2025 FR8 208 Race Picks

Date/Time: Saturday February 22nd, 2025. 1:30PM (EST)
Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway
TV: FS1

Following some exciting racing at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR’s touring series will compete in superspeedway style racing for the 2nd straight week when the series visits Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. On Saturday, NASCAR will have a double header between the Craftsman Truck Series and the Xfinity Series in back to back events. The Truck Series will have the luxury of kicking off the racing activities with the running of the FR8 208 which will take place at 1:30PM on Saturday and will be immediately followed by the Xfinity Series’ running of the Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250.

Last week, the Truck Series displayed a chaotic season opener at Daytona which was filled with a lot of twists and turns. Parker Kligerman captured the checkered flag but was later disqualified when his #75 truck was found to be too low during post-race inspection. The disqualification handed former runner-up finisher Corey Heim the victory in a wild turn of events. On Saturday, the Truck Series will have the opportunity to re-rack the field for another superspeedway race which means we will have another highly volatile event where we will have to consider many drivers into the winning equation.

Fortunately for bettors, this will be the last superspeedway race in the Truck Series until late in the playoffs towards the end of the year. While I personally enjoy watching the superspeedway races, I also am very upfront about the unpredictable nature of this type of racing. Therefore, bettors should continue to tread with caution until we return to more handicapper friendly venues. With that being said, I do think there are some positives to Atlanta compared to the other superspeedways in Daytona and Talladega. The racing surface is more narrow and handling is a bigger part of the equation. As a result, we usually have the faster trucks/better drivers at the front of the field. Additionally, the narrow groove makes passing more difficult and track position will be a bigger piece to the winning puzzle. Therefore if we can identify the guys with the best speed and best trucks; we should have a better chance of maintaining winning position as the laps wind down.

Betting Strategy

Similar to last week’s betting strategy, bettors should continue to compile betting cards with lower overall risks in units wagered. This style of racing remains volatile and we should continue to seek drivers that yield betting value. The only difference this week is that bettors can side with some of the overall favorites with slightly higher confidence. As seen in previous truck races at Atlanta, track position will be very important. If drivers can get the track position outfront, the narrow racing surface makes it easier to keep the field in the rearview mirror.

In the last few years, the Truck Series race at Atlanta has been won by the most talented guys in the field with the fastest cars. In fact, the last 4 winners have been Kyle Busch (2), Christian Eckes, and Corey Heim who were among the most talented drivers in each of those events. For those reasons, bettors can yield higher confidence towards the outright betting favorites and perhaps lessen our expectations for long shot winners that are often associated with this style of racing.

Daytona Recap

Before the Truck Series race at Daytona, I highlighted several of the drivers/teams that have performed well in recent races at the superspeedways and those facts have not changed. However, in preparation for Saturday’s FR8 208, we should also look back to last week’s race at Daytona to assess the drivers/teams that displayed the best outright speed. As stated above, track position will be very important in this race. Therefore if we can identify the drivers that have a high probability of staying outfront, we may be able to increase our chances of hitting a winner. With that being said, let’s dive into last week’s observations.

In last week’s Fresh From Florida 250, Chandler Smith (122.6), Grant Enfinger (112.8), Layne Riggs (105.0), Daniel Hemric (104.8), and Parker Kligerman (104.2) posted the best average driver ratings which is essentially a metric that shows the drivers that compiled the majority of the laps at the front of the field. Ben Rhodes, Corey Heim, Ty Majeski, William Sawalich, and Giovanni Ruggiero were the other group of drivers that also posted rather solid results. After those drivers, the dropoff in the competition was pretty big and that included some big name like Justin Haley (#7), Michael McDowell (#07), and others that were in the field. I make that point because Kyle Busch will be behind the wheel this week in the #7 truck. As always, Busch is considered one of the big favorites and perhaps rightfully so considering he has won 3 of the last 6 races at Atlanta. However, I point out some concern with the outright speed the #7 truck and Spire Motorsports displayed last week which seems to suggest Busch may be “overvalued” from a handicapping perspective.

Betting Targets

In terms of betting targets, we have to consider current betting odds because our selections must yield towards betting value especially when considering drivers that are in the same range of betting odds. With that being said, Chandler Smith and Grant Enfinger appear to be the best value options among the outright favorites. Both Smith and Enfinger showed a lot of speed last week at Daytona. While Smith had a tough time causing accidents through the week, the speed was on full display. Additionally, Enfinger is one of the most decorated superspeedway talents in the Truck Series which demands betting consideration.

At 2.5 to 1 odds, I have absolutely no desire to have Kyle Busch in any form or fashion. All respect to Rowdy but that is simply disgusting betting odds for any driver at a superspeedway. While several other favorites are sitting in the 10-1 range, I’m not sure if I prefer any other betting options outside of Smith and Enfinger though legitimate arguments could be made for any of the overall favorites. I am closely monitoring the betting odds of Daniel Hemric and Ben Rhodes who are currently in the 12-1 range. If you can find better numbers on those drivers, I believe consideration has to be given based on resumes and outright speed shown last week.

From there, I think our chances of seeing a big underdog style winner are pretty low for a superspeedway. However, the TRICON Garage trucks looked very solid in the speed department last week which makes dark horses like William Sawalich and Giovanni Ruggiero considerable plays. If you want even deeper dart throws with lottery style betting odds, Tanner Gray, Luke Fenhaus, and Jack Wood have much higher ceilings than current betting odds suggests. As a result, those drivers could yield value in fantasy and prop bet formats!

2025 FR8 208 Betting Picks

*FINAL* Chandler Smith +1000 (.75 unit)
Grant Enfinger +1100 (.75 unit)
Daniel Hemric +1200 (.75 units)
William Sawalich +2500 (.5 unit)
Giovanni Ruggiero +2500 (.5 unit)
Tanner Gray +6600 (.25 unit)
Jack Wood +8000 (.25 unit)