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Meet the 2024 Truck Series Playoffs Field, Part I

Caradoc Wyn August 15, 2024

Finally it’s here.

The 2024 Craftsman Truck Series playoffs are just around the corner.

The field of 10 drivers was determined at the regular season finale at Richmond Raceway and includes a mix of playoff rookies and playoff regulars.

Four drivers represent the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing team (including technically affiliated CR7 Motorsports), two represent ThorSport Racing, two represent TRICON Garage, and two represent the Spire Motorsports team (including technically affiliated Rev Racing).

As a reminder, the Truck Series playoffs are held over seven races. After three races, the two drivers with the lowest points are eliminated and form the round of eight. In the next three races, four more drivers are eliminated. The remaining four drivers form the Championship 4.

The best of these four drivers at Phoenix Raceway will be crowned the 2024 champion.

Want to know who to watch out for in the next seven races? Then you’ve come to the right place. Fortunately, the Truck Series has a week off before the playoff opener on August 25th at the Milwaukee Mile. Over the next two weeks Front line prepares you for the Truck Series and introduces the 10 candidates for the championship.

This week we’re highlighting the top five drivers in order of their playoff placement – coincidentally, these five drivers are the only full-time drivers to have won so far this season.

No. 1 – Corey Heim

Points: 2041
Wins: 5
Best points result: 4th (2023)

For the second year in a row, Corey Heim goes into the playoffs as the top seed and one of the favorites. Although he was unable to win the championship title in the regular season like last year, he was able to collect a lot of playoff points with his five season victories and several stage wins in the first 16 races.

Heim heads into the 2024 playoffs aiming to win the championship this time around after being knocked out of the lead by Carson Hocevar last year. A late-race retaliation attempt resulted in a penalty from NASCAR that dropped him to fourth in the final standings, a result not exactly representative of the No. 11 team’s incredible season.

Heim has had a season as good – if not better – than last year and is well capable of avenging his title loss a year ago. However, there is one driver who stands in his way more than most other playoff contenders.

No. 2 – Christian Eckes

Points: 2038
Wins: 3
Best points result: 5th (2023)

If there is anyone who could spoil the party again (albeit cleanly), it is Christian Eckes.

Although he only has three wins to his name and Heim has five, Eckes was able to secure the regular season championship title by a large margin thanks to a combination of more stage wins and better consistency than Heim.

Similar to Heim, Eckes is also aiming for a small amount of redemption starting in 2023.

Eckes was just a few laps away from a dominant win at Bristol Motor Speedway last year before Heim snatched the win from him by lapping him. The lapped driver was Heim’s teammate Tanner Gray, which led to a minor controversy over the question of team order.

This victory would have secured Eckes a place in the Championship 4, but unfortunately he was eliminated without the win. But that was not all, because Eckes won the championship race at Phoenix Raceway.

If Eckes had won the race in Bristol, victory in Phoenix would have given him the championship.

But Eckes and the No. 19 team used his momentum boost at the end of 2023 to catapult themselves into a great 2024, and they’re looking to keep going until the end this season. It’s no secret that Eckes and Heim are the two favorites, and if their meeting at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park says anything, it’s that it’s going to be a hard-fought battle until the end.

No. 3 – Ty Majeski

Points: 2023
Wins: 2
Best score: 4th (2022)

While Heim has cooled off a bit before the playoffs and Eckes has maintained the status quo, Ty Majeski is riding high on momentum heading to his home track in Milwaukee.

The No. 98 team has been winning in the last two races before the playoffs, and Majeski has managed to get going at just the right time, as he now wants the championship battle to be between the Big Three, not the top two.

Man, I guess the top three are all going into this year’s playoffs with a grudge, because Majeski is looking to make amends, too. When the No. 98 team competed in Milwaukee last year, it was investigated for a tire violation and later heavily penalized, which ended the team’s playoff chances before they could really get going.

The penalty was the result of unnecessary testing by the team. Last season, Milwaukee was the second race of the Round of 10 after IRP. Majeski won that race at IRP, securing a spot in the next round. There was no reason to jeopardize the rest of his playoffs, but it happened. Ultimately, Majeski could be considered the favorite for the Championship 4 – assuming his team can stay out of its own way.

No. 4 – Nick Sanchez

Points: 2018
Wins: 2
Best score: 6th (2023)

Nick Sanchez, the last Truck Series regular with multiple season wins, started the season off right by winning the first trophy of his career at the opening race at Daytona International Speedway. After being in the saddle since week one, the No. 2 team is now focused on figuring out what works and what doesn’t in preparation for the playoffs.

That included a second win at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which only cemented his place in the playoffs. Sanchez already has a year of experience under his belt, having made the playoffs as a rookie in 2023. He knows the pressure that the playoffs bring and is better prepared to face the challenge.

A sixth place finish is nothing to sneeze at for a rookie, but Sanchez is capable of more this season and it will be exciting to see what he can achieve.

As long as he can keep his hands off the matter. In the truest sense of the word.

I’m kidding, of course, but Sanchez was obviously known less for his rookie playoff streak than for his battle with Matt Crafton after Talladega Superspeedway. This year, Sanchez could be a dark horse for the title if he stays out of trouble.

Then he can get a lot more positive publicity this time.

No. 5 – Rajah Caruth

Points: 2009
Wins: 1
Best points result: 16th (2023)

A breakthrough win early in the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway gives Rajah Caruth his best points finish by at least six spots, if not better depending on how his playoffs go. Since that win, however, Caruth’s season has been nothing but mediocre.

In the six races between Martinsville Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, the No. 71 never finished higher than 12th. However, Caruth has regained momentum and has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four races since then, with his best result being fourth at Nashville.

With the intermediate tracks like Kansas Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway and some success here and there at short tracks (four of which make up the seven playoff races), it could be a good playoff run for Caruth. While expectations of a championship might be a bit far-fetched (at least given the competition ahead of him), a top-five or top-six finish isn’t unreasonable.

Especially considering that team didn’t exist until this season. When GMS Racing folded its doors last year, Caruth was brought into the Spire family as one of two full-time expansion teams for the team’s Truck Series efforts. The success he had in the No. 71 team’s first year of existence only bodes well for years to come.

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Next week, we’ll take a look at the Nos. 6-10 seeds that complete the playoff field as the series prepares to head to Milwaukee.

Trucker treats

Following the disastrous end to the Cup Series at Richmond Raceway, penalties were announced on Wednesday (August 14). However, it’s worth going back to Layne Riggs’ penalty from Nashville, where he was given a two-lap penalty for reckless driving. Riggs had driven Stefan Parsons into the wall after a fierce battle between the two. If that was enough reckless driving, there’s no reason Austin Dillon shouldn’t be penalized for reckless driving at Richmond for something far more egregious than what Riggs did. NASCAR needs to provide more clarity on the penalty for reckless driving, and while penalties have been imposed, it needs to look at enforcing them more fairly – rather than giving the impression that every two years or so it suddenly remembers the rule exists.
Lawless Alan will spend his week off making his Xfinity Series debut at Michigan International Speedway, driving the No. 15 for AM Racing, the same car that his former rival Hailie Deegan was released from a few races ago.
Other Truck Series regulars spending their off week racing in the Xfinity race include playoff drivers Daniel Dye and Taylor Gray. Dye returns to Kaulig Racing’s part-time No. 10, while Gray is back behind the wheel of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19.

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