Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to crown a champion in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
On Friday night (Nov. 8) when the checkered flag flies at Phoenix Raceway, the Truck Series will crown a brand-new champion, as all four drivers vying for the crown have never won it before.
It’s time to break down this year’s Championship 4 and give a pick in advance of the 150-lap champion-deciding showdown out west.
The Championship 4
Wins: 6
Best Points Finish: 4th (2023)
Best Phoenix Finish 7th (2022)
For the second year in a row, the driver of the TRICON Garage No. 11 Toyota enters the season finale far and away the championship favorite. Things didn’t quite work out in his favor last season (more on that later), so Heim enters Phoenix with a chip on his shoulder — and likely a vengeance too.
With a series-leading six wins on the season, Heim’s 2025 plans are still up in the air — he could be staying in the Truck Series another season, or he could (and should) be moving up to either the Xfinity or Cup series next season. A championship could easily accelerate talks with teams (mainly Toyota stables) to figure out where he will compete in 2025.
It will be very hard to take the title from Heim, just as it was last year. But he has one big obstacle standing in his way, and that’s in the form of the No. 19 truck.
Wins: 4
Best Points Finish: 5th (2023)
Best Phoenix Finish: Winner (2023)
Eckes was one lapped truck away from winning Bristol Motor Speedway last year, which would have sent him into the Championship 4. He then went on to win Phoenix, which would have made him the champion. So just like Heim, Eckes enters Phoenix seeking a little bit of redemption.
Not only does Eckes enter the championship fight as the defending winner of Phoenix, which already gives him and his team some momentum, but he also enters in a much better position than last year. Four wins on the season to this point have kept him in the hunt with Heim throughout the season, even besting the No. 11 for the regular season championship.
Eckes and the No. 19 have all the confidence in the world right now as the most recent winners at Martinsville Speedway and the aforementioned defending winner at Phoenix. However, with his Martinsville win came some foes that might have a say in whether or not he can come away with a title. Though he…
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