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  • Chase Briscoe claims upset victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington, advances to the Playoffs

    Chase Briscoe claims upset victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington, advances to the Playoffs

    DARLINGTON, S.C. — Darlington Raceway lived up to its reputation Saturday night to a sold-out crowd as the track “Too Tough to Tame” delivered all the twists and turns we’ve come to expect.

    The Southern 500 was the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season and emotions ran high in anticipation of the upcoming series Playoffs. When the checkered flag waved, Chase Briscoe crossed the finish line first in his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to win the Southern 500, secure his spot in the Playoffs and emerge as the regular season champion. It was Briscoe’s second career win in the series.

    But it wasn’t easy one as he held off a hard-charging Kyle Busch in the final closing laps. Busch was also fighting for a spot in the Playoffs but came up short finishing 0.361 seconds behind Briscoe.

    “I was sideways, countersteering. I felt like I was in a Sprint Car,” Briscoe said. “Yeah, this night just literally went perfect. The pit crew did an incredible job and I was crying after the checkered because I just won the Southern 500.

    “This is a crown jewel and what makes this race so special is all you race fans. Every time we come here it’s sold out. It’s awesome and we love you guys. The last time I won here was during COVID, so I didn’t get the experience with the fans, so I’m grateful you guys are here and I can’t wait to celebrate.”

    After the race, a disappointed Busch described the final laps as he raced Briscoe for the win.

    “I’m proud of everyone on the No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet team today for finishing second. We didn’t have much speed throughout the majority of the race. We were just mired in traffic, and we weren’t able to get up through the field. Once we did get up there, I felt like we were going to have a shot at running in the top five during those last three or four restarts. But then we had a shot for the win and just couldn’t make it up there.

    “We needed Chase Briscoe to have about three more laps on his tires, maybe. If his tires would have been just a little bit more used up, I could have gotten there. I got within his wake, and as soon as I got within his wake I felt my car come out of the racetrack and I didn’t have enough to overpower that. I really hate it for everybody at RCR because we’ve put a lot of effort and work into our Chevrolets.

    “We didn’t have much speed there through a majority of the race,” Busch said. “We were just mired in traffic, and we weren’t able to get up through there. “But once we got up there, I felt like those last three or four restarts, we were going to have a shot running in the top-5. But then we had a shot for the win and just couldn’t make it up there.”

    It will be the first time Busch has missed the Playoffs since 2012,

    Christopher Bell finished third, followed by Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Corey LaJoie and Tyler Reddick to complete the top 10.

    Kyle Larson led 263 laps and won the first two stages but his fourth-place finish left him one point short of claiming the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season title which went to 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick. Larson will, however, start the Playoffs as the No. 1 seed with 40 Playoff points.

    Buescher’s sixth-place finish, unfortunately, was not enough to advance him to the Playoffs as Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs advanced based on points earned throughout the season even though both were involved in wrecks.

    Playoff Standings:

    1. Kyle Larson (2,040 points)
    2. Christopher Bell (2,032 points, -8)
    3. Tyler Reddick (2,028 points, -12)
    4. William Byron (2,022 points, -18)
    5. Ryan Blaney (2,018 points, -22)
    6. Denny Hamlin (2,015 points, -25)
    7. Chase Elliott (2,014 points, -26)
    8. Brad Keselowski (2,008 points, -32)
    9. Joey Logano (2,007 points, -33)
    10. Austin Cindric (2,007 points, -33)
    11. Daniel Suárez (2,006 points, -34)
    12. Alex Bowman (2,005 points, -35)
    13. Chase Briscoe (2,005 points, -35)
    14. Harrison Burton (2,005 points, -35)
    15. Ty Gibbs (2,004 points, -36)
    16. Martin Truex Jr. (2,004 points, -36)
  • Layne Riggs spoils the 2024 Playoff opener with first Truck career victory at Milwaukee

    Layne Riggs spoils the 2024 Playoff opener with first Truck career victory at Milwaukee

    For a second time since the inception of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Playoff format, a non-Playoff contender stole the final spotlight in the Playoff opener as rookie Layne Riggs dominated the final stage and cruised to his first Craftsman Truck Series career victory in the LiUNA! 175 at the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday, August 25.

    The 22-year-old, second-generation racer from Bahama, North Carolina, led the final 53 of 175-scheduled laps in an event where he qualified in 16th place but methodically drove his way to the front, where he would spend the majority of the event running upfront with a bevy of Playoff contenders.

    Then after notching a total of 13 stage points between the event’s first two stage periods, Riggs flexed his horsepower at the start of the final stage period with 56 laps remaining to move into second place before he then muscled past Playoff contender Ty Majeski for the lead three laps remaining. With the lead in his sole possession, Riggs would maintain it for the remainder of the event and beat Majeski by one-and-a-half seconds to score his first elusive Truck Series career win.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, August 24, Playoff contender Ty Majeski notched his fourth Truck pole position of the 2024 season after he posted a pole-winning lap at 122.556 mph in 29.815 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Tanner Gray, who posted the second-fastest qualifying lap at 122.469 mph in 29.836 seconds.

    Prior to the event, Playoff contender Rajah Caruth and Justin Carroll dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective trucks.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Ty Majeski rocketed his No. 98 Road Ranger/Soda Sense Ford F-150 ahead with a strong start from the inside lane and he retained the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch while Playoff contender Christian Eckes, who started behind Majeski on the inside lane, used every inch of the first two turns to muscle his No. 19 NAPA Chevrolet Silverado RST past Tanner Gray’s No. 15 Dead On Tools Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for the runner-up spot. As the field behind jostled for early spots, Majeski proceeded to lead the first lap.

    Over the next four laps, Majeski stabilized his lead to as high as six-tenths of a second over runner-up Eckes while Playoff contenders Corey Heim and Nick Sanchez made their way into third and fourth, respectively, ahead of Tanner Gray and Kaden Honeycutt. With William Sawalich, winner of the ARCA Menards Series event at Milwaukee earlier in the day, running in seventh, Playoff contenders and teammates Tyler Ankrum and Daniel Dye followed suit in the top nine while rookie Layne Riggs occupied 10th place ahead of Playoff contender Grant Enfinger.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Majeski extended his early advantage to more than a second over Eckes while Heim, Sanchez and Honeycutt followed suit in the top five ahead of Tanner Gray, William Sawalich, Ankrum, Daniel Dye and Riggs. Behind, Enfinger retained 11th place ahead of Matt Crafton, with Playoff contenders Ben Rhodes and Taylor Gray occupying 13th and 14th, respectively, ahead of Sammy Smith, Jake Garcia, Dean Thompson, Matt Mills, Chase Purdy and Ty Dillon. Meanwhile, Playoff contender Rajah Caruth was up to 24th place after starting at the rear of the field while Bayley Currey plummeted to 36th place, dead last, due to pitting under green from the top-15 mark after getting squeezed into the frontstretch’s outside wall by Taylor Gray and Crafton that cut Currey’s left-front tire on the sixth lap.

    Ten laps later, Majeski’s advantage was reduced to eight-tenths of a second over Eckes as Heim and Sanchez trailed the lead as far back as five seconds. Behind, Ankrum retained eighth place and was running two spots ahead of Dye while Enfinger, Rhodes, and Taylor Gray were running 11th, 13th, and 14ty, respectively. By then, Caruth was still mired in 23rd as Honeycutt continued to run as the highest non-Playoff contender in fifth place ahead of Tanner Gray and Sawalich.

    Another 15 laps later, Majeski regained his wide advantage from early in the race as he was now leading by more than a second over Eckes. Behind, Heim continued to fend off Sanchez in third place, where the former was ahead of the latter by half a second, while Honeycutt retained fifth place ahead of Tanner Gray, Sawalich, Ankrum, Dye and Riggs. Meanwhile, Caruth cracked the top 20 as he was running in 20th place behind Matt Mills while Playoff contenders Enfinger, Ben Rhodes and Taylor Gray remained in 11th, 13th and 14th, respectively.

    Then on Lap 42, Eckes took advantage of Majeski getting mired behind lapped traffic, starting through the backstretch and through Turns 3 and 4 before returning to the frontstretch, to move into the lead as he used the outside lane to overtake Majeski along with lapped competitors Bret Holmes and Chase Purdy. Eckes proceeded to stretch his advantage to more than a second just past the Lap 45 mark while Heim, Sanchez and Honeycutt trailed the lead as far back as six seconds.

    Then on Lap 47, the event’s first caution period flew when Jayson Alexander got loose and hit the outside wall in Turn 3, where his truck came to a stop. During the caution period, nearly the entire field led by Eckes pitted while Ty Dillon and Jake Garcia remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Eckes exited pit road first ahead of Majeski, Sanchez, Heim, Riggs and Dye, respectively. Amid the pit stops, Heim was sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road.

    With the caution period being extended towards the first stage’s conclusion period at Lap 55, the first stage period officially concluded under caution. As a result, Ty Dillon, who remained on the track, claimed his first Truck stage victory of the 2024 season. Jake Garcia, who also remained on the track, followed suit in second ahead of Eckes, Majeski and Sanchez while Riggs, Dye, Tanner Gray, Taylor Gray and Ankrum were scored in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Enfinger, Rhodes, Caruth and Heim were mired back in 13th, 18th, 19th and 22nd, respectively, as they missed the first round of opportunities for stage points.

    Under the stage break and extended caution period, select names including the leader Ty Dillon, Garcia, Stewart Friesen, Conner Jones and Chase Purdy pitted while the rest led by Eckes remained on the track.

    Amid an extended caution period, where Dexter Bean stalled on the frontstretch just past the Lap 60 mark, the second stage period started on Lap 62 under green as Eckes and Majeski occupied the front row. At the start, Eckes muscled ahead of Majeski to retain the lead through the first two turns and from the inside lane while Riggs overtook Majeski for the runner-up spot entering the backstretch. As Eckes proceeded to lead the following lap, Riggs followed suit in second ahead of Majeski, Sanchez and the Gray brothers while Crafton was battling Dye for seventh place ahead of Ankrum, Honeycutt and Enfinger.

    By Lap 70, Eckes maintained a narrow lead over Riggs as Majeski, Sanchez and Tanner Gray followed suit in the top five. Eckes would proceed to slightly stabilize his advantage to three-tenths of a second by Lap 75 over Riggs as Majeski, Sanchez and Tanner Gray continued to trail in the top five. Meanwhile, Heim, who restarted just outside the top 20 amid his pit road speeding penalty, was up to 14th place in his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro behind Rhodes while Taylor Gray, Dye, Crafton, Ankrum and Honeycutt rounded out the top 10 ahead of Enfinger and Dean Thompson. Amid the battles upfront for a majority of the Playoff contenders, Caruth was mired back in 20th place.

    Ten laps later, Eckes retained the lead by half a second over Riggs, with third-place Majeski trailing the lead by a second and fourth-place Sanchez trailing by more than two seconds. Behind, the Gray brothers retained fifth and sixth, with older brother Tanner racing ahead of younger brother Taylor, while Dye occupied seventh place as he was two spots ahead of teammate Ankrum.

    At the halfway mark between Laps 87 and 88, Eckes extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Majeski and Riggs as Sanchez, Tanner Gray, Taylor Gray, Dye, Crafton, Anrkum and Honeycutt followed suit in the top 10 ahead of Enfinger, Rhodes, Thompson, Heim, Sammy Smith, Ty Dillon, Matt Mills, Caruth, Garcia and Sawalich.

    Through the Lap 100 mark, Eckes stabilized his advantage to more than two seconds over Majeski while Riggs, Sanchez and Taylor Gray trailed the lead as far back as six seconds. By then, Playoff contenders Dye and Ankrum were in sixth and ninth, respectively, while Enfinger, Rhodes and Heim trailed in the top 13. In addition, Caruth was mired back in 18th place behind Dillon and Mills.

    When the second stage period concluded on Lap 110, Eckes cruised to his ninth Truck stage victory of the 2024 season. Majeski followed suit in second ahead of Riggs, Sanchez and Taylor Gray while Dye, Ankrum, Crafton, Honeycutt and Enfinger were scored in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Rhodes, Heim and Caruth were mired back in 11th, 13th and 19th, respectively.

    During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Eckes returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Eckes retained the lead as he exited pit road first ahead of Riggs, Majeski, Sanchez, Dye, Taylor Gray, Ankrum, Heim, Tanner Gray and Enfinger.

    With 56 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Eckes and Riggs occupied the front row. At the start, Eckes gained a brief advantage from the inside lane through the frontstretch until he went wide, which allowed Majeski to capitalize and clear Eckes off of Turn 2 with the lead. As the field fanned out to multiple lanes through the first two turns and the backstretch, Riggs then joined the battle for the lead with Majeski and Eckes, but Majeski retained the top spot as Matt Mills got sideways off the front nose of Caruth and hit the wall in Turn 3, though the race remained under green flag conditions. With Majeski leading Riggs for the following lap, Eckes fell back to third as he had Heim, Taylor Gray, Ankrum, Sanchez and more trailing in from behind.

    Then with 53 laps remaining, Riggs battled and overtook Majeski to lead for the first time through the backstretch. Riggs proceeded to lead by half a second in his No. 38 Zorn Compressor & Equipment Ford F-150 over Majeski with 50 laps remaining as Eckes, Heim and Sanchez trailed in the top five by less than three seconds. By then, nine of 10 Playoff contenders were running in the top 13 while Caruth, the lone Playoff contender who was not running inside the top 13 on the track, was mired back just within the top-20 mark.

    With 40 laps remaining, Riggs stabilized his advantage to six-tenths of a second over Majeski while Eckes, Sanchez and Heim trailed in the top five by as far back as four seconds. Meanwhile, Taylor Gray trailed in sixth place by five seconds while Ankrum, Rhodes, Tanner Gray and Dye were scored in the top 10 ahead of Crafton, Honeycutt, Enfinger, Sawalich and Ty Dillon. Meanwhile, Caruth was mired back in 19th place in front of Dean Thompson.

    Down to the final 25 laps of the event, Riggs extended his advantage to a second over runner-up Majeski as Eckes, Sanchez and Heim were running in the top five, with the latter three trailing by more than four seconds. Behind, Taylor Gray, Ankrum, Rhodes, Dye and Tanner Gray followed suit in the top 10 while Playoff contenders Enfinger and Caruth were mired back in 13th and 17th, respectively.

    Five laps later, Riggs continued to lead the race ahead of eight Playoff contenders and by a second over his closest challenger Majeski. Riggs would proceed to retain the top spot by seven-tenths of a second over runner-up Majeski with 15 laps remaining while third-place Eckes trailed in third place by one-and-a-half seconds

    With 10 laps remaining, Riggs, who was being mired in lapped traffic and had his steady advantage steadily decreasing over the last several laps, continued to lead by nine-tenths of a second over Majeski while third-place Eckes continued to trail by one-and-a-half seconds in third place ahead of Sanchez and Heim. Heim would then be entangled in a battle for fifth place with teammate Taylor Gray and Ankrum while Dye, Rhodes and Crafton trailed in the top 10.

    Down to the final five laps of the event, Riggs stretched his advantage back up to a second over runner-up Majeski as Majeski had Eckes trailing him by nine-tenths of a second. By then, fourth-place Sanchez trailed by three seconds while Taylor Gray, who persevered in his late battle against teammate Heim and Ankrum, was running in fifth place and trailing the lead by six seconds.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Riggs remained as the leader by one-and-a-half seconds over Majeski. With Majeski unable to quickly narrow the deficit, Riggs, who was mired within no lapped traffic that could stall his momentum, cycled his Ford smoothly around the Milwaukee circuit for a final time before he streaked back to the frontstretch and claimed his first checkered flag in his 23rd series’ start.

    With the victory, Layne Riggs, the leading Rookie-of-the-Year candidate who did not make the 2024 Truck Series Playoffs, became the 125th competitor overall to win in the Craftsman Truck Series division, a list that includes his father and former NASCAR competitor, Scott Riggs. He also joined Nick Sanchez and Rajah Caruth as competitors to record their first Truck victories in 2024 and he notched the ninth Truck career victory for Front Row Motorsports, with the team winning for the first time since Talladega Superspeedway in October 2023 with Brett Moffitt. The victory was also a first for rookie crew chief Dylan Cappello.

    Prior to his first Truck career victory, Riggs had only notched four top-five results while ending up with 10 results of 18th or worse through 16 starts in his rookie campaign. Riggs’ Milwaukee victory, which made him the spoiler of the day as a non-Playoff contender, resulted in the 10 qualified Playoff contenders missing their first shot of automatically transferring past the Round of 10 to 8 by not winning the Playoff opener.

    The only thing that went wrong for Riggs’ first victory was the driver dislocating his shoulder while standing atop his roof and pumping his fists in the air and in front of the Milwaukee fans after claiming his checkered flag. Nonetheless, Riggs would receive assistance from his No. 38 pit crew to climb back down from his truck’s roof as he then proceeded to celebrate both on the frontstretch and in Victory Lane.

    “I don’t even know how to describe [the first win],” Riggs said in Victory Lane on FS1. “The biggest thing I can do is just thank Zorn that was on the truck this weekend. It’s their first race. It’s awesome for them. Thank you to [team owner] Bob Jenkins, [general manager] Jerry Freeze for letting me drive this [No. 38] truck. I mean, it’s been no surprise that we’ve had a terrible year. It’s been an awful year. I’ve learned so much, though, and I went through my rookie season. After the start, I thought there’s no way we were going to get a win. We do the best we can, but we’re just learning for next year. I knew in practice, this [truck] was pretty awesome. [Me and my team] have a good time together and we’re a family now.”

    “[My shoulder] hurts like a mug, but hey, it was worth it,” Riggs jokingly added. “It’s not the first time it’s happened to me, but it ain’t going to slow me down.”

    Behind Riggs, Ty Majeski, the pole winner who led 45 laps and was a local hero of the venue as a native of Seymour, Wisconsin, settled in second place as he fell short of winning three races in a row in recent weeks while Eckes, the 2024 Truck Series Regular Season Champion who led a race-high 71 laps, came home in third place for his ninth top-three result of the 2024 season.

    Amid the disappointments of not winning the Playoff opener and automatically transferring into the second Playoff round, both Majeski and Eckes continue to set their sights on transferring to this year’s Championship 4 round at Phoenix Raceway and contending for their first series championship.

    “I think the fact that we missed [the setup] as bad as we did and we were as close as we were is super encouraging,” Majeski, who is 44 points above the top-eight cutline in the Playoff standings, said. “That means we have a lot of speed in our trucks. It’s just up to us to hit the package right. [Crew chief] Joe [Shear Jr.] and I put our heads together to come up with our Phoenix [Raceway] package and come up with some changes to it, to try and make it better for Phoenix. [I] Don’t know that we got there quite yet, but super proud of the run we’ve had the last three races. We’re hitting on all eight cylinders right now and super proud of everybody. Everybody back at the shop has been working hard over the course of the Olympic break, into Richmond and into Milwaukee here to get our trucks better. We’re seeing that improvement and I feel good about where we’re at. We’re poised to make a pretty good run here, so we got to keep it going.”

    “I was leading on the bottom [lane] and [the truck] bottomed out for the first time all day,” Eckes, who leads the Playoff standings and is 60 points above the cutline, added. “It shot up the racetrack and just couldn’t recover. I was way too tight. [I] Felt like it was going to build tight and it did and we just weren’t aggressive enough on adjustments. Proud of everybody, but definitely a pretty big missed opportunity. We’ll see what happens, but disappointed in that.”

    Nick Sanchez rallied from a late retirement at Richmond Raceway two weeks ago by finishing in fourth place while Taylor Gray muscled his No. 17 JBL Toyota Tundra TRD Pro to a strong fifth-place result.

    Playoff contenders Tyler Ankrum, Corey Heim, Daniel Dye and Ben Rhodes finished sixth through ninth, respectively, while Matt Crafton came home in 10th place.

    Notably, Playoff contender Grant Enfinger ended up in 13th place behind Kaden Honeycutt while Playoff rookie Rajah Caruth capped off his long afternoon in 17th place behind Sammy Smith.  

    There were five lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured two cautions for 22 laps. In addition, 20 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.

    Results.

    1. Layne Riggs, 53 laps led

    2. Ty Majeski, 45 laps led

    3. Christian Eckes, 71 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    4. Nick Sanchez

    5. Taylor Gray

    6. Tyler Ankrum

    7. Corey Heim

    8. Daniel Dye

    9. Ben Rhodes

    10. Matt Crafton

    11. Tanner Gray

    12. Kaden Honeycutt

    13. Grant Enfinger

    14. William Sawalich

    15. Jack Wood

    16. Ty Dillon, six laps led, Stage 1 winner

    17. Sammy Smith

    18. Rajah Caruth

    19. Dean Thompson

    20. Stewart Friesen

    21. Jake Garcia, one lap down

    22. Conner Jones, one lap down

    23. Chase Purdy, two laps down

    24. Matt Mills, two laps down

    25. Timmy Hill, two laps down

    26. Bret Holmes, two laps down

    27. Mason Maggio, two laps down

    28. Spencer Boyd, three laps down

    29. Bayley Currey, three laps down

    30. Dexter Bean, three laps down

    31. Marco Andretti, five laps down

    32. Thad Moffitt, six laps down

    33. Matthew Gould, six laps down

    34. Justin Carroll, eight laps down

    35. Lawless Alan – OUT, Suspension

    36. Jayson Alexander – OUT, Accident

    *Bold indicates Playoff competitors

    Playoff standings

    1. Christian Eckes +60

    2. Ty Majeski +44

    3. Corey Heim +41

    4. Nick Sanchez +34

    5. Taylor Gray +13

    6. Tyler Ankrum +13

    7. Daniel Dye +9

    8. Grant Enfinger +2

    9. Ben Rhodes -2

    10. Rajah Caruth -4

    With the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs underway, the next event on the schedule is Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, for the UNOH 200, which will serve as the second Round of 10 event. The event is scheduled to occur on September 19 and air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Ben Rhodes “rodeos” through regular-season battle; eyes Truck title defense in 2024

    Ben Rhodes “rodeos” through regular-season battle; eyes Truck title defense in 2024

    Following a rodeo-style regular-season stretch mired with a rough start but late surge that enabled him to make the Playoffs on points, Ben Rhodes has an opportunity to defend his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship in 2024.

    Rhodes, the reigning two-time Truck Series champion from Louisville, Kentucky, stumbled out of the gate by notching only a single top-10 result through the first eight events of the regular-season stretch. Mired within the eight-race stretch were five finishes of 16th or worse.

    Then in May, Rhodes notched his first top-five result of the 2024 season by finishing third at Darlington Raceway. Two races later, he collected a second top-five result by finishing fifth at Charlotte Motor Speedway before notching back-to-back seventh-place results at World Wide Technology Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway, respectively. Despite finishing 18th and 21st during his next two starts, Rhodes rallied by being competitive during the regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway this past weekend and taking the checkered flag in seventh place, which officially locked him into the Playoffs by 34 points.

    By making the 2024 Playoffs, Rhodes secured himself into the Truck Series’ seven-race postseason battle for the title for the seventh time in his career and fifth in a row in recent seasons.

    Stats-wise, Rhodes has the second-lowest recorded number of top-five results at two through 16 races and is tied with Playoff newcomer Daniel Dye for the lowest top-10 results (six) and average-finishing result at 14.9. Nonetheless, Rhodes, who is well-known for capitalizing in late stages that enabled him to make the Championship 4 round by a mere margin over the final two seasons and outlasted four overtime attempts to win his second title a year ago, has another opportunity to pull any hidden tricks beneath his sleeves for seven races to defend his title.

    For this season, Rhodes is set to commence the 2024 Playoffs in ninth place in the Playoff standings with 2,002 points. Should he win this year’s title, he would join an elite group of competitors that feature teammate Matt Crafton and Jack Sprague as having the second-most titles in the Truck circuit at three and leaving him one away from tying Ron Hornaday Jr. for the most at four.

    Even after notching his top-10 run at Richmond combined with his recent string of consistent results, Rhodes remains optimistic that he and his No. 99 ThorSport Racing Ford F-150 team can transfer their way through every round of the Playoffs and bid for another championship to deliver back to ThorSport’s headquarters in Sandusky, Ohio.

    “[Richmond] certainly met [our expectations],” Rhodes said on FS1. “We fought inside the top five all night long and then, some of these restarts, we get shuffled back, we work our way back forward. I’m happy with the improvements of our team. It’s not our first rodeo, so we’re going to make another run at the championship.”

    Ben Rhodes’ quest to win his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title in 2024 and third in recent seasons commences at the Milwaukee Mile with the LiUNA! 175. The event is scheduled to occur this Sunday, August 25, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Heim “ready” to extend regular-season momentum towards 2024 Truck Playoffs

    Heim “ready” to extend regular-season momentum towards 2024 Truck Playoffs

    With a career-high five victories accumulated through 16-scheduled events, Corey Heim enters the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs as a key favorite to contend for his first series’ championship a year after having it slip out of his grasp in the closing laps.

    The 21-year-old Heim from Marietta, Georgia, wasted no time igniting an eight-race hot streak of finishing no worse than 10th place on the track that started by finishing in the runner-up spot at Daytona International Speedway after he dodged a final lap multi-truck wreck. Then after finishing third, third and sixth, respectively, during his next four starts, Heim made it his time at Circuit of the Americas in March by leading a race-high 31 of 46 laps and having enough fuel to survive an overtime attempt by grabbing his first Truck victory of 2024.

    Three races later, Heim doubled down by winning at Kansas Speedway in May before he dominated en route to another victory at North Wilkesboro Speedway another two races later, during which he led the most laps for both victories. Then after having a runner-up finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway stripped due to three loose lug nuts, Heim responded back by winning at World Wide Technology Raceway for a second time and cashing in on a $50,000 bonus from the Triple Truck Challenge. The Georgian would then tally his current win totals of this season to five with a dominant run at Pocono Raceway, where he led all but 15 of 70 laps.

    Despite falling short of winning his second consecutive regular-season title to Christian Eckes, where he also finished 17th and 16th, respectively, during his latest two series’ starts, Heim will commence the 2024 Truck Series Playoffs with the top seed at 2,041 points and with a three-point advantage over Eckes this upcoming Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile. He strives to redeem himself with his first overall championship in the Truck circuit after ending up in fourth place in the 2023 final standings due to being involved in two late-race incidents during the 2023 finale at Phoenix Raceway.

    Currently, Heim’s five victories are the most he has ever garnered in a Truck season. In addition, he holds the second-highest average-finishing result of 8.2 a year after concluding the 2023 season with a season-best average-finishing result of 6.8. With 10 top-five results and 12 top-10 results recorded through 16-scheduled events, he only needs two additional top-five results and seven additional top-10 to tie both stats from his previous season. At six stage victories, he is two away from tying Eckes for the most.

    Amid the frustration of finishing within the top-20 mark during his latest two series’ starts, Heim, who has made select starts between the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series divisions throughout the 2024 campaign, is primed to make it his time to emerge as the next NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion that would enable his career to grow with bigger opportunities within his horizon.

    “I feel like these last two races have been a little bit of a slump for us,” Heim said after the regular-season finale at Richmond on FS1. “We’ve had fifth- to sixth-place speed, but our standards are to go and try to win every race. I feel like we’re going to be really good. We got a lot of Playoff points, more than last year. I’m ready.”

    Corey Heim’s 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs commences at the Milwaukee Mile with the LiUNA! 175. The event is scheduled to occur this Sunday, August 25, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Taylor Gray poised for first Truck championship battle amid strong regular-season stretch

    Taylor Gray poised for first Truck championship battle amid strong regular-season stretch

    From doing a full barrel roll while airborne at Daytona International Speedway to qualifying for his first career appearance in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs, Taylor Gray aims to shift his mentality and set aside the adversity and steady climb he endured to make the postseason to emerge as a potential finalist for the 2024 championship.

    After missing the first three races of the 2023 season due to age restrictions and missing the Playoffs, Gray, a native of Artesia, New Mexico, had the No. 17 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro entry all to himself for the entire 23-race schedule with veteran crew chief Jeff Hensley joining the organization and working atop Gray’s pit box.

    Gray commenced the 2024 season on a wild note when he was involved in a multi-truck wreck on the final lap at Daytona International Speedway. During the incident, Gray, who was clipped by Jack Wood after Wood got turned by Rajah Caruth to ignite the wreck, had his truck go airborne and perform a full turnover on top of three competitors’ trucks after he got T-boned into the side of Daniel Dye before he rolled back over right-side up and emerged uninjured.

    Following the season-opening incident that left Gray bitter with the outcome, he then went on a six-race hot streak by finishing no worse that seventh on the track and tying his career-best result with a runner-up result at Circuit of the Americas. He would then encounter some on-track challenges in the form of four finishes of 16th or worse over his next eight starts that resulted with his No. 17 team slipping out of the top five in the regular-season standings. Nonetheless, the driver and team recorded four top-15 results during the stretch and capped off the regular-season stretch by finishing in third place in the regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway.

    Thus far, Gray has the seventh-best average-finishing result for full-time competitors of the 2024 season at 12.3. While he remains winless through 16 events, the top fives (five), top 10s (nine) and laps led (25) are the most he has garnered compared to the previous season.

    With the 2024 regular-season stretch complete, Taylor Gray is set to commence the Playoffs in eighth place in the Playoff standings with 2,003 points. He will battle alongside teammate Corey Heim and eight additional competitors in his pursuit for his first championship within NASCAR’s top three major series.

    Looking ahead to his first campaign as a Playoff competitor, Gray leans towards both a cautious and optimistic mindset as key approaches that would enable him to remain eligible for the series’ championship at this season’s conclusion.

    “[Making the Playoffs] means a lot, especially with these [No. 17] guys,” Gray said after Richmond on FS1. “They worked their butts off every week and every day. It’s really for them and now, it’s time for me and [crew chief] Jeff [Hensley] to sit down and go race for a championship. I think honestly, [the goal is] just keeping the mindset cool and brushing things off the shoulder and not getting too antsy about certain things and being able to rebound from bad races quickly.”

    Taylor Gray’s 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs is set to commence at the Milwaukee Mile for the LiUNA! 175. The event’s broadcast time is scheduled to occur this Sunday, August 25, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Enfinger “proud” with strong regular-season stretch ahead of 2024 Truck title bid

    Enfinger “proud” with strong regular-season stretch ahead of 2024 Truck title bid

    In a season where he joined forces with an organization that is in its third consecutive season fielding a full-time entry in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Grant Enfinger has defied the odds by utilizing his crafty expertise and competitiveness to elevate both himself and his new team, CR7 Motorsports, into potential championship status with a sealed spot into the 2024 Playoffs.

    Enfinger, the 2019 Truck Series Regular Season Champion from Fairhope, Alabama, capped off the 2023 season on a bittersweet note through two fronts: the first by finishing in the runner-up spot in the championship battle to Ben Rhodes and the second being his final campaign with GMS Racing, the team where Enfinger notched his first Truck career victory in 2016 and had campaigned with over the previous two seasons, before the organization ceased all operations and left the veteran without a ride.

    A month after the 2023 season concluded, however, CR7 Motorsports tapped Enfinger to pilot the team’s No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado RST entry for the 2024 season. By then, the team had only recorded a total of eight top-10 results in five years of existence and was coming off a second full-time campaign with Colby Howard.

    Commencing the season with a 17th-place result at Daytona International Speedway after being involved in a final lap multi-truck wreck, Enfinger was in position of notching the first victory for his new team during the following event Atlanta Motor Speedway when he fell off the pace from the lead with seven laps remaining due to a flat right-front tire and ended up in 25th place. He would rally by notching back-to-back ninth-place results during his next two starts before finishing no higher than 12th twice over his next five races.

    Then beginning at North Wilkesboro Speedway in May, Enfinger ignited a hot streak that started by finishing in the runner-up spot, which marked a career-best result for CR7, followed by a third-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Despite finishing 17th at World Wide Technology Raceway in early June, the Alabama native would the finish no worse than sixth for the remaining four regular-season events. During his latest four-race span, Enfinger notched another runner-up result at Pocono Raceway in July, lead 71 laps en route to a third-place run during the following event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and lead a race-high 98 laps while winning the second stage period before settling in fourth place in the regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway.

    Through 16 events of the 2024 season, Enfinger’s five top-five results and eight top-10 results are the most for a competitor competing for CR7 Motorsports. Enfinger, who currently holds the fifth-best average-finishing result for full-time competitors in 2024 at 11.8, is set to commence the Playoffs in sixth place in the Playoff standings and with 2,007 points as he aims to record the first NASCAR national touring series championship for himself and CR7 Motorsports.

    Ironically, the 2024 Playoff is set to occur at the Milwaukee Mile, the site of Enfinger’s 10th and latest Truck Series victory that enabled him to transfer from the Playoff’s Round of 10 to 8 a year ago.

    “I’ve been proud of us all for the last eight or nine races,” Enfinger said following the regular-season finale at Richmond on FS1. “Definitely very, very proud of the speed that [crew chief] Jeff [Stankiewicz] has brought to the track. It’s been great. Now, we got seven [races] to go. I feel like we’re building momentum at the right time. Now, it’s time to go Playoff racing.”

    Grant Enfinger’s 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs is set to commence at the Milwaukee Mile for the LiUNA! 175. The event’s broadcast time is scheduled to occur this Sunday, August 25, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Caruth leaning towards confidence, eyeing key venues in pursuit of first Truck title in 2024

    Caruth leaning towards confidence, eyeing key venues in pursuit of first Truck title in 2024

    In a season filled with first-time accomplishments, including a historic first victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in February, Rajah Caruth is primed to experience another first to his racing resume: pursuing a championship within NASCAR’s top three national touring series in 2024.

    The 22-year-old Caruth from Washington D.C. makes his inaugural presence in the Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs in a season where he joined forces with Spire Motorsports to pilot the No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado RST. By then, he had campaigned in his first full-time Truck campaign a year ago, where he ended up in 16th place in the final standings on the strength of four top-10 results while driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for GMS Racing. Previously, he finished in third place in the 2022 ARCA Menards Series standings on the strengths of eight top-five results and 14 top-10 results through 20 starts with Rev Racing.

    Caruth commenced the 2024 Truck season on a controversial note, where he ignited a multi-truck wreck on the final lap despite posting his first top-five career result in third place. Then after finishing eighth at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Caruth’s partnership with HendrickCars.com was announced to expand from 10 to the full 23-race Truck schedule.

    Things only got brighter for Caruth as he then achieved a breakthrough moment at Las Vegas by winning both his first series’ pole and race victory, where he beat runner-up Tyler Ankrum by eight-tenths of a second and led 34 of 138 laps. In doing so, the DC native joined his mentor Bubba Wallace and the late NASCAR Hall of Famer Wendell Scott as the only African-American competitors to win in NASCAR’s top three major series. He also became the 124th competitor overall to win in the Truck Series.

    Since the Vegas victory, Caruth proceeded to finish in the top 10 five additional times over the remaining 13 regular-season events. Throughout the span, he recorded a strong fourth-place run at Nashville Superspeedway in June, notched his second career pole position at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in July and battled to keep himself in contention for a top-five spot within the regular-season standings. With his latest series’ start at Richmond Raceway, where he finished 17th, Caruth has accumulated 43 starts in the Truck Series.

    Despite recording zero stage victories throughout the season, Caruth, who holds the fourth-best average-finishing result of full-time competitors in 2024 at 11.4, will commence the 2024 Truck Series Playoffs in fifth place in the Playoff standings with 2,009 points as he strives to deliver the first championship for himself and Spire Motorsports.

    Amid a 17th-place run during the 2024 regular-season finale at Richmond, Caruth has set his sights on the venues in the Playoffs he targets as his strengths while keeping his competition within the Playoff close to mind.

    “I think going into the Playoffs, I feel really good about going to Bristol, Kansas, Homestead, some really good tracks for me,” Caruth said at Richmond on FS1. “I know what trucks have speed, so thanks to Mr. [Rick Hendrick], Linda [Hendrick], all the men and women at Spire [Motorsports] and Team Chevy for supporting me. I think we can go make some hay later into the fall.”

    Rajah Caruth’s 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs and battle for the championship commences at the Milwaukee Mile for the LiUNA! 175. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, August 25, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Ankrum pleased with on-track resurgence ahead of Truck Playoff run in 2024

    Ankrum pleased with on-track resurgence ahead of Truck Playoff run in 2024

    After a three-year absence from the Playoff picture, Tyler Ankrum returns to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ postseason battle for the championship with a new team and a new confidence level in 2024.

    Ankrum, the 2018 ARCA Menards Series East champion and 2019 Truck Rookie of the Year from San Bernardino, California, entered the 2024 season by joining forces with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing following a two-year campaign at Hattori Racing Enterprises.

    Driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Silverado RST primarily sponsored by LiUNA!, Ankrum rolled out of the gates by winning the second stage at Daytona International Speedway and rallying from a late multi-truck wreck to finish in 11th place. He would proceed to finish seventh at Atlanta Motor Speedway, second at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and fifth at Bristol Motor Speedway over his next three starts. By then, he was leading in the Truck Series drivers’ standings for the first time in his career.

    Despite losing the points lead during the following race weekend at Circuit of the Americas and being mired with five finishes of 20th or worse over his next eight starts, Ankrum managed to record three top-eight results within the stretch. He would then finish no worse than 15th and log in three additional top-six results for the remaining five regular-season events, including a sixth-place run during the regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway, before capping off the stretch in sixth place in points.

    Despite recording zero victories thus far, Ankrum’s five top-five results in 2024 are the most he has recorded compared to his last three seasons combined and the 92 laps led are the most he has led in a season thus far. With his average-finishing result also boosted to 13.7, his highest since ending up with 13.4 in 2020, the Californian qualifies for his third career Truck Series Playoffs and his first since the 2020 season.

    Ankrum, who also notched two stage victories, is set to commence the 2024 Truck Series Playoffs in seventh place in the Playoff standings and with 2,007 points. With 129 Truck career races under his belt, Ankrum’s first and only series’ victory occurred at Kentucky Speedway in July 2019.

    Amid his strong regular-season performance, regained confidence and hungered desire to return to Victory Lane, Ankrum strives to extend both the on-track consistency and momentum towards his pursuit for his first championship across NASCAR’s top three major series.

    “I’m just proud of all my guys at [McAnally-Hilgemann Racing] to get us in the Playoffs, their first year with this team,” Ankrum said following the regular-season finale at Richmond on FS1. “All the work that we had to do throughout the summer and all the bad luck that we had, we were able to pull through it. It feels pretty amazing to be back [in the Playoffs], to be honest. I’ve always felt like I was a Playoff driver and so for me to be back in my full strength, I feel like all the confidence in the world. I was just telling [crew chief] Mark [Hillman] we keep on running top five, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, we’re gonna get a couple wins here and I feel like we’re going to be there for Phoenix.”

    Tyler Ankrum’s pursuit for the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship commences at the Milwaukee Mile for the LiUNA! 175. The event is scheduled to occur this Sunday, August 25, and air at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Kyle Larson granted waiver to make 2024 Cup Series Playoffs

    Kyle Larson granted waiver to make 2024 Cup Series Playoffs

    Kyle Larson has been granted a waiver from NASCAR that will make him eligible to qualify for the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs.

    The news comes more than a week after Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion who was attempting to become the fifth competitor overall to attempt “The Double” between the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, had his plans foiled due to the Indy 500 being delayed by four hours for precipitation. Opting to remain at Indianapolis to compete in the 500 for Arrow McLaren, the Elk Grove, California, native missed the start of the Coke 600 as Xfinity Series veteran Justin Allgaier piloted Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry in the event.

    After finishing 18th in his first Indy 500 attempt, Larson, who would be named the 2024 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, then hopped on a plane, flew to Charlotte Motor Speedway and arrived just as the event was placed in a red flag period due to on-track precipitation. Despite getting suited for the event, the event was made official on Lap 249 of 400 and Allgaier was credited with a 13th-place result despite starting at the rear of the field due to the driver change made to Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 team. As a result, Larson was unable to turn in laps to complete his double-duty task, which also made his status of being eligible to make the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs in jeopardy since he did not take the green flag for the 600-mile event.

    Following the event, Hendrick Motorsports filed in a waiver request for Larson, who had notched two victories through 13 scheduled events that made him eligible for the Playoffs prior to “The Double”. The first victory of the 2024 season occurred at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March while the second occurred at Kansas Speedway in May, where he established the closest-recorded finish in the history of the Cup Series after edging Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds.

    Per the NASCAR Rule Book, every competitor is to start in all scheduled events in a season to be eligible for the Playoffs unless circumstantial situations would be approved or authorized by NASCAR. Ultimately, the decision to grant Larson a waiver from NASCAR was due to his efforts to travel to Charlotte Motor Speedway and compete in the Coke 600 following his run at Indianapolis, per Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition.

    Larson, who has 25 Cup career victories to his current resume, has accumulated three poles, six top-five results, seven top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 12.4 to go alongside his two regular-season victories through 14 starts. He is currently ranked in second place in the regular-season standings, where he lost the points lead after opting to race in the Indy 500, and trails points leader Denny Hamlin by 21 points. He is also coming off a 10th-place result in last Sunday’s event at World Wide Technology Raceway.

    With his Playoff eligibility restored, Kyle Larson’s next event of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to occur at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, for the Toyota/Save Mart 350. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, June 9, and air at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Elimination Format: 10-Year Anniversary

    NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Elimination Format: 10-Year Anniversary

    Ten years ago on this day, January 30, NASCAR announced a major overhaul to the Cup Series Playoff system by revealing a new 10-week format and postseason battle for the championship. This new format places a heavy emphasis on winning throughout an entire season for an expanded postseason field. It also leaves very little room for error as the field narrows by quarter sections per round throughout the Playoffs until the last competitor standing after the finale will emerge as a champion in NASCAR’s premier series.

    From the new format, a victory for any full-time competitor who qualified and competed in every regular-season event on the schedule, from the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway through Race No. 26, the regular-season finale, would guarantee him/herself a berth for the 10-race Playoffs (except for waiver instances from NASCAR that would even grant those who did not compete the entire regular-season stretch to still be eligible to contend for the Playoffs). In addition, the Playoff field that started with 10 vacant spots (2004-06) and grew to 12 (2007-12) and 13 (2013) would expand to 16, with those accumulating the most regular-season victories along with points and a winless regular-season points leader (if needed due to less than 16 regular-season victors for the latter two categories) clinching spots for the postseason format.

    Once the Playoffs commenced, the first nine postseason events would be sliced into three per Playoff round and eliminate the bottom four competitors in the Playoff standings, from 16 to 12 to eight and lastly, four. Within the new elimination format, a victory within any round (maximum three for three races per round) would guarantee a Playoff competitor a spot into the proceeding round with the remaining vacant rounds being set by those highest in points. After each round, the remaining competitors who are still championship eligible would have their points reset while those who are eliminated would have their points total readjusted to the normal points format in sync with the rest of the field, but still eligible to battle as high as for fifth place in the standings.

    Once the Round of 8, the penultimate round, concluded, the top-four competitors in points would transfer to the Championship 4 round and square off against one another in the final event on the schedule. During the finale, the highest-finishing title contender would be awarded the Bill France Cup championship-winning trophy in NASCAR’s premier series.

    Since the inception of the current Playoff format (2014-23), a total of 40 competitors qualified for the Playoffs at least once, either by winning at least once throughout the regular-season stretch or based on points. In addition, 19 teams had at least one competitor/entry represented in the Playoffs. Through the 2023 season, the following names that include Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick are the only competitors to make the postseason since the current Playoff format’s debut in 2014. Harvick, however, is set to depart this list after retiring from full-time Cup Series competition as he is replaced by incoming rookie Josh Berry for the 2024 season.

    Within the list of 40 names, 19 clinched a Playoff spot by winning for the first time in the Cup Series in the process. In 2014, Aric Almirola and AJ Allmendinger guaranteed themselves first-time opportunities to make the Playoffs and contend for a championship after both scored their first Cup career victory throughout the regular-season stretch. Additional names of first-time winners claiming automatic berths to the Playoffs from 2014 to 2023 include Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Cole Custer, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Daniel Suarez. The most recent newcomer to the Playoffs is Bubba Wallace, who secured the 16th and final transfer berth into the 2023 Playoffs based on points.

    Of the 40 Playoff qualifiers recorded, 16 transferred to the Championship 4 round and contended for a Cup Series championship. Of the 16 finalists, eight won a championship. Of the eight championship-winning competitors, seven became first-time Cup champions. During the current Playoff’s inaugural use in 2014, Kevin Harvick achieved his first Cup title after fending off a late charge from title rival Ryan Newman to also win the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in his first season driving for Stewart-Haas Racing.

    Most recently, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney etched his name as a first-time Cup champion in 2023 after emerging as the highest-finishing title contender over Kyle Larson, William Byron and Christopher Bell during the season’s finale at Phoenix Raceway. Other notable names who became first-time champions from the format include Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. The only competitor who had previously won a championship during the Playoff’s former use from 2004 to 2013 and proceeded to win again during the Playoff’s current use is Jimmie Johnson, who joined Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as the only competitors to win a record-tying seven titles in 2016. From the list of seven competitors who became first-time champions, Busch and Logano would each proceed to win a second Cup title (2019 & 2022).

    With the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season set to mark the 11th consecutive season of the current Playoff format’s use, it presents an abundance of new memories toward the postseason battle for the premier series championship that remains to be determined with the commencement of this year’s Playoffs.

    With this year’s Cup Series regular-season finale occurring at Darlington Raceway on September 1, the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs are scheduled to commence at Atlanta Motor Speedway a week later, on September 8, and air at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network. The 2024 Cup Series Championship Race is set to return to Phoenix Raceway for a fifth consecutive season and air on November 10 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.