The 2023 NASCAR Truck Series season will end at Phoenix Raceway this weekend and it has all come down to the last race. Corey Heim, Grant Enfinger, Carson Hocevar, and Ben Rhodes will all fight for the trophy. Most notably, Rhodes will look to win his second Truck Series championship after claiming his first in 2021.
It is now time to predict who will be the 2023 Truck Series champion. First, the previous experience at Phoenix will be something to monitor with plenty of results among the four drivers outside of Heim. For the TRICON Garage driver, he has run one race at Phoenix, which resulted in top-4 finishes in each stage and a seventh-place finish at the end of the day.
As for the other drivers, Ben Rhodes has three top-4 finishes in the last four Phoenix races with his third-place finish in 2021 clinching a title. Rhodes always lives up to the moment and will be a serious threat. The same goes for Enfinger, despite his last top-5 finish at Phoenix coming during the 2019 season with ThorSport Racing.
Finally, Hocevar has four starts at Phoenix with a best finish of ninth place. It is not one of his best tracks statistically; however, he did win at Richmond Raeway and finish in fourth place at World Wide Technology Raceway. Both venues have a similar layout as shorter-flat tracks. They could be an indicator of Hocevar’s possible success at Phoenix.
Repost to congratulate Carson Hocevar on his NASCAR Truck Series WIN at Homestead-Miami Speedway!
Corey Heim, Carson Hocevar, Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes are your 2023 NASCAR Truck Series Championship 4. pic.twitter.com/FQayFpGkpn
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 21, 2023
While Rhodes and Enfinger have the experience, Heim and Hocevar have been the fastest drivers among the Championship 4 competitors. They also carry the most momentum after winning a race during the Round of 8. It will be hard to discount Rhodes and Enfinger but the other two drivers have shown more speed and have momentum on their side.
Therefore, the pick is between Heim and Hocevar. Ultimately, the prediction is that Hocevar will cap off a storybook season with five victories and most importantly, the championship. The Niece Motorsports driver has been fast every week and will display the same amount of pace at Phoenix, despite his lack of previous success at the venue.
Overall, it has been a fun and intense season for the Truck Series. Any four of these drivers would be a worthy champion and this weekend is bound to be exciting like always.
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