NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Returns to Michigan After Four-Year Hiatus

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service

The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series wraps up a busy six consecutive weeks of competition on Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway with the DQS Solutions & Staffing 200 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics (Noon ET on FOX, NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

This marks the first time since 2020 that the series has raced at the two-mile track nestled just outside Detroit. Zane Smith – now a NASCAR Cup Series regular – claimed his first ever win in the Truck Series the last time the trucks raced at Michigan. No current fulltime drivers have won there but plenty have competed there. ThorSport Racing is the only team with a previous win.

The track has historically been ultra-competitive, with 15 winners in the last 16 races. And qualifying has shown to be important with the race winner starting 10th or better in the last 11 Michigan races.

The season’s four-time race winner, TRICON Garage’s Corey Heim leads the championship standings – extending his advantage to 122 points over McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Daniel Hemric. Front Row Motorsports’ Chandler Smith and Hemric’s teammate Tyler Ankrum round out the top four in the driver standings.

The last four races coming into Michigan have been won by four different drivers – NASCAR Cup Series regular Carson Hocevar, Smith, Heim and Rajah Caruth, last week.

Five of the 10 Playoff positions have been claimed by virtue of a victory with six races remaining to set the final Playoff field. Reigning series champ Ty Majeski is still racing for his first win of the season and sits in that 10th and final transfer position – 48 points up on rookie Giovanni Ruggiero.

Practice and Kennametal Pole Qualifying for the race will be Saturday morning beginning at 8 a.m. ET on FS1.