NASCAR
Who are the favorites for the 2025 Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs?
Six months and nearly 3,500 miles of competition have whittled the Truck Series down to 10 contenders. Five of those drivers in particular are poised for deep Playoff runs that may just end with a championship. Here are the best of the best so far from this Truck Series season and their chances at hoisting the ultimate trophy high in Phoenix.
Corey Heim – 2,065 points
There’s not much more that needs to be said about Corey Heim in 2025. The seven-time race winner, including the last two weeks, has been lights-out at almost every stop on the schedule. This unparalleled and historic consistency has been rewarded amply with the regular season title, and a whopping 65 bonus points. Heim has been out front across every race this season, with over four times the laps led of anyone else. Such a wealth of bonus points has Heim already positioned very nicely for a third-straight Championship 4 appearance. Will the third time be the charm for Heim to take a Truck title?
“I think the main thing for us is that we’ve really connected a lot of the dots on maybe the prior struggles we’ve had so far,” Heim said. “We got a lot of things to improve in the Playoffs still regardless as far as keeping that going or keeping the momentum going. I feel like for me, there was some struggle areas last year that kind of lingered throughout the year and we never quite got past that. But we were able to hone in on that in the offseason and sort of clear those up as far as maybe some packages that we brought to specific race tracks that didn’t work, and maybe some pit road stuff. My personal development as far as my driving style at some places. I feel like just within my 11 team and within TRICON and Toyota, we’ve done a great job of just honing in on the things that maybe didn’t work throughout the year and lingered and just kind of fixing that for 2025 and hoping to extend that into the Playoffs as well.”
“For the most part every race is a challenge. It’s never a layup by any means anywhere you go, especially if you look at the last round, you’ve got a lot of challenging races within the Round of 8. Talladega is kind of the one that sticks out like a sore thumb to everybody. It’s just such an unpredictable race. As far as the speed we’ve brought to the race track, I think most, if not all the Playoff tracks fit that for us but as far as strategizing – especially Talladega but also Martinsville, the Roval – that whole Round of 8. Strategizing that and also just planning for kind of what our plan of attack is for those last few races is going to be big. Of course, we’ve got the whole Round of 10 to get through as well, but that round specifically stands out to me as something that we need to really think about and how to attack that and make sure we’re in the right spot at the right time.”
Heim’s blistering 2025 campaign has already set many Truck Series records. Laps led in each of the season’s opening 18 races is particularly impressive. This sustained success shows little if any weakness for the TRICON No. 11. Another record Heim is chasing is the 10-win mark that no driver has ever hit in Truck Series history. Based on his recent run, Heim may have this locked up well before Phoenix. Heim’s 2024 season ended with a dismal runner-up in the finale. All focus now shifts towards being one spot better in the winner-take-all night.
Layne Riggs – 2,026 points
If there has been a consistent thorn in Heim’s side this summer, it’s been Layne Riggs. The two-time winner a year ago has equaled that mark already in 2025. This time, however, the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford will be Playoff-bound as the second seed. Riggs may be seen as a short track menace with his late model background. A few weeks ago though, he broke through with a win at Pocono. The upcoming Playoff schedule does play into Riggs’ racing roots with a few bullrings sprinkled throughout the opening rounds. Despite this being a maiden Playoff showing for the second-generation star, confidence is not lacking in the 34 camp.
“Of course there’s a lot of pressure, but I feel like I’m ready for it,” Riggs said. “You know, in my 2022 season, we ran for the weekly series championship and it literally came down to the last race, the last night they were taking points. Me and the guy I was tied with had to race against each other. Whoever finished higher of the two who had to win won the championship, and we got the job done. So I’ve been in that situation before. It wasn’t the Playoffs, but it’s the same kind of situation, pressure going into it. And I feel like looking back on those times, I did nothing but prevail and just be confident myself, you know? Being nervous or being worried or tense isn’t going to make me go any faster on the racetrack. It isn’t going to make me be any smarter. So just run each race like it’s their own and just be as smart as you can at all of them. And don’t worry about the little details or worry about the points. Just do you and go out there and be as strong as you can. I feel like that’s what I’m really strong at and I know I can do it.”
“I’m going to put in the same matter of effort into every race. I want to win every race equally. But like I said, I think it’s just big picture, trying to be smart. Don’t take any big risks and just keep a level head. I feel like it’s our’s to lose going to Phoenix. Just being smart, keeping that points buffer up. And just being a calculated driver and team, make sure our team just dots all the I’s and crosses all the T’s. That’s the only thing we’re doing a little bit sharper on the pen, pushing the pen a little bit harder into the paper.”
“I’m excited. I was wishing I was in it last year for sure, but I just didn’t have the opportunity and still got a couple wins in it and ran strong and was even a contender to win the race at Phoenix at some point. So yeah, I’m just thankful to be in it. Glad the points worked out this season. Glad we got some wins before the Playoffs this year. And I feel like I’m really ready for it now. I know what it takes to win. I know what it takes to go fast and just put everything together to make a championship run. And I’m just excited to show it to everybody. Show everybody what the team has in store and just our performance as a whole. Just very grateful that I got the opportunity to go for it now and just try to do the same thing I did last year.”
Front Row Motorsports cannot and should not be counted out of title contention on either end. This crew especially has recent championship pedigree from Zane Smith. FRM is likewise looking to make their second Championship 4 showing. Half of the opening six postseason races being on short tracks. As a result, there is a very realistic pathway to Phoenix for Riggs and FRM’s flagship No. 34.
Chandler Smith – 2,019 points
Making up the second half of FRM’s dynamic duo is Truck Series veteran Chandler Smith. Despite only being 23 years old, Smith is already entering his fifth NASCAR Playoffs and third in the Truck Series. Smith is no stranger to postseason success at this level, having made the Championship 4 in 2022. Now with a new team that he helped build himself, Smith is focused on getting back to that big stage.
“I feel like our biggest strength is our team,” Smith said. “You know we’ve shown consistency throughout the season. We’ve kind of went through a slump here in the past, honestly, two, three months. And just not been able to show up to the racetrack hitting the balance like it should be, not having great speed. But I’m confident in my team to kind of turn that around going into the Playoffs. Hopefully we’ll pick up the pace and pick up the momentum and, you know with how this playoff format is, all we got to do is make it to Phoenix. So I’m confident with all the things that we got, all the resources that Ford provides us with that we have everything right here at our disposal to at least make it to Phoenix.””
“The biggest challenge is probably just execution. Execution on the racetrack between myself, between pit crew, between pit calls. Just making sure that we all execute and we’re all rowing the boat in the same direction.”
“I think this is my fifth actual Playoff appearance in [a] NASCAR series, not just the Trucks, but taking into account Xfinity too. So with that, I’ve gained a lot of experience, a lot of knowledge on, you know, how to manage each race, each round. Because at the end of the day, the end goal is to make it to Phoenix to have a shot at winning the championship. But on the flip side of that as well, say you get eliminated, you know, in the first round, well, then you you can only be as good as, what, eighth or whatever it is in the trucks? I can’t remember what it is for the cutoff. Because everybody advances to the next round and you get 1,000 points or whatever it is. So you know, the bigger picture is, hey, we want to go to Phoenix and we want to go win the championship. But it’s something that I’ve learned over the years of, you know, being in the playoffs and how this format’s worked and all that is your situational awareness needs to be on all time high. Just knowing who you’re racing, what your situation is. We want to go out and win races, but if we ain’t got a truck to win the race that day, we got to take a step back and be like, hey, we got to maximize the day. The end goal is to get to Phoenix and then try to win that race, because that’s what this Playoff system rewards. Getting to Phoenix and being the best when you’re there. It doesn’t necessarily reward the guy that’s got, you know, seven wins for the season. It rewards the guy who makes it to Phoenix and beats the rest of the three once you get there. So, being aware of that and making sure that you keep that mind, that mindset going all the way through each round.”
Much like with teammate Riggs, Smith’s strongest runs this year have come on short tracks. The No. 38 boasts wins from Bristol and North Wilkesboro, with the former making a return in a few weeks. Five of Smith’s seven career Truck wins have come on short tracks, including 2021’s title finale at Phoenix. Having experience across both Truck and Xfinity Playoffs, Smith’s mental approach make him a formidable threat for his competitors.
Daniel Hemric – 2,011 points
If history has taught us anything, it’s to never doubt Daniel Hemric in a postseason. The 2021 Xfinity Series champion has made that Championship 4 three times. He will now try to repeat this feat in Trucks. Hemric earned his maiden Truck win earlier this year at Martinsville. The 34-year-old believes veteran experience in Playoff scenarios can pay dividends over the coming months.
“I hate to say the same thing again, but I don’t look at it as necessarily as an advantage,” Hemric said. “Obviously, going through the Playoffs multiple times now, is there something to that? I mean yeah obviously, you’ve done it, but I also feel like the identity in which every year is its own is something that can’t be lost. And I don’t go into it thinking because I had past success, you know, in past seasons is that that means I might have future success going throughout this Playoff. So yeah, just trying to conform to race intensities of each individual race, each individual round and what it takes to get to the next one. But yeah, doing it once is great, but having an opportunity to go and just experience this entire new, not new format, but new for me within the Truck Series and what it’ll take in these rounds, yeah, just trying to conform to that and rise to the occasion of the opportunity that we have in front of us as a 19 group. And yeah, guys that haven’t been in it. There is something different about all playoff sports. I don’t care what sport it is. It’s fun and a different atmosphere and a different feeling that I love and have always loved. And it’s cool to be a part of another one.”
“Whether we’re, you know, in it or not at [Martinsville], I think, yeah, we just go to that place with a lot of confidence in general. But as we’ve seen all year, the entire Truck Series garage, really all three series is continuing to evolve. Guys that were good the last time doesn’t mean you’re going to be good this time. But we go to there, really all the short tracks, you know, with an extra level. I feel like it’s been a strength of our’s. And just look forward to that opportunity, except hopefully it is within, you know that round of eight and we can go punch a ticket and race for a championship at Phoenix.
“I would say that throughout, really NASCAR in general, since the Playoffs started, I’ve been fortunate to be in that championship race three or four times. I don’t have an exact number. But point being is you can’t determine, and we’ve heard this year after year, you cannot determine the success of your season based off whether or not you win a championship based off of Phoenix. An incredibly successful year is getting to Phoenix and letting the rest of take care of itself. So many times throughout that championship run, once making it there, I made the comment that we were racing with house money, but nothing else mattered. And that’s to me the way that race is. You get there with that opportunity. I can’t even explain to you all the weight in my opinion, that is off of you, for you and your race team, your supporters and sponsors and everyone that’s involved because you’ve had and done a great deal of good stuff to get there and it is house money. And whenever you have that lightness about you, I feel like, you know, your pencil is sharper, if you will. The risk you take are always worth it. And the end of the day, the dust settles. It’s going to be what’s going to be from a result standpoint, but having that freedom is a dangerous thing and it’s fun.”
Hemric may be the ultimate snake in the grass for these Truck Series Playoffs. Much like his past Xfinity Series seasons, 2025’s been defined by great consistency for the No. 19. 13 top-10s for the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing team is only one shy of Corey Heim’s mark. With no signs of slowing down anytime soon, Hemric merely surviving and advancing ahead are very realistic goals. Should Hemric make it to Phoenix again, another Hail Mary move for the title could be brewing.
Ty Majeski – 2,010 points
In order to be the best, nine other truckers will have to find a way to beat 2024’s best man. Reigning series champion Ty Majeski is back in contention once again, this time trying to defend his career-defining achievement. Majeski’s already a two-time Championship 4 finalist. He does not feel any different this time around as the man trying to hang onto the trophy.
“There’s no added pressure at all,” Majeski said. “I think, having that experience to lean on, really, I think it is an advantage. Just having been there, done that, right? My team is very similar, I think only one guy is different from last year. The biggest thing, like I said, the same advice that I give Jake (Garcia), I give to myself. I don’t let the moment get too big, don’t take yourself out of the playoffs. We see it year after year. All it takes is one mistake, one bad race and you got to crawl out of a hole. Once you get into that hole, it’s hard to crawl out. You’re leaning on other guys that also have a mistake. So like I said, just staying the course, taking it race by race, understanding the points situation throughout the Playoffs and understanding what you need to do to advance. Not necessarily just win that race. The goal may be different going into a certain race or going into the last stage of a certain race. So just being situationally aware of where you’re at and what you need to do to advance.”
“Well I think the biggest thing is I’ve seen a lot of gain in the 98 team over the course of the last five weeks. We had portions of the season, I think we fell back to out of the Playoffs at one point, right? On the cutoff, out looking into the playoffs. So I think for me, our race team has really crawled themselves out of a hole. We ended the regular season points in fourth, which it wasn’t looking like it was going to be that kind of a season for us just a few short months ago. So for us to have kind of crawled out of that hole and put together some really consistent races over the course of the last couple months or so really gives me a lot of confidence going into the Playoffs this season. We had a great run last week at Richmond, probably should have won the race and, you know, just didn’t work out. It wasn’t our night. But we’re putting race trucks out there that are capable of winning right now. And that gives me a lot of confidence going into some great racetracks for us. So I’m confident that the 98 team is poised to make another deep run into the Playoffs. Hopefully we can step our way through the next two rounds and have a shot at it at Phoenix again.”
As Majeski mentioned, 2025 has not quite gone to expectations for this ThorSport team. The No. 98 Ford is still winless through 18 races, but had their best outing last week at Richmond. Eerily reminiscent to his last three seasons, though, it took Majeski until late in the year to find victory lane. Any win now will put the Wisconsin native another step closer to taking home the hardware for a second-straight season. The No. 98 led a whopping 132 laps at Phoenix last fall. If he makes it back to the Championship 4, the three others should be on high alert.
At least one of these aforementioned contenders will ultimately fall short of the Championship 4. This fabulous fivesome have been 2025’s standard of excellence in Trucks. Alas, there are no guarantees over the next seven races. All 10 contenders will have a shot at making the Championship 4, and possibly upsetting one of these heavyweights. It will be fun to see who starts off on the right foot at Darlington Raceway in two weeks.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to James Gilbert/Getty Images
