NASCAR
Previewing the Race Winners in the 2023 Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs
Across the Craftsman Truck Series regular season, 12 of the 16 races were won by Playoff drivers. This allowed six contenders to secure postseason bids, further cementing their respective championship paths forward. Who are those six drivers and what are each of their title chances? Here’s an in-depth look at the superb six entering the 2023 Truck Series Playoffs.
Corey Heim – 2,030 points
Part of the newly branded TRICON Garage Toyota powerhouse, Corey Heim has been the picture of consistency in 2023. The 20-year-old leads the series in top-10s (13), even with having to miss a race for illness. The 11’s two wins at Martinsville and Mid-Ohio were enough to catapult Heim to the regular season championship and top Playoff seed.
“Yeah, it really means a lot,” Heim said on the regular season title. “With TRICON Garage and Toyota Racing, we’ve come such a long way from the beginning of the year. I really felt like we had a lot of progress to make in the first four or five weeks and we’ve really been improving ever since. On the normal tracks, we’ve been really consistent. (Richmond was) still a good finish for us, but definitely want to do better leading into the Playoffs.”
“(Crew chief Scott Zipadelli) has Playoff experience with a lot of different drivers and he’s won a championship. Just learning what that is like – it’s really my first time competing in a Playoff format, so leaning on him and leaning on my crew who is also full of experience, along with a lot of people in the shop. Once again, just hats off to everyone at TRICON Garage, Toyota Racing, JBL and Safelite.”
“We’ve been about the most consistent these last two or three months. If we can carry that into the Playoffs, we will be tough to beat. We’ve got a couple more short tracks coming up and I think we will be good.”
Is Corey Heim the championship favorite? His nearly-impeccable consistency shows no sign of slowing down. The No. 11 should be allowed to cruise almost worry-free through both opening rounds. Along with more bonus points than anyone, it is hard to not envision the TRICON team in Phoenix. Heim’s lone blemish in 2023 has been only two trips to victory lane; expect that to change soon if this team executes perfectly.
Zane Smith – 2,022 points
Defending series champion Zane Smith enters this year’s postseason as the number two seed. The Front Row Motorsports team won three times in last year’s regular season, and won two of those races again. Daytona and COTA triumphs were enough to have the No. 38 locked in early for a potential championship repeat. After a 2022 season where it seemed Smith could do no wrong, 2023 has been a bit of a different story.
“To be honest last year we hardly had any adversity,” Zane Smith said. “But this year I feel like our race team is in a great position, it’s just been a lot of ups and downs. We just need to do the small things a little bit better and focus on our end result a little bit more, instead of (being) so focused on those Stage wins. Yes, they are extremely important, but I’m happy where our race team is. Unfortunately, I’ve had some torn up trucks throughout the process, which sucks for everyone at FRM, but we win together and we lose together. (We do have) good momentum to carry into the Playoffs.”
If 2022 was a dream season start-to-end for Zane Smith, then 2023 is only slightly off that mark. Starting off these Playoffs as the second seed, Smith does have some breathing room over elimination. If the 38 can merely survive and not endure any major stumbles, they should be back in Phoenix once again.
Carson Hocevar – 2,021 points
Perhaps the driver entering the Playoffs with the most momentum is Carson Hocevar. Richmond two weeks ago was Hocevar’s third victory of the season, giving him the number three seed. Other victories at Texas and Nashville have the Niece Motorsports No. 42 Chevrolet as a favorite for upcoming intermediate races. Despite the most recent win, Hocevar knows that everything resets back to square one for the opening Playoff round.
“I’d like to think the Richmond win gives us a lot of momentum for the Playoffs,” Hocevar said. “But at the same time, I don’t know. I think every race is its own (thing). We could show up and struggle. We can’t go into the next one thinking we’re going to win just because we won the last one. At least I’m not.”
“I’m looking at it like I didn’t win the race last year and I ran ok. I feel like I need to work on myself even at IRP a little bit. I look at that track like somewhere we can get a lot better, like I know a lot of people will. (Last year) was the first time they went there in a long time, everybody’s going to have the same notes and everyone else has gotten better.”
After some early season inconsistency, Hocevar has heated up recently. Six of the last eight races have been top-fives for Hocevar, including two wins. Confidence is sky high in the No. 42 camp. This team is as hungry and capable as ever, ready to possibly take their maiden title.
Christian Eckes – 2,019 points
Making his third Playoff appearance and first for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing is Christian Eckes. The 22-year-old in the Napa Auto Parts No. 19 locked up his postseason berth with early wins from Atlanta and Darlington. Ending the regular season sixth in points, Eckes expects greater times ahead.
“I feel like our ceiling is way higher than our regular season,” Eckes said. “I feel like this team can contend, and obviously we can win races. The next big test will be the Playoffs. I’m looking forward to it, this team has the capability to go do it, it’s all about just putting everything together.”
“(What separates this year’s Playoffs) is more Playoff points I guess. Last year I think I was out by nine points, something close like that. Now I have triple or quadruple the points I did last year.”
“I don’t really know if any of (the upcoming races) are not circled. We go to the racetrack to win and that’s been our priority.”
Eckes is admittedly a bit of an anomaly in this year’s Playoffs. The 19 team has shown speed more often than not, but hasn’t had true winning pace a ton. Zero laps led since winning Darlington in May is a glaring blank space in Eckes’ season. Top-fives may be needed across the opening round to truly show if the 19 is a true contender.
Grant Enfinger – 2,017 points
Alabama native and nine-time winner Grant Enfinger has seemingly done it all in the Truck Series, except hoist the big trophy. Getting into his fifth postseason appearance on the back of wins at Kansas and Gateway, Enfinger eyes another deep championship run. Experience could pay off big for the GMS Racing No. 23 team, chasing down their first title.
“(Richmond was) just not a great performance for us, but I’m not letting it take away from the rest of our season at this point,” Enfinger said. “These guys have worked harder than anybody out here; there’s been so much effort put in this truck. We’ve made some good calls, we’ve made some bad calls, but we’ve done it as a team. The Playoffs start at IRP, where we won last year and there’s no reason why we can’t do it again.”
“I think the experience we have together is very valuable when you get into Playoff time. The biggest thing we have going for us is confidence in our trucks. Obviously I have confidence in Jeff (Hensley, crew chief) and his strategies, his calls, but also his setups. I feel like we’ve had fast Chevys most of the year.”
“We do have some weaknesses that we need to clean up, which we have been in the process of doing that. I feel like I’ve made some small mistakes. Overall as a team we’ve made some too. We have to clean that up, it’s Playoff time. I’m proud of where we’ve been this year and what’s gotten us here, but we do have to make some things better for these remaining seven races.”
Enfinger and Jeff Hensley are among the most dynamic driver/crew chief duo in the 2023 Playoffs. When this pairing last saw a multi-win season, they made the Championship 4. Entering Friday’s Playoff opener at IRP as the defending winner, big things may be ahead for the 23.
Ben Rhodes – 2,013 points
Another driver with years of Truck Series experience is 2021 champion Ben Rhodes. Some may be quick to dismiss Rhodes as merely a one-time winner this year; the No. 99 grabbed the checkers at Charlotte in May. However, his championship season was very similar, only seeing victory lane in that year’s first two races. Rhodes knows exactly how to advance through these Playoffs and what it takes to end up on the big stage in Phoenix.
“I actually feel really good,” Rhodes said about this Playoff run. “IRP’s coming up next, and we had a really fast truck there last year. Also made a mistake, also had to come from the back and we finished second, so I know what not to do at that racetrack. I know exactly what we need to focus on. We got a good notebook. The next round really stacks up well for us.”
Rhodes and teammate Ty Majeski have led the Thorsport contingent all season long. After near-identical regular seasons, Rhodes only has the edge on Majeski with a win. Barring any chaos, Rhodes should be a strong fighter for another Championship 4 bid.
These six drivers are all heavily favored to take this weekend’s opening Playoff checkered flag from Indianapolis Raceway Park. The opening race of the Round of 10, IRP will propel one driver to the doorstep of 2023 championship weekend. The TSport 200 will go green Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Following IRP, the opening Playoff round continues onward from Milwaukee and Kansas. Playoff season is now here, only seven races separate one driver from the 2023 Craftsman Truck Series title.
Written by Peter Stratta
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