It’s officially do-or-die in the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series quest for The Chase.
The regular-season finale is on tap Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), with four of the 10 postseason positions still up for grabs. Mathematically speaking, 10 drivers remain eligible to claim the final quartet of Chase spots, which will be decided over 175 laps at the 1.058-mile oval.
As the Truck Series shifts northeast for the final time in 2026, take a look at The Chase bubble, including who’s locked in and who needs a strong showing in Loudon.
RELATED: Truck Series standings | New Hampshire schedule
Who’s locked in
Layne Riggs leads the tailgaters through 17 races, owning a 61-point lead over Kaden Honeycutt in pursuit of the coveted No. 1 seed. Riggs could have clinched the top spot last weekend at Richmond Raceway, but a pair of slow pit stops — along with a perfect 76-point day and victory for Honeycutt — allowed the Tricon Garage driver to chip 39 points off his deficit. It would take a Herculean task to dethrone Riggs at New Hampshire alone, but more importantly for Honeycutt, he brings momentum into the championship fight. Riggs has been solid all year long, and Front Row Motorsports in particular thrives at shorter, flatter ovals like Loudon. He needs just 15 points at New Hampshire to clinch.
Chandler Smith and Christian Eckes are third and fourth, respectively, too far behind to contend for the top seed but constantly the best of the rest. Smith’s two wins this season have all but solidified the No. 3 seed for The Chase, while Eckes continues to search. The No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver is winless since returning to the organization over the winter, a far cry from his eight victories between 2023 and 2024. Don’t count out either driver from making a Chase rally.
Gio Ruggiero sits fifth in points coming off a ninth-place effort at Richmond, recovering from an early lost lap. The No. 17 Tricon Garage driver has made significant strides from last year, improving his average start and average finish and is tracking toward a career high in top 10s amid his first postseason bid. Ruggiero won last fall at Talladega Superspeedway — and more victories could soon be on the horizon. Ty Majeski is sixth, 48 markers behind Ruggiero. He clinched a Chase spot at Richmond despite a flat tire setting him a lap off the pace, resulting in a 19th-place finish. Majeski’s earned back-to-back top 10s just once this year in a season defined by feast or famine — he’s finished outside the top 20 seven times, and remains winless since his championship-claiming triumph in 2024 at Phoenix Raceway.
MORE: Full New Hampshire entry list
Who’s safe
Grant Enfinger is all but officially locked into The Chase, entering New Hampshire 65 points above the cutline. He earned a crucial fifth-place finish at Richmond, attacking the final stage on an alternate strategy that positioned him for a potential victory. That effort marked his best result since taking CR7 Motorsports to a season-altering triumph last month at Lime Rock Park. Regardless of other drivers’ results, a 10-point day in Loudon will confirm his championship aspirations. He finished sixth there in 2025, the series’ first visit to the track in eight years.
ThorSport’s Ben Rhodes maintains the eighth spot, holding 53 points above the cutline. Similarly to Enfinger, he’s safe — and a solid trip to the “Magic Mile” positions him to pursue a third Truck Series title. He’s earned just two top 10s in the last 10 races, though, and has gradually slipped three spots in the overall ranks during that span. Rhodes can clinch a Chase spot with 22 points.
Behind him, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Daniel Hemric is ninth, 35 markers to the good. That’s certainly not a sure thing, but it’s a notable advantage over the cut. The 2021 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion has top 10s in three of his last five contests and seems headed in the right direction after a slow start to 2026. Without help, Hemric can clinch with 40 points.
Who has work to do
This is where the plot thickens.
Tyler Ankrum holds the final provisional Chase spot by 20 points over Stewart Friesen — who suffered a brutal blow to his postseason aspirations with a crash last weekend at Richmond. The Halmar Friesen Racing driver suffered a tire issue during the final stage and pounded the Turn 1 wall, resulting in a last-place finish. That dropped him 28 points, surrendering the 10th position to Ankrum — who banked 29 points and came home 11th. He can now clinch a Chase spot with 55 points.
MORE: Enfinger, Ankrum firm up Chase footing
Friesen’s 11th in points by just one marker over Jake Garcia, who’s searching for a second-consecutive postseason berth. He gained 11 points to the cutline with a sixth-place Richmond effort, his first top-10 finish in five races.
Should Friesen — who missed last year’s Loudon race due to a dirt modified injury — overcome this deficit, it would be his fifth postseason appearance. He made the Championship 4 in 2019 and most recently made the playoffs in 2022. Both Friesen and Garcia need to earn 75 points without help Saturday to clinch Chase spots.
Four other drivers remain Chase-eligible, but all need help. Brenden Queen leads the Kaulig Racing Ram brigade in 13th, 47 points below the cut. Andrés Pérez is minus-49, followed by Tricon’s Tanner Gray (minus-59) and Kaulig’s Justin Haley (minus-70). Queen, Pérez and Gray are all searching for their first career postseason appearances.
Additionally, four full-time drivers are eliminated: Dawson Sutton, Cole Butcher, Mini Tyrrell and Kris Wright.