NASCAR Truck Series Playoff Picture: Ross Chastain in unfamiliar territory

Following the opening race of the round of 6 of the NASCAR Truck Series playoffs, Ross Chastain finds himself in unfamiliar territory. How does the playoff picture look?

After it appeared as though ThorSport Racing’s Johnny Sauter, a NASCAR Truck Series playoff driver who was eliminated following the round of 8, had opened up the round of 6 by stealing a win from the six remaining championship contenders at Talladega Superspeedway in the Sugarlands Shine 250, NASCAR officials ruled that he exceeded the track limits coming to take the checkered flag when he dove below the double yellow line and blocked Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Riley Herbst to defend his position.

As a result, non-playoff driver Spencer Boyd of Young’s Motorsports was declared the race winner, marking the first victory of his Truck Series career — just moments before he was the first of 40 drivers to qualify for the Cup Series race at the same track.

Boyd’s victory in this 98-lap race, which was scheduled to be a 94-lap race but went into overtime due to a late caution flag period, around the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) high-banked Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, means that none of the round of 6 drivers have officially clinched berths in the Championship 4 with two races remaining in the round of 6.

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GMS Racing’s Brett Moffitt, who has been a co-championship favorite along with Niece Motorsports’ Ross Chastain throughout the season, might as well be locked into the Championship 4, as he sits 45 points above the Championship 4 cut line.

But the big surprise is where Chastain stands — last among the six championship contenders following a disappointing 22nd place finish in this race, the only result lower than eighth recorded by any one of these six drivers.

Chastain only sits two points below the Championship 4 cut line, but last place in the playoff picture is unfamiliar territory for him to say the least after the season he has had, even after a race at the wild card track of Talladega Superspeedway.

Here is the NASCAR Truck Series playoff picture following the 2019 Sugarlands Shine 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Rank – Driver – Car, Team, Manufacturer: Points (Behind), Playoff Points (Rank)
1st – Brett Moffitt – #24, GMS Racing, Chevrolet: 3085 (+45), 34 (1st)
2nd – Stewart Friesen – #52, Halmar Friesen Racing, Chevrolet: 3062 (+22), 15 (4th)
3rd – Austin Hill – #16, Hattori Racing Enterprises, Toyota: 3052 (+12), 17 (2nd)
4th – Matt Crafton – #88, ThorSport Racing, Ford: 3041 (+1), 11 (5th)
————————— PLAYOFF CUT LINE —————————
5th – Tyler Ankrum – #17, DGR-Crosley, Toyota: 3040 (-1), 5 (6th)
6th – Ross Chastain – #45, Niece Motorsports, Chevrolet: 3039 (-2), 16 (3rd)

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The NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 is the next race on the 2019 NASCAR Truck Series playoff schedule. This race is set to be broadcast live from Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 26.

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