SpeedyCash.com 250
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Course: Texas Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 167
SpeedyCash.com 250 Race Preview
The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns to Texas Motor Speedway this week after a well-deserved break. Christopher Bell claimed victory at Bristol last time out, tightening the series standings among the full-time competitors and adding extra excitement to the championship chase. Chandler Smith heads into Texas as the points leader, holding just a single-point advantage over Kaden Honeycutt. The battle to secure a spot in the top 10 is heating up, with only nine points separating ninth through twelfth place. With just 10 regular-season races left, every lap counts as drivers fight for their shot at the title.
Drama is all but guaranteed at Texas Motor Speedway, and last year was no exception. Corey Heim dominated the event, capturing his third win of the season after surviving two overtime restarts. The track's unique layout, featuring different banking at each end of the oval, consistently challenges drivers and shakes up the competition. Fans should expect the unexpected again this weekend. Last year's race saw 11 cautions and 13 drivers fail to finish. With the unpredictable nature of the circuit, teams and drivers will need sharp focus, as even a brief lapse in concentration can bring disaster.
Key Stats at Texas Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 51
- Winners from pole: 7
- Winners from top-five starters: 31
- Winners from top-10 starters: 43
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2
- Fastest race: 158.002 mph
Previous 10 Texas Winners
2025 - Corey Heim
2024 - Kyle Busch
2023 - Carson Hocevar
2022 - Stewart Friesen
2021 - John Hunter Nemechek
2020 fall - Sheldon Creed
2020 spring - Kyle Busch
2019 fall - Greg Biffle
2019 spring - Kyle Busch
2018 fall - Justin Haley
Texas Motor Speedway may resemble other 1.5-mile quad ovals, but this venue is unique in several ways. First, each set of turns has different banking. Turns 1 and 2 are less steep than turns 3 and 4, which forces drivers to approach each end of the circuit differently. The track's pavement is not as abrasive as some other tracks, but tire wear throughout a fuel run, along with the circuit's challenging bumps, can catch drivers off guard and cause accidents. One of the most important factors for a successful day is track position. The last seven series races have been won by a driver starting inside the top five, and no one has won starting outside the top ten since Christopher Bell in 2017. Another notable feature of Texas is the number of cautions. Last year's race saw the yellow flag wave 11 times. These frequent interruptions can give teams opportunities to try different fuel and tire strategies to gain ground or consolidate positions. However, as with any other intermediate oval, there is no room for error. Drivers and crew members must be on their toes throughout the race to absorb what Texas throws at them and to have a chance at coming out on top this week.
RotoWire NASCAR Truck Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the SpeedyCash.com 250
Based on Standard $50k Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Busch - $11,000
Carson Hocevar - $10,700
Layne Riggs - $10,500
Kaden Honeycutt - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Ross Chastain - $9,500
Christian Eckes - $9,300
Chandler Smith - $9,000
Ty Majeski - $8,800
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Gio Ruggiero - $8,500
Grant Enfinger - $8,300
Brandon Jones - $8,100
Tyler Ankrum - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Jake Garcia - $7,800
Ben Rhodes - $7,300
Corey Lajoie - $7,000
Justin Haley - $6,900
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the SpeedyCash.com 250
Kyle Busch - $11,000
Chandler Smith - $9,000
Ty Majeski - $8,800
Ben Rhodes - $7,300
Corey Lajoie - $7,000
Justin Haley - $6,900
Kyle Busch may be having his share of problems in the NASCAR Cup Series, but that has not stopped his success in the trucks. He made two starts already this season, winning one and finishing eighth in the other. This week, he is taking on the challenge again at a track where he has won the last four series races and six in total. Even as the most expensive selection on the board this week, Busch's record makes that price worth taking.
Series points leader Chandler Smith enters this weekend's race fresh off of a runner-up finish at Bristol that helped him grab that top spot in the championship standings. He has a decent record at Texas, which he could improve upon given his recent momentum. He finished sixth or better three of the last five races this season and has two top-10s at Texas from four career tries. His most attractive stat at this track is his qualifying average of 7.3, though. Converting that positive track position into a top race finish will be the goal for him this week.
Ty Majeski has had an up and down 2026 season so far. He finished fourth in the season opener at Daytona and has gone on to finish in the top 10 every other race since. If that pattern holds, this week should be another top-10 finish for him. He finished 10th in this race last season despite starting 24th and will be seeking his fifth straight top-10 Texas finish this week. He has never finished lower than 15th at the track.
Three finishes of 11th or better from the last five races make Ben Rhodes another driver to watch this week. Rhodes started just 28th at Texas last season but drove to a sixth-place finish, which was his sixth Texas top-10. From 15 series starts at this track, his average result is 14.7, and his best finish was second in 2018.
Corey Lajoie will make his fifth series start of the season this week. His best result from four outings so far was seventh at Rockingham. While the races haven't been the smoothest for him, Lajoie's experience should count for a lot at this tricky circuit, much like it did at Rockingham. While this will be Lajoie's first series start at this track, he raced it 13 times in the Cup Series with two top-10 finishes and a best of fourth.
Five consecutive finishes of 15th or better have helped to move Justin Haley into the top 10 in the championship standings. He has been delivering consistent finishes, which makes it somewhat surprising his price is this low at Texas. Like Lajoie, Haley's Cup experience should be a boost at this particular track. From six Texas starts in the senior series, Haley impressively only failed to finish inside the top 10 once.
Best Bets for the SpeedyCash.com 250
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 12:30 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Kyle Busch +300
Top-Three Finish - Ty Majeski +500
Top-Five Finish - Justin Haley +1100
Kyle Busch is the clear-cut favorite to win at Texas. He has dominated this series at the track for several seasons and is as hungry as ever for visits to Victory Lane given his struggles in the Cup Series. He did not compete in this race last season but brings four consecutive Texas wins into the weekend with six victories through his career at the intermediate oval. The only drawback is the low odds, but he is one of the most likely to come out on top on Friday.
Last season, Ty Majeski started this race 24th, which was the lowest start at Texas of his career. He still finished the race 10th. With a small improvement in qualifying this time around, even just getting back to his average Texas start of 11.8, would put him in position to finish even higher and potential inside the top three. His best Texas finish was fourth in 2023 when he started on the second row.
A risker play with significantly better odds is Justin Haley to finish in the top five. While his best series finish so far this season is 10th at Atlanta, he has consistently been finishing in the top 15. He also consistently finished in the top 10 at Texas in his Cup career. Those two attributes combined this weekend could propel him to his best series finish of the season, and a top-five would not be out of the question at this tricky venue.
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