Halfway home. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is midway through the 2026 regular season following a concrete showdown at Dover Motor Speedway. Plenty of parity surrounds the full-time Truck Series field from top to bottom, with only 80 points separating the fourth- to 10th-place pilots in the standings. And given that 10 drivers make up The Chase, well, every point matters.
With the seven-race postseason inching closer, NASCAR.com’s John Crane ranks the top 10 Craftsman Truck Series drivers at the halfway mark of the regular season.
RELATED: Craftsman Truck Series standings | Craftsman Truck Series schedule
Analysis: No. 11 is No. 1. Save for a 31st-place DNF at Bristol Motor Speedway, the 22-year-old has been on an absolute heater, especially of late; Honeycutt has finished inside the top five in six of the last seven races and has led at least one lap in six straight contests. He’s averaging 43 points over those six races. Oh, and he beat Connor Zilisch at Watkins Glen International for the first Truck victory of his career. The rest of the field might be in trouble.
Analysis: A 36th-place finish due to a disqualification at Rockingham Speedway stung, but aside from that blemish, it has been a blossoming season for the No. 38 pilot. Every other result has been 17th or better, and he’s averaged 38 points in those races. Smith has not led a lap since St. Petersburg, though, and his 15 laps led rank eighth among all full-time drivers. Consider it the next item on the bulletin to tackle.
Analysis: Though Riggs still has the point accumulation to soften the demotion from No. 1 to No. 3 in this installment, the 23-year-old has yet to put together a dominant performance that netted the North Carolina native a 70-point victory at St. Petersburg in February. In the six races since, Riggs has only led six laps and collected three top-10 finishes, though all three of those top 10s were sixth-place results or better, with the most recent coming at Dover (third). In other words, I wouldn’t worry.
Analysis: Starting second and finishing second at Dover will certainly play in the points department, with Majeski’s 52-tally day the best of his season. Now, it’s about consistency for the 2024 Truck Series champion, who has alternated single-digit and double-digit race finishes since the start of the campaign. Just a touch more refinement is needed, and who knows, perhaps a Victory Lane appearance could be in the works, too; all six of his Truck wins are at tracks that are still on the schedule this season.
Analysis: A theme has resonated with Ruggiero and the No. 17 camp through the opening nine races of the season. That theme? The team certainly starts races well; Ruggiero has started 10th or better in all nine contests. Now, it’s about parlaying that strong start into consistently (and equally) steady finishes. In four starts this season, the 19-year-old started sixth or better but finished 14th or worse. There is still homework in need of completing.
Analysis: Glimpses of vintage Eckes have started to show, most of all at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, leading 132 laps and finishing fifth. It wasn’t all good news, though; Eckes tagged Corey Heim during the contest, leading to a multi-truck crash that, while no penalties were levied, resulted in NASCAR officials “having a chat” with the 25-year-old. Two top 10s since still have Eckes on a decent momentum swing. Will the nine-time Truck winner find a 10th this season?
Analysis: There have been some down stretches for the 21-year-old Garcia, finishing 23rd or worse in three races this season, most recently at Texas Motor Speedway (29th) … after starting the race in second. That said, Garcia has still averaged 33 points per race in four of the last five contests. Not too shabby. If Garcia can consistently levy his excellent qualifying (his 8.1 average start ranks third among all full-timers) with elite finishes, he could soar up this ranking.
Analysis: There have been glimpses of a potential breakout. Rhodes started 2026 with three straight finishes of 12th or better before following it up with a P36 at Darlington Raceway and P18 at Rockingham. The same theme has carried over into the next four races, with two consecutive top-11 finishes (Bristol, 11th; Texas, fifth), followed by a stretch of 32nd and 19th at Watkins Glen and Dover, respectively. Will Rhodes go on an extended run of productive finishes? This is the big-hitting question.
Analysis: The defending ARCA Menards Series champion — nicknamed “Butterbean” due to his resemblance as a baby to boxer Eric “Butterbean” Esch — makes his debut in this ranking series, and for good reason. Queen has finished 13th or better in four straight races, compiling an 11.25 average finish. Talk about a stark difference compared to the three races prior; Queen possessed a 21.75 finish from St. Petersburg to Rockingham, brought down by three results of 20th or worse. The Truck Series rookie is learning the full-time ropes.
Analysis: Despite the 42-year-old Canadian not following up his top five at Rockingham with a top 10 in any of his next four starts, Friesen has kept it level, with all four starts resulting in finishes inside the top 20. That is all you can ask for, and when coupled with zero DNFs so far this year, that is a decent recipe to follow. The throttle cannot be eased, though; Tyler Ankrum, Daniel Hemric and others could pounce if there is the slightest error.