RaceToStopSuicide.com 200
Location: Kansas City, Kan.
Course: Kansas Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 134
RaceToStopSuicide.com 200 Race Preview
The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Chase kicked off a week ago at Bristol, and despite Layne Riggs winning both stages and leading 135 laps, the race unraveled for the championship contender. A series of problems dropped him off the lead lap and left him with a 32nd-place finish. Jake Garcia took the lead after Riggs’ misfortune and controlled the race from there, leading all but 11 of the remaining laps on his way to his first series victory. Riggs’ rough night virtually erased the points advantage he brought into the playoffs. He now heads to Kansas Speedway, one of six remaining races, with just a three-point margin over Kaden Honeycutt at the top of the standings. This coming week could be pivotal for Riggs as he tries to get things moving in the right direction before time runs out on his championship hopes. To do that, he will also need to move past the disappointment of being disqualified from last year’s Kansas stop, where Carson Hocevar outdueled him in an exciting two-truck battle for the win. Riggs and the No. 34 team cannot afford another result like either of those this week, especially with just 71 points covering the entire 10-driver championship field.
Key Stats at Kansas SpeedwayNumber of races: 30Winners from pole: 4Winners from top-5 starters: 18Winners from top-10 starters: 26Winners from 21st or lower starters: 1Fastest race: 139.875 mphPrevious 10 Kansas Winners
2025 – Carson Hocevar
2024 fall – Corey Heim
2024 spring – Corey Heim
2023 fall – Christian Eckes
2023 spring – Grant Enfinger
2022 fall – John Hunter Nemechek
2022 spring – Zane Smith
2021 – Kyle Busch
2020 III – Brett Moffitt
2020 II – Matt Crafton
The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks return to 1.5-mile oval racing this week at Kansas Speedway, a tri-oval with progressive banking that gives drivers multiple grooves to pass and carry speed. While the track does promote passing, restarts remain the best opportunities to make up ground. Pit strategy can also influence a driver’s position depending on how cautions fall, but Kansas can produce long green-flag runs that allow the fastest trucks to separate themselves from the field. With fewer natural chances to adjust or gamble on strategy, trucks that are off the pace risk falling a lap down, which can effectively end a driver’s afternoon. Starting position will matter, but a truck prepared to maximize long-run pace should have a significant advantage, too. Only one driver has ever won this race after starting outside the top 15. That was Corey Heim, who visited Victory Lane in the 2024 fall race despite starting 33rd.
RotoWire NASCAR Truck Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the RaceToStopSuicide.com 200
Based on Standard $50k Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Layne Riggs – $12,500
Kaden Honeycutt – $11,500
Christian Eckes – $10,500
Brent Crews – $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chandler Smith – $9,800
Nick Sanchez – $9,500
Gio Ruggiero – $9,300
Ty Majeski – $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Grant Enfinger – $8,500
Ben Rhodes – $8,000
Daniel Hemric – $7,800
Jake Garcia – $7,500
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Tyler Ankrum – $7,300
Stewrt Friesen – $7,200
Daniel Dye – $6,700
Conor Daly – $6,000
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the RaceToStopSuicide.com 200
Layne Riggs – $12,500
Christian Eckes – $10,500
Ben Rhodes – $8,000
Daniel Dye – $6,700
Andres Perez de Lara – $6,300
Conor Daly – $6,000
The lineup for this week’s stop at Kansas makes some concessions further down the price list in order to accommodate two excellent choices on the high side. First of those top picks is Layne Riggs. He has been the leading driver through much of the season and now finds himself in a spot of adversity after stumbling out of the gate in The Chase last week at Bristol. His advantage in the points has been trimmed to just three points, and he needs to bounce back immediately. Adding to his hunger this week is the fact that he was disqualified from a runner-up finish at the track last season. That would have been his second second-place Kansas finish in as many races, too. This week, Riggs will be extra determined to right those few wrongs with a victory.
The other top selection here is Christian Eckes. The McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver is further down the standings, but could make some waves at this track. He boasts one of the best average Kansas results among active drivers with eight top-10 finishes from 10 series starts. His average start is 7.8 and his average finish is 7.7. Eckes also finished first or third in his last three Kansas visits. This week is a perfect opportunity for him to end his two-race slump and make up some ground in the championship.
Ben Rhodes is just behind Eckes in the standings and has been on a fine run of consistent finishes. His 11th-place finish a week ago at Bristol was his fifth straight finish of 18th or better in a row, and he brings top-10 finish potential to this week’s race. From his 15 series starts at this track, Rhodes holds a remarkable average start of 7.3. His finishes haven’t been as fruitful, but the top-10 speed is clearly there. He finished 11th at the track last season and has five top-10 finishes from his 15 track starts.
Daniel Dye will make his sixth start of the season this week. He has one top-10 finish from five series tries so far this season, and that 10th-place finish came at Nashville, which could bode well for his chances at Kansas. His average finish this year stands at 14.4 despite an average start of only 27th. Dye’s best series finish at Kansas came in the spring race of 2024 when he finished ninth. Dye has a lot to race for as he continues working to make a full-time NASCAR return.
Bristol was good for Andres Perez de Lara. He earned a 17th-place finish despite starting 27th, which gave him his second top-20 from the last five races. Another top-20 finish this week would be a good return for his price, too. Last year at this track he finished 19th. While his value will be greater the worse he qualifies, he still brings upside potential of a top-15 finish after scoring similar finishes at places like Atlanta, Charlotte, and Nashville earlier this season.
Lastly, Conor Daly will attempt his second series start of the season this weekend. He raced at IRP in July finishing 26th. However, the better omen is Daly’s first start in the trucks at Kansas. In 2024’s fall race, he qualified 29th but drove forward throughout the race to finish 17th. With just one race under his belt so far this season, fantasy players should expect his qualifying to be low, but Daly’s production will come from him finishing further forward at the end of the race.
Best Bets for the RaceToStopSuicide.com 200
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 3:30 PM ET Friday
Race Winner – Layne Riggs +380
Top-Three Finish – Christian Eckes +170
Top-Five Finish – Chandler Smith +110
The odds for Layne Riggs to win this week’s race at Kansas are not horrible. He has been the driver to beat much of this season and is entering this week’s race with a list of things to make a statement about. One of those is his disqualification from last year’s Kansas race. Had it not been for that penalty, he would officially head back to this track this week with back-to-back runner-up finishes at the circuit. More importantly, he wants to make up for a slow start to The Chase last week at Bristol. Typically, Riggs would be the favorite but this week, with Kaden Honeycutt in the mix, wagerers are getting a small premium for going with Riggs.
Christian Eckes scoring a top-three finish could be an excellent option for this race. Eckes has been very good at Kansas through his career. His average finish from 10 starts at the track is 7.7 with eight top-10s. He finished third or better in the last three Kansas races, too. In all, Eckes has four top-three finishes at this track, which make this wager with positive odds one to have higher on your list.
One driver doing well on the fast intermediate ovals is Chandler Smith. The Front Row Motorsports driver sits third in the championship standings and scored top-10 finishes at Atlanta, Nashville, and Texas already this season. At Kansas, his average finish is 8.6 from five series starts with three top-10s and two top-fives. It would not be out of the ordinary to see Smith qualify and run inside the top five this weekend, and fans should also consider this a valuable wager this weekend.
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The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it’s possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. C.J. Radune plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: cjradune, RaceDayScore: cjradune.