After a lengthy three-week break, the 10 Playoff drivers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series now turn their attention to the high banks of challenging Bristol Motor Speedway for the second stop of the opening round of their Playoffs. The Truck Series will join with the ARCA Menards Series to put on a titan Thursday night doubleheader at The World’s Fastest Half-Mile that’s sure to thrill race fans.
Bristol spring winner Christian Eckes returns to Eastern Tennessee in a prime position to continue his march to the series championship at the controls of the No. 19 Chevy. He is leading the Playoff points standings over rivals Ty Majeski and Corey Heim, both former Bristol winners themselves.
Majeski, who claimed his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol in 2022, feels ready for the challenge of a championship run. He’s red-hot at the moment with two wins and a second-place finish in the last three starts. His wins at Indianapolis Raceway Park and Richmond give him confidence heading to another short track in Bristol.
“I think we’re one of those top-three contenders for sure, especially coming off these two wins,” said Majeski. “I think we’re probably carrying the most momentum in the series right now. I feel like maybe our valleys have been a little bit lower than the 19 (Eckes) and the 11 (Heim), but I feel like our peaks have been similar, so as long as we can just peak at the right time and keep this momentum going, there's no reason why we can't be a competitor at Phoenix (for the championship)."
The UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics which takes the green flag on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. (FS1, MRN Radio) promises to be a wild shootout as those three drivers mix and tangle with a host of Playoff challengers, including Nick Sanchez, Taylor Gray, Tyler Ankrum, Daniel Dye, Grant Enfinger and Rajah Caruth.
The Craftsman Truck Series defending series champ and also a past Bristol winner, Ben Rhodes, heads to the event needing a win or strong finish to pull himself out of the bottom two. He is in ninth currently, two points out of the top eight, which will transfer to the next round of the Playoffs after the Kansas race in two weeks.
Rhodes, the veteran and a multi-time champ in the series, says you have to be ready for everything in the opening round of the Playoffs.
“Something unfortunate is going to happen to somebody in this first round,” Rhodes said. “It may only happen to one driver, it could happen to two, but those are the ones that will have the disadvantage, so the biggest thing is to have consistent races, get your stage points, and that will get you to the next round. After that, you’ve got to be perfect.”
Rhodes, from nearby Louisville, Kentucky, enjoys racing at Bristol and says for some reason he shines during the postseason. He isn’t sure why or how, but when he looks at his championship trophies it reminds him that he knows how to get the job done.
“Just the fact that we’ve done it, I think that’s going to tell us that we can do it again,” Rhodes said. “We have the blueprint. We’ve done it twice. We’ve done it when our backs (have) been against the wall. We’ve done it when we’ve had to get in on tiebreakers, where we’ve had to do crazy strategy and get in on a point. We’ve been put through the crucible, we’ve gone through the ringer, and somehow we still found a way to make it to the next round.”
Others to watch in the UNOH 200 include rising star William Sawalich, Connor Zilisch, who won last weekend in his Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen, past IndyCar winner Marco Andretti and Tri-Con Garage racer Dean Thompson, all of whom plan to do the doubleheader that night and also race in the Bush’s Beans 200 ARCA Menards Series event, scheduled to kick off the action with a 5 p.m. start (FS1, MRN Radio).
The race is also the ARCA Menards East season finale where Zilisch currently leads Sawalich in the standings. Sawalich, the defending Bush’s Beans 200 winner, trails by 16 points and needs to finish several places in front of Zilisch in order to steal away the championship.
Other drivers who will certainly challenge for the victory in the Bush’s Beans 200 include series leader Andres Perez, Lavar Scott, Kris Wright, Christian Rose, Toni Breidinger, Amber Balcaen and Gio Ruggiero.
Nashville-based Logan Misuraca is making her Bristol debut in only her third career start in the ARCA Menards Series. It’s her first race of the 2024 season and she will be driving the No. 9 Chevy for Rev Racing.
On Friday, Sparks will fly in the Food City 300, as NASCAR Xfinity Series favorites Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Cole Custer, Sheldon Creed and Riley Herbst will be fighting hard alongside NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Xfinity Series regular season finale (Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m., The CW, PRN Radio).
Finally, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will take to the track on Saturday for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m., USA Network, PRN Radio), you’ll get to see all of your favorite drivers like Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick to name a few, racing hard in the Round of 16 to advance in the first elimination race of the Playoffs.
To purchase tickets, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com or call the BMS Ticket Sales Center at (866) 415-4158.
