(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
By Aaron Bearden
While the Cup Series and Xfinity Series continue their summer marches to the postseason, the Craftsman Truck Series has already set its playoff grid.
Saturday’s Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond Raceway capped off the tour’s regular season, locking in the 10 drivers with a chance at the 2023 championship. Six race winners and a quartet of drivers in on points are set to battle for a chance to be one of four drivers with a title opportunity at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 3.
Here’s a look through the field before the Truck Series playoffs kick off at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
1) Corey Heim
Wins: Two (Martinsville, Mid-Ohio)
Playoff Points: 30
How He Got Here: With championship poise. Heim missed a race and still easily took the regular season title, scoring two wins and riding the consistency of 13 top-10s in 15 starts to an extra 15 playoff points.
Championship Odds: High
With 30 playoff points to start, Heim is already well-positioned to get through the opening round if he can avoid disaster. From there the young Toyota prospect just needs to keep doing what got him to this point in the Round of 8. The only concern? Consistency might not be enough in the title race at Phoenix Raceway. Will Heim have the killer instinct when it counts?
2) Zane Smith
Wins: Two (Daytona, COTA)
Playoff Points: 22
How He Got Here: With immediate success. Fresh off of his 2022 title, the defending champ won the season opener and rattled off another spring win at Circuit of the Americas. That locked him into the playoffs with ease.
Championship Odds: High
Smith’s been overshadowed by Heim this year, but the Ford ace still has a pair of wins and a series-best eight top-fives. The margin for error is small, but Smith has experience getting to the Championship 4 and contending for the title. There’s no reason he can’t complete the feat again this year.
3: Carson Hocevar
Wins: Three (Texas, Nashville, Richmond)
Playoff Points: 21
How He Got Here: With a steady build. Once knocked for perceived immaturity and what appeared to be intentional wrecks of his competitors, Hocevar seemingly calmed down as the 2023 season wound on. The end result? Three wins, seven top-fives and a solid haul of playoff points to take into the postseason.
Championship Odds: Above Average
If you’d asked about Hocevar in the spring, I’m not sure he’d be here. But the Niece Motorsports prospect’s looked like a title contender with two wins and six top-fives in his past eight starts. If he can maintain his composure, there’s a strong chance Hocevar could roll right into a championship opportunity.
4: Christian Eckes
Wins: Two (Atlanta, Darlington)
Playoff Points: 19
How He Got Here: With a strong spring. Eckes notched a pair of victories at Atlanta and Darlington to lock in his postseason bid before June.
Championship Odds: Average
This is a tricky playoff to forecast. Eckes only had one win prior to this year, so the two victories are a sign of improvement. But his average finish (13.0) is worse than in both 2022 (10.9) and 2020 (12.3) – seasons that he ended in eighth. Eckes only has two top-fives in the past seven races. But he also only has one finish worse than 11th in the stretch. Perhaps this is the year the New York native puts a deep playoff run together, but his run could honestly go either way.
5: Grant Enfinger
Wins: Two (Kansas, Gateway)
Playoff Points: 17
How He Got Here: With a return to form. Enfinger had struggled in the past two seasons, scoring just one win and posting the worst average finishes of his full-time Truck career. But the Alabamian has bounced back in 2023, earning a pair of victories and posting a competitive 9.4 average finish that falls more in line with his title-contending 2020 season.
Championship Odds: Above Average
Enfinger is one of the Truck Series’ true veterans. At 38 years old, he’s reaching a point when many drivers peak statistically. And while this hasn’t been a true standout season, Enfinger’s shown his veteran ability by failing to make major mistakes. He has no DNFs and just two finishes outside of the top-15. That consistency could be enough to carry him to the Championship 4. The only question is whether Enfinger can do anything if/when he gets to Phoenix with a title on the line.
6: Ty Majeski
Wins: None
Playoff Points: 14
How He Got Here: By doing everything short of winning. Majeski’s yet to be able to replicate last fall’s playoff success, where he won twice in the Round of 8. But he earned 11 top-10s – second only to Heim – to stroll right into the playoffs on consistency.
Championship Odds: Average
If you base Majeski’s chances on speed, he should be among the frontrunners. His seven top-fives are right in line with Smith, Heim and Hocevar at the front of the field. The question is whether the No. 98 team can execute and win when it counts this fall. Throwing away winning opportunities like the regular season finale at Richmond can make them hard to believe in. But the group pulled it off twice last fall, so they know how to deliver the sort of runs they need to have a chance in Phoenix. Can they do it again?
7: Ben Rhodes
Wins: One (Charlotte)
Playoff Points: 13
How He Got Here: Quietly. The 2021 Truck Series champ’s methodically gone about his business, earning a win at Charlotte to lock in a playoff spot while fading into the background everywhere else.
Championship Odds: Average
Rhodes and his No. 99 team know how to get to Phoenix with a chance. The Kentuckian’s done it in each of the past two years, finishing first and second. But the team just doesn’t seem to have the speed this year. Rhodes has 10 top-10s. But only four of those were top-fives, with only two finishes better than fifth. Consistency could be enough to carry Rhodes to the title race, but it’s difficult to see this team seizing the opportunity if they get it.
8: Nick Sanchez
Wins: None
Playoff Points: Five
How He Got Here: With good qualifying pace. Sanchez started four of the year’s 16 races to date on pole and qualified sixth or better for nine of them. That allowed his No. 2 team to score 81 stage points, which helped him ease into the playoffs despite six finishes outside of the top-15.
Championship Odds: Below Average
This has been a solid rookie campaign for Sanchez. But the Floridian has just two top-fives on the year despite his strong qualifying efforts (9.7 average start) and having led 231 laps, third best among playoff drivers. It’s difficult to see things improving rapidly enough for Sanchez to mount a serious charge, but good starts will at least give him a chance
9: Matt DiBenedetto
Wins: None
Playoff Points: Two
How He Got Here: With consistency. It’s fair to say the Rackley W.A.R. team might not have the resources or outright speed of some of the larger, multi-team organizations. But DiBenedetto and co. made the most of their best days in the regular season with nine top-10s and 93 stage points to overcome a pair of DNFs and make the team’s first playoff appearance.
Championship Odds: Low
This has been a good year for DiBenedetto and the No. 25 team. But making it beyond the Round of 8 is going to be a challenge. Going winless means the team is spotting significant playoff points to most drivers ahead and a finish of sixth-to-eighth seems to be this truck’s ceiling at most tracks. That’s where six of DiBenedetto’s nine top-10s have ended. Those results are enough to get to the dance, but it’s not likely to carry DiBenedetto far now that the playoffs have arrived.
10: Matt Crafton
Wins: None
Playoff Points: Two
How He Got Here: By survival. The three-time Truck Series champ has struggled this year, scoring just one top-five and leading only 32 laps. But Crafton avoided calamity and proved consistent enough to beat Stewart Friesen to the last playoff spot.
Championship Odds: Low
Crafton is a veteran that knows how to mount a playoff push. But he has to qualify better for his No. 88 team to have a real shot this year. The Californian’s average starting position this year’s been a dismal 18.5, including five starts of 23rd or worse in the past six races. That’s his worst effort since 2006 and a full 4.5 spots worse than a disappointing 2022. Crafton’s been able to salvage many races despite starting so deep in the pack, but he’s spotting 8+ spots to the majority of the playoff contenders before the green flag flies. That’s a death sentence in a series with short races and critical stage points on the line.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoff Schedule
Round of 10
(Two drivers eliminated)
- Aug. 10: Sports 200 (Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park)
- Aug. 27: Clean Harbors 175 (Milwaukee Mile)
- Sept. 8: Kansas Lottery 200 (Kansas Speedway)
Round of 8
(Four drivers eliminated)
- Sept. 14: UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics (Bristol Motor Speedway)
- Sept. 30: Love’s RV Stop 250 (Talladega Superspeedway)
- Oct. 21: Baptist Health 200 (Homestead-Miami Speedway)
Championship 4
(Three drivers eliminated, top finisher crowned champion)
- Nov. 3: Craftsman 150 (Phoenix Raceway)
