NASCAR Truck Series: Round-by-round playoff predictions

Prediction: 2020 NASCAR Truck Series champion

On Friday, November 6, the NASCAR Truck Series is scheduled to end the 2020 season at Phoenix Raceway with the Lucas Oil 150. This 150-lap race around the four-turn, 1.022-mile (1.645-kilometer) oval in Avondale, Arizona will determine this year’s champion.

The highest finishing driver of the Championship 4 wins the championship. No stage points are awarded to the four Championship 4 drivers and all four drivers start the race with the same number of points (4,000).

My prediction for the Championship 4 drivers are Sheldon Creed, Christian Eckes, Austin Hill and Zane Smith. None of those four drivers have ever won at Phoenix Raceway.

Creed has competed at Phoenix Raceway twice and has a top finish of 10th place in the 2018 race. Last year, he earned three stage points and led 16 laps but ultimately finished in 12th. Creed has remarkably improved this season. He has already notched career-highs in victories, top five finishes and laps led this year.

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Eckes made his lone start at Phoenix Raceway in 2018. He started in 11th place, finished the first stage in 10th and gained one more position to eventually finish in ninth. He has an average starting position of 4.9 this season. With a good starting position, he’ll be a threat to become the champion in his rookie season.

In three starts at Phoenix Raceway, Hill has two DNFs and a best finish of 13th place last year. His struggles in that race last year ended his playoff run. Nevertheless, he has already bested his career-high amount of top five finishes, top 10 finishes and laps led this year. Hattori Racing Enterprises won the 2018 race at Phoenix Raceway with Brett Moffitt, so they know how to win here.

Smith has never competed at Phoenix Raceway in the Truck Series. However, he has experience there in both the Xfinity Series and ARCA. In his Xfinity Series start there last year, he started in sixth place and then finished in eighth and 10th in stage one and stage two, respectively. When the checkered flag flew, he finished in fifth, tying his career-high finish.

In the ARCA race at Phoenix Raceway earlier this year, Smith started in eighth place but worked his way up front. He led nine laps late before losing the lead on the final restart. He ultimately finished in fifth.

So who will win the 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championship? Zane Smith. Both of his Truck Series wins this season at Michigan International Speedway and Dover International Speedway came in his first career start at those tracks. With some experience at Phoenix Raceway, Smith will best Creed, Eckes, and Hill to win the title in his rookie season.

Who is your pick to win the NASCAR Truck Series championship? The playoffs are scheduled to begin on Thursday, September 17 at Bristol Motor Speedway with the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics. This race is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.