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AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 06: Sheldon Creed, driver of the #2 Chevy Accessories/Trench Shoring Chevrolet, leads the field during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway on November 06, 2020 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
BACK TO GALLERIES

Camping World Truck Series 2021 Championship 4 preview

By Zach Sturniolo | Published: November 4, 2021 9
Christian Petersen | Getty Images
BACK TO GALLERIES

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AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 06: Sheldon Creed, driver of the #2 Chevy Accessories/Trench Shoring Chevrolet, leads the field during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway on November 06, 2020 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Christian Petersen | Getty Images

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will crown its 2021 champion Friday at Phoenix Raceway (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). Get an in-depth look at the Championship 4 drivers, in the order they are seeded, before the action is underway.

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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA - OCTOBER 30: Zane Smith, driver of the #21 MRC Construction Chevrolet, reacts after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series United Rentals 200 at Martinsville Speedway on October 30, 2021 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Logan Riely | Getty Images

1. Zane Smith


Team: GMS Racing.
2021 stats: 1 win, 2 top fives, 13 top 10s, 13.5 avg. finish, 131 laps led, 3 DNFs.
Championship 4 appearances: Second.
Playoff history: Made 2020 Playoffs in first full-time season, finished second.

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WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK - AUGUST 07: Zane Smith, driver of the #21 Bay Mountain Air Chevrolet, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series United Rentals 176 at Watkins Glen International on August 07, 2021 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

Zane Smith (cont'd)


Phoenix stats: 1 start, best finish -- 2nd (2020), 1 top five, 1 top 10, 2.0 avg. finish, 48 laps led, 0 DNFs.
Outlook: Zane Smith will be the first to tell you this season hasn't been as pretty as 2020, when he won twice and finished runner-up to Sheldon Creed for the championship. The playoffs have not treated him well, opening with a 35th-place finish at Worldwide Technology Raceway at Gateway before finishes of 29th and 33rd at Las Vegas and Talladega, respectively. But a win at Martinsville, which served as his second top five of the year, propelled Smith into the Championship 4 with a chance to earn one spot better than last season, the top prize in the series.

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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 19: Ben Rhodes, driver of the #99 Bombardier LearJet 75 Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series BrakeBest Brake Pads 159 At Daytona Presented by O'Reilly at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2021 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) | Getty Images

James Gilbert | Getty Images

2. Ben Rhodes


Team: ThorSport Racing.
2021 stats: 2 wins, 7 top fives, 15 top 10s, 9.6 avg. finish, 99 laps led, 0 DNFs.
Championship 4 appearances: First.
Playoff history: Made playoffs every year since 2017; best finish: fifth (2017).

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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 12: Ben Rhodes, driver of the #99 Bombardier LearJet 75 Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 12, 2021 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

Ben Rhodes (cont'd)


Phoenix stats: 6 starts, best finish: 4th (2019), 2 top fives, 3 top 10s, 10.3 avg. finish, 48 laps led, 1 DNF.
Outlook: Ben Rhodes came out of the gates swinging with back-to-back wins at Daytona International Speedway to begin his 2021 campaign. While the victories dissipated, his consistency has been remarkable. His 15 top 10s are tied with John Hunter Nemechek and Todd Gilliland for best in the series. The playoffs have been strong for the No. 99 team with a third-place finish at Gateway and second place at Las Vegas. Now, the 24-year-old eyes a championship in the his first appearance in the Championship 4.

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TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 02: Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Zep/Menards Toyota, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 02, 2021 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Chris Graythen | Getty Images

3. Matt Crafton


Team: ThorSport Racing.
2021 stats: 0 wins, 5 top fives, 12 top 10s, 11.4 avg. finish, 19 laps led, 1 DNF.
Championship 4 appearances: Four.
Playoff history: Three-time series champion, once in elimination-style playoff format (2019); only missed Championship 4 twice.

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CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 28: Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Jack Links/Menards Toyota, waits in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28, 2021 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

Matt Crafton (cont'd)


Phoenix stats: 20 starts, best finish: 2nd (2014), 6 top fives, 12 top 10s, 10.0 avg. finish, 16 laps led, 2 DNFs.
Outlook: Matt Crafton's numbers don't pop off the page. His results haven't been amazing, but he's been steady enough to find himself in the Championship 4 for the fourth time in six years. Dating back to Nashville in June, Crafton has finished outside the top 10 just two times (Watkins Glen and Talladega) and notched two top fives in the Round of 8 to advance to Phoenix. Crafton is the only driver across NASCAR's national series to win a championship without winning a race. He enters this year's finale winless again but with a chance to claim his fourth title.

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 05: John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the #4 Mobil 1 Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Bucked Up 200 at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 05, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Abbie Parr | Getty Images

4. John Hunter Nemechek


Team: Kyle Busch Motorsports
2021 stats: 5 wins, 12 top fives, 15 top 10s, 9.9 avg. finish, 572 laps led, 2 DNFs.
Championship 4 appearances: First.
Playoff history: Third playoff appearance, first since 2017; best finish -- 8th (2016, 2017).

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CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 28: John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the #4 Mobil 1 Toyota, waits in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28, 2021 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

4. John Hunter Nemechek (cont'd)


Phoenix stats: 7 starts, best finish -- 2nd (twice: 2015, 2017), 2 top fives, 4 top 10s, 13.7 avg. finish, 31 laps led, 2 DNFs (both in last two Phoenix starts).
Outlook: John Hunter Nemechek dominated the regular season in the Camping World Truck Series en route to winning five of the first 13 races this year. His playoff run has been shaky, though, collecting three finishes of 22nd or worse in the last nine races. After squeaking through Martinsville after a late crash took him out of contention, Nemechek hopes to rekindle his early-season magic and win his first Truck Series championship.
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