Tag: truck series

NASCAR praises playoff format, denies claims that it’s “gimmicky”

NASCAR praises the current playoff format and denies the claims from people who call it “gimmicky.” Find out what else NASCAR had to say!

NASCAR introduced a new playoff system in 2014 where drivers go through a 10-race gauntlet with four eliminations every three races. Then, the champion is determined from a single-race shootout where the top driver among the four championship-eligible competitors wins the title. It has caused some controversy over the years as some fans don’t like the format.

However, NASCAR seems very pleased with the current playoff format and it’s something that was stressed before Championship Weekend. During the annual “State of the Sport” address, NASCAR president Steve Phelps pushed back on the idea of the playoffs being “gimmicky” and heavily praised the format.

“I think about this championship,” Phelps said. “You think about our racing. When we crown our champion on Sunday, we’ll talk specifically about Cup right now, we’re going to have a Playoff system that I believe is the toughest in sports.”

“When we crown that champion on Sunday, that champion is going to be very deserving. I’ve heard some things, there were people like, Hey, listen, this is gimmicky. It’s not. It’s an incredible, incredible Playoff system that rewards the best drivers in our sport.”

NASCAR’s current playoff format has its faults; however, it has created moments that are irreplaceable. Ross Chastain’s video-game style move at Martinsville Speedway never would have happened and neither would have the legendary call of Jimmie Johnson’s seventh Cup Series title. For now, NASCAR seems pleased with the system and it’s likely not changing soon.

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Ford sweeps the 2023 NASCAR season with three championships

Ford has swept the 2023 NASCAR season with Ryan Blaney winning in Cup, Cole Custer winning in Xfinity, and Ben Rhodes winning in Truck.

[autotag]Ford[/autotag] didn’t have a great regular season in NASCAR’s top-3 levels; however, the manufacturer’s drivers peaked at the right time. Ben Rhodes won the NASCAR Truck Series championship for ThorSport Racing while Cole Custer won the NASCAR Xfinity Series title for Stewart-Haas Racing. Rhodes is the only driver to be a repeat champion.

As for Chevrolet and Toyota, they each performed well throughout the 2023 NASCAR season but were unable to cross the line first for a title. In fact, Ford only had three drivers across all three NASCAR levels in the Championship 4. All of them ended up winning a title and will carry momentum into the 2024 season.

This is the second straight season that Ford has seen this much success. Team Penske driver Joey Logano won the 2022 Cup Series title while now former Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith clinched the 2022 Truck Series championship. If this is any indication of what is to come moving forward, Ford should be optimistic about its chances in 2024.

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Ben Rhodes wins the 2023 NASCAR Truck Series championship at Phoenix

Ben Rhodes has won the 2023 NASCAR Truck Series championship at Phoenix Raceway! This is Rhodes’ second career Truck Series title.

If you like chaos, may I introduce you to the NASCAR Truck Series? On Friday night, the Truck Series ended its 2023 season at Phoenix Raceway with ThorSport Racing driver [autotag]Ben Rhodes[/autotag] pulling out a title victory. Despite damage to his No. 99 truck, Rhodes held off a damaged Grant Enfinger on fresh tires for the championship.

This is the ThorSport Racing driver’s second career Truck Series title with the other coming in 2021. It was simply an insane race that featured high-level drama and messy racing. Still, Rhodes somehow found a way to survive with late-race damage to the front of the truck. It was just one of those nights where everything was pure chaos.

Rhodes won a tiebreaker with Nick Sanchez for the final spot in the Championship 4 and it resulted in a title. The driver of the No. 99 truck joins Ron Hornaday Jr., Matt Crafton, Jack Sprague, and Todd Bodine as drivers with multiple championships. What a season for the Truck Series and Rhodes as the latter joins four legends of the sport.

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Grant Enfinger provides big update on his 2024 NASCAR plans

Grant Enfinger gives a big update on his plans for the 2024 NASCAR season. Find out what Enfinger had to say about the situation!

[autotag]Grant Enfinger[/autotag] and GMS Racing will fight for a NASCAR Truck Series championship at Phoenix Raceway this weekend; however, it is impossible to ignore what comes after the season. GMS Racing will cease operations at the conclusion of 2023 and no longer compete in the Truck Series. As for Enfinger, he talked about his plans for 2024 leading up to Phoenix.

According to Enfinger, he does know what he will be doing in NASCAR during the 2024 season and feels really good about the opportunity. The driver of the No. 23 truck declined to go much further as the sole focus remains on winning a Truck Series championship in GMS Racing’s final start in NASCAR.

Enfinger was definitely a hot commodity on the market as he brings a veteran presence that can help mentor young drivers while competing for a Truck Series title. For now, Enfinger will continue to focus on winning his first career championship in NASCAR’s top 3 levels before shifting it to the 2024 season.

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Final prediction on the winner of the 2023 NASCAR Truck Series championship

Who will win the 2023 NASCAR Truck Series championship? Find out which driver will be holding the Truck Series trophy in 2023!

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.

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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Kyle Busch Motorsports leaves a lasting impact on the NASCAR Truck Series

Kyle Busch Motorsports will stop racing in the NASCAR Truck Series at the end of the 2023 season but its legacy will last beyond this year.

[autotag]Kyle Busch Motorsports[/autotag] will no longer race in the NASCAR Truck Series when the checkered flag waves at Phoenix Raceway this weekend. The organization was sold to Spire Motorsports as it looks to expand its footprint in NASCAR. For Kyle Busch Motorsports, this represents the end of an era for the most successful Truck Series team ever.

Since its debut in 2010, Kyle Busch Motorsports has won 100 races with the most recent being team owner Kyle Busch at Pocono Raceway. Ironically, Busch had to pass a former driver of his organization, Corey Heim, to take the victory. The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has 48 of those 100 Truck Series victories.

Kyle Busch Motorsports is the most winningest team in Truck Series history and their legacy is something that will never go away. Busch has transformed the Truck Series into his own domain and while he will still do so with Spire Motorsports, it will not be the same. Kyle Busch Motorsports will leave a lasting impact on the Truck Series and be the measuring point for all teams in the future.

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Frankie Muniz provides big update on his 2024 NASCAR plans

Frankie Muniz, Malcolm from “Malcolm in the Middle,” gives a big update on his plans for the 2024 season. Find out what Muniz had to say!

[autotag]Frankie Muniz[/autotag], also known as Malcolm from “Malcolm in the Middle,” was one of NASCAR’s biggest stories during the 2023 season. Muniz returned to stock car racing and drove the No. 30 car for Rette Jones Racing on a full-time basis in the ARCA Menards Series. The 37-year-old driver finished fourth in the point standings with one top-5 finish and 11 top-10 finishes.

However, the majority of the talk now circles around what Muniz will be doing in NASCAR during the 2024 season. Muniz spoke to Beyond the Flag about his plans for the 2024 season and it should be exciting to hear if people want to see him on the race track more often.

“I will be racing full-time next season,” Muniz said. “I wish I could share where I’ll be racing, but we’ll be making the announcement soon! I think everyone will be pretty shocked.”

“My goals are to continue to learn and get better. I’ll be moving up to a bigger series with tougher competition, and I know I still have a lot to learn, but in that same sense, I’m ready to move up and prove that I can be a contender. As a racer, you are never satisfied unless you are winning, but I’ll take the small victories of the goals we set throughout the season.”

This seems to indicate that Muniz will be moving up to the NASCAR Xfinity or Truck Series. Muniz has previously been linked to a full-time gig with RSS Racing in the Xfinity Series with part-time starts coming at ThorSport Racing in the Truck Series. For those who are fans of the rising NASCAR driver, the 2024 season is bound to be fun with an announcement coming soon.

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NASCAR entry lists at Phoenix, notable entries for Cup, Xfinity, and Truck

Check out NASCAR’s entry lists for this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, including notable entries in Cup, Xfinity, and Truck.

NASCAR is heading to the final weekend of the year at Phoenix Raceway and the entry lists are stacked. Starting with the Cup Series, Ryan Newman returns to the No. 51 car for Rick Ware Racing while Carson Hocevar will drive the No. 42 car for Legacy Motor Club. Finally, B.J. McLeod will pilot the No. 78 car for Live Fast Motorsports’ last chartered start.

Most notably in the Xfinity Series, Rajah Caruth will drive the No. 17 car for Hendrick Motorsports for the first time. Next, Daniel Dye is set to make another start in the No. 44 car for Alpha Prime Racing. Finally, Derek Kraus will pilot the No. 11 car for Kaulig Racing after starting the majority of the 2023 Xfinity Series playoffs.

In the Truck Series, Jesse Love will make his final start with TRICON Garage in the No. 1 truck. Next, Marco Andretti will make another start in the No. 7 truck for Spire Motorsports while Kraus pilots a second entry for the organization. Finally, Sean Hingorani makes his first start in the No. 75 truck for Henderson Motorsports.

The entry lists are stacked with big names and the final weekend of the 2023 NASCAR season should live up to the hype at Phoenix. It will kick off on Friday night with the Truck Series on FOX Sports 1.

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NASCAR will have several ‘final’ moments at Phoenix in 2023

NASCAR will have several “final” moments at Phoenix in 2023, including Kevin Harvick’s last full-time race. Find out more of these moments!

NASCAR is set to enter the final weekend of the 2023 season as three champions will be crowned at Phoenix Raceway. It will be an exciting weekend for those three drivers and the sport; however, there are also situations that make some people disappointed. This is due to the final race of the year bringing the end to certain situations.

In the NASCAR Cup Series, Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola will run their final races with Stewart-Haas Racing. Meanwhile, Justin Haley will do the same with Kaulig Racing and Ty Dillon with Spire Motorsports. As for race teams, Legacy Motor Club will compete in their final race with Chevrolet while Live Fast Motorsports’s last event as a charter team has arrived.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series brings an incredible amount of driver movement with John Hunter Nemechek moving to the Cup Series, Sammy Smith departing Joe Gibbs Racing, and Sheldon Creed leaving Richard Childress Racing. There are also plenty more drivers switching teams but these are just some of the notables.

As for the NASCAR Truck Series, the sport will say goodbye to two organizations. Kyle Busch Motorsports and GMS Racing will compete in their final races before both teams cease to exist. Also, there is a lot of driver movement with Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith moving to the Cup Series while several others change teams.

Overall, there will be lots of final moments at Phoenix that will be swept under the rug in place of three champions. It has been a great run for a majority of these situations but new ones will await them next year. For now, NASCAR will enjoy the final weekend of the season as 2023 comes to an end soon.

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Phoenix race schedule: NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series start times

Check out the weekend schedule at Phoenix Raceway for the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series!

NASCAR is heading to Phoenix Raceway and there is always a buzz in the air as the sport competes in the final race of the 2023 season. All three levels of NASCAR will hold their Championship 4 event as 12 drivers fight for a title. Most importantly, one driver will be crowned a NASCAR Cup Series champion.

The Truck Series will start out the weekend on Friday night while the Xfinity Series race will follow on Saturday evening. Then, the Cup Series will hold the last NASCAR race of 2023 on Sunday afternoon. Phoenix will be incredibly intense as the sport says farewell to another fantastic year.

Here’s the full weekend schedule for Phoenix, with start times and broadcast information for each session:

NASCAR Cup Series:

Friday: Practice (8:05 p.m., USA Network)

Saturday: Qualifying (4:35 p.m., USA Network)

Sunday: NASCAR Cup Series Championship (3:00 p.m., NBC)

NASCAR Xfinity Series:

Friday: Practice (7:05 p.m., NBC Sports App)

Saturday: Qualifying (3:30 p.m., USA Network), NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship (7:00 p.m., USA Network)

NASCAR Truck Series:

Thursday: Practice (8:00 p.m., No TV)

Friday: Qualifying (6:05 p.m., No TV), CRAFTSMAN 150 (10:00 p.m., FOX Sports 1)