This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Fr8 Racing 208
Location: Hampton, Ga.
Course: EchoPark Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 135
NASCAR Trucks Series Fr8 Racing 208 Race Preview
The 2026 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season is off and running and Chandler Smith was the first driver to visit Victory Lane in last week's Daytona opener. The Front Row Motorsports driver got the push he needed to the finish line, which put him ahead of the competition to capture the checkered flag. With a win under his belt, he heads to EchoPark Speedway with the points lead in hand.
This week's venue is a smaller superspeedway that has featured 24 previous times on the series calendar. Several years ago the track was re-profiled to race more like a drafting track and less like one of the traditional 1.5-mile ovals on the schedule. While the newer and steeper banking makes drafting through the pack a primary factor for this week's race, the track is a mile shorter and more narrow than the other two superspeedways, making this week's contest a particularly hectic one to navigate. Kyle Busch won the last two truck races at the track and will be gunning for a third this week as he gets behind the wheel with Spire Motorsports.
Key Stats at EchoPark Speedway
- Number of races: 24
- Winners from pole: 5
- Winners from top-5 starters: 12
- Winners from top-10 starters: 16
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 142.424 mph
Previous 10 Atlanta Winners
2025 - Kyle Busch
2024 - Kyle Busch
2023 - Christian Eckes
2022 - Corey Heim
2021 - Kyle Busch
2020 - Grant Enfinger
2019 - Kyle Busch
2018 - Brett Moffitt
2017 - Christopher Bell
2016 - John Hunter Nemechek
Atlanta Motor Speedway has been part of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series for a long time, but superspeedway drafting is how the track races now. Because the track is smaller and the cars race in tight packs, the action happens quickly and mistakes are often magnified, making every move critical. As the race progresses and drivers get closer to stage and race finishes, the pressure ramps up, making accidents more likely.
To stay in the hunt for the win, drivers need to remain in contention until the very end. That's why many teams play it safe early on, focusing on keeping their truck out of trouble. Then, as the finish approaches, they become more aggressive and try to move forward. Interestingly, every series race on the current configuration has been decided by a pass for the lead in the final 10 laps. Because of this, track position is crucial. Being able to make passes and having a team that can deliver quick, mistake-free pit stops gives drivers a huge advantage. Those are the teams and drivers who tend to come out on top at EchoPark Speedway.
RotoWire NASCAR Truck Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Fr8 Racing 208
Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Busch - $10,700
Corey Heim - $10,000
Carson Hocevar - $9,700
Layne Riggs - $9,400
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Ty Majeski - $8,800
Christian Eckes - $8,600
Grant Enfinger - $8,200
Kaden Honeycutt - $8,100
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Gio Ruggiero - $7,900
Daniel Hemric - $7,700
Ben Rhodes - $7,600
Tyler Ankrum - $7,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Jake Garcia - $7,100
Stewart Friesen - $7,000
Daniel Dye - $6,800
Kris Wright - $6,200
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the Fr8 Racing 208
Kyle Busch - $10,700
Ty Majeski - $8,800
Christian Eckes - $8,600
Tyler Ankrum - $7,300
Tanner Gray - $7,200
Jake Garcia - $7,100
Kyle Busch kicks off an expanded 2026 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series campaign this week after NASCAR relaxed the rules that restricted him to five series outings in past seasons. As part of this year's schedule, Busch returns to EchoPark Speedway where he will attempt to win his fourth series start in a row at the track and what would be the ninth in his career. The veteran dominated this race last season, leading 80 of 135 laps and has never started lower than ninth. Busch is simply a dominant force at this oval, regardless of configuration, with 731 total laps led across 15 series starts with a win percentage of 53.3%.
Pole and a fourth-place finish last week set Ty Majeski up for another potential top finish this week. This race will be the ThorSport driver's sixth Atlanta start. His best finish was a runner-up effort in 2024 and his lowest was 19th in his track debut in 2020. Majeski is expected to be one of the top challengers for this year's title and continuing his early run of good form would bolster that perception. Majeski was eighth in this race last year with one lap led.
Christian Eckes also heads to Atlanta with some momentum from his third-place finish a week ago. Eckes has four Atlanta starts with a win from the fourth starting spot in 2023. He has two top-fives from those five starts, but failed to finish last year's race due to brake issues. Before dropping out, he led 20 laps, though. Eckes has a total of 76 laps led through his four track appearances and should be in store to undo those bad memories from a year ago with another top finish.
A ninth-place finish was a good start to the season for Tyler Ankrum. That result puts him immediately in the hunt for a spot in the season-ending Chase and breathes some early wind into the team's sails. Ankrum should be looking forward to coming to Atlanta, too. He finished seventh and third in the last two races at the track, and he led 46 laps in that seventh-place finish in 2024. His good finish a week ago and consistently good results at Atlanta make him a confident selection for fantasy rosters this week.
Tanner Gray heads to this week's race hoping to put Daytona behind him. Despite starting last week's race third and leading 11 laps, Gray dropped from contention for the race win during the final overtime lap and lost a top finish. Despite that hiccup, Gray had speed and could run with the leaders, which should give him some optimism for what could be a similar race this week at Atlanta. Gray has one top-10 from six Atlanta visits and finished 15th in last year's race.
Rounding out this week's selections is Jake Garcia. The ThorSport driver was involved in a stage 2 accident a week ago at Daytona and will be working to get his early season turned around as quickly as possible this week at Atlanta. This will be Garcia's fourth series start at this track and his best finish came last season when he came home ninth after starting sixth.
Best Bets for the Fr8 Racing 208
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 4:00 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Kyle Busch +225, Corey Heim +750
Top-Five Finish - Stewart Friesen +600
Given Kyle Busch's record at this track in the trucks, it is very hard to bet against him. With eight wins from 15 starts, including four of his last five tries, odds as low as they are should be expected. Busch is one of the best at dropping into these races and fighting for the win nearly every time out, and that makes him the driver everyone will have their sights on this week.
Fans looking for better odds than Busch can triple the return by going with Corey Heim. The defending series champion is making his first series start of the season this week. He doesn't boast the Atlanta resume that Kyle Busch carries, but Heim is formidable in his own right with an Atlanta win from 2022 in his pocket. Coming off of a dominant season in 2025 and an encouraging Daytona 500 a week ago, Heim brings some momentum into this race that could serve him well if he can catch Busch.
A top-10 finish for Stewart Friesen could be within reach and deliver good return. The veteran driver returned to the series a week ago after missing the last part of 2025 due to injury. Despite it being his first race back, it looked like he had never been gone. Friesen started 24th and finished 10th to get a quick start to his 2026 campaign. At Atlanta, Friesen has five top-10s from nine series starts with his best being last year's runner-up finish. All signs suggest Friesen is back and at full strength, which makes his potential for a top-five finish quite realistic.
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