd Gilliland currently on the outside looking in, they will be racing aggressively to get ahead of Eckes to secure their spot in the playoffs. Time will tell if Eckes can handle the pressure in his first full season on the circuit.
MY TOP-FIVE OVERALL AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
- Sheldon Creed
- Brett Moffit
- Austin Hill
- Todd Gilliland
- Matt Crafton
