Truck Series DFS Picks: NASCAR Playoff Race Playbook - Milwaukee, 8/25

It’s a weekend loaded with NASCAR action as the Cup and Xfinity Series take on the chaos that comes with Daytona International Speedway. For our beloved Craftsman Truck Series, they return to the Milwaukee Mile with the prestigious honor of racing Sunday afternoon. 

Grant Enfinger won this race from the pole last year with 95 laps led and an outstanding 149.3 driver rating. But what’s great about this race is that it marks the start of some playoff action for the Truck Series. So, let’s dig right into what to expect for Sunday’s Truck Series Playoff Race DFS picks for the LiUNA 175 from Milwaukee!

Truck Series Playoff Race DFS Picks & NASCAR Lineups

We talk a lot about short, flat tracks. Milwaukee isn’t necessarily the shortest track we’ll see on the schedule this year. It technically measures in at 1.015 miles in length. But it is incredibly flat. IRP features 12 degrees of banking in the turns, as does Martinsville. 

Even Richmond’s banking gets up to 14 degrees in the turns. Milwaukee has just nine degrees in its turns and given that it’s a mile in length, we see some wide turn radii. Check out the highlights from last year’s race right here to get an idea for Sunday’s race.

Fortunately for this race, we’ve seen the Truck Series run on a few comparable tracks this year. Martinsville, North Wilkesboro, Gateway, IRP, and Richmond all draw comparisons in some regard to this track whether discussing the banking or size of the oval.

Obviously for this race we have 175 laps, and the stages break out into relatively similar segments of 55-55-65. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say we have about 100-110 dominator points to account for.

But it’s a good race to go out and consider two dominators. Four drivers led laps last year and they all finished in the top four:

1. Grant Enfinger – 95 laps led
2. Carson Hocevar – 40 laps led
3. Christian Eckes – 5 laps led
4. Corey Heim – 35 laps led

If you can confidently build some Milwaukee Mile DFS picks with three dominators, by all means go for it. But most lineups will be seeking out win equity and two dominators for this race Sunday afternoon.

Passing did appear to be a bit difficult last year as only two drivers made big enough differences as position differential plays. Derek Kraus (#7 Spire Motorsports) started P25 and finished eighth. Similarly, Matt Crafton (#88 ThorSport Racing) started P22 and finished fifth. So, the good equipment certainly made that possible. A couple drivers did gain 10 spots of PD but still barely cracked the top 20 (Conner Jones and Bret Holmes).

Yellow flags could certainly play to our favor. Last year’s race saw seven cautions for 44 laps and some drivers might need the cautions to gain track position and reset the field for more passes on the restart. Don’t lean in too much to position differential and don’t shy away from drivers that flash speed in practice and may have qualified in a spot that makes them less desirable. Let’s start getting comfortable being uncomfortable with these Truck Series Playoff Race DFS picks!

We will have practice and qualifying for this race around 4:00pm ET on Saturday, which is a nice lead-in to the Cup Series race at Daytona that evening. I’ll have updates to my Milwaukee Mile DFS picks in RED with the finalized driver pool at the bottom of the article once we know the starting order.

Practice Notes

Top-Price Truck Series Playoff Race DFS Picks

Ty Majeski ($10,700)

I can’t quite explain it, but this is the time of year Majeski tends to start running hot. Yes, he’s the most expensive driver in the field but for good reason. He’s won the last two races at IRP and Richmond, both being flat tracks.

Majeski had a rather forgettable performance at Milwaukee last year, but the weekend was still filled with a little drama. His team was caught cheating prior to the race and he had to perform a “pass through” on pit road during the opening laps. Following the action at Milwaukee he was dealt a very heavy point penalty that largely made it difficult to move forward in the playoffs without wins.

But there’s a renewed focus this year, and by all accounts, the trucks have been getting through tech inspections without issue. This year, he’s led 40+ laps at tracks like Martinsville, North Wilkesboro, Gateway, IRP, and Richmond so I’d say there’s plenty of dominator potential on Sunday.

Update: I suppose we shouldn't be too surprised Majeski won the pole given the run he's been on over the last two races. He'll be popular and a fixture for lineups in all formats. For single-entry contests you can consider fading him for leverage, but you're potentially leaving win equity and several dominator points on the table.

Christian Eckes ($10,500)

Two weeks ago, for the Truck Series race at Richmond, we led off with Eckes and Majeski and we do so once again, just in reverse order. Eckes has been just as good on the short, flat tracks and he finished third at this track last year.

He won in dominating fashion at Martinsville in the spring where he led 133 laps. But I’m mostly impressed by the fact that he’s finished third or better in his last five races entering Milwaukee, including back-to-back runner-up finishes to Ty Majeski at IRP and Richmond.

He’s also managed to lead at lead one lap in every single race this year. Not many drivers can say they’ve done that at every track and the 2024 schedule certainly boasts a lot of variety. It comes as no surprise these two are the most likely dominator contenders.

Update: He was top three in speed in practice and starts right behind Majeski. He does jump off the page as a strong secondary dominator. Although it would be funny if he finished runner-up to Majeski for a third straight race.

Corey Heim ($10,300)

Corey Heim was top five in practice and starts P4. I don't necessarily view him as one to collect more dominator points than Majesk, Eckes, or Enfinger. But the speed was there in practice and at the end of the day, he's still Corey Heim. Without dominator points he will struggle to exceed 5X value.

Grant Enfinger ($10,000)

As fate would have it, we round out the top tier with the same three drivers we previewed for Richmond two weeks ago. And I think we nailed it all things considered the last time around. All three finished very well and took turns leading laps. Not too shabby on our part!

Enfinger won this race a year ago with 45.8 dominator points. He was simply the best truck and I was slow to come around initially this year. But he’s been outstanding the last two races at Richmond and IRP. Obviously, he doesn’t have the two wins that Majeski has. Nor has he finished second like Eckes. But Enfinger does have 68.35 dominator points in his last two races, and it looks like he should contend once again this week.

Update: I'm not overly concerned that his practice times are in line with the qualifying spot of P12. This truck has shown to get better during a race and Enfinger is good enough to get up there as well. Still believe the original three drivers we previewed are the most likely to lead laps based on the last two races and the pedigree of the drivers. If you are targeting two of the drivers above, you can save $200 and go for more position differential points by going to Sammy Smith who starts just inside the top 20.

Mid-Price Truck Series Playoff Race DFS Picks

Tyler Ankrum ($9,100)

Ankrum is largely a good “floor” play for this race. He’s had a very strong year and was able to make the playoffs. Truthfully, I’d say he has a fair shot at advancing to the round of eight as well and that would be a solid year for him given that he was once a decent prospect for this series.

Now he is still without a win this year and I boldly proclaimed he would get a win earlier this season. So far this year we have seen top five finishes at Martinsville and IRP. He also finished eighth at North Wilkesboro with 26 laps led and he also finished sixth last week at Richmond.

He does fall into that range that’s borderline mid-to-top tier and we’d love to get some laps led out of him. There’s still a shot but overall, he’s still a great play to finish well.

Update: Ankrum qualified P9 which makes him viable in tournaments. Most are going to go to Ben Rhodes who starts P18 and costs just $200 more. I won't lie, I'll also mix in shares of Rhodes but that will make Ankrum a good leverage play.

Layne Riggs ($8,700)

We shouldn’t be too surprised with this recommendation given the type of track we’re at this week. Riggs missed out on the playoffs this year so it’s strictly about performing well and potentially grabbing a win over the last seven races of the year.

It’s a short, flat track so we’re inclined to lean into Riggs. He did have a rough start to the year, but he’s found his mojo on the comparable tracks. Over his last seven races he touts four top five finishes and those came at tracks like North Wilkesboro, Gateway, IRP, and Richmond.

The price tag remains the same as last week because he only put up 43 fantasy points on DraftKings. But that’s still impressive because he held his track position after starting P4. It’s also worth mentioning he’s registered double-digit fastest laps in the last two races.

Daniel Dye ($7,500)

Dye is definitely a more affordable driver in the mid-tier as he’s arguably a value play at just $7,500. With that said, we are getting a playoff driver at a very good price tag. So, there’s plenty for him to drive for and he’s in similar equipment to Eckes and Ankrum.

We saw him start P23 and finish 13^th at Martinsville in the spring and he followed that up with top 10 results at North Wilkesboro and Richmond. I’ll also mention he finished second at Nashville even though that’s not the greatest track to use as a comparison for Milwaukee.

I will note that Dye has been qualifying his truck much better as the season has progressed. He’s started P14 or better in five straight races including three starting spots in the top 10. That’s not a huge knock on him by any means. In fact, it may lower rostership just a bit.

Update: This is a similar play to Ankrum who was given an update above. Dye starts P10 and the price is slightly elevated this week. So this may suppress his overall ownership numbers. If he can steal a top eight finish with a few fastest laps he could be optimal, but we do need a little chaos to go our way. If playing 20+ lineups I would say cap exposure to this play at 20% because overall, he's still shown growth and maturity this year.

Dean Thompson ($7,300)

This play could absolutely blow up in our face. But we are getting a TRICON truck at a good price starting just outside the top 20. Moreover, the last few times Thompson has started in this range he's finished top 10. Is that a guarantee it happens this race? Absolutely not. He's strictly a tournament play. In 16 races this year, he's put up 39+ fantasy points six times, but in nine of those races he's delivered less than 20 fantasy points. This is why I can't commit to the play for cash games.

Value Truck Series Playoff Race DFS Picks

Jake Garcia ($6,800)

This range of drivers is where we’ll find a handful of good value plays. Priced just above Garcia are William Sawalich ($7,000), Kaden Honeycutt ($7,200), Dean Thompson ($7,300), and Daniel Dye, who we just discussed. For the similar tracks I’ve definitely featured Sawalich, Honeycutt, and Thompson plenty. And I’ll add them into the Playbook should the starting position or practice speed dictate it.

But I’ll throw some love to Garcia, who we did preview a few weeks ago at Richmond where he started P23 and finished 13^th for 40 fantasy points on DraftKings. For this race, we only see a $100 price bump and I do think more NASCAR DFS players will be drawn to the four drivers priced above him.

The narrative is still the same with Garcia and I don’t want to get too cocky after he paid off for us two weeks ago. We do need to be aware that he’s run well at times, but the finishes haven’t always been there. We’re hoping to get lucky with this play for a second consecutive Truck Series race.

Update: He starts P20 which is a good spot for him that likely doesn't draw a ton of ownership.

Jack Wood ($6,000)

I don’t love sticking my neck out for Jack Wood, but alas, here we are. He isn’t running a full-time schedule this year, but he’s at least entering with the 91-truck for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. In this truck this year he’s finished 18^th at Martinsville (started P10), 12^th at North Wilkesboro (started P17), and 15^th at IRP (started P23).

Obviously, that’s a mix of good-and-bad DFS performances. We’d love to get some PD out of the play because this truck, and the organization overall, thrive at this type of track.

But even if he does qualify inside the top 20 he’s shown he can still be a good play so long as he can gain a little track position along the way. Practice and qualifying on Saturday will shed some light on how much exposure we should get.

Update: Starts P25. I don't know if I want to be too overweight here as we all know that Jack Wood isn't overly impressive. But the equipment is good enough for a top 15 finish if he doesn't screw the pooch.

Timmy Hill ($5,700)

It’s more of the same with Hill and Bret Holmes ($5,500) this week. I slightly prefer Hill as I think Holmes has cooled off a bit. He probably still possesses the higher ceiling than Hill, but Hill’s consistency and experience is on full display almost every week.

Hill has back-to-back top 20 finishes at IRP and Richmond, so he’s been able to use that to return 5X value the last two races. He likely starts around P25 but if he offers a little more PD than that, then he’s an even better value play. He does well enough to keep the truck clean and the performances at comparable tracks give us a little confidence.

Update: More of the same from Hill and Holmes. Hill starts P27 and Holmes starts P28. I'll be mixing them both in per usual. I still believe the ceiling is higher for Holmes.

Milwaukee Mile DFS Picks & NASCAR Driver Pool