NASCAR Truck Series Power Rankings after 2019 Buckle Up In Your Truck 225
By Mark Kristl
#10 through #6
#10. Despite the fact that he finished stage two in seventh place, Ben Rhodes finished the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 nine laps off the lead lap in 19th place. With Tyler Ankrum’s victory and Ross Chastain entering the top 20 in the championship standings, Rhodes fell to 10th place in the playoff standings, two positions below the playoff cut line. He left Kentucky Speedway 48 points below the cut line. While this isn’t an insurmountable amount, he definitely wants a win to secure his playoff berth.. No. 99, ThorSport Racing. Ford, LW: 8. BEN RHODES
#9. At Chicagoland Speedway, Harrison Burton told me he liked the improvements by his Kyle Busch Motorsports team. However, he now is 44 points below the playoff cut line. He qualified in sixth place and finished stage one in sixth in the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225, but he didn’t finish inside the top 10 in the stage two, a stage won by Matt Crafton. However, he finished the race in third. But that 10-point difference in stage two especially matters because Burton now trails Crafton for the final playoff spot by 44 points.. No. 18, Kyle Busch Motorsports. Toyota, LW: 9. HARRISON BURTON
No. 17, DGR-Crosley. Toyota, LW: NR. TYLER ANKRUM. #8. Matt Weaver, Associate Motorsports Editor for Autoweek, put it best. He tweeted, “Ankrum and DGR never intended to chase the K&N title last year. They got off to a good start and pieced the full-season together. Tyler missed the first three NGOTS races due to age restriction and start-parked with NEMCO. He’s now piecing together a playoff run IF he wins.” Ankrum won, and despite his sponsorship woes, he will compete for the 2019 NASCAR Truck Series championship. Congratulations, Tyler Ankrum!
Matt Crafton won the stage two of the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225, but he finished in 13th place, two laps off the lead lap. He is currently the last driver above the playoff cut line. He shouldn’t feel too secure, though. A win by a driver below him in the championship standings would knock him below the cut line. With 14 career NASCAR Truck Series wins, the 15th will lock him into the playoffs if he earns it in the next three races.. No. 88, ThorSport Racing. Ford, LW: 7. MATT CRAFTON. #7
Stewart Friesen’s saving grace in the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 was the fact that he finished in a career-high second place, as his primary #52 Halmar Friesen Racing Chevrolet was confiscated by NASCAR. This will likely result in a points penalty. At publication time, Friesen has a 60-point cushion over the playoff cut line. However, he can put all of his worries behind him if he wins one of the three remaining races in the regular season.. No. 52, Halmar Friesen Racing. Chevrolet, LW: 6. STEWART FRIESEN. #6