Only one race remains before the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs begin at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park – and only 10 drivers will be in contention for the title.
So far, through the season’s first 15 races, there have been six winners who claim points in the Truck Series, meaning that at least three of the playoff spots will be earned via the points path. Drivers on the outside looking in or just above the elimination line will have a huge test next Saturday at Richmond Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) that could make or break their championship hopes.
Take a look at the current playoff picture below to see who is in and who is out after the results from Pocono Raceway.
| DRIVER | PLAYOFF STATUS | PROJECTED POINTS | LAST RICHMOND FINISH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Heim | Locked in (two wins) | 2030 | 5th (2022) |
| Zane Smith | Locked in (two wins) | 2024 | 9th (2022) |
| Christian Eckes | Locked in (two wins) | 2019 | 8th (2022) |
| Grant Enfinger | Locked in (two wins) | 2019 | 4th (2022) |
| Carson Hocevar | Locked in (two wins) | 2016 | 10th (2022) |
| Ben Rhodes | Locked in (one win) | 2013 | 18th (2022) |
| Ty Majeski | Locked in (points) | 2008 | 3rd (2022) |
| Nick Sanchez | Not locked in | 2004 | First Truck Series start |
| Matt DiBenedetto | Not locked in | 2003 | 17th (2022) |
| Matt Crafton | Not locked in | 2002 | 7th (2022) |
| ELIMINATION LINE | |||
| Stewart Friesen | Outside looking in | Missing the playoffs | 11th (2022) |
| Tanner Gray | Outside looking in | Missing the playoffs | 16th (2022) |
RELATED: Projected Truck Series Round of 10 | Remaining schedule, tickets
CURRENT LAST IN
Matt Crafton. The three-time Truck Series champion has been a part of the playoffs every year since its inception in 2016. Missing out on the postseason could be a sign of the surging youth movement in the lower series and perhaps a changing of the guard. Crafton has finished the season top-six in points six times in the last eight seasons, including his 2019 championship run. But over the last three seasons, the wins have eluded him. His last trip to Victory Lane came in July 2020 at Kansas Speedway, leaving him fending for his life on points during his last three runs to the postseason. While impressive, it is clearly getting harder for him to sustain this success without reaching Victory Lane. Only nine points above the elimination line, one shaky performance could leave him on the outside for the first time in his career.
CURRENT FIRST OUT
Stewart Friesen. One of the longest-tenured veterans of the series, Friesen won his way into the playoffs last year with a phenomenal performance at Texas Motor Speedway. And though he has yet to rekindle that winning flame, he sits within striking distance of Crafton for the final spot in the Round of 10. That has to be nerve-wracking for both drivers to be so close. That means every single position on the track matters. Friesen got off to a slightly shaky start this season but found nice form with two top four-finishes in a stretch of three races, both coming at pretty difficult tracks in World Wide Technology Raceway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. But he lost some ground after a 32nd-place result at Pocono Raceway, leaving him still on the outside of the picture. But he can still make up the points.
CURRENT NEXT DRIVER OUT
Tanner Gray. Gray was in prime position with a strong truck Saturday at Pocono but faltered on Lap 4 and had an early exit after a big crash. On the bright side, that clears up the goal for Gray and the team next week in Virginia: they need to win. But that’s easier said than done. Gray now sits 47 points below the elimination line and will need to pull off the best performance of his career next weekend. It’s not completely out of reach if they can start with the speed they flashed early at the “Tricky Triangle.”
THE REIGNING CHAMP
Zane Smith. Compared to Smith’s pretty dominant title run a season ago, his numbers have been down a bit in the regular season. Nonetheless, he is locked in and is in a comfortable position to defend his Truck Series championship. The rising star and high-value prospect turned it on last year at IRP, the site of this year’s Round of 10 opening race. Jumpstarted by a third-place run in Indianapolis, Smith went on to finish six of the final seven races inside the top 10 — a remarkable run. He has already proven that he knows how to perform when the pressure is on, so he will be among the top contenders and attempt to be the one who earns back-to-back titles in the Truck Series for the first time since Matt Crafton in 2014.
HEY, ROOKIE
Nick Sanchez. If you look back at the above standings, you’ll see only one rookie in the projected playoff field. That tells you everything you need to know about Sanchez’s talent and consistency. Despite narrowly missing out on Victory Lane a couple of times this season, seven top-10 finishes in the first 14 races — including four straight — had him sitting nicely in the playoff picture on points. But an unfortunate error at Pocono left him with damage after starting on the pole position, going on to finish outside the top 15. If he can bounce back at Richmond, the 22-year-old ARCA Menards Series champion could be a serious contender to make the Championship 4 in Phoenix. But just 21 points above the daunting elimination line, one more slip-up could mean the end of his title opportunity.
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MORE: See every Truck Series winner in 2023 | List of past series champions
Looking at the current standings, Chase Purdy is the third driver out, 54 points below the elimination line. It is all but guaranteed that he and the swarm of other hopefuls below him will have to find their way to the Winner’s Circle in the final competition of the regular season, and it will be a tight race to the finish.