Pocono Looms Large In Race To Make Truck Series Playoffs

Pocono Raceway comes at a critical point in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular season. (Wyatt Tinsley/Race Face Digital photo)

LONG POND, Pa. – Suffice it to say that it’s crunch time for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series field before the playoff stretch run begins.

The ‘Tough Truckers of NASCAR’ take on Pocono Raceway for the 14th race of the season Friday, with the MillerTech Battery 200 marking the first of just five races remaining prior to the postseason.

It’s a simple format at the ‘Tricky Triangle’. The race is set up through three stages, with the first two stages going 20 laps each and the last stage running for 40 laps.

Last year's race was an exciting one, with the TRICON Garage No. 11 of Corey Hiem taking the checkered flag for one of his six victories that year.

Heim has been dominant again this season, with four wins and a commanding regular season point lead, but that doesn’t mean the battle on the playoff bubble is any less intense.

With just four spots left on points, Grant Enfinger comes in 52 points above the cut line, Layne Riggs is 45 points to the good, Kaden Honeycutt is 19 clear and the last man currently in on points is defending Truck Series champion Ty Majeski by a narrow four-point buffer.

Honeycutt didn’t run last year’s race at Pocono during his part-time schedule, but believes his team is more than prepared with both past notes and new ideas.

“I think it will be a combination of both,” said Honeycutt, whose team won at Pocono with now-NASCAR Cup Series star Ross Chastain in 2019. “I know we’ll have some good speed at Pocono because Niece Motorsports has been fast every year they have gone there.

“Pocono is a different type of racing, and we have more laps added compared to what we’ve done in the past (2024’s race was 70 laps), so that will be a little bit of a mix-up too with strategies. I have a feel for that track, and we had a good package in Michigan, so I think we're trending in the right direction. I know Ross (Chastain) won there quite a long time ago, and I believe we can do that again.

“We have the speed, just need to go out and execute.”

Among those coming into Pocono below the cut line and looking to solidify their spot in the Truck Series playoffs are Jake Garcia (four points below), two-time Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes (55 points back), and Gio Ruggiero (56 points adrift).

Connor Mosack in action Friday afternoon at Pocono Raceway. (Wyatt Tinsley/Race Face Digital photo)

Everyone behind that trio is basically in a must-win situation, including Friday practice leader Connor Mosack for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing.

Mosack took the No. 81 NAPA Nightvision Chevrolet to top of the board with the quickest lap early of xx. Pocono is a place where he has prior experience, with a 15th-place outing last year and one NASCAR Xfinity Series appearance there too.

His most recent Truck Series start at Michigan resulted in a season-high single race points haul of 32, giving Mosack momentum coming into Pocono.

“It’s always nice to go back to a place where you have some experience,” said Mosack. “We had a decent finish last year, but we have our goals much higher this week, especially after how much speed we had at Michigan.

“Our NAPA Nightvision team has the capability to run in the top five and challenge for a win, and I think we showed that last week,” he added. “Pit strategy always plays a big role at Pocono, and having track position throughout the day is a major factor also. Hopefully we can put everything together and give ourselves a chance at the end of the race.”

The fastest five-lap average in practice belonged to Mosack as well, but the best 10-lap average was set unsurprisingly by Heim, whose strength all year has been on longer green-flag runs.

Riggs also made a 10-lap run, but found enough single-lap speed to earn the pole in qualifying as he seeks to clinch his playoff spot by winning at a track he struggled mightily at a year ago.

Will it happen for him or someone else? That’s the question going into a potential shake-up race for the Truck Series field.

Coverage of the MillerTech Battery 200 airs Friday, June 20 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1, with radio coverage provided by the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.