What’s Happening?

The Truck Series returned after a one-week hiatus for another short track race, this time at Bristol Motor Speedway. Despite constant threat of rain, which even caused qualifying and practice to be canceled, the race started and finished in its scheduled window.

Notes

• NASCAR utilized PJ1 on the racetrack, an unpopular decision among drivers.
• Kyle Larson started the race with the quest of going 3 for 3 this weekend, as he is competing in all series. He drove the 07 for Spire Motorsports on the Truck Race.
• Chandler Smith reduces the gap to the points leader, Corey Heim, from 36 to 18 points. 3rd place, Ty Majeski, is 57 points behind Heim.

Learn More about the race here

Is Chandler Smith the championship favorite?

Chandler Smith gave no chance to his competitors on Friday night, leading 127 of the 250 laps completed. After 2 years absent from the series, his return has not disappointed. He’s 6 for 6 in top 10s and has finished in the top 5 in half. It seems like Corey Heim is getting all the credit for running up front this year, but trust me, Chandler Smith is right up there with him, as he may not have had the raw speed to stay up front and lead as much as Heim has, but he is consistent, very consistent. He has no finish worse than 8th and has a series-best 5.3 (!) average finish through 6 races, a full position better than second-best Corey Heim. Oh! and he took home a $50k prize. Not bad, huh?

Truth is, Chandler and Corey are in a different league compared to everyone else, but only one of them was under the spotlight, and after straight up beating Heim himself and the Cup Series star Kyle Larson, this is a statement win for him. He is, indeed, back on the Truck Series, and though it’s early, don’t be surprised if he is one of the first to lock himself into the championship four and contend for that championship, and if what we’ve seen so far is any indicative, Corey Heim will be his main threat, and speaking of which…

Corey Heim Keeps Impressing

It seemed like an off day for Heim, as he started fourth but quickly fell down the order during the first stage. For the first time, it seemed like the 11 was having an off day in 2025… but not really. Heim finished fourth on stage 2 and battled for the win late, ending up in third spot.

His 2025 success, however, is no surprise, at least it shouldn’t be. He is only 22 years old and is getting better after every season. His stats are steadily improving. He won 3 races in 2023, then 6 in 2024. His career 9.0 average finish is impressive, not to mention his 1656 laps led, which ranks him 16th on the all-time list with just under 3 full-time seasons. Heim will keep improving and soon will certainly be a Cup Series driver.

Kyle Larson Needs to Clean It Up… or Does He?

For most of the race, it seemed like Larson wasn’t even in it, and that’s definitely not what you’d expect from the Cup Series star. Still, you can never count him out, and surely he will be up in front sooner or later, but what does he do?

Another mistake. At this point, we’ve all asked the question “When will that stop?” but I guess we should start asking, “Will it ever?”. Larson is one of the greatest drivers to ever step in this sport, but that does not take away from the fact that he makes too many, too costly, too big mistakes, and too often. Pushing it to the limit certainly puts you on edge, on the verge of mistakes, but when you constantly look like a rookie, that’s a problem. It does not look like the dominant version of Larson that we all saw in 2021. But hey, we’re in 2025; does consistency really matter?

Incredibly, Larson overcame the penalty to finish 2nd. The problem with Kyle is certainly not talent; that is not up for debate. The problem is that he is too fast—way too fast. But being that fast requires an equally strong “braking” capability; if you’re on edge every time, you often will pay the price. If Larson wants to keep paying the price, that is his choice, but that way, it is unlikely that he’ll ever lose the fame of “hit or miss,” and I’m not sure the people responsible for his equipment love said fame.

The Field is the Cleanest of the Top 3 Series, but NASCAR Doesn’t Seem to Like That

It seems like NASCAR officials don’t want you to see it, but that is reality. While the Xfinity Series drivers are causing pandemonium on short tracks and the Cup Series seem allergic to races playing out naturally, the Truck Series has easily been the cleanest series on the top divisions. Barely any contacts or wrecks, with races that play out naturally with the deserving runners finishing up front. No crazy wrecks or blocks. Of course, there are spinners and wreckers here and there, but usually nothing egregious or that changes the outcome of a race, and that is racing.

Not so long ago, the Truck Series was labeled (reasonably) as a demolition derby. It was a near certainty that every race would have a record of cautions, bad moves, paybacks, and penalties for rough driving… but that seems to be gone now, and for good.

NASCAR officials, however, don’t seem to enjoy this, as they keep throwing cautions for unknown reasons, forcing restarts late in the race, and it’s hard to understand what they are trying to achieve with it; do I think NASCAR is “manipulating the race” to make it more entertaining? Absolutely not. But how can you keep on making the same mistakes over and over and over again? On Friday, absolutely, they were way too quick on the trigger. I would mention Fox and the fact that they can miss a 4-car wreck on a half-mile track, but I’m sure I will have other opportunities in the near future, so I’m saving that one for later. Officials’s inconsistency has been a popular topic to discuss this year, and it’s not getting better.

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