This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
CRC Brakleen 175
Location: Long Pond, Pa.
Course: Pocono Raceway
Format: 2.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 70
NASCAR Trucks CRC Brakleen 175 Race Preview
The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns to Pocono Raceway this week with just three races remaining in the regular season. Christian Eckes won last time out at Nashville to claim his third victory of the season leaving six of the 10 playoff spots still available for drivers to claim via points alone, and the battle to make the playoff field is only set to intensify. Tanner Gray currently holds the 10th and final spot in those standings with just 14 points separating him from Daniel Dye in 11th. Less than 40 points separate positions seven through 12 in the standings making the playoff battle a wide open one. At Pocono, Kyle Busch won last season, but the regular series drivers will not have to contend with him this time. This will be the 15th series race at Pennsylvania's tricky triangle and everyone will be aiming to get their playoff invitation sealed and delivered with a victory Friday evening at Pennsylvania's "Tricky Triangle."
Key Stats at Pocono Raceway
- Number of races: 14
- Winners from pole: 4
- Winners from top-5 starters: 10
- Winners from top-10 starters: 13
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 136.813 mph
Previous 10 Pocono Winners
2023 - Kyle Busch
2022 - Chandler Smith
2021 - John Hunter Nemechek
2020 - Brandon Jones
2019 - Ross Chastain
2018 - Kyle Busch
2017 - Christopher Bell
2016 - William Byron
2014 - Kyle Busch
2013 - Austin Dillon
Pocono Raceway's unique layout challenges teams and drivers to find the optimal setup through its three unique corners. Getting the truck to carry speed through each of the turns and accelerate down the long straights is key to getting out front and moving forward. With three different turns, that setup can be hard to find, though. The track's long straights highlight those who get the settings right versus those who miss. Those differences add up quickly, too. The track has a tendency to separate the field and those who miss have few chances to recover and make up ground. The circuit's long lap can enable a bit of pit strategy, but the race is relatively short and having track position from the start is an important advantage. The furthest back any driver has started this race and won was Kyle Busch's victory from the 12th starting spot last year. Every other series victory at Pocono has come from the top 10 starting positions.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Trucks Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the CRC Brakleen 175 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Corey Heim - $11,000
Christian Eckes - $10,800
Ross Chastain - $10,500
Nick Sanchez - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Ty Majeski - $9,800
Taylor Gray - $9,500
Rajah Caruth - $9,300
Grant Enfinger - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Tyler Ankrum - $8,800
Ben Rhodes - $8,500
Tanner Gray - $8,300
Matt Crafton - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Stewart Friesen - $7,700
Connor Mosack - $7,400
Daniel Dye - $7,000
Sage Karam - $5,800
NASCAR DFS Picks for the CRC Brakleen 175
Ross Chastain - $10,500
Ben Rhodes - $8,500
Tanner Gray - $8,300
Matt Crafton - $8,000
Stewart Friesen - $7,700
Daniel Dye - $7,000
With the regular season drawing to a close, the time is now for drivers to firm up their spot in the playoffs. Ross Chastain isn't part of that battle, but he is going to be playing the spoiler this week. Friday's race will be his fourth start in the series this season. He won his attempt at Darlington earlier in the year and is also a previous series winner at Pocono in 2019. Fantasy players should expect him to fare better than he did in this race last year, though. He started that event 23rd and crashed out. Ben Rhodes is one of those drivers looking to make something happen. He is comfortably inside the playoff positions but still lacks a 2024 victory. He is 34 points clear of the drop zone. Three comfortably good races should see him safely into the championship battle. He finished ninth in this race last season and has four top-10s from eight Pocono tries. Tanner Gray has more work to do. He currently holds 10th position in the standings, 14 points clear of 11th. He has four top-10 finishes so far this season and finished in the top 15 in three of the last five races. In order to get into the playoffs, he'll want to do a bit better than that, though. At Pocono he has a best finish of 10th and crashed out of last year's race. He will be hunting another top-10 finish this week. Matt Crafton needs a win. He is 54 points behind the final playoff spot and is running out of time to change his fortunes. He hasn't won a race since 2020, but Pocono has been a pretty good venue for him. From 14 career starts, he scored eight top-10 finishes. He finished each of the last two races at the track in the top 15 and is seeking an end to his five-race skid of finishes 20th or lower. Stewart Friesen was in a similar slump as Crafton, but the owner/driver turned things around and has been climbing up the standings. He enters this week's race 17 points behind the playoff positions and on a run of four races with results of 11th or better. His best Pocono finish was fourth in 2022 and has two top-10s from seven visits. Our final selection is also on the cusp of a playoff breakthrough. Daniel Dye sits 14 points away from a spot in the playoffs with three races to go. He was the runner up last time out at Nashville and has impressed with five top-10 finishes already this season. Dye's only series start at this track was last season when he finished 17th, and he will be expecting more this year as he continues to his climb toward the top 10 in points.
