NASCAR racing returns to Kansas Speedway: drivers to watch in Friday’s trucks race
Chandler Smith and Grant Enfinger, by virtue of their wins at Indianapolis and Richmond, respectively, have clinched berths to the second round of the NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series playoffs.
The winner of the Kansas Lottery 200 on Friday night at Kansas Speedway will join them in the next round, while two of 10 playoff drivers will be eliminated.
Here’s a look at five contenders who must win to advance or hope to qualify on points.
Zane Smith, No 38 Ford
Smith, the regular-season champion, tied Chandler Smith with a series-best three wins this season, including a dominating victory at Kansas Speedway. But Smith, 23, the playoffs runner-up in each of the last two seasons, is coming off finishes of third at Indianapolis and ninth at Richmond.
John Hunter Nemechek, No. 4 Toyota
Nemechek, nephew of former NASCAR Cup veteran and Kansas Speedway champion “Front Row” Joe Nemechek, won at Darlington in May and owns 12 career victories. In his last four starts at Kansas Speedway, the 25-year-old Nemechek has finished third, fourth, fifth and sixth.
Ty Majeski, No. 66 Toyota
Majeski, 28, has yet to win in 38 career trucks races but has eight top fives in 18 starts this year, including second to Zane Smith at Kansas. He led 73 straight laps at Richmond but had to hit the brakes when his jackman fell in front of him in the pits, and he settled for third. Majeski posted three ARCA series wins last year and was third at Kansas.
Ben Rhodes, No. 99 Toyota
Rhodes, the defending series champion, has just one win this season, on the dirt at Bristol, and six top five finishes. Rhodes, 25, finished second at Indianapolis but slumped badly to 18th at Richmond. Rhodes has finished 10th in his last two starts at Kansas, and was a career-best second in 2019.
Matt Crafton, No. 88 Toyota
Crafton, a teammate with Majeski and Rhodes at Duke Thorson Racing, is looking for his first win of the season and owns just one top five. But the three-time series champion knows Kansas Speedway well, having won in 2013, 2015 and 2020. Crafton, 46, has made a series-record 516 starts and has 15 wins
This story was originally published September 7, 2022 at 5:00 AM.