Gander Outdoors Truck Series 2019 Phoenix preview

Brett Moffitt

Points above cutoff: +45

Career wins at Phoenix: 1

Average start at Phoenix: 5.0

Average finish at Phoenix: 1.0

Notable: Moffitt’s one and only start in Phoenix came last season in which he took the lead on a late restart and earned his fifth win of the season. The defending champion should advance to the Championship 4 relatively easily barring a colossal collapse on his part and a winner currently situated below the cutline.

Stewart Friesen

Points above cutoff: +35

Career wins at Phoenix: 0

Average start at Phoenix: 12.0

Average finish at Phoenix: 9.7

Notable: Friesen suddenly finds himself in prime position to advance to his first ever Championship 4. He trails only Matt Crafton when it comes to experience at the 1-mile desert oval and has improved in each start with finishes of 18th, sixth and fifth in the last three years, respectively.

Ross Chastain

Points above cutoff: +20

Career wins at Phoenix: 0

Average start at Phoenix: 13.0

Average finish at Phoenix: 17.5

Notable: Don’t let those numbers fool you: this Ross Chastain isn’t the one ISM Raceway is accustomed to. He did earn the pole and ultimately finish second for Brad Keselowski Racing in 2013, the last time he drove a truck at the track. But the Melon Man’s 2019 has been a stark contrast to what his previous Gander Trucks years looked like -- in a positive way.

Austin Hill

Points above cutoff: +9

Career wins at Phoenix: 0

Average start at Phoenix: 18.5

Average finish at Phoenix: 26.5

Notable: Much like Chastain, Hill’s results at Phoenix don’t tell the full story. Making the leap to Hattori Racing Enterprises this season, Hill has shown throughout 2019 that he’s worthy of piloting the championship-winning equipment, earning three victories. He now finds himself in the thick of the battle to advance to Miami. With a solid top-10 run (which he’s had in four of the five playoff races), he should be feeling good ... unless a driver below the cutline wins.

Matt Crafton

Points below cutoff: -9

Career wins at Phoenix: 0

Average start at Phoenix: 8.1

Average finish at Phoenix: 10.0

Notable: Crafton knows Phoenix like the back of his hand compared to his fellow playoff contenders. A whopping 18 starts at ISM Raceway are on Crafton’s resume, including six top fives and a career-best finish of second in 2014. In the last two trips, he’s failed to finish inside the top 10, and much more than that may be needed if the two-time champion wants to have the opportunity to add a third championship trophy to his list of accomplishments.

Tyler Ankrum

Points below cutoff: -15

Career wins at Phoenix: 0

Average start at Phoenix: 15.0

Average finish at Phoenix: 6.0

Notable: There’s not much to report from Ankrum at Phoenix, considering he’s made one start at the track. Few believed he’d make it this far to the Round of 8, yet here he and DGR-Crosley are. Ankrum’s only likely path would be a victory in order to add another chapter to his Cinderella story and advance to Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series postseason hunt has reached its penultimate race, Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). Zero playoff drivers have earned wins in this round, meaning every Championship 4 spot is up for grabs. Here's how the title hopefuls shape up heading to ISM Raceway in Phoenix.