NASCAR Truck Series playoff grid update for final race of Round of 10

The NASCAR Truck Series is heading to Kansas Speedway for the final race of the Round of 10 and here’s an update involving the playoff grid.

The NASCAR Truck Series will be competing in the final race of the Round of 10 at Kansas Speedway on Friday night. While four drivers, Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger, Corey Heim, and Christian Eckes, have clinched a spot in the Round of 8, there are still four spots remaining for the six remaining drivers on the playoff bubble.

Starting with the only driver who appears to be safe, Carson Hocevar has a 56-point gap over the cut-line and should easily cruise to a Round of 8 appearance barring something totally chaotic. Hocevar is the only driver with a possibility of being eliminated who faces an easy task on Friday night.

Zane Smith sits 29 points above the playoff cut-line but that can disappear quickly with a bad race or incident. Smith still remains in a good spot but it’s not as certain as Hocevar. It will take a clean first two stages for the Front Row Motorsports driver to truly become comfortable while everyone behind him is in an intense situation.

Matt Crafton (+9) and Nick Sanchez (+3) each need to have strong nights if they don’t want to face elimination. Both drivers have shown speed at certain points in the season but they have a significant gap in experience. Crafton has been here before while Sanchez is in his rookie season, which will likely make it a tougher task at Kansas.

Finally, Ben Rhodes, the 2021 Truck Series champion, is three points below the cut-line heading into Kansas. It would be a very disappointing season if Rhdoes is unable to advance to the Round of 8 due to his past success. As for the final driver in the standings, Matt DiBenedetto faces a steep hill with a 20-point deficit after two weeks of struggles.

The playoff intensity will be high on Friday night and it is bound to have some sparks flying. This is the first elimination race of the 2023 playoffs and it marks the most significant race of the season yet.

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