The 10-driver 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoff field is set, making it the first "Chase" postseason field to be set following NASCAR's offseason playoff format overhaul.
While the "Chase" was used at the Cup level from 2004 to 2013, it has never been used in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series or the Truck Series. Playoffs were only implemented across those two series in 2016, and it was the knockout Championship 4 setup, which had been used by the Cup Series since 2014, that was added.
The top 10 drivers in the point standings have qualified for the seven-race postseason, and they have been reseeded with predetermined point values, based on their regular season points finish. It's the same table that is set to be used for the Cup Series, but only down through 10th place for the Truck Series, rather than down through 16th (or 12th, in the case of the O'Reilly Series).
Would Corey Heim have made the 2026 Truck Series playoffs?
Reigning champion Corey Heim won 12 of 25 races a year ago, en route to winning the championship, but he is without a full-time ride in any NASCAR series this year, as he prepares to make the full-time move to the Cup Series with 23XI Racing. He is running only select Truck Series races with Tricon Garage, with which he won the 2025, and select Cup races with 23XI.
Heim was the points leader in the Truck Series after five races, despite having run only three, and despite only running seven of the 18 races on the regular season schedule, he finished just 69 points outside of the top 10 in the regular season.
Despite being points eligible in the Truck Series, Heim was never eligible to qualify for the playoffs as a part-time driver, even though there were reportedly discussions had about changing that. But with three wins in seven starts, he scored an average of 49.4 points per race, and over 18 races, that average is good for 890 points. Regular season champion Layne Riggs only scored 825 with six wins.
Notably, Heim posted that average despite a DNF in one of his races. Riggs finished all 18 of his.
In fact, with a full Cup Series schedule, Heim would be in position to qualify for the Cup playoffs as well. With two wins in his eight starts, he has scored 228 points for the No. 67 team, even though he is not points eligible in the Cup Series himself. That's good for an average of 28.5 points per race, which, over 24 races contested thus far, would give him 684 points.
That would put him comfortably in the field in eighth place, and again, that's despite having a DNF in one of his starts. He'd be sitting 167 points above where the cut line currently is, between Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen and RFK Racing's Ryan Preece, although his inclusion would naturally move the cut line up a spot since another driver would ultimately fail to qualify.
Still, he'd be a comfortable 117 points ahead, with the cut line between Team Penske's Austin Cindric and SVG instead.
The Truck Series is set to have the next few weekends off before the playoffs begin. In fact, the break is really closer to a month long, as the opener is not scheduled to take place until Thursday, September 17 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Fox Sports 1 is set to provide live coverage of the UNOH 250 beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET that evening. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss it!
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