eero 250
Location: Richmond, Va.
Course: Richmond International Raceway
Format: 0.75-mile D-shaved oval
Laps: 250
NASCAR Trucks eero 250 Race Preview
Series leader Corey Heim claimed his sixth victory of the season at Watkins Glen, taking the lead for the first time of the day in the first of three overtime restarts. It was his 17th series win and his second this season from pole position. With just one more race remaining before the championship playoffs begin, he will be hoping his great form sticks with him all the way through the next eight races, giving him a chance to race again for the series championship. With his second regular-season championship already locked up, the series title is firmly in his sights after finishing second to Ty Majeski last season. First up is the regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway, though. Majeski is the defending winner and sits sixth in the current standings but is still winless in 2025. This Friday night showdown is the last chance he and the rest of the field have to pick up some momentum or force their way into the playoff picture before the championship quest gets underway at Darlington.
Key Stats at Richmond International Raceway
- Number of races: 16
- Winners from pole: 1
- Winners from top-5 starters: 10
- Winners from top-10 starters: 12
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2
- Fastest race: 104.227 mph
Previous 10 Richmond Winners
2024 - Ty Majeski
2023 - Carson Hocevar
2022 - Chandler Smith
2021 - John Hunter Nemechek
2020 - Grant Enfinger
2005 - Mike Skinner
2004 - Ted Musgrave
2003 - Tony Stewart
2002 - Tony Stewart
2001 - Jack Sprague
Richmond Raceway is a relatively flat 0.75-mile tri-oval known well to NASCAR teams and fans. While the track has played host to NASCAR since the 1950s, this week's race will be the 17th visit for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Interestingly, Richmond is a short track where the race winner doesn't need to start at the front. Two of the last four series races were won by drivers starting on the front row, but the other two started outside of the top 15. The furthest back any driver has won this race from was 27th in 2003. This short oval's wide and flat turns offer ample opportunity to change grooves to make passes, but its relatively shallow banking makes side-by-side racing more difficult and can stall a driver's progress through the field. Races can also be won through strategy and the timing of cautions, though. Most opportunities to head to pit road will be for four-tire stops, but opportunities to gamble on track position with a well-timed caution or two-tire stop is also a possibility. As desperation to make the playoffs picks up as the laps wind down, teams and drivers alike will be encouraged to take bigger gambles and be more aggressive.
RotoWire NASCAR Truck Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the eero 250 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Corey Heim - $12,500
Layne Riggs - $11,000
Ty Majeski - $10,500
Chandler Smith - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Christian Eckes - $9,800
Sammy Smith - $9,500
Grant Enfinger - $9,200
Daniel Hemric - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Corey Lajoie - $8,700
Carson Kvapil - $8,500
Tyler Ankrum - $8,300
Kaden Honeycutt - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Ben Rhodes - $7,800
Tanner Gray - $6,900
Jake Garcia - $6,800
Matt Crafton - $6,600
NASCAR Truck Series DFS Picks for the eero 250
Corey Heim - $12,500
Tyler Ankrum - $8,300
Kaden Honeycutt - $8,000
Ben Rhodes - $7,800
Jake Garcia - $6,800
Matt Crafton - $6,600
With three top-three finishes from the last three races, Heim is steaming toward the playoffs at full speed. This week's stop at Richmond is his last warm-up race before he must be at full performance for the knockout rounds, and this is a track he has never won at. His two top-10 finishes from three starts suggests he might be able to this week, though. Heim finished 16th in this race last year but fantasy players should expect more than that this time. Tyler Ankrum also has three Richmond top-10 finishes. He raced to a sixth-place finish at the track last season and is also looking to build some confidence ahead of the playoffs. With three top-10 finishes from the last three races, he is not a driver to sleep on this week. Another playoff contender players shouldn't neglect is Kaden Honeycutt. He struggled last week in a one-off drive at Watkins Glen, but this week he switches to his fill-in role for injured Stewart Friesen. This is a team that has already won this season and Honeycutt should have a better chance this week as a result. He finished 14th in this race last season after starting eighth.
Ben Rhodes heads into Richmond needing to make something happen. He sits 11 points behind Jake Garcia and out of the playoffs. There are a number of scenarios that could play out through the race, but Rhodes will focus on making sure he scoops up as many points as possible while aiming for the victory. He He has three top-10s from five Richmond starts and started from pole there in 2021. He is coming off a 26th-place finish at Watkins Glen and must have a better race this week. His competition, Jake Garcia, has the advantage, but nothing is final yet. Garcia finished fourth at Richmond in 2023 but was 13th last year. He also has a little more momentum than Rhodes heading into this race with back-to-back 15th-place finishes in the last two races. This will be a great battle to watch, and fantasy players stand to win with both drivers swinging for the fence.
Finally, veteran Matt Crafton fills out the lineup. The veteran has had a rough 2025 season and would need to win to be in the playoffs. He only has three top-10 finishes so far this season, but showed some signs of life with a 13th-place finish at Watkins Glen. Richmond is a place he knows well and finished 15th or better there in five of the last six races. For a driver this far down the price sheet, another top-15 result this week would be a nice return.
NASCAR Truck Series Best Bets for the eero 250
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 3:30 PM ET Thursday.
Race Winner - Corey Heim +300
Top-Three Finish - Christian Eckes +150
Top-Five Finish - Tyler Ankrum +285
Even with a dominating season and six race wins, wagerers are still getting decent odds for a Corey Heim win. While Heim has never won at the track, he hasn't been beaten very easily this year. There are definitely drivers that can and will give him a run for his money, but it would not be a surprise if Heim walked away with another trophy, and wagerers can still get pretty good odds for some of those other contenders for top-three or top-five finishes. With Heim's dominance this season, as long as we're getting odds like this, it isn't a terrible decision to go with the favorite.
Some of those wagers to pair with Heim for the win could be Christian Eckes for a top-three finish and Tyler Ankrum for a top-five. Eckes has a good Richmond resume but most importantly was last year's pole sitter who led 64 laps and finished second. This will be his fifth start at the track and he has one other top-10 finish there. Despite being full time in the Xfinity series, Eckes should still be capable of a top finish. Tyler Ankrum should also have a top finish within grasp at Richmond. He already has two top-fives from five track starts and he finished sixth in this race last season. Ankrum finished fifth last week at Watkins Glen and has been building with three straight top-10 finishes leading into the weekend.
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