After two weeks off, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to action on Saturday (Aug. 10) at Richmond Raceway.
However, it isn’t just any other race. This is the final race before the playoffs begin at the Milwaukee Mile on Aug. 25.
Seven drivers have locked themselves in already, either on wins or on points. However, there’s still a lot to be decided. A regular-season championship is still at stake, while seven drivers can mathematically point their way into the last three playoff spots available.
Meanwhile, the owner playoffs look vastly different from the driver playoffs. So let’s break down three big things to watch for heading into the regular-season finale at Richmond.
Christian Eckes Looks to Put Away Regular Season Title
The battle for the championship is just beginning between Corey Heim and Christian Eckes. The pair have dominated the entire 2024 season, winning eight of the 15 races that have been completed this year.
The two have gone tit-for-tat in wins and overall finishes. However Eckes has slowly opened the gap on Heim due to some poor finishes on the latter’s part. One of those finishes was a disqualification from second at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which likely was the dagger in Heim’s regular-season title hopes.
Entering Richmond, Eckes holds a 50-point lead over Heim. As the maximum one can earn in a single race is 60 points, Heim needs a lot of help if he wants any outside chance at the bonus 15 playoff points.
Heim basically needs Eckes to crash out in the first stage, then for himself to go on to sweep the stages and win the race. A low probability, but the unpredictability of NASCAR could lend its hand if it so wanted to.
However, the likely scenario is that Eckes locks up the regular-season title, and its bonus 15 playoff points, following stage one of the 250-lap race.
Thr 15 bonus points will leapfrog Eckes over Heim in playoff standings, and he will start the playoffs as the top seed. Just another layer in the Eckes-Heim rivalry that has become the major storyline in 2024.
Three More Playoff Spots Up For Grabs
Following the Truck Series’ last race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Tyler Ankrum and Grant Enfinger locked themselves in on points. Add in the five winners we’ve seen this season, and now just three spots remain in the 10-spot field.
Currently occupying the final spots are the brothers Gray, Taylor and Tanner, and Ben Rhodes, who currently…
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