Posted on by Holly Cain

Bubba Wallace is hoping to close out what he considers his most accomplished season with a victory on Sunday, and he expects to be a “force” to be reckoned with.

His No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota will have a Star Wars theme for Sunday’s season-ender and Wallace got to meet with Star Wars legend Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the famed blockbuster franchise. While Wallace appreciated the opportunity, he also enjoyed it because his best friend, fellow NASCAR Cup Series driver and member of the weekend’s Championship 4 Ryan Blaney, is a notably huge Star Wars fan.

MORE: See Wallace’s Star Wars paint scheme

“My boss is MJ, so. ..” a smiling Wallace said of team owner, NBA superstar Michael Jordan when he asked if he was starstruck meeting Hamill.

“When he [Hamill] did say, ‘May the force be with you always,’ now that was pretty cool. I’ve heard that line and everybody and his mother says it but when he does, that’s pretty special.”

Wallace is hopeful that the “force” may be with him for this weekend’s season finale as he is still racing for his first trophy of 2023 despite upping his game overall by qualifying for his first NASCAR Playoffs berth. He has nine top-10 finishes and tied his previous best mark of top-five showings with five. He also earned his second career pole position this fall at Texas, but has only one top-10 finish (10th in 2018) in 11 Phoenix starts.

“Definitely being talked about more for our performances and race results, and not so much the negative headlines,” Wallace said of 2023. “That’s good so we just need to continue to build on that. I definitely learned a lot about who I am as a driver and just trying to be a better team leader and it’s starting to click more and more. Just got to get the wick lit earlier in the season and get on a hot streak and keep that flame going.”

Posted on by Dustin Albino

This year’s Championship 4 competitors might be the most evenly matched grouping in the 10th year of the current format. The practice results from Friday Night might not be the most accurate indicator of which drivers will compete for the win. Or maybe it will be with the four Championship 4 drivers being competitive throughout the weekend. Hendrick Motorsports won qualifying with William Byron claiming his first pole at Phoenix. Unfortunately, you won’t see Kyle Larson in my fantasy lineup as I’m out of uses, but I’d highly recommend putting him in your lineup.

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:
Starter 1: William Byron

Starter 2: Ryan Blaney

Starter 3: Christopher Bell

Starter 4: Denny Hamlin

Starter 5: Kevin Harvick

Garage pick: Ross Chastain

NEXT IN LINE: Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace, Kyle Busch

RELATED:  Sunday’s starting grid | Set your Phoenix lineup

RISING: With how Truex’s postseason has gone, I almost don’t dare to put his name here. The No. 19 car qualified on the front row for the third straight week. That hasn’t panned out well the last two weeks, but the No. 19 car has cracked the top two in the finishing order in two of the last five Phoenix races. His Next Gen numbers are worrisome, with a best finish of 15th.

The second half of the 2023 season was much better for Erik Jones than the first half. That continued in the final weekend of the season, as the famed No. 43 car earned its best starting position of the season on Saturday. Jones led 14 laps in the spring Phoenix race before dropping to 21st in the final rundown.

FALLING: Let’s pair Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney together since they are battling each other in the Championship 4 race. What a difference a day makes. Honestly, I don’t think there’s much of a concern because both drivers led long-run averages. Bell had the best five- and 10-lap average. Blaney, meanwhile, was the best on 15- and 20-lap runs. They might not have the fire-off speed, which could be concerning, as Bell qualified 13th and Blaney ranked 15th. Track position is critical at Phoenix, but I’d have both drivers available in your lineup.

Joey Logano is the only driver to drop from my lineup from earlier this week. The No. 22 car looked solid on single-lap speed in practice but fell off considerably on the long run. He qualified 17th, while the driver I replaced him with, Ross Chastain, was positioned in the top 10 in most categories this weekend.

FEATURED MATCHUPS:

Kyle Larson vs. Ryan Blaney

This is tough because Blaney had an incredible long-run pace during Friday’s practice session. With the 50-minute session at night, the track temperature was much cooler than race conditions. Larson said he was confused after practice but qualified better than he thought he would. Blaney might be the favorite for many, but Larson has been here before and won a championship. He’s the pick.

Christopher Bell vs. William Byron

It was the same thing as above, but Bell and Byron were more evenly matched during the long run in practice, ranking second and third on 15-lap averages. Byron gets the nod, however, because he won his fourth pole of the season. Bell will likely find his way to the front during the race, but I’m sticking with Byron as my championship pick.

Denny Hamlin vs. Joey Logano

Logano dominated the championship race at Phoenix last season from the pole, but the No. 22 team doesn’t have that kind of speed this weekend – nor has it had that speed during the 2023 season period. Hamlin qualified sixth and has solid Phoenix numbers himself. Sticking with the No. 11 car will edge Logano this weekend.

Tyler Reddick vs. Kevin Harvick

Rodney Childers has given Harvick one final hot rod to conclude his career. The No. 4 car was quickest in Group A of qualifying and was fourth on 10-lap averages. Reddick made the final round of qualifying for the first time in his career at Phoenix, but I’d highly lean in favor of the No. 4 team. Harvick was positioned to win the spring race until a late caution flew.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Championship 4 driver William Byron won the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway, keeping alive the possibility of preserving a remarkable streak.

In each of the three title races at the one-mile track in the Sonoran Desert, the pole winner has won the race and the championship—Chase Elliott in 2020, Kyle Larson in 2021 and Joey Logano last year.

MORE: Full Phoenix lineup | At-track photos

In the final round of Saturday’s time trials, Byron navigated the irregular-shaped track in 27.150 seconds (132.597 mph) to claim the top starting spot by 0.018 seconds over Martin Truex Jr. (132.509) mph, who was eliminated from the Playoffs last Sunday at Martinsville.

Making his final qualifying run as a full-time Cup Series driver, Kevin Harvick earned the third starting spot with a lap at 132.421 mph. Championship 4 contender Larson, Byron’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, qualified fourth at 132.397 mph.

“My team is really going to like this,” said Byron, who won his fourth Busch Light Pole Award of the season, his first at Phoenix and the 12th of his career—and earned the right to select advantageous Pit Stall No. 1.

“It’s going to be fun. All my family and friends are here, all my friends from high school. It’s going to be fun to hang out with them over tonight and enjoy. This is a great opportunity. I want to be here every year. It’s really fun to be a part of, and we must take advantage of it.”

Championship 4 drivers Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney, who were the fastest two title contenders in Friday’s practice, failed to make the final round of qualifying and will start 13th and 15th, respectively.

“I needed about another tenth-and-a-half (of a second)—I don’t know,” said Blaney, who earned his spot in the final four with a victory last Sunday at Martinsville. “I mean, the car didn’t feel bad, just not as much speed as everyone else. I think our race car is good for (Sunday). So, we’ll see what happens.”

Larson can win a second championship on Sunday. For the other three Playoff drivers, a title would be the first. Larson was reluctant to put too much stock in qualifying speed.

“I think we all saw the practice sheets yesterday,” Larson said. “I think the 12 (Blaney) and the 20 (Bell) looked a step better than especially me and even William a little bit. Was honestly surprised that they didn’t make the final round there.

“So, no, I’m not counting out Blaney or Bell at all. It’s a long race, so they’ll overcome wherever they start. I’m sure they’ll drive through the field. The final four guys, most everybody respects or shows a lot of respect to on the racetrack and gives a lot of space.

“I think they’ll find their way to the front pretty quickly.”

Bubba Wallace claimed the fifth spot on the grid, followed by Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick, who spun and slapped the Turn 4 wall during his run in the final round.

Note: Harvick ran the fastest lap of the day in the first round (27.067 seconds, 133.003 mph)… Cole Custer qualified 31st in relief of Brad Keselowski, who flew home to Charlotte to be with wife Paige, who went into labor with the couple’s third child. Keselowski is expected to return for Sunday’s race

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Zack Albert

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Jason Ratcliff was in the middle of a radio interview when the approaching milestone came to light. His Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 team was still fresh in celebration mode from Ty Gibbs’ Xfinity Series victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course when the radio host brought up his veteran presence in the sport. His statistician had told him that Ratcliff’s number of starts as a crew chief in NASCAR’s national series stood at 790.

“I paused for a second. I’m like … ‘What? Are you serious?'” Ratcliff recalls. “He’s like, ‘yeah, my guy’s on it. He called out the numbers on it.’ That’s crazy.”

Ratcliff marveled then and still marvels at the ride he’s had in stock-car racing and the two decades-plus he’s spent as a NASCAR crew chief. Along the way, his journey has soaked in 72 victories – 15 in Cup and 57 in Xfinity – and the 2009 Xfinity championship with Kyle Busch.

Ratcliff reached the 800-start plateau last weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Saturday’s Xfinity Series season finale at Phoenix Raceway (7 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) will mark another milestone with what’s planned to be his final appearance atop the pit box, calling the shots for Myatt Snider in the No. 19 Toyota. After the season, the 55-year-old veteran will transition to a new role as the team/driver coordinator for the organization’s Xfinity and ARCA Menards Series programs.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Preview: Xfinity Series finale

Ratcliff said he took a playful jab from fellow JGR crew chief Adam Stevens heading into Saturday’s year-ending race. “801? Was that your target going in?” Ratcliff recalls him saying with a laugh, his final number akin to filling up at the gas pump and trying to stop at an even dollar amount but then blipping over by a penny. Round number or not, he says the longevity and success is more than he could have imagined from the outset.

“It’s crazy to even think about that,” he says. “It’s very humbling just to think of, you know, all the drivers and people and the race teams and to watch the sport change as much as it has over the last 20 years.”

Jason Ratcliff’s pathway into racing started early. His father, George, was a non-denominational minister who made extra money buying and selling cars. “So I was kind of his mechanic,” Ratcliff says. “Even at 10 years old, while changing water pumps and belts, I just enjoyed it.” His early automotive interests grew to include hot-rodding and helping at grassroots short tracks. When his father’s ministry work prompted the family to move periodically, Ratcliff sought out the local racing community at stops in Louisiana and Texas.

As he graduated from working with sprint-car teams, Ratcliff aspired to a full-time career in racing. One of his first big breaks came with Sadler Brothers Racing, and he also found a home with Brewco Motorsports, where he made his first appearance as an Xfinity Series crew chief in 2000.

Crew chief Jason Ratcliff with driver Matt Kenseth in the Cup Series garage at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2013.
Jeff Zelevansky | Getty Images

Victories came early with a young Jamie McMurray and former series champ David Green before he landed with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005. He’s been there ever since, and the list of drivers he’s worked with is a cast of living legends – Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and recently with current Cup Series title contender Christopher Bell among them.

“In the midst of it, you don’t think about it,” Ratcliff says. “When you look back at it, obviously Matt has already been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and I know there’s at least three or four others that are going to be there. So for me, 10 years from now, when I’m able to look back at that and say, wow, to work with four or five, possibly six of the guys who are in the Hall of Fame, it’s amazing.”

Ratcliff’s impact has spanned not just a select group of drivers, but he has also influenced crew members and fellow crew chiefs alike.

“He is just such a special guy,” Stevens said. “He and Dave (Rogers, former JGR crew chief), especially Jason, taught me how to do this job. Working with Jason down the street in the Xfinity shop and just seeing the way he operates, how he runs his team, how much he puts into it and what he expects out of his guys and out of his equipment, it’s pretty awesome. He’s a very special person, the hardest-working guy you’ll ever want to meet. It’s going to be a huge loss to have him not up on top of the box. … It would be really bad if he just rode off into the sunset, I think, just because he’s just got so much knowledge and he’s so good with the cars and good with people.”

MORE: At-track photos: Phoenix

Instead of fully sunsetting his career, Ratcliff says he’s looking forward to his next chapter and the opportunity to mentor and refine JGR’s operations in its development series programs. Even as he wraps up his final season as a crew chief – one that’s produced three wins – he says he’s already assembled a substantial to-do list for his next endeavor.

“I think as a crew chief, there are many times where it’s like, ‘Oh, man, it’s in the 12th hour, I wish I had someone that can help me with X,’ or ‘I think we could be a better race team or a better organization if we just had one more person in this spot to get help with this.’ Everyone’s just sometimes spread thin,” Ratcliff says. “We can say that a lot, and a lot of times, we just want to throw people at problems and try to fix them, and that’s not the solution, but I think this role that I’m going into has been needed, and I hope I can bring value across the board to the Xfinity and ARCA program. … Most of it is just things that as I crew-chiefed over the years that I think would have been beneficial for myself and my race team. I’ll start there, and then I’ll just let it grow and learn.”

Said Bell, who spent three seasons with Ratcliff – two in Xfinity and one in Cup: “He’s one of the best ever to do it. Having him around is going to be very critical. Anyone who is young and in the crew chief role would be wise to speak to him.”

Ratcliff’s new role will keep his hand in JGR’s trajectory, but he says he’s also hopeful to have an opportunity to take a breath and reflect on what his years in the sport have meant. He says he’ll likely have a better cumulative assessment of that journey by the time the holidays roll around – “when I’m actually sitting down, not thinking about the next race.”

But Ratcliff says he’s also looking forward to taking part in those reflective moments with family and enjoying the opportunity to have an occasional vacation that’s not squeezed into the range of an off-weekend on the racing calendar. A nostalgic trip to the Amalfi Coast of Italy? Potentially documenting his ride in NASCAR in a book? Ratcliff says he’s ready to enjoy it.

“The dreams and aspirations that I had coming into the sport were much less than what it actually turned out to be,” Ratcliff says. “So I’m just extremely thankful for so many people giving me opportunities and NASCAR in general. I think everyone in the garage should sit back and reflect on what it means to have an opportunity to go to work every day, doing something you enjoy and get paid for. I know that it’s been a lot of effort over the last 75 years for them to continue this sport and grow in the way that it is and what it’s turned into. So, to be a part of that, it’s been just awesome. It’s been a great career for me.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The all-time list of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champions starts with NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr., who has four career championships. Matt Crafton and Jack Sprague each have three titles and are second on the all-time list. In total, 20 drivers have won a Truck Series title since the series debuted in 1995.

In 2023, Ben Rhodes joined an elite list of drivers by becoming the fifth driver to win multiple championships.

Below is the list of all-time champions in the Camping World Truck Series.

YearDriverOwnerManufacturerWins
2023Ben Rhodes (2)Duke ThorsonFord1
2022Zane SmithBob JenkinsFord4
2021Ben RhodesDuke ThorsonToyota2
2020Sheldon CreedMaurice Gallagher Jr.Chevrolet5
2019Matt Crafton (3)Duke ThorsonFord0
2018Brett MoffittShigeaki HattoriToyota6
2017Christopher BellKyle BuschToyota5
2016Johnny SauterMaurice Gallagher Jr.Chevrolet3
2015Erik JonesKyle BuschToyota3
2014Matt Crafton (2)Duke ThorsonToyota2
2013Matt CraftonDuke ThorsonToyota1
2012James BuescherSteve TurnerChevrolet4
2011Austin DillonRichard ChildressChevrolet2
2010Todd Bodine (2)Stephen GermainToyota4
2009Ron Hornaday Jr. (4)Kevin HarvickChevrolet6
2008Johnny BensonBill DavisToyota5
2007Ron Hornaday Jr. (3)Kevin HarvickChevrolet4
2006Todd BodineStephen GermainToyota3
2005Ted MusgraveJim SmithDodge1
2004Bobby HamiltonSelf-ownedDodge4
2003Travis KvapilSteve CoulterChevrolet1
2002Mike BlissSteve CoulterChevrolet5
2001Jack Sprague (3)Rick HendrickChevrolet4
2000Greg BiffleJack RoushFord5
1999Jack Sprague (2)Rick HendrickChevrolet3
1998Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)Dale EarnhardtChevrolet6
1997Jack SpragueRick HendrickChevrolet3
1996Ron Hornaday Jr.Dale EarnhardtChevrolet4
1995Mike SkinnerRichard ChildressChevrolet8
Posted on by Staff Report

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Corey Heim and Carson Hocevar entered the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway as the favorites.

Instead, the two left the 2023 finale with wrecked trucks and no trophies.

MORE: Rhodes wins 2023 Truck title | Race results

Heim motored past Hocevar at Lap 118 for sixth place to claim the top spot at the time of the Championship 4 drivers. To win the title, a title contender just needs to beat his other three playoff competitors.

In his attempt to reclaim the position, Hocevar contacted Heim’s left-rear quarter panel two laps later, spinning both Heim and Stewart Friesen through Turns 1 and 2.

Then with just three laps left in regulation, Hocevar attempted to pass Heim through the outside of Turn 2. Heim washed toward the right, sending both trucks into the wall and collecting Heim’s Tricon Garage teammate Taylor Gray.

Heim led a second-best 47 laps. Hocevar led none.

At the end of the day, there were bent fenders, hurt feelings and zero championships between the two on Friday night.

“Obviously, got cleaned out there and got a lot of rear damage and lost some of my side force so I couldn’t really do much from there,” Heim said. “Yeah, I don’t know. Just really felt like I had them covered today. The 38 (Zane Smith) was fast, but I thought we could’ve raced it out there at the end and it just kind of turned into a wreckfest.”

Hocevar was despondent over the radio after the initial contact. In multiple caution periods that ensued, the 20-year-old Niece Motorsports driver radioed his team apologizing to the No. 11 team, incredulous he made erred so severely.

“I did not mean to do that. (EXPLETIVE!)” he radioed in the immediate aftermath. “I thought he was going to drive in deep. … That’s so stupid of me. I thought he was going to drive in so deep and then he made the corner.”

During the caution that followed Heim’s initial spin, Hocevar was lamenting the mistake so much that the crew couldn’t inform him they wanted him to pit. On the ensuing restart, Hocevar sank through the field on the next restart to 18th place. On Lap 146, he was out of the race following contact from Heim’s truck.

Heim insisted the contact with Hocevar was coincidental, the result of an ill-handling truck and not retaliation.

“Had a lot of right-rear damage and was pretty much out-of-control free,” Heim said. “So as soon as the 42 (Hocevar) – really, he was the third one that went by me on the outside and I about wrecked every time, and then by the time he got there, I finally just spun it out. So with him on my door, it lost all my side force and lost control. So super unfortunate.

“Yeah, I mean you can go watch my in-car camera. I about wrecked five times before that.”

Heim didn’t shy away from frustration with how he perceives his past with Hocevar, however. Hocevar signed a multiyear deal to drive for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time beginning in 2024, so he will depart full-time truck racing. Heim’s previous years of racing Hocevar left him unsurprised by the result of Friday night contact he viewed as deliberate.

“I passed him clean and then he hit me two or three times. And then finally he had enough fun just kind of hitting me and he wrecked me, so it is what it is,” Heim said. “You know, every guy on Sunday (in the Cup Series) is gonna see that and understand that they’re gonna be racing against him like that.

“I’m not too worried about it. I won’t race him anymore, so I don’t have to deal with it too much. But yeah, just, you know, kind of expected. He’s been racing me like that since he was five years old. I raced with him in quarter midgets. So it’s part of championship racing.”

Hocevar had a season-high four wins. Heim won three races himself. But their final stat line in the 2023 title race will simply read third and fourth in the title standings – an 18th-place finish for Heim and a 29th-place DNF for Hocevar.

Posted on by Staff Report

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Cautions, restarts, retribution, extra laps and high-action marked Friday night’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. And that was just the final 50 laps.

In the end, ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes claimed his second series championship in the last three years with a hard-earned fifth-place finish in the No. 99 Ford, while McAnally Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes raced to his fourth win of the season by a slight .421-seconds over rookie teammate Jake Garcia in four dramatic overtime periods.

RELATED: Race results | Championship Weekend photos

That’s the conclusion to an evening that featured 12 caution periods, 29 laps of overtime competition and plenty of high-stakes racing – especially among the four championship contenders that earned a chance to settle the season title.

Perhaps indicative of the night, Rhodes’ finish and ultimate trophy haul wasn’t secure until the checkered flag, with championship runner-up Grant Enfinger giving it his all in the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet coming off Turn 4 in an all-out pursuit to the very end.

Both Rhodes and Enfinger had survived close calls in the overtime laps. Rhodes collided with Zane Smith racing for the lead – hitting Smith’s truck when it appeared Smith missed a shift out front in the second overtime restart. Enfinger had close calls in two of the four extra-lap periods and still was able to pull off that final push forward, ultimately finishing one position behind Rhodes in the standings.

The Regular Season Champion and race pole sitter Corey Heim finished 18th after contact from fellow Championship 4 driver Carson Hocevar with 30 laps of regulation remaining in the scheduled 150-lap race.

“I can’t even believe it,” the 26-year-old Kentucky native Rhodes said of his dramatic title win. “It’s just so awesome, man. To go 25 laps into overtime, do you know what that feels like? It’s crazy. I didn’t think we were going to make it. I thought we were going to pop a tire, that anything that could have gone wrong was going to go wrong. Grant [Enfinger] almost got me. But hats off to him, he ran a great race. I wouldn’t’ want to race against anybody else for the championship. He raced me clean, and I respect the heck out of him for it.”

“I saw him,” Rhodes said of Enfinger’s final push forward in the last corner. “He went for everything, but he ran me clean, and I thank him for that. That’s what these championships are all about.”

Enfinger, whose GMS Racing team is closing shop at the end of the season, was especially gutted to come so very close to his first championship.

“I don’t know,” Enfinger said of doing anything differently on that last lap.

“Obviously we got loose there at the end,” he continued. “Maybe if he didn’t have such a good run down the backstretch, we’d be able to make that pass. It’s a shame the championship came down to a race like that with 15 green-white-checkers or whatever it was. I feel like we did everything we could to win this and just got used up.”

The other two championship contenders, Heim and Hocevar had a more contentious situation on-track. Heim, whose 47 laps out front in the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota were second most laps led on the night, was actually leading the championship-eligible drivers when Hocevar hit him going into Turn 2 with 30 laps remaining. The contact sent Heim’s Toyota into Stewart Friesen’s Toyota which hit the wall and brought out a caution. Hocevar continued on and Heim had to pit for repairs and went down a lap.

MORE: Heim, Hocevar tangle in closing laps

Heim viewed the hit as intentional and later in the race, collided with Hocevar bringing out another caution period. Heim insisted his car just wasn’t steering properly at the time, while Hocevar said he had fully expected the payback. It was enough to sideline Hocevar’s No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet which was credited with a 29th-place finish from the garage.

“My only goal was to try slow him down,” Hocevar said. “I didn’t want to do that at all. With my track record, I can’t sit here and say I didn’t mean to. I just messed up. I was trying really hard to slow him up and just messed it up. I feel bad I robbed him of that and feel sorry for that,” an apologetic Hocevar added of Heim’s championship chances. “I just messed up.”

The 21-year-old Heim had a streak of 15 consecutive top-10 finishes coming into the race and was considered the favorite by many. He had three wins on the season in only his first full-time year of competition.

“It was a great year, a phenomenal year for us and our worst finish in like six months,” a disappointed Heim said. “Really put together a good race and really hoped the guys would race clean, I have a lot of respect for everybody in the field. But clearly, I don’t anymore. It is what it is, it’s part of racing.

As for the later contact with Hocevar, Heim said it was purely coincidental, “It wasn’t retaliation. I had no side force, he put it on my door, and I wrecked [into him].”

“I’ve been racing Carson for a long time, racing since I was eight or nine years-old,” Heim said later. “That’s kind of just what he does. He’ll wreck you and apologize and do it again the next week. So that’s not going to be the last time he does it and certainly the first time he’d done it. I’ve known him for a long time. … it is what it is. I completely expected it.”

As for his victory, the 22-year-old Eckes tried to reconcile the championship race win with having just been eliminated from Playoff contention. He had a win (at Kansas) and a pair of runner-up finishes (Indianapolis Raceway Park and Bristol, Tenn.) during the Playoff stretch but was eliminated after finished of 19th and 20th in the two races leading into the championship finale.

“Those two races that killed the whole Playoffs pretty much and that’s just kind of the nature of it,” Eckes said. “I didn’t do my job last week and really the week before either. That gets us out and that puts us in this situation, but it’s motivating for next year and it was motivating for this race too. This one kind of stings, I know it’s a win, but the stupid mistakes the last two weeks of a near perfect Playoffs cost us a championship. This one kind of stings, I know it’s a win, but the stupid mistakes the last two weeks of a near perfect Playoffs cost us a championship. It’s kind of hard to be happy right now, but overall, just super proud of everybody for the year that we’ve had and just ready for 2024.”

Chase Purdy, Jesse Love and Rhodes rounded out the top five. Enfinger, Dean Thompson, Kaden Honeycutt, Tanner Gray and Nick Sanchez completed the top 10. It was a career best finish for the runner-up Garcia as well as Love and Honeycutt.

Note: Inspection has concluded in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series garage with no issues, confirming Eckes as the winner and Rhodes as the champion. NASCAR additionally tore down the engines of the Nos. 99 and 19 trucks Saturday morning and found no issues.

Posted on by Dustin Albino

Have yourself another one, Ben Rhodes — you are a two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion. Now, time to celebrate.

Rhodes battled for the Truck Series crown for the third consecutive season, converting for the second time in his career in Friday’s Craftsman 150 at Phoenix Raceway. He finished ahead of fellow Championship 4 contenders Corey Heim, Carson Hocevar and Grant Enfinger to join elite company with his second series title.

Rhodes, who drives the No. 99 ThorSport Ford, is just the fifth competitor in series history to accomplish the feat. He joins Ron Hornaday Jr. (four), teammate Matt Crafton (three), Jack Sprague (two) and Todd Bodine (two). 

His first title in 2021 was punctuated by an incredible celebration following the consumption of a few choice beverages. Let’s see what he does for an encore.

RELATED: Truck race results | Ben Rhodes driver page

“I can’t even believe it. Let’s go!” Rhodes said. “I hate when people do that on TV, so I’m sorry. But hey, this is so awesome, man.

“To go 25 laps into overtime, you know what that feels like? Almost lose it three times? Look at the front of the truck. It’s crazy. I didn’t think we were going to make it. I thought we were going to pop a tire. I thought anything that could have gone wrong was going to go wrong.”

Christian Eckes won Friday’s race, his fifth victory in the Truck Series, with Rhodes coming in fifth place and holding off a hard-charging Enfinger in sixth. The race turned out to be a battle of attrition with four overtime sessions needed to decide the winner.

“I don’t know. It was just the original green-white-checkered there where we went four wide, Ben gassed it up there on the bottom, drove us in the 19 and tore up our truck and then we had to restart from 22nd there,” Enfinger said. “That’s kind of what ended our run. Obviously we got close there at the end.

“I don’t know, maybe if he didn’t have such a run down the back straightaway, but I needed to get under him to make that pass.”

The other Champ 4 contenders finished well back in the pack with Heim coming in 18th and Hocevar finishing 29th. Heim led 47 laps but was done in when he and Hocevar made contact on Lap 119 of a scheduled 150 laps.

Heading into Phoenix, Rhodes had maximized results throughout the playoffs. He had the fewest top-five finishes for a series champion since Crafton had seven in 2019 — but found the speed when it mattered most.

The No. 99 team narrowly escaped an early elimination in the opening round with a pair of 16th-place finishes at Indianapolis and Milwaukee, followed by a 25th-place result at Kansas Speedway. Earning 12 stage points at Kansas ultimately saved Rhodes’ season, and he scraped into the Round of 8 by five points.

The No. 99 team capitalized on its second chance at life in the Round of 8, scoring three top-10 finishes, and finishing the round with a pair of podium efforts.

Much of the credit for the No. 99 team’s success should go to Rhodes’ crew chief Rich Lushes. When the No. 99 truck lacked sufficient speed at Homestead-Miami Speedway and was mired well outside the top 10, Lushes made a bold decision to bring his driver to pit road when a caution flew with 54 laps remaining. The team’s only hope was for the race to go caution-free to the finish, and the strategy played out to perfection with Rhodes finishing the round tied with Nick Sanchez for the final spot in the Championship 4, but claiming the tiebreaker.

Rhodes has a shot to keep it rolling in 2024, with all signs pointing toward a return to ThorSport, which gave the 26-year-old his first crack at the national touring level on a full-time basis in 2016.

Friday’s championship run shows just how ThorSport has risen in prominence in the Truck Series. Led By Duke and Rhonda Thorson, the Ohio-based company has accounted for five driver championships and is home to two of the five drivers in the history of the series who have scored multiple championships. The team’s trucks took up 30% of the playoff field in 2023 and left the desert, once again, with the big trophy.

Posted on by Holly Cain

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Kevin Harvick was smiling as he came into the Phoenix Raceway media center for the final pre-race press conference of his NASCAR Cup Series championship career.

In so many ways, Phoenix is a fitting farewell locale for Harvick, a “West Coast guy” from Bakersfield, Calif. and the winningest NASCAR driver in Phoenix Raceway history, having hoisted a record nine NASCAR Cup Series race trophies there including seven times in a nine-race span and four consecutively.

The 47-year-old certain future NASCAR Hall of Famer won the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship and earned 60 career wins in a 23-year career; ranking him 10th on the all-time win list. Four times he won at least five races in a season – highlighted by a nine-victory total in 2020.

Most every week of this farewell season, Harvick has spoken to the media reflecting on his stellar career and pondering his busy future working in the FOX Sports television booth starting next season. But Friday, he conceded, was a little different. Barring a victory in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race (3 p.m. ET., NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), it will be his last time facing the media in this setting as a full-time competitor.

“I think for me, all the weeks leading up to this particular one [press conference] were really not too hard,” said Harvick, who drives the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. “This one is a little more difficult just because it is the last week with you guys and everything you do is actually coming to an end. Up until this point, I don’t think anyone thought of it as real. This week it’s pretty real.

“This week has definitely been different than everything leading up to it just because of the fact there isn’t a ‘next week.” There’s been a ‘next week’ up until this week.”

MORE: Harvick looks back on career | ‘Happy’ through the years

Harvick said he’s spoken and received pointers from Dale Earnhardt Jr., who also left full-time competition for a successful stint that continues to this day in the NBC Sports television booth. As with Earnhardt, Harvick said he’s got his future plans buttoned up and in place from his marketing and management company to his golf cart company, to the free time he’ll have with his family.

First up and most important of his to-do list is to spend time with his children, 11-year-old son Keelan and five-year-old daughter Piper. Keelan is an aspiring driver and Harvick jokes that Piper – who also races — appears to be on her way to some sort of managerial position.

Either way, the chance to spend time with them and be there while they’re growing up is the upside option Harvick has not only decided on, but earned.

Harvick recalled a conversation between one of his team members and his daughter.

“He asked her, ‘what are you looking forward to the most?’ and she said, ‘dad’s gonna come watch me race,’“ Harvick said with a grin. “So that will be fun.

“It’s been a great ride for me,” Harvick added.

“I think when you look back on it and realize all the things you were able to be a part of and be fortunate somewhat successful at, it’s been fun. Obviously, I’m not going far. I guess I’ll just be sitting on the other side of the table, asking the questions.”