Heart of America 200 Predictions, Odds, Picks (Truck Series)

• After two straight runner-up finishes, Carson Hocevar is ready for a maiden victory
• What? No love for veteran Matt Crafton in his 24th start at Kansas Speedway?
• Consistent dirt car ace Stewart Friesen may be the sleeper you’re looking for

Heart of America 200 Odds

Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook

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After a trip to rural South Carolina, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ventures to the Midwest for the Heart of America 200 at Kansas Speedway, a 1.5-mile intermediate track.

Saturday night’s race will be contested over 134 laps (201 miles), with stage breaks scheduled after 30 and 60 laps. Kyle Busch won last year’s Kansas race, but he isn’t in the field for Saturday’s event this year.

Heart of America 200 Predictions

The Time Is Ripe for Carson Hocevar’s Breakthrough Truck Series Win

After close runner-up finishes at two distinctly different NASCAR tracks—Bristol Dirt and Darlington—19-year-old Carson Hocevar appears poised to take the next step in his Camping World Truck Series career.

In those two races, the driver of the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet showed that he’s comfortable running at the front of the pack, and we think he’s an excellent choice to win Saturday’s race—at a good price (+1200 via DraftKings Sportsbook).

Hocevar says:

We have a lot to look forward to at Kansas this week,

Producing consecutive second-place finishes is big for not only myself but Niece Motorsports and the No. 42 team, too. It’s really good to show the improvements we’ve made and to have a lot of points in the bank that we did not have three weeks ago.

The ability to show our speed at three completely different race tracks over the past month is encouraging, and I have a lot of confidence in our intermediate program.

Matt Crafton Has Huge Experience Edge Over Every Other Driver

Nearly two years before Carson Hocevar was born, Matt Crafton took the green flag for the first time at Kansas Speedway. That was in 2001.

Crafton is the only driver who has competed in all 23 Camping World Truck Series races at the 1.5-mile track. And he’s the only driver in the Heart of America 200 field who has claimed victory at Kansas.

In fact, Crafton is a three-time winner at the speedway located in Wyandotte County on the Kansas side of Kansas City. Nevertheless, Crafton is listed at +1800 to win via DraftKings, despite his extensive credentials.

The 45-year-old Crafton is fresh from a fifth-place run at Darlington, and we like him to finish in the top three (+500) and top five (+200) at one of his best tracks.

Dirt Car Ace Stewart Friesen Is Due for a Stellar Result on an Asphalt Track

Stewart Friesen built his reputation as a driver on the dirt tracks of the Northeast, but he also has shown considerable skill on the asphalt tracks of the Camping World Truck Series.

Predictably, Friesen claimed one of his two career Truck Series victories on the Eldora Speedway dirt track, but his other win came on the asphalt at Phoenix Raceway.

Earlier this season, Friesen finished third at Las Vegas, the intermediate speedway that most closely resembles Kansas.

Beyond that, Friesen has finished on the lead lap in all seven Truck Series races this season. His worst finish of the year is 16th, and he’s fourth in the series standings.

At +1800 via DraftKings, we think Friesen is the best long-shot pick on the board, and we also like him to run top-three and top-five at the same odds afforded Matt Crafton above.

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