Long John Silver's 200 DFS Picks & NASCAR Playbook - Martinsville, 4/5

The Craftsman Truck Series is back after a week off and what better way to welcome them back than with some short track action from Martinsville Speedway! We get 200 laps Friday night under the lights at one of NASCAR’s prized tracks on the schedule. Corey Heim got his first win of the year two weeks ago at COTA. Does he go back-to-back? 

He’ll surely be a popular option for tonight’s race given his dominance at Martinsville in 2023. But we’ve also seen five different winners in as many races for the Truck Series. Do we see a sixth later this evening? Let’s take a look at previous races and data to develop our NASCAR DFS picks for Friday night’s Long John Silver’s 200 from Martinsville!

If you’re new here, Martinsville Speedway is a half-mile flat track. We get relatively long straights with very tight turns at both ends. There’s about 12 degrees of banking in the turns which obviously is not very much, and the straights are as flat as you can imagine. Track position matters heavily here. 

This is a short track and it’s not hard to lose the lead lap or multiple laps if you have a mistake. Cautions come quickly here given the lack of run-off as well. We’ll also see the back markers lose laps as well. When you consider their starting spots and the leaders coming up quickly on their tail.

In each of the last four Truck Series races at Martinsville we’ve seen at least 65 laps run under caution. That may be a bit of a saving grace for some of these drivers. But in the four-race sample size we’ve seen anywhere from 6-to-14 cautions. As is always the case, there’s a large discrepancy in talent and equipment from the more expensive DFS options to the cheaper ones. 

Last year’s race is hard to consider because it was called after just 124 laps. Corey Heim led 82 of them after starting P4. The weather did make the track position narrative a little more important. The 2022 race saw three drivers lead at least 45 laps with at least 25 fastest laps as well (William Byron, Ben Rhodes, and Zane Smith). That race was a little unique in that it also had obvious chalk with William Byron and Johnny Sauter starting outside the top 30 and they finished first and second. 

But the remaining drivers to finish in the top 14 all started P16 or better. The 2021 race saw a little more chaos. With 14 cautions for 89 laps, we certainly got it all. Todd Gilliland started P2 and led 133 laps but he finished 25^th and was the first driver a lap down. All those dominator points he collected arguably didn’t matter and you could’ve loaded up on any of the seven drivers who started P24 or deeper that finished in the top 16. 

So over the years we’ve seen races at Martinsville shake out differently. The strategy will once again require a multiple-dominator approach. But even then, some of my lineups will go for a solo dominator and hope to nail the other top scorers. The stages for Friday night’s race will be broken into 50-50-100 lap stages. These laps will tick off quickly assuming the cautions are kept in check. Practice and qualifying will start around 3:00pm ET and I’ll have updates in RED once we know the starting order.

Long John Silver's 200 Practice Notes

Long John Silver’s 200 DFS Picks: Core Drivers

Top-Price Core Plays

Corey Heim ($11,000)

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but we’re leaning into Heim once again. He won this race last spring and that may be putting it lightly. He kicked the field’s ass in this race last April. He had a 148.4 driver rating, led 82 laps, and finished first at the end of every stage. And with the week off, it’s not like he was resting up over Easter and enjoying some time with his family. 

This kid was grabbing a top five finish in the Xfinity Series last week with Sam Hunt Racing. Yes, he’s the most expensive driver in the field but with 200 laps on tap for this race, he can easily pay off the hefty price.

Ty Majeski ($10,700)

It hasn’t been the typical dominance from Majeski to start 2024. But he did finish second at Atlanta, third at COTA, and he led 40 laps at Vegas. The poor result at Bristol weighs heavily on his DraftKings profile because he posted -20 points. 

We have to take some of Majeski’s results in 2023 with a grain of salt. We should recall he had that massive cheating scandal last year and once caught, they lost their edge. But overall, Majeski was ripping off solid results at tracks like Martinsville (started P12, finished fourth), North Wilkesboro (runner-up), Richmond (runner-up with 168 laps led in 2023 and third in 2022 with 73 laps led), and IRP (winner with 179 laps led with a perfect 150.0 driver rating). 

But do recall, it was after the IRP win that it was discovered the team was cheating. I’m still of the mindset he can flat out crush the field on a flat track like Martinsville. It’ll be fun to see him and Heim duel under the lights Friday night. Update: Big bump for Majeski as he landed the pole. He makes for a great early dominator if he can hold off Eckes at the start. Eckes is also worth some exposure starting P2. He had great speed in practice and was barely beaten out for the pole by Majeski.

Grant Enfinger ($10,200)

Not the greatest qualifying effort from Grant but he now offers position differential and has a decent track history here. He does have a win here from 2020 but that was arguably with better equipment. This is a pretty steep price to pay when you can allocate the budget to Heim, Majeski, or Eckes and collect dominator points.

Sammy Smith ($9,300)

Smith may come out of nowhere as a DFS play this week, but there’s reasoning behind this recommendation. Smith pulls double duty this week with the Truck race on Friday and the Xfinity Series race Saturday night. Smith has the luxury of driving the 7-truck for Spire Motorsports this weekend. Kyle Busch grabbed a win in this truck at Atlanta, and then he finished second at Bristol after leading 105 laps. 

But Spire Motorsports also grabbed a win at Vegas with Rajah Caruth’s truck and Nick Sanchez (Spire affiliation) won at Daytona. So, it’s relatively safe to assume this truck will be competitive and $9,300 is actually a nice price for what we can expect from this ride. Smith finished second and third in the two Xfinity Series Martinsville races last year and he led a combined 153 laps between both races. Ahead of practice and qualifying he’s a tremendous play at $9,300.

Mid-Price Core Plays

Matt Crafton ($8,500)

Experience matters at a track like Martinsville. Matt Crafton turns 48 in June so it shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody that he’s raced Martinsville 40 times. Yes. F-O-R-T-Y races at the paperclip. In that sample size he has two wins, 11 top five results, and he’s grabbed 23 top 10 finishes. 

Moreover, we’ve seen a more rejuvenated Crafton this year. He finished seventh at Daytona and Vegas, while finishing fourth at Bristol. He also hasn’t been qualifying particularly well so we should expect another start deep in the field. As a mid-price play, we shouldn’t be too surprised if he emerges as a PD play once again for us. Update: As expected, Crafton didn't post a great qualifying effort and we actually like that for the DFS outlook. As mentioned previously he's been a good enough PD play this season and he can certainly grab another top 20 finish here. If you need a pivot in this range, Rajah Caruth is in play for a couple hundred dollars more, and Stewart Friesen saves you some bucks as well. But Crafton is easily the preferred Cash game option.

Layne Riggs ($8,000)

There’s no question about it, Layne Riggs has struggled in the 38-truck this year. The one positive has been the top 10 at Bristol, on a short track. But let’s try to at least give him the benefit of the doubt if we’re going to make an argument for him. 

The five Truck Series races we’ve seen this year have been at Daytona, Atlanta, Vegas, Bristol, and COTA. Bristol might draw the most comparisons to Martinsville because of the track length, but other than that they have nothing in common. Martinsville might be where we see the tide turn for Riggs. In 2022, Riggs finished seventh at IRP (started P23) and he grabbed top 20 finishes at Richmond and Phoenix. 

Even last year at IRP he finished third. If we know anything about IRP, it’s that it’s a short, flat track. The only difference between Martinsville and IRP is that IRP possesses a wider turn radius. But we’ve seen him thrive on the flatter tracks. So while the results this year have been disappointing, if there’s a track he can start to turn things around, it’s going to be Martinsville. Update: Came close to winning the pole but he was outdone by better equipment. Still a good GPP play as he had speed and there is a chance he can get some secondary or tertiary dominator points.

Taylor Gray ($7,800)

What the hell are we doing with this price tag? Look, I actually do like Layne Riggs for this race. But based on what we’ve seen this year, in no way should he be more expensive than Taylor Gray. Gray has been phenomenal this year. Gray finished fourth at Atlanta, fourth at Vegas, seventh at Bristol, and second at COTA. By all means, he’s knocking on the door for his first win and he’s still priced in the $7K range. 

To add to his talent, he started P27 in last week’s Xfinity Series race at Richmond and he finished third. He’s very young and very talented. He’s also Corey Heim’s teammate so you’re getting a discount on similar equipment. He’s raced Martinsville three times in his career. In the two races he grabbed top 10 finishes, he started P24 and P39 so he can certainly move up. There just might be consistent top five equity at this cheap price tag. Update: Gray wasn't outstanding by any means in practice, but I still think he could squeeze out a top five finish. His brother, Tanner Gray, is viable as well and he offers more PD. However, do keep in mind that we have enough of a sample size to trust Taylor for more upside.

Cam Waters ($7,500)

A lot of times we find ourselves just talking about the same drivers every single week. So I’m adding Cam Waters to this Playbook to introduce you all to a new driver, and maybe provide a play with some upside. He’s an Australian driver with 11 career wins in the Supercars Championship series. 

For reference, Shane van Gisbergen is a three-time Supercars champion in his career, and he burst onto the scene winning the Chicago Street Race last summer for the Cup Series. Our precious red-blooded American sport is being taken over by guys that have probably punched a kangaroo at some point in their life. 

But alas, I’m a little curious about what Waters can bring to the table Friday night. Sure, he could absolutely be bullied in this race. It’s a short, flat oval and he’s probably used to running road courses. But he’s going to be in Thorsport equipment. I do wish he was a bit cheaper, but the speed should be there for this ride at least. Update: Waters starts outside the top 20. Plenty of PD to be had in this equipment. Be mindful that this isn't his style of racing but we do like the equipment at this price, especially with some PD.

Value-Price Core Plays

Jake Garcia ($7,000)

I continue to be amazed at how cheap Garcia is on a weekly basis. He’s posted 32+ fantasy points in each of the last three races. We saw some top 10 upside last year and now he’s with Thorsport. The equipment is still good, and he’s finished 16^th or better in four straight race. 

Garcia started P18 and finished 13^th in this race last year and he was second last fall at Phoenix. Even at Nashville and Richmond he grabbed a top 10 finish in each race. It all depends on where he qualifies but given the equipment and pricing he certainly stands out as a top value play ahead of qualifying. Update: It sucks, but slight downgrade to Garcia because of the qualifying spot.

William Sawalich ($6,900)

Let’s continue the value section with the “nice” play of the night. Sawalich will be in the 1-truck for TRICON Garage. Personally, I think he should be more expensive than Waters. We know the equipment is good, but we’ll have to see how well he does in this crowded field. Young drivers can easily be bullied for position on this track. 

In this truck last year, we saw plenty of upside from Sawalich. He started P22 at Martinsville last spring and finished ninth. He also grabbed top 10 finishes at Richmond and IRP. I do expect there to be plenty of interest in Sawalich, and rightfully so. He’s a young, talented driver in great equipment. Regardless of the starting position, at this price tag he may be optimal with another short, flat track top 10 finish. Update: Garcia over-qualified the truck as he starts P7 and that'll draw most of the field to this pivot for more PD. I'll mention Tanner Gray once again as a good GPP play but Sawalich probably crushes value with a top 12 finish.

Kaden Honeycutt ($6,300)

Martinsville hasn’t been a great track for Honeycutt if we’re being honest. But he drove for Roper Racing and G2G Racing the last two years. Honeycutt is now with Niece Motorsports which is certainly an equipment upgrade. Honeycutt finished sixth at Atlanta and 12^th at Bristol this year. 

Again, those aren’t great track comparisons, but we can see a little upside. He does have a pair of top 10 finishes at Phoenix and he finished 17^th at IRP last year. I’m not saying this is a slam dunk but he’s another value play to keep an eye on. Update: Strong GPP play if he can hold his spot or finish a few spots better. The truck actually looked decent in practice but there is some concern about long-run speed.

Timmy Hill ($5,900)

Timmy Hill is about as reliable as an ashtray on a motorcycle. While that may sound insulting, I actually do mean that as a compliment to motorcyclists and ashtrays. Hill has somehow managed to qualify P27 in four straight races. Pretty impressive feat if you ask me. Hill finished eighth at Daytona, 18^th at Atlanta, and 17^th at COTA. These tracks have nothing in common with Martinsville, but I’m trying to speak to his potential. 

In his last five races at Martinsville, Hill has started P20 or deeper. His worst finish in that sample size is 23^rd but he also has three top 15 finishes. Back in 2022 he finishes 17^th at IRP after starting outside the top 30. Even if he loses the lead lap, which is certainly possible, he can still carve out a decent finish just by surviving the war of attrition. Update: He did it again! P27 for the FIFTH straight race. Clear and easy PD target but a popular one at that. The craptastic part is that we don't have too many other reliable options in this range, especially with just 34 trucks in the field. I will acknowledge Matt Mills, Bret Holmes, and Lawless Alan in the table below. However, there isn't a ton of confidence there.

NASCAR DFS Lineup Picks: Long John Silver’s 200