It’s officially race week for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and it heads to the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday (Aug. 25) for the first race of the 2024 Truck Series playoffs.
10 drivers are in the chase for the title. Last week, we introduced the first five drivers in playoff seeding. This week, let’s meet the back half of this year’s playoff field as the series gets ready to head to America’s Dairyland. None of these guys have wins on the season, but they are all just as capable of coming away with the crown.
No. 6 — Grant Enfinger
Points: 2007
Wins: 0
Best points finish: 2nd (2023)
Last season, Grant Enfinger was just a few laps away from finally collecting his first Truck Series championship in what could’ve been the greatest walk-off win for GMS Racing’s final start. However, that never materialized, and through 29 additional laps of overtime, Enfinger found himself one spot short of the title.
This season, Enfinger jumped ship to CR7 Motorsports, a team that hasn’t finished better than 24th in points. Largely an underdog team since infancy, CR7 signed Enfinger, formed an alliance with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing and acquired some of GMS’ equipment. Now the team has seen measured improvement, with Enfinger nearly capturing the team’s first win on several occasions.
Now guaranteed a spot no worse than 10th in points, CR7 and Enfinger now look to complete a redemption story and an underdog story all in one season. The team has had speed, with Enfinger riding a streak of three top fives and four top 10s going into the playoffs. If they can just crack victory lane even once in the playoffs, that could be the tipping point for a championship run.
And what a story that would be.
No. 7 — Tyler Ankrum
Points: 2007
Wins: 0
Best points finish: 8th (2019)
Signing with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing may have been the best thing to happen to Tyler Ankrum. While still winless on the year, Ankrum has shown insane improvement from years past, making the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and for just the third time in his career.
Ankrum is still searching for his first win since 2019, when his only career win came at Kentucky Speedway. The 2018 K&N Pro Series East (now ARCA Menards Series East) champion has found new life with MHR, boasting a career-high in top fives with seven races still to go. A small drop in finishes in April and early May arguably prevented Ankrum from being seeded higher in the playoffs, but if he can keep up the performance he’s had recently, he could be a dark horse for the Championship 4.
Ankrum and Enfinger are technically tied in points to start the playoffs, each with 2007. However the tiebreaker was points finish in the regular season. As Enfinger finished fifth and Ankrum sixth, Enfinger technically starts as the sixth seed. But all Ankrum needs is to go earn playoff points to leapfrog over him and better his chances at a championship.
No. 8 — Taylor Gray
Points: 2003
Wins: 0
Best points finish: 15th (2023 – part-time rookie)
In his first official full-time season (he missed the first three races of 2023 due to age), Taylor Gray is one of three drivers to make his first playoff appearance this season. He does so with TRICON Garage, the team he’s driven for his whole career, as his grandfather — famed NHRA racer Johnny Gray — co-owns the team. His brother Tanner Gray also drives for the team and just barely missed the opportunity to join his brother as a first-time playoff contender.
Gray started the season flipping at Daytona International Speedway after he was poised for a top-five finish, maybe even a win. He then went on to finish in the top 10 in seven of the next eight races. Gray also had a slump similar to Ankrum, his coming in May and June, but has since finished top five in two of the most recent three races.
Despite Gray’s ability to run up front this season, his lack of playoff points puts him way back in eighth to start the playoffs, one point to the good on the cut line. Gray’s having a career year so far, and he can extend it further. If he can grab some playoff points throughout the playoffs, he can make a deep run for the championship.
No. 9 — Ben Rhodes
Points: 2002
Wins: 0
Best points finish: 1st (2021, 2023)
Ben Rhodes is the only champion to make this year’s playoffs, and not only does he have two of them, but he’s also the reigning champion. He won the title last year after Corey Heim and Carson Hocevar took each other out, and he was able to avoid trouble that Enfinger couldn’t to take home his second crown.
Not to mention, Rhodes finished second in the championship in 2022, as he couldn’t quite get to Zane Smith to win it all. It isn’t talked about near as much as it should, but Rhodes was one spot away from entering these playoffs as the three-time defending champion.
This year, however, has been anything but a title defense for Rhodes.
The No. 99 team is winless so far in 2024 and hasn’t shown many signs of winning speed anyway. Rhodes only has two top fives this season: a third at Darlington Raceway and a fifth two races later at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He only has four additional top 10s, though — oddly enough — they’re all seventh-place finishes.
Rhodes is one of only two ThorSport Racing trucks (Ty Majeski) to make this year’s playoffs, so one can’t be faulted for thinking that the Sandusky, Ohio-based team has taken a step back this year. However, Rhodes wasn’t really a huge title contender last year, only scoring one win. Then he went on to win the title.
That’s the way it goes sometimes in NASCAR playoff racing. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. Maybe the No. 99 team can find some more luck in the final seven to earn his third crown.
No. 10 — Daniel Dye
Points: 2001
Wins: 0
Best points finish: 18th
The third and final driver to make his first playoffs, Daniel Dye made a little bit of history in doing so. He became the first driver in NASCAR’s playoff era to bump his way into the playoffs after starting the regular-season finale on the outside looking in. Dye took advantage of a faltering Tanner Gray to earn the 10th and final playoff spot.
Dye’s sophomore season has been miles better than his rookie season in 2023. Like his teammate Ankrum, Dye was probably better off joining MHR for 2024, though Dye was a GMS acquisition after the team’s closure. After earning just one top 10 in 2023, Dye has already sextupled that in 2024, earning six top 10s, including a career-best runner-up finish at Nashville Superspeedway.
Dye understands the pressure and drive it takes to even make the playoffs based on his playoff cut line battle with Gray. Now he can take what he learned and apply it to the playoffs so he can have a shot at advancing through to the Championship 4. Being seeded 10th means he has a long uphill battle ahead of him, but if there’s anyone up to the challenge, it’s Dye.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoffs kick off at the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 4 p.m. ET. Coverage for the LiUNA! 175 can be found on FOX Sports 1 for television and Motor Racing Network for radio.
Truckin’ Tidbits
- Matt Gould will make his Truck Series debut with Niece Motorsports, driving the part-time No. 44. Gould is the son of Phil Gould, who crew chiefs Niece’s rotational No. 45. Conor Daly is the only other driver to pilot the No. 44.
- Dexter Bean will return to Milwaukee, driving the No. 02 for Young’s Motorsports. Bean’s last Truck Series attempt was last year’s Milwaukee race, driving for his self-owned Blackjack Racing team. He failed to qualify.
About the author
Anthony Damcott joined Frontstretch in March 2022. Currently, he is an editor and co-authors Fire on Fridays (Fridays); he is also the primary Truck Series reporter/writer and secondary short track writer. He also serves as an at-track reporter and assists with social media when he can. A proud West Virginia Wesleyan College alum from Akron, Ohio, Anthony is now a grad student. He is a theatre actor and fight-choreographer-in-training in his free time.
You can keep up with Anthony by following @AnthonyDamcott on X.
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