The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs return to action after an off week with Saturday’s Love’s RV Stop 250 (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the famed Talladega Superspeedway.
There have been seven different race winners in as many Talladega playoff races for the Truck Series. Matt DiBenedetto was the 2022 race winner. Grant Enfinger (2016) is the only current playoff competitor with a past playoff victory at Talladega.
MORE: Truck Series Playoffs standings | Talladega schedule
Tricon Garage driver Corey Heim, the Regular Season Champion, has already earned his spot in the Championship 4 with a victory in this round’s opener at Bristol Motor Speedway two weeks ago. His three challengers for the title remain to be set among a highly motivated closely ranked group of playoff drivers.
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes, who won both stages and led the most laps (150) at Bristol, enters Saturday’s race with a comfortable 29-point edge atop the points standings. Eckes finished runner-up at Bristol after Heim’s last pass for the win in a move that could prove critical if Eckes doesn’t advance.
“(Points) don’t really mean a damn thing anymore,” Eckes said that night. “It’s cool to have stage wins or whatever, but it’s just points. … It’s an extra point or whatever. Finishing second compared to first could be life or death.”
Niece Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar is 18 points above the four-driver elimination line and GMS Racing’s Enfinger holds a 14-point edge to the good. Reigning series champion Zane Smith (-14), Ben Rhodes (-19), rookie Nick Sanchez (-22) and Ty Majeski (-22) are currently below the line.
The Alabama-native Enfinger boasts the best finishing record among playoff drivers at his home-state track with the 2016 victory and three top-10 finishes in nine starts. The 2021 series champion Rhodes, has a pair of top-five finishes in seven starts. Eckes is the only other driver among the Round of 8 contenders with a top-five and his 11.5 average finish in two starts is tops among the championship challengers.
The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Sanchez joins seven other drivers making their Talladega debut this weekend.
Zane Smith, who will be competing full-time with Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series next year through a Trackhouse Racing partnership, has advanced to the Championship 4 three times, but he does not have a top-10 finish in three previous Talladega playoff races.
Of note, Tricon Garage co-owner and former NASCAR Cup Series regular David Gilliland will drive the No. 1 Toyota at Talladega. It is his second race of the season and his first at the big track since winning the pole and finishing third in the 2018 race there.
Former series champion Brett Moffitt will join Front Row Motorsports this weekend in the No. 34 Ford as Smith’s teammate. NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff competitor Parker Kligerman – a two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Talladega winner – is also entered this weekend in the No. 75 Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet, as is fellow Xfinity contender Chandler Smith in the No. 25 Rackley W.A.R. Chevrolet.
There is no practice this weekend. Qualifying is slated for Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET (FS2).
Contributing: Staff Report