After a week off the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns to action with Friday’s Love’s RV Stop 225 (4 p.m. ET on FOX, NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Talladega Superspeedway – the second of three Playoff races that will decide which four drivers race for the 2025 championship.
By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service
The odds-on title favorite is Corey Heim, who is the first driver in series history to win 10 races in a single season and the only driver so far to have advanced to the Championship 4 Round via his victory on the Charlotte ROVAL two weeks ago. The driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota has won five of the last six races coming to Talladega.
Only one of the current eight Playoff drivers have won previously at Talladega – Alabama-native Grant Enfinger, who won in 2016 and again in the last race in 2024. He could use that kind of showing this weekend as he is among the four drivers below the cutoff line with only the Talladega race and the Oct. 24 race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway remaining to set the championship field.
Beyond TRICON Garage driver Heim, it’s a very – very – tightly bunched standings. McAnally-Hilgemann teammates Tyler Ankrum and Daniel Hemric – both two points above the cutoff line – and Spire Motorsports’ Rajah Caruth, who is just a single point to the good.
Front Row Motorsports Layne Riggs is that 1-point back, followed by reigning series champ, ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski (-2), CR7 Motorsports’ Enfinger (-4) and Halmar Friesen Racing’s Kaden Honeycutt (-4).
Four of the last six Talladega races have featured a first-time CRAFTSMAN Truck Series winner.
Kennametal Pole Qualifying is Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET (FS2). William Sawalich started from pole position last year. The last polesitter to win at Talladega was Timothy Peters in 2015.