Three drivers occupy comfortable positions, and two are in peril as the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series visits Kansas Speedway for Friday’s Kubota Tractor 200 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Based on their respective performances in the first two events of the series Playoffs, Christian Eckes, Corey Heim and Nick Sanchez already have clinched berths in the Round of 8.
On the other hand, both defending series champion Ben Rhodes and Playoff newbie Daniel Dye face elimination if they can’t erase 12- and seven-point deficits, respectively, to the current cut line for the next round.
Heim, Eckes and eighth-place Grant Enfinger are the three most recent Kansas winners. Heim dominated the 2024 spring race, winning the first stage, finishing second in Stage 2 and beating Zane Smith to the finish line by 1.088 seconds.
The remarkable aspect of the Playoffs so far doesn’t involve a Playoff driver. Rookie Layne Riggs, driving the No. 38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, won his first two NCTS races in the Playoff events at the Milwaukee Mile and Bristol Motor Speedway.
The 22-year-old from Bahama, N.C., goes for a sweep of the round on Friday.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling of what this team and I have accomplished these past two races,” said Riggs, son of former NASCAR driver Scott Riggs. “It stings a little that we’re not in the Playoffs, but that pushes us even more.
“I’m a rookie driver with a rookie crew chief (Dylan Cappello). It wasn’t going to be easy, but things are starting to click, and I’m proud of the progression we’ve made as a group.”
— NASCAR News Wire —