Approaching Miami: Playoffs Contender’s Career Performances
The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series competitors have one more week to prepare before heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the second race of the Round of 8 on Saturday, October 26 at 12 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM Radio.
As Homestead-Miami Speedway looms closer, the pressure to advance to the coveted Championship 4 Round increases. A win at the 1.5-mile oval by a Playoff contender would guarantee their spot in the next round.
Looking at the Truck Series Playoffs’ Round of 8 contenders, only one is a former winner at Homestead-Miami Speedway – Ty Majeski (2022).
Here’s a look at how our eight Playoff drivers have performed at the 1.5-mile oval previously.
| Rank | Driver | Races | Poles | Wins | Top Fives | Top 10s | DNFs | Average Finish |
| 1 | Grant Enfinger (P) | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 10.7 |
| 2 | Corey Heim (P) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4.0 |
| 3 | Christian Eckes (P) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9.5 |
| 4 | Ty Majeski (P) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6.7 |
| 5 | Rajah Caruth (P) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8.0 |
| 6 | Taylor Gray (P) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 |
| 7 | Nick Sanchez (P) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 |
| 8 | Tyler Ankrum (P) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15.0 |
On-track activity for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway kicks off with practice at 2:35 p.m. ET followed by Cometic Gasket Pole Qualifying at 3:05 p.m. ET on Friday, October 25.
Enfinger has sights set on redemption in Phoenix
With his win at Talladega, Grant Enfinger will compete in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship 4 Round for the third time in his career (2020, 2023, 2024).
“Obviously we can start focusing on Phoenix right away and that’s a huge advantage I think,” Enfinger said. “The way I look at it, we don’t have to worry about points for the next two races.’ … very, very proud of what this win means, but realistically, we still have a lot to do to prepare for the championship.”
The 2024 season marks the sixth time the driver of the No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet has competed in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs (2018-2020, 2022-24). Of those six appearances, the Fairhope, Alabama native has five wins – Las Vegas (2018), Martinsville (2020), Indianapolis (2022), Milwaukee (2023), and now, Talladega (2024).
Last season, Enfinger could almost taste the championship with arguably the truck to beat until a late-race caution involving two of the four championship contenders came out.
The veteran driver had to go survive not just one, but four overtimes and had to make an unfortunate stop on pit road. Enfinger made a valiant charge through the field on fresh tires in the final two laps, but ultimately couldn’t pass championship competitor Ben Rhodes.
Looking for redemption, the 39-year-old will head to Phoenix Raceway in three weeks with hopes to earn CR7 Motorsports their first championship.
Playoff Bubble: Caruth, Gray, Sanchez, and Ankrum outside Championship 4 cutline
With one spot in the Championship 4 secured by Grant Enfinger, the rest of the competitors are certainly starting to feel the heat. As the Round of 8 finale looms closer, the drivers sitting below the cut line are Rajah Caruth, Taylor Gray, Nick Sanchez, and Tyler Ankrum.
Spire Motorsport’s Rajah Caruth, in his first Playoff appearance, finished fourth at Talladega Superspeedway and left the 2.66-mile paved oval five points back from the Championship 4 Round cutline.
Another driver in his first Playoff appearance below the cutline is TRICON Garage’s Taylor Gray. Despite finishing second at Talladega, the 19-year-old is 13 points back from the final transfer position.
Rev Racing’s Nick Sanchez had a rough day at Talladega finishing 22nd after starting on the front row. The 23-year-old now sits 20 points back from the cutline. The driver of the No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet made it to the Round of 8 for a second consecutive season.
McAnally-Hilgemann’s Tyler Ankrum heads to Homestead-Miami ranked eighth in the Playoff standings, -23 points back from the fourth and final spot in the Championship 4 Round.
Currently, ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski is in the fourth and final position to transfer to the next round. Just ahead of Majeski in third is McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver Christian Eckes, up +29 points on the Championship 4 cutline.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoff Outlook Following Talladega Superspeedway (October 4, 2024)
| Rank | Driver | Points | Starts | Race Wins | Stage Wins | Playoff Pts | +/- Cutoff |
| 1 | Grant Enfinger (P) | 3,066 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 7 | In On Win |
| 2 | Corey Heim (P) | 3,078 | 20 | 6 | 8 | 48 | 30 |
| 3 | Christian Eckes (P) | 3,077 | 20 | 3 | 9 | 39 | 29 |
| 4 | Ty Majeski (P) | 3,053 | 20 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 5 |
| 5 | Rajah Caruth (P) | 3,048 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 10 | -5 |
| 6 | Taylor Gray (P) | 3,040 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -13 |
| 7 | Nick Sanchez (P) | 3,033 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 18 | -20 |
| 8 | Tyler Ankrum (P) | 3,030 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 7 | -23 |
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Etc.
2024 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Statistical Season Update – As we get closer to the end of the 2024 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season, the last 20 races have certainly passed the eye-test producing some intense side-by-side, action-packed competition, and the stats are in to back it up.
The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series has produced nine different winners this season, tied with 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2010 and 2019 for the sixth-most different winners through the first 20 races of a season (1995-2024). The series record is 14, set in 2012 and 2022.
Eight different organizations have won a race, led by TRICON Garage with six victories.
The Love’s RV Stop 250 at Talladega Superspeedway produced 27 lead changes – the second-most at the track. The Truck Series record for lead changes at Talladega is 29, set in 2013.
The 2024 season has amassed 374 lead changes through the first 20 points-paying races on the schedule with an average per race of 10.0, the sixth-most in series history (1995-2024), behind 2019 (12.0), 2021 (11.9), 2018, (11.7), 2020 (11.6), and 2015 (11.15).
This season is up 13.4% in average lead changes compared to the 2023 average of 9.40 through the first 20 races.
2024 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Manufacturers Championship breakdown – Following 20 races, Chevrolet leads the OEMs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Manufacturers Championship with 10 wins and 745 points on the season.
| Manufacturers Championship Standings | ||
| OEMs | Wins | Points |
| Chevrolet | 10 | 745 |
| Toyota | 6 | 703 |
| Ford | 4 | 670 |
2024 Sunoco Rookie of the Year update – Layne Riggs continues to dominate the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings following 20 races in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
The driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford has two wins on the season (Milwaukee, Bristol) and has mathematically clinched the Sunoco Rookie of The Year honors this season with a 358-point lead over Connor Jones in second and 387-point lead over Thadd Moffitt in third.
Per the Rule Book, Riggs must finish out the season in good faith to be awarded the Sunoco Rookie of The Year Award at the end of the season.
| NCTS Sunoco Rookie of the Year Standings | ||
| Rookies | Points | Awards |
| Layne Riggs | 515 | 13 |
| Connor Jones | 157 | 4 |
| Thadd Moffitt | 128 | 3 |
— NASCAR —