NASCAR
Who are Poised for Craftsman Truck Series Chase Supremacy?
NASCAR’s third and final Chase for the Championship will see its green light this weekend. The Craftsman Truck Series will have 10 contenders battle it out over a seven-race sprint. This year’s Chase grid is highlighted with a lot of top-heavy success. 2026 has seen one title favorite emerge, but all five of these drivers are still in the hunt. Any of them can string together enough excellence to win big in Homestead. Here are the best truckers of 2026 and their championship chances in The Chase.
Layne Riggs – 2,100 points
2026 so far in the Craftsman Truck Series has been Layne’s World. The third-year man in Front Row Motorsports’ flagship Ford has taken a big leap forward in weekly consistency this season. Six wins and 11 top-10s in 18 races gave the No. 34 a 99-point lead to end the regular season. This regular season and gap both trumped the rest of the Truck field. Riggs was narrowly locked out of last year’s championship fight after being a strong threat then. A year removed, he is now in the best position possible entering this seven-race stretch.
“25 points is nothing, even though it sounds like it’s a decent lead,” Riggs said. “I feel like being passive inside the Chase is not going to win you a championship. A lot of people are saying, ‘oh, the winner might not even win a race inside the Chase.’ Like, that’s not going to happen. The winner of the championship is going to win, I’d say, at least 2 races if he thinks he has a shot at it. Being passive and running just top-five the whole time isn’t going to win your championship. And I think that just staying on the same path we’ve been on, the same way we’ve been points racing all year. Just have to stay on that exact same path and mindset and don’t psych ourself out about it.”
“I think it is our championship to lose. Anything less than a championship would be a disappointment for myself and my team just with the success we’ve had so far. I think we’re firing on all eight cylinders right now as a team. Any race that we had like a really bad result was because something happened. If we had a clean race, we’ve finished inside the top-five all year long. I don’t see that changing in these seven races. Like I said, for us, I feel like in the most recent history it’s just been compounding, snowball negativity. If something goes wrong in the race, that causes something else to go wrong, and it just snowballs. Then you end up having a really poor day.”
“A race that I look at this year is Nashville. That night, we had the tire issue after leading the entire race. We fell to the very back, got tires and drove all the way through the field to win on the last lap. That was a championship performance and that was keeping our minds in the right spot. We stayed focused to the task at hand and not getting in our heads when something doesn’t go perfectly. I think that just proves right there that that was our last little weakness that we needed to clean up. We’ve proved that we got that covered.”
There aren’t many places where Riggs and the No. 34 Ford have not been lights-out quick this year. The Chase kicks off at Bristol, where Riggs is a two-time defending fall race winner. Past that, perhaps only Talladega is a cause for concern for the Front Row team. Already starting out atop the points, Riggs is the rabbit being chased by nine others. As seen so far in 2026 with Cup and O’Reilly though, no championship lead guarantees any sustained Chase success.
Layne Riggs’ No. 34 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Ford F-150 on the grid at Charlotte Motor Speedway before winning the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Friday, May 22, 2026. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Kaden Honeycutt – 2,075 points
In near lockstep with Riggs all year has been the TRICON Garage No. 11, now manned by Kaden Honeycutt. The short track ace who inherited last year’s championship-winning team has seen victory twice in the opening 18 races. Two crash DNFs were the only blips on an otherwise stellar 2026 campaign for the Toyota prodigy. Honeycutt hopes to keep his team on the championship stage after this Chase for the title.
“[Scott Zipadelli, crew chief] is definitely very valuable,” Honeycutt said. “He has brought a lot to the table as far as my race craft and improving things that I’ve needed to be better on. And I feel like the races that we’ve won outside of the Truck Series is because of Scott. He’s taught me a lot of things on race craft. On managing a race, how to manage sim and things like that. He’s just an amazing guy outside of the racetrack too. We’ve had a really good relationship going through this year. I feel like I’ve given up a couple of races for him that I could’ve won. But we have seven weeks to go out and win him another championship. I don’t think there’s one weak spot on our schedule going into this Chase. So I’m looking forward to it, and hopefully we can win it all.”
“Honestly, I don’t really compare myself to anybody. We’re racing 35 other trucks on the racetrack to win every week and that’s kind of the mindset. What this team sets on is we go out to win no matter who’s in front of us, a Chase guy or a non-Chase guy, it doesn’t matter. We go out and try to win the race and the points take care of themselves after that. That’s just Scott and the guys’ idea, and that’s my idea as well. That’s all we focus on is 35 other trucks to beat every single week.”
Honeycutt has been a contending juggernaut at almost every stop on the calendar this season. Toyota No. 11 has seen a ton of unmatched potential, however, only earning two wins so far. With Corey Heim a season ago, this team was never worse than third in this seven-race stretch. That level of unreal consistency could return with Honeycutt, and more wins should be expected. This championship is far from Riggs’ or anyone’s to already claim. Honeycutt will be a deep threat for the big trophy.
Kaden Honeycutt’s No. 11 Safelite Foundation/Foster Love Toyota Tundra on the grid at Charlotte Motor Speedway before the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Friday, May 22, 2026. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Chandler Smith – 2,065 points
Another Truck Series veteran looking to bring some heat in The Chase is Chandler Smith. Front Row Motorsports’ second contender, the No. 38 Ford has seen a pair of checkered flags this season. Smith could easily be Riggs’ stiffest competition down the stretch with the same equipment. What Riggs lacks in championship experience, Smith has as a five-year Truck Series standout. Ending the regular season third in points, Smith’s perspective is 100% forward for The Chase run.
“First and foremost, the format is different,” Smith said. “It’s the Chase format. It’s not the playoff format. I’m honestly just excited that I have been partnered with a team that has championship caliber equipment. We’ve got a good team that made it to the Chase. So to be a part of the Chase and be a part of the format that I grew up watching Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch dominate, Tony Stewart, those guys, to be a part of what that format looked like now is really cool for me. I grew up watching them do it and wanted to be a part of it and here I am. It’s a little bit of a dream come true.”
“Another thing that makes it different from this year to last year is I believe we’ve got almost another whole year working as a team together. Like I said, the fruit of that labor has been showing here recently with the consistent finishes. Chemistry is big. It takes time. It takes patience and I’m proud to see that the 38 team is continually growing. We’re getting better week in and week out.”
Amid what could be his final Truck Series run before graduating to O’Reilly, Chandler Smith wants to leave on top. Smith is far from a stranger to Truck Series postseason success, having multiple playoff wins under his belt. The No. 38 must stay mistake-free across the opening few rounds unlike last year. If this happens, then Smith should match Riggs stride-for-stride in this title fight.
Chandler Smith’s No. 38 Matheus Lumber Ford F-150 on the grid at Charlotte Motor Speedway before the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Friday, May 22, 2026. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Christian Eckes – 2,060 points
Returning to the Truck Series after a year away, 2026 has been a bit underwhelming for Christian Eckes. The nine-time Trucks winner saw four victories apiece in 2023 and 2024. Despite this past success, Eckes has come up empty in wins so far this season. Chevrolet No. 91 still leads the deep McAnally-Hilgemann Racing stable, and has raced up to fourth in points. Eckes was a deep title threat in each of his two prior Truck campaigns with MHR. He hopes for a familiar outcome in this Chase.
“I definitely think there is a gap, we’ve kind of seen that throughout the year,” Eckes said. “But there’s also been some bright sides to our year throughout that we’ve had enough speed to contend. So, if we can do that over the next seven weeks and have consistency of speed and performance, I feel like we can make a run at it.”
“It’s been a learning process for I think both of us learning each other. Dave [Elenz, crew chief] learning the trucks and me getting reacquainted to trucks. So, I think that’s been a little bit of our detriment throughout the year of just trying to learn everything. But I feel like we’ve done a really good job over the last 18 of figuring out what we need. What we have to do, and just kind of figuring out what I need and in a different type of balance. So over the next seven races, I feel really comfortable. A couple of those racetracks this year, we’ve had a shot to win at and I’ve won at in the past. So, it should be a good Chase for sure.”
Eckes’ Truck Series return has been a bit less-than-stellar so far in 2026. The No. 91 has only seen 11 top-10s, 173 laps led, and a 13th-place average finish this year. The readjustment period for Eckes getting acclimated again to Trucks appears to be over. This has been shown with three top-fives in Eckes’ last five starts. This run included tying his season-best result of third. Eckes appears to have momentum at his back, as he looks to lead another strong championship charge.
Christian Eckes’ No. 91 Motion Industries Chevrolet Silverado on the grid at Charlotte Motor Speedway before the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Friday, May 22, 2026. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Gio Ruggiero – 2,055 points
A second title threat from TRICON Garage, Gio Ruggiero eyes another banner postseason ahead. The 2025 Truck Series Rookie of the Year won last fall at Talladega. Since then, he has been within eyesight of more success this year. The 20-year-old is the lone man making a maiden Chase showing in 2026. Even with this status, Ruggiero does not believe inexperience will stop his title quest moving forward.
“I feel like someone I could lean on is Corey Heim a little bit,” Ruggiero said. “I can get some tips and advice from him, especially going into these next couple races. They were all really good tracks for him in the past. So, having him as a part-time teammate at TRICON is really good. Obviously, he’s got a lot of experience, and he definitely knows what he’s doing. So, it’s good to have someone like that to look up to for advice.”
“I feel like we’re in a good spot. Like you said, obviously would have liked to have a win, or two or three by now. I feel like we’ve had a lot of speed and had some really good opportunities to do that. But we just haven’t been able to close it off. So, I feel like heading into this Chase, just need to have a little bit better execution at the end of races. Keep bringing fast trucks and we’re going to be in a really good spot. We have to keep having the consistency of being top-five with speed. And the rest will kind of come to me.”
Gio Ruggiero may just be the toughest Truck Series driver to handicap for The Chase. TRICON Garage’s Toyotas are often among the best Trucks, as shown with Kaden Honeycutt. The No. 17 is also batting a perfect .500 for top-10s this season, anchored with a runner-up at Daytona. While not in last year’s 10-man title hunt, this stretch did see Ruggiero win Talladega and earn four more top-15s. Starting out in The Chase’s top half, Ruggiero could upset a few with a quietly consistent run to this title.
Gio Ruggiero’s No. 17 First Auto Group Toyota Tundra on the grid at Charlotte Motor Speedway before the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Friday, May 22, 2026. Photo Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
These five drivers in the 2026 Craftsman Truck Series Chase combine for 10 of the 18 wins this season. They each represent the series’ top three teams as well. One of them will likely be champion at the end of this seven-race stretch. The title hunt kicks off in mere hours at Bristol. One driver’s championship quest sets off Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, NRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The UNOH 200 will see all 10 drivers pushed to their breaking point.
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter/X
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter/X
Photo Credit to Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
