Those who plan to compete in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series postseason would be well-advised to sharpen their short track skills.
Starting with Saturday’s FaithFest 250 presented by Mercer Transportation at North Wilkesboro Speedway (12:30 p.m. ET on FS1, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), positions in the Chase will be set in races at three traditional short tracks (North Wilkesboro, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and Richmond Raceway) and a one-mile flat oval that races like a short track (New Hampshire Motor Speedway).
Against that backdrop, seven drivers are locked into a tight battle for the final spot in the 10-driver Chase, which begins Sept. 17 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Tyler Ankrum currently holds the 10th position, but he’s only 17 points ahead of 11th-place Stewart Friesen.
Tanner Gray, currently 16th in the standings, trails Ankrum by a mere 41 points, with Jake Garcia (tied with Friesen), Brenden Queen (13th), Andres Perez (14th) and Justin Haley (15th) all within 34 points of Ankrum.
With a 25th-place finish last Saturday at Lime Rock Park, Ankrum’s position in the standings became a bit more tenuous, but the next four races offer the opportunity to solidify his claim to a Chase spot.
“I’m super thankful the road courses have come to an end this season, that’s for sure,” said Ankrum, who finished eighth and third in his last two trips to North Wilkesboro. “It has been a disappointing start to the season, but we’re headed back to a short track where I’m always ready to get out there and get rolling.
“North Wilkesboro has been so good to us in the past, and it’s such a fun track to race at. Looking forward to it this weekend, and hopefully we can be in contention for a solid finish.”
If Lime Rock was a struggle for Ankrum, such was not the case for Grant Enfinger, whose upset victory at the road course left him ninth in the standings with a 42-point cushion over the current Chase cutoff.
At the top of the standings, series leader Layne Riggs holds a 44-point lead over second-place Kaden Honeycutt in what has evolved into a two-driver battle for the top seed in the Chase.
In his two North Wilkesboro starts, Riggs has finished third and second, tying Butch Miller for best average Truck Series finish (2.5) all-time at the track. Honeycutt ran 17th at the 0.625-mile track in 2023 and eighth in 2025 in his only two starts there.
–NASCAR Wire Service–