Seven races of playoff competition will begin for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Sunday. The Milwaukee Mile will play host to the first postseason event for the series, and with a stacked playoff grid, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will win the championship.
Before a champion is crowned in Phoenix, however, the 10 playoff drivers will have to navigate through the Round of 10, after which two drivers will be eliminated from championship competition.
Where will the first round take place?
Milwaukee (Aug. 25), Bristol (Sept. 19) and Kansas (Sept. 27) will play host to the Round of 10 this year. Last year at Milwaukee, it was Grant Enfinger who took the checkered flag, with Corey Heim and Christian Eckes winning at Bristol and Kansas, respectively. The stark differences between the facilities will provide a unique challenge for the Truck Series field, making it tough for even the favorites to escape the first round.
Where will the second round take place?
The Round of 8 will begin with a superspeedway race at Talladega, before concluding with events at Kansas and Martinsville. The three tracks featured in the penultimate round of the postseason couldn’t be more different. Last year, it was Brett Moffitt and Eckes who won the races at Talladega and Kansas, respectively, with Martinsville returning to the Truck Series playoff schedule for the first time since 2021.
Where will the championship race take place?
NASCAR’s championship weekend returns to Phoenix for the fifth consecutive season in 2024, and the Truck Series championship race will be the first race of the weekend. The 2023 Truck Series championship race was extremely chaotic, and saw Eckes win the race and Ben Rhodes take home the title.
The one-mile oval might not always provide the most thrilling side-by-side action, but don’t be surprised if 2024 features another chaotic championship event.
What do the points look like?
Heim (+39) and Eckes (+36) are sitting pretty atop the playoff standings, but it’s a different story near the cut line. Taylor Gray is currently the last man in, holding a one point advantage over defending Truck Series champion Rhodes. Daniel Dye is last on the grid among playoff drivers, and with a five point deficit to the cut line, he’ll have his work cut out for him as he tries to advance.
Who are the title favorites?
Eckes and Heim have easily outclassed the rest of the Truck Series field in 2024, but don’t count out Ty Majeski, either. Majeski and the No. 98 team have won the last two Truck Series races, and the abundance of short tracks in the playoffs plays to his advantage. Enfinger is a solid bet to make a deep run as well, as he came up just one spot shy of a championship in 2023.
Who are the playoff underdogs?
If a two-time champ can be considered an underdog, don’t count out Rhodes. In both 2021 and 2023, Rhodes snuck up on the Truck Series field just in time to nab the title. TRICON Garage’s Gray could make a sneaky run as well, as the 19-year-old has consistently improved throughout the season.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoffs will begin on Aug. 25 with the running of the LiUNA! 175 at the Milwaukee Mile. The green flag will fly shortly after 4 p.m. ET.
