CRAFTSMAN Truck Series prepares for wild Talladega race
The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series is headed to the unpredictable Talladega Superspeedway to kick off the Playoffs’ Round of 8 with the Love’s RV Stop 225 this Friday, October 4 at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM Radio – the fourth of the seven-race postseason.
The 2.66-mile superspeedway has hosted 18 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races since its inaugural CRAFTSMAN Truck Series event on October 7, 2006 – a race won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin driving the No. 6 Roush Racing (now known as RFK Racing) Ford.
Notably, there have been 13 different race winners and 16 different pole winners in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway.
Timothy Peters leads the series with three wins at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Peters also holds the series-most top-five finishes with five and is tied with veteran Matt Crafton for the most top-10 finishes with six each.
But this weekend could be anybody’s race, the last eight Truck Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, since 2016, have produced a streak of eight different winners – Grant Enfinger (2016), Parker Kligerman (2017), Timothy Peters (2018), Spencer Boyd (2019), Raphael Lessard (2020), Tate Fogleman (2021), Matt DiBenedetto (2022) and Brett Moffitt (2023).
On-track activity for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway kicks off with Cometic Gasket Pole Qualifying at 1 p.m. EST on FS2, Friday, October 4.
Talladega is a staple in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Playoffs
Talladega Superspeedway has participated in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs since its inception in 2016, hosting a total of eight Playoff races in the series.
Since 2016, Talladega Superspeedway has occupied three spots on the Truck Series Playoffs’ schedule. The 2024 season marks the second-time the superspeedway will host the fourth race in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs (2019, 2024) – the Round of 8 opener.
Also, from 2016-2018 and 2020 the 2.66-mile track hosted the third race in the Playoffs – the Round of 12 elimination race. And from 2021-2023, Talladega hosted the fifth race in the Truck Series Playoffs – the second race of the Rolund of 8.
All eight previous CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoff races at Talladega have been won by non-Playoff drivers.
| NCTS Playoff Race Winners at Talladega (2016-2023) | ||||
| Date | Race Winner | Season | Race No. | |
| Saturday, October 22, 2016 | Grant Enfinger | 2016 | 19 | |
| Saturday October 14, 2017 | Parker Kligerman | 2017 | 19 | |
| Saturday October 13, 2018 | Timothy Peters | 2018 | 19 | |
| Saturday, October 12, 2019 | Spencer Boyd | 2019 | 20 | |
| Saturday, October 3, 2020 | Raphael Lessard | 2020 | 19 | |
| Saturday, October 2, 2021 | Tate Fogleman | 2021 | 20 | |
| Saturday, October 1, 2022 | Matt DiBenedetto | 2022 | 21 | |
| Saturday, September 30, 2023 | Brett Moffitt | 2023 | 21 | |
Approaching ‘Dega: Playoffs Contender’s Career Performances
As Talladega Superspeedway looms closer, the pressure to survive and advance to the coveted Championship 4 Round increases. A win at Talladega this weekend by a Playoff contender would guarantee their spot.
Here’s a look at how the eight Truck Series Playoff drivers have performed at Talladega previously.
| Rank | Driver | Races | Poles | Wins | Top Fives | Top 10s | DNFs | Average Finish | ||
| 1 | Corey Heim (P) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15.5 | ||
| 2 | Christian Eckes (P) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14.0 | ||
| 3 | Ty Majeski (P) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22.0 | ||
| 4 | Nick Sanchez (P) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7.0 | ||
| 5 | Rajah Caruth (P) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | ||
| 6 | Tyler Ankrum (P) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18.8 | ||
| 7 | Grant Enfinger (P) | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 14.4 | ||
| 8 | Taylor Gray (P) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.8 | ||
Of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series field, Grant Enfinger is the only previous winner entered this weekend (2016).
Truck Clinch Scenarios: Talladega Superspeedway
The math gets simple when it comes to clinch scenarios in the first race of a Playoff round – win.
Here are this week’s Playoff clinch scenarios:
Already Clinched
No drivers have clinched a spot in the 4-driver field of the next round.
Can Clinch Via Win
The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:
- Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, Ty Majeski, Nicholas Sanchez, Rajah Caruth, Grant Enfinger, Tyler Ankrum, Taylor Gray
Playoff Bubble: Caruth, Ankrum, Enfinger, and Gray outside Championship 4 cutline
Following the Round of 10 elimination race and two drivers being eliminated from the postseason, the competitors are certainly starting to feel the heat, with only three races left to earn a spot in the Championship 4 Round. As the series heads to Talladega, the drivers sitting below the cutline are Rajah Caruth (-8), Tyler Ankrum (-11), Grant Enfinger (-11), and Taylor Gray (-15).
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoff Outlook Following Kansas Speedway (September 27, 2024)
| Rank | Driver | Points | Starts | Race Wins | Stage Wins | Playoff Pts | +/- Cutoff |
| 1 | Corey Heim (P) | 3,048 | 19 | 6 | 8 | 48 | 38 |
| 2 | Christian Eckes (P) | 3,039 | 19 | 3 | 9 | 39 | 29 |
| 3 | Ty Majeski (P) | 3,024 | 19 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 14 |
| 4 | Nick Sanchez (P) | 3,018 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 8 |
| 5 | Rajah Caruth (P) | 3,010 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 10 | -8 |
| 6 | Tyler Ankrum (P) | 3,007 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 7 | -11 |
| 7 | Grant Enfinger (P) | 3,007 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 7 | -11 |
| 8 | Taylor Gray (P) | 3,003 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -15 |
Spire Motorsport’s Rajah Caruth finished seventh at Kansas Speedway and left the 1.5-mile paved oval eight points back from the Championship 4 cutline.
Another driver in his first Playoff appearance who is below the cutline is McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Tyler Ankrum. The 23-year-old has found a way to race his way into the top 10 – he’s recorded 10 top-10 finishes so far this season, tied for the most in his CRAFTSMAN Truck Series career. The driver of the No. 18 McAnally-Hilgemann Chevrolet had an okay day at Kansas Speedway, finishing 14th, but is 11 points back from the Championship 4 cutline and final transfer position.
Grant Enfinger outdueled two-time series champion Ben Rhodes for the final transfer spot into the Round of 8. Like Ankrum, the 39-year-old also sits 11 points back from the cutline. The driver of the No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet gets to enter the Round of 8 for a second consecutive season as he continues to chase his first championship after last year’s heartbreak at Phoenix.
TRICON Garage’s Taylor Gray heads to Talladega ranked eighth in the Playoff standings – 15 points back from the fourth and final spot in the championship round. The 19-year-old’s Playoff experience hasn’t been extremely consistent – finishing fifth at Milwaukee, 12th at Bristol, and 18th at Kansas.
Currently, Rev Racing’s Nick Sanchez is in the fourth and final position to transfer to the Championship 4 Round. Just ahead of Sanchez in third is ThorSport Racing driver Ty Majeski, up 14 points on the Championship 4 cutline.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Etc.
Kaden Honeycutt promoted to full-time with Niece Motorsports in 2025 – Kaden Honeycutt has been promoted to a full-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season in 2025 with Niece Motorsports. Honeycutt will pilot the No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST.
The 21-year-old has competed in a part-time role this season, notching five top-10 results in 10 starts. Honeycutt’s results were instrumental to qualifying the No. 45 Niece Motorsports team into the Owner’s Playoffs this season.
The addition of Honeycutt marks the second domino to fall into place for Niece Motorsports’ 2025 season plans. Last week, the team announced a one-year contract extension for Matt Mills to remain as the driver of its No. 42 entry.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how much this opportunity means to me,” said Honeycutt. “Before I got connected with Al (Niece) and Cody (Efaw), last year, I thought my career was over. Both of them took a big chance on me leading into this year and it’s kept me hungry to make them proud. My group of guys on the No. 45 team have become brothers to me, and we’ve been able to share such a good relationship.”
“We’ve had some good runs this year, and I know what our team is capable of,” he continued. “Heading into 2025, I really think we’ll have a great shot at competing at a high level on a weekly basis. I can’t say thank you enough to Al, Cody, and everyone at Chevrolet for this. It’s going to be a great year together.”
Ryan Reed returns to CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at Talladega – Ryan Reed will make his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start of the 2024 season this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway behind the wheel of the No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet.
This weekend will be the Bakersfield, California native’s first start in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series since 2021.
In five career series starts, Reed has a best finish of ninth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The 31-year-old is no stranger to superspeedways at the national series level having collected a pair of NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at Daytona International Speedway (2015 and 2017).
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