NASCAR
Trying to Predict the 2024 Playoff Field in the Craftsman Truck Series
2024 will be a year of great change in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Past juggernaut title contending teams including Kyle Busch Motorsports, GMS Racing, and Hattori Racing are no more. In their place is a new crop of organizations, spearheaded by Spire Motorsports. The weekly lineup already looks very different from last season. What drivers will make up the 10-man Playoffs in seven months’ time? Here’s a preseason prediction into who will be competing for top honors in the Truck Series.
Ford
Starting off with the defending championship-winning manufacturer and team, expect Thorsport Racing to pick right where they left off in 2023. Their trio of drivers represented by Ty Majeski, Matt Crafton, and eventual champion Ben Rhodes all had stellar seasons.
Ben Rhodes is the man to beat in 2024. Despite only finding victory lane once a season ago (Charlotte), the No. 99 F-150 was the last man standing following a knockdown, dragout affair in Phoenix. Damage aside, Rhodes became only the fifth multi-time Truck Series champion, joining teammate Matt Crafton. Rhodes is perhaps the driver most heavily favored for a return to the Playoffs. The No. 99 getting to victory lane or being top-10 in points is of little concern.
Three-time champion Matt Crafton is still the only man with a perfect Truck Series Playoff record, now standing at eight-for-eight. While the Menards yellow No. 88 has not found victory lane since 2020, the veteran has continued to find success. Now entering a 25th year in the Truck Series, the 47-year-old will be gunning for more wins and another elusive title to tie Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr.
Falling short of repeating his 2022 Championship 4 appearance, Ty Majeski once again came to life during the Playoffs. The No. 98 Ford team found victory lane in the opening Playoff event at IRP, one race before a large penalty was handed down for illegal tires. Majeski’s team never recovered from the 75-point infraction, and wound up eighth in the standings.
Returning for another season with Thorsport, expect Majeski to be right alongside his teammates in battling for wins and the championship yet again. The Super Late Model ace will try and become the third different driver to bring a title home to Thorsport’s Ohio campus.
Toyota
One of the Championship 4 drivers from a season ago, Corey Heim had the title within grasp at Phoenix. The TRICON Garage Toyota had the season finale race in command when contact from Carson Hocevar sent him spinning. This exchange led to a domino effect causing nearly 30 laps of overtime racing, and an expensive retaliatory move.
In many people’e eyes, Heim was the title favorite of the four contenders last fall. Phoenix’s heartbreak followed a regular season championship, 12 top-fives, 19 top-10s, and a 6.8 average finish for the 11. The same group will try and repeat their dynamic and series-best stat line, gunning for another shot at the title. Heim should only be more driven and motivated to right the wrong of last fall in his eyes. Wins and a deep Playoff run are nearly guaranteed for the Toyota powerhouse.
Entering year nine on the Craftsman Truck Series tour, Stewart Friesen should see a return to prominence. The Canadian driver has seen great success in years when he’s on, and been an afterthought in other seasons. The No. 52 Toyota missed the Playoffs completely in 2023, after a 2022 run ending just shy of the Championship 4.
Friesen has not found victory lane since Texas in early 2022, a winless streak that should end in due time. When he has solid trucks underneath him, Friesen has shown capability of making the final Playoff round. A return to title-contention form has to top team 52’s goals for the new season.
Chevrolet
2023’s Rookie of the Year, Nick Sanchez seemingly did everything right except find checkered flags. Coming back with the Rev Racing No. 2, Sanchez should turn heads in a second Truck Series season.
Several races in particular were in Sanchez’s control last year, only for circumstances to see the 2 fall back. This list of near misses was punctuated by Texas in April, where Sanchez led all but three laps before getting turned in overtime. This race was a true microcosm of Sanchez’s season, showing great pace only to walk away empty-handed. Much like Carson Hocevar a year ago, once Sanchez does break into victory lane the floodgates should open for this young driver.
Perennial Playoff contender Grant Enfinger has a new opportunity ahead of him in 2024. Following the closure of GMS Racing, the 2023 title runner-up now moves to the No. 9 team at CR7 Motorsports. Enfinger previously competed with this group part-time in 2021, seeing three top-10s in eight starts.
Coming off his closest championship bid yet, Enfinger will be hungry to return to the title stage again. The Alabama native dominated three races in 2023, more wins may come his way with this new team.
Topping many lists of preseason championship favorites is the Napa No. 19 of Christian Eckes. The McAnally-Hilgemann team won four times in 2023, including the season finale at Phoenix. Falling just short of the Championship 4, making the final round headlines this team’s 2024 wish list.
Whether a drafting track, an intermediate, or a short track, this team knows how to win just about anywhere. Expect Eckes to be a regular force to be reckoned with across all track types in 2024.
The new face of the Rackley WAR No. 25 Chevrolet is returning Craftsman Truck Series veteran Ty Dillon. Across two years of full-time Truck competition over a decade ago, the younger Dillon earned three wins and was championship runner-up.
The No. 25 team made the 2023 Playoffs with Matt DiBenedetto, seeing 12 top-10s and a best result of third. These stats should be a baseline for Dillon to at least match if not surpass in 2024. Dillon’s wealth of experience in all levels of NASCAR trumps most of his competition. Another Playoff berth on points is not out of the question for this team.
Leading the charge at a reorganized Niece Motorsports is Bayley Currey in the No. 41 Chevrolet. Running part-time in 2023, Currey scored three top-fives in this entry. Now slated to run the full campaign, the flagship Niece truck may find victory lane again. Currey is another driver eyeing a maiden Craftsman Truck Series triumph in the new year.
Carson Hocevar took this team to four wins and the Championship 4 a season ago. Currey will try and back up these numbers in the new year.
Starting in less than two weeks’ time in Daytona, the road to the Truck Series Playoffs is on. 16 races over the course of six months will determine the top 10 truckers in NASCAR, and separate the championship contenders from pretenders. It will be interesting to see just how well this list ages in August.
Written by Peter Stratta
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