NASCAR Truck Series update before the 2018 Fr8Auctions 250

There are 29 days between the final two round of 8 NASCAR Truck Series playoff races. Here is what has happened since the Truck Series drivers last raced.

Nearly a month has passed since the NASCAR Truck Series drivers last raced. That is a long time, especially when NASCAR races typically occur once a week. Because of that length of time, here is a refresher of what has taken place in the Truck Series during that time.

First of all, on September 14, Grant Enfinger won the World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. As a result of his win, Enfinger has clinched a round of 6 berth. He is the second driver to clinch a berth. Justin Haley clinched his berth with his Chevrolet Silverado 250 win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

This Beyond the Flag article details where the rest of the playoff drivers stand in the playoff standings with one race remaining in the round of 8. Four spots remain open for the other six round of 8 drivers aside of Haley and Enfinger. At least three of them will be determined via the point standings and two of them will be eliminated. To add to the drama, the last race of the round of 8 is set to take place at Talladega Superspeedway.

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As I explained in my NASCAR Truck Series playoff predictions article, the race at Talladega Superspeedway is a wild card race for the playoffs. Drivers will race around the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) oval in Lincoln, Alabama for 94 laps. Rest assured, the crew chiefs for those six playoff drivers who have yet to clinch round of 6 berths will constantly be refreshing their laptops to check where they stand in regards to the round of 6 cut line. For those drivers, there are probably three keys.

The first key is to finish the race. If a driver wrecks or does not finish the race, his destiny is no longer in his own hands. Races at Talladega Superspeedway are known to produce the “Big One”, a large wreck involving many trucks. Avoiding the “Big One” is important, as finishing the race is vital.

Next, drivers should strive to earn stage points. The difference from the top to the bottom of the playoff standings is only 43 points. Although Johnny Sauter is 40 points ahead of the round of 6 cut line, if he wrecks early in the race and nearly all other playoff drivers score stage points and finish the race, he could conceivably be eliminated. Because at least three of the round of 6 berths will be determined by the point standings, stage points are important.

The last key is to finish well. Even if a driver does not earn many stage points, a good finish is crucial. A driver can only earn a maximum of 20 points in the first two stages combined. The top 17 finishing positions earn 20 points or more. With the likelihood of “Big One,” good finishes will definitely aid the playoff drivers.

The eight playoff drivers account for only a quarter of the field, however. There have been some recent changes to the Truck Series field. Two of those changes involve GMS Racing. Dalton Sargeant left GMS Racing before the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Timothy Peters took over as the driver of the #25 Chevrolet. Following the Fr8Auctions 250 at Talladega Superspeedway, Tyler Dippel will drive the #25 Chevrolet for the rest of the season.

The other change to the GMS Racing Truck Series stable pertains to the #2 Chevrolet, which is formerly driven by Cody Coughlin. Following a 24th place finish in the World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, GMS Racing released Coughlin.

To be clear, the release was due to sponsorship issues. The team announced Spencer Gallagher will drive the #2 Chevrolet in the Fr8Auctions at Talladega Superspeedway. After this race,, Sheldon Creed is set to drive the truck, renumbered #28, for the rest of the season. Creed is the current ARCA Racing Series points leader and he almost certainly will win the championship.

I want to talk about three specific drivers entered in the Fr8Auctions 250 at Talladega. First is Wendell Chavous, the driver of #49 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet. Chavous currently sits in 17th place in the championship standings. He recently announced that he will step away from NASCAR competition after the race at Talladega Superspeedway.

For Premium Motorsports, this season has been a struggle in terms of their driver lineup. It will be interesting to see who replaces Chavous. The team began the season with Chavous and Robby Lyons as the drivers, but after the race at Talladega Superspeedway, neither will drive for the team.

Speaking of Lyons, he is back competing in the Truck Series. Following some health issues which derailed his 2018 season, he is set to return this weekend and attempt to qualify for the Fr8Auctions 250 driving the #33 Reaume Brothers Racing Chevrolet.

Excited to be racing at @TalladegaSuperS for the first time Saturday! This has been a crazy effort by so many people and I’m grateful that @joshreaume is giving me the chance to take his family’s team to the front! Official release tomorrow! @NASCAR_Trucks #Fr8Auctions250 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/LXoWkqxcw2
— Robby Lyons (@RLRacing2) October 8, 2018

David Gilliland is tied with Lyons in the championship standings, and both drivers are set to compete at Talladega Superspeedway. In the Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Gilliland drove the #4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. His son Todd now drives that car.

David Gilliland is set to return to Kyle Busch Motorsports at Talladega, this time driving the #51 Toyota. In addition to racing as teammates, he and Todd will both be sponsored by Pedigree.

There are 36 drivers entered for the Fr8Auctions 250 at Talladega Superspeedway, meaning four drivers will not qualify for the race. Even though the playoff drivers are seeking round of 6 berths, the rest of the drivers in the field also want good finishes. With restrictor plate racing bunching up the field, it should to be a good race.

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Which drivers will clinch round of 6 berths? Which two drivers’ championship ambitions will end? All of this will be settled at Talladega Superspeedway. There, the Truck Series drivers will race in the Fr8Auctions 250. The race is scheduled take place on Saturday, October 13, and it is set to be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET.

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