North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Location: Concord, N.C.
Course: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 134
North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Preview
The Truck Series' return to Dover last weekend proved to be a big one for movement in the standings. Kaden Honeycutt continued his climb up the Truck Series standings by finishing fourth at Dover last weekend, his third consecutive top-four finish and his fourth such finish in the last five races. Ty Majeski, Jake Garcia and Stewart Friesen also moved up multiple spots in the standings and occupy a playoff position after finishing second, ninth and 11th, respectively.
Given the relatively short regular season of the Truck Series, races are already starting to take on extra importance. Following this weekend, only eight races remain in the regular season. Tyler Ankrum is currently on the bubble, only two points ahead of Corey Heim and with three additional drivers within nine points of his 10th-place position. This great weekend of racing will kick off what is very likely to be an awesome push to the playoffs.
Before we jump into the race preview, we have to acknowledge the tragic passing of Kyle Busch. He was in victory lane in the Truck Series just last weekend, and his absence leaves a massive void in the sport.
Key Stats at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 23
- Winners from pole: 4
- Winners from top-5 starters: 12
- Winners from top-10 starters: 17
- Winners from 21st or lower starters:
- Fastest race: 128.947 mph
Previous 10 Charlotte Winners
2025- Corey Heim
2024 - Nick Sanchez
2023 - Ben Rhodes
2022 - Ross Chastain
2021 - John Hunter Nemechek
2020 - Chase Elliott
2019 - Kyle Busch
2018 - Johnny Sauter
2017 - Kyle Busch
2016 - Matt Crafton
Charlotte typically offers some of the best racing of the year thanks to the multiple lanes available for racing. While clean air is king on any track, there are plenty of opportunities to pass and make up ground. That is reflected in the results, with half of the last six winners coming from 26th, 19th and 16th starting positions. In contrast, the other three winners each started from inside the top five.
The list of recent winners is jammed full of marquee names, and the field is star-studded once again. Ross Chastain, Connor Zilisch, Rickey Stenhouse and Shane van Gisbergen are in the field from the Cup Series while Brandon Jones and William Sawalich are making an appearance from the O'Reilly Series. While trends aren't necessarily strong in terms of starting position, we should expect the best drivers to rise to the top of the field, which can even be true if they qualify poorly.
RotoWire NASCAR Truck Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200
(Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Connor Zilisch - $11,500
Kaden Honeycutt - $11,000
Ross Chastain - $10,500
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Christian Eckes-$8,800
Chandler Smith -$8,600
Brandon Jones-$8,300
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Grant Enfinger- $7,600
Ben Rhodes - $7,500
Stewart Friesen - $7,200
DraftKings Tier 4 Values
Daniel Hemric - $7,000
Justin Haley - $6,700
Brenden Queen - $6,500
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Ross Chastain - $10,500
Christian Eckes - $8,800
Brandon Jones - $8,300
Grant Enfinger - $7,600
Ben Rhodes - $7,500
Stewart Friesen - $7,200
Likely due to the infusion of talent this weekend, there is a pretty even distribution of interesting drivers across all pricing tiers. The top tier is loaded and it's difficult to go wrong building through any of the drivers. In five Truck races this season, Chastain has consistently banked around 40 DK points and has led at least 15 laps in three of those five races. Honeycutt's strong run of recent performances was documented in the introduction of this article, while Zilisch's name and performances speak for themselves at this point.
Tier 2 offers a contrast in boom-or-bust options. Eckes has been inconsistent, but he's also delivered potential tournament-winning scores. For example, he's racked up at least 50 DK points in four of his nine races, but he's also had 30 or fewer twice. Jones would be the more consistent option. He's been consistently at the track in both the O'Reilly and Truck Series, though he's never threatened for a win or even led a substantial number of laps.
Even Tier 3 has several solid options. Enfinger has had a tough start to the season, but his record at the track is impeccable. He's finished inside the top six in each of his last four races, including a pair of top-three performances. Friesen has had more wild swings in his results but is still worth considering due to the price discrepancy.
Hemric and Haley both pop in the optimizer and stand out as the punt/value options of the weekend.
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