After running just six races through the first 11 weeks of the season, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicks off a stretch of 10 events over the next 12 weeks to set this year’s playoff field.
Beginning at Darlington Raceway this weekend, three drivers are already essentially locked in, barring eight more winners (unlikely but not impossible), and that also means there are still seven more playoff spots up for grabs.
Regardless of what happens, Zane Smith‘s two victories ensure his spot, while Chandler Smith and Ben Rhodes with one win apiece have them semi-safe and able to take more chances in the coming weeks to grab more playoff points.
Meanwhile, there are several drivers who have the opportunity to turn their seasons around over the stretch of the next 10 races.
Grant Enfinger currently holds the first spot outside the top 10 in the championship standings and sits just nine points out of the last playoff position. But what’s interesting to note is that, despite missing the second race of the season last year and piecing his schedule together with two teams, Enfinger remained inside the top 10 in the standings.
Coming into this year, I thought for sure that Enfinger would be in a better position with consistency in his race team from week to week. And that may still end up being the case since he’s only six races into the ride with GMS Racing. But finishes of 29th and 23rd to open the year put the No. 23 team in a hole it’s been trying to dig out of ever since.
The last three races have been a trio of top 10s for Enfinger, however, consistency inside the top 10 isn’t going to cut it with the level of competition in the series this season. He’s going to have to find a way to lead laps and run up front more frequently to be taken seriously as a championship contender, something he should have been last season.
After taking a gamble on himself following a rather lackluster 2020 campaign in the NASCAR Cup Series, John Hunter Nemechek…
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