NASCAR Truck Series Playoff Picture: Las Vegas sinks ThorSport Racing

The round of 6 of the 2019 NASCAR Truck Series playoffs is in the books, but not before the World of Westgate 200 sank ThorSport Racing.

Hattori Racing Enterprises’ Austin Hill became the first driver to win a NASCAR Truck Series playoff race other than GMS Racing’s Brett Moffitt, who drove for Hattori Racing Enterprises the last time he didn’t win a playoff race, since Justin Haley won the race at Texas Motor Speedway in the middle race of the 2018 round of 6 last November.

With his victory Friday night’s round of 8 finale, the World of Westgate 200, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Hill became the second driver to secure a round of 6 berth by winning a race in the round of 8.

But even without his victory in this 134-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Las Vegas Motor Speedway oval in Las Vegas, Nevada, he would have been locked into the round anyway based on what happened throughout the rest of the race.

Why? Simply put, Sin City feasted on ThorSport Racing.

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Eliminate the 32nd place finish of NEMCO Motorsports’ John Hunter Nemechek, who isn’t even a full-time Truck Series driver and didn’t even start the race thanks to a fuel pressure issue, and three of the four ThorSport Racing drivers — the three ThorSport Racing playoff drivers, no less — finished in the worst three positions possible, and they were all forced to retire for the same reason: engine issues.

ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes, the team’s lone non-playoff driver, finished in eighth place, little consolation for a team that had the worst possible playoff scenario unfold before their eyes with a chance to land half of the six round of 6 spots.

The one bright spot for the team is the fact that only two drivers are eliminated between the round of 8 and the round of 6, so Matt Crafton, who entered the race in fourth place in the playoff picture, is set to advance to the round of 6 after completing just 39 laps and finishing in 30th place.

Crafton actually did finish ahead of DGR-Crosley’s Tyler Ankrum in the point standings of the round of 8 as well, so his advancement to the round of 6 wasn’t completely by default. Ankrum also advanced to the round of 6 in the sixth and final transfer spot.

With his 29th place finish, Johnny Sauter was not as fortunate, nor was 31st place finisher Grant Enfinger. Neither ThorSport Racing driver will advance to the round of 6.

After entering this race in second place in the playoff picture, Niece Motorsports’ Ross Chastain advanced to the round of 6 with a second place finish. After entering in third, Halmar Friesen Racing’s Stewart Friesen advanced with a lackluster 19th place finish.

Finally, after entering in eighth place and last in the playoff picture and 14 points behind the round of 6 cut line as the only driver not either above it or within two points of it, Ankrum advanced to the round of 6 with an 11th place finish, a finish that he believed might go out the window late with an engine issue of his own.

Here is the Truck Series playoff picture following the World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Rank – Driver – Car, Team, Manufacturer: Points (Behind), Playoff Points (Rank)
1st – Brett Moffitt – #24, GMS Racing, Chevrolet: 3034 (+23), 34 (1st)
2nd – Austin Hill – #16, Hattori Racing Enterprises, Toyota: 3017 (+6), 17 (2nd)
3rd – Ross Chastain – #45, Niece Motorsports, Chevrolet: 3016 (+5), 16 (3rd)
4th – Stewart Friesen – #52, Halmar Friesen Racing, Chevrolet: 3014 (+3), 14 (4th)
————————— CHAMPIONSHIP 4 CUT LINE —————————
5th – Matt Crafton – #88, ThorSport Racing, Ford: 3011 (-3), 11 (5th)
6th – Tyler Ankrum – #17, DGR-Crosley, Toyota: 3005 (-9), 5 (6th)

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The round of 6 of the 2019 NASCAR Truck Series playoffs is scheduled to get underway on Saturday, October 12 with the Sugarlands Shine 250 at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. This race is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET.

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