It was a night filled with bad luck if you were a driver with the blue, NASCAR Playoffs banners that donned the eight remaining teams tonight.
But one team managed to evade it all.
For the first time in NASCAR Truck Series history, ThorSport Racing became the first team to boast a 1-2-3-4 finish, with part-time driver Christian Eckes leading the way at the end of the night.
“I’m speechless,” Eckes said. “It’s been a rough year.”
With his face filled with a mixture of relief and exhaustion, Eckes kept his words to a minimum on the Fox Sports 1 broadcast.
He even neglected to do a burnout, because he appreciated how fast his No. 98 truck was and didn’t want to jeopardize the any single part on the vehicle.
“Hopefully I proved to everyone that I can still do this,” Eckes said.
Behind the young gun came the new series points leader along with a big push courtesy of his front bumper.
Ben Rhodes was one of the few drivers still alive in the postseason to come home on the lead lap, doing so while watching Eckes make the trip to the front stretch.
“We all saw the restarts,” Rhodes said on FS1. “They were crazy all night long. I’m just glad we made it. We barely made it in after Bristol and now we’re the points leader. I’m just happy for Christian (Eckes). I gave him the biggest shove I could.”
Matt Crafton – another playoff driver – rounded out the podium, but beyond that, it was a sour night to be a postseason truck guy.
John Hunter Nemechek saw an engine failure take him multiple laps off of the leader’s and result in a P33 finish. However, due to the big lead he built coming into the round, the Kyle Busch Motorsports driver is still on the safe side of the bubble.
Nemechek, Crafton, Rhodes, and Stewart Friesen, who contended for the lead late and finished sixth, all leave Vegas on the right side of things.
It was a different story for Chandler Smith and defending champion Sheldon Creed, both of which wrecked in the same accident triggered by a spinning No. 26 of Tyler Ankrum.
A major wreck with even bigger playoff implications. #NASCARTrucks
Playoff Drivers:
-Sheldon Creed & Chandler Smith will DNF
-John Hunter Nemechek & Zane Smith are multiple laps down
-Carson Hocevar P2, Rhodes P7, Friesen P10, Crafton P12🎥 @NASCARONFOXpic.twitter.com/xwOpYPA1DV
— Always Race Day (@AlwaysRaceDay) September 25, 2021
Later on, Carson Hocevar got called for intentionally causing a yellow flag, which dropped him a lap down. Not to mention, Zane Smith blowing a tire on the front stretch and watching it become demolished through his lap to pit road.
All four of the aforementioned drivers are on the outside looking in, including the defending champion, and with Talladega coming next week for the tour, we’re in for some unpredictable entertainment.
NASCAR Truck Series Results
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Playoffs-Round of 8
1. Christian Eckes
2. Ben Rhodes (P)
3. Matt Crafton (P)
4. Johnny Sauter
5. Todd Gilliland
6. Stewart Friesen (P)
7. Grant Enfinger
8. Austin Wayne Self
9. Ryan Truex
10. Austin Hill
11. Bret Holmes
12. Derek Kraus
13. Chase Purdy
14. Tate Fogleman
15. Spencer Davis
16. Kris Wright
17. Tyler Hill
18. Danny Bohn
19. Spencer Boyd
20. CJ McLaughlin
21. Dylan Lupton
22. Carson Hocevar (P)
23. Tanner Gray
24. Drew Dollar
25. Brett Moffitt
26. Howie Disavino III
27. JenniferJo Cobb
28. Cory Roper
29. Zane Smith (P)
30. Jack Wood
31. Hailie Deegan
32. Keith McGee
33. John Hunter Nemechek (P)
34. Tyler Ankrum
35. Chandler Smith (P)
36. Sheldon Creed (P)
37. Chris Hacker
NASCAR Truck Series Playoff Grid
After Race 1 of 3 of the Round of 8
1. Ben Rhodes (+34)
2. John Hunter Nemechek (+28)
3. Stewart Friesen (+9)
4. Matt Crafton (+5)
Championship 4 Cutoff
5. Sheldon Creed (-5)
6. Carson Hocevar (-16)
7. Zane Smith (-19)
8. Chandler Smith (-24)
